There are plenty of reasons to go hands-free with your cell phone whilst driving. Decreasing distractions, obeying local laws, and the simple fact that your girlish arms can’t take the punishment of holding a phone to your ear are all good rationales for making a change. If your vehicle didn’t come equipped with a factory-speakerphone solution and headsets aren’t your thing (nobody wants to be that guy), then we may have found just the product for you. Scosche’s latest bluetooth speakerphone, the solCHAT, packs good quality and some novel features.

Most notably, the Bluetooth 2.0 compatible solCHAT charges and operates off of solar power. When placed inconspicuously at the periphery of your windshield (think oil-change-sticker-zone), there’s no need to run any type of wire to the unit or to replace the batteries. The unit features voice caller ID, which eliminates one more reason for fiddling with your cell phone. Ultimately, any accessory of this type lives and dies on performance. Happily, our test unit operated admirably, offering plenty of speaker volume and clear audio. On the other end of the call, receivers reported little to no background noise or echoes distorting our rants about near collisions caused by other drivers glued to their handsets.

Unobtrusive, attractive, and functional. That makes the solCHAT Gear Patrol approved.

Cost: $62