About a month ago, Jabra sent a little bag out to its regular reviewers. Inside was a stone—a literal, polished stone—and that was it. It was a cheesy PR stunt, the kind we see all the time, but when I got the headset itself, it made sense. The Jabra Stone, when docked, is a near-seamless pebble, broken only underneath, at the headset's hollowed-out ejection point. It's a stunning headset, actually, which sounds weird coming out of my mouth. (Or fingers! Who's counting.)

The Stone's specs are appropriate to its pricepoint: it'll pair in regular and A2DP modes for voice or music listening, respectively, has a minimalist status display, a noise-cancelling mic, volume controls—though here they're managed with a touch-sensitive shell rather than buttons—and a charging dock. The claimed talk time is two hours per charge, and the dock is good for three extra charges. Standby time is a respectable 12 hours 12 days.

And to be honest, aside from eking out a little extra battery life over competitors' products, there's not a whole lot a company can do to make a Bluetooth headset technologically interesting. What they can do, and what Jabra has done with the Stone, is focus on style and feel. Bluetooth headsets look dumb, and they're awkward to wear. The Stone is a headset designed with these thoughts in mind—it looks as not-dumb as a headset can; it feels as not-awkward as a piece of plastic in your ear conceivably could. It's self-conscious, almost embarrassed for what it is.

Long-term testing might bear out some initial concerns about battery life and the practical convenience of carrying around a slippery little battery rock, but my first impressions were uniformly positive. The Stone paired almost instantly with an iPhone, a Pre and a Hero right out of the box, sound quality was clear, and three ears of varying shapes and sizes found the angled earpiece plenty comfortable.

The Stone will be available at AT&T stores from November 8th, priced at $130 right alongside the Platronics Voyager. From the looks of it the Voyager edges out a win on battery life, but the fact that Jabra's put even the tiniest bit of sex into their newest piece goes a long, long way. [Jabra]

Both the TuneBase FM and TuneBase direct offer push-button call pickup and a speaker phone, but the former also includes Belkin's ClearScan technology which automatically finds the best frequency at the push of a button. The FM and Direct will run $90 and $70 when they are released in early July and June respectively. [Belkin]

The Hands Free was a huge controller that was strapped to the user's chest. The D-pad was controlled by the user's tongue, while you could control the A and B buttons by blowing and sucking through the pipe. I'm not quite sure how you could hit both buttons at once, but I'm sure they made it usable.

Back when it was released in 1989 it retailed for $179 straight from Nintendo, but if you want one now you'll have to hit up eBay, where they go for upwards of $600. [Kotaku]

The NXBT is modest in its goals, serving as a no-frills Bluetooth handsfree kit for your car. It offers a simple caller ID interface as an upgrade, boasts either 150/6 or 250/10 hours of standby/talk time depending on the model, and recharges its batteries by just sittin' on your dash, soakin' up some rays, or something.

The point is, this device will probably succeed because of its plainness. Too many solar-powered gadgets use the tech as a gimmicky augmentation, or an impractical addition that renders the device useless for days at a time. The Nextar NXBT will sit in one of the sunniest places it could, perform one valuable function for a reasonable amount of time, and—with any luck—perform it well. The NXBT-001, with the lower talk time and no caller ID, will ship in Spring for $60, while the upgraded NXBT-002 will go for $70. Both will be on display at CES 2009. [Nextar]

In 2003, we reported on a GPS navigation device that led the visually impaired to their impending doom due to an "inaccuracy" of the system.

Although this new GPS device is not as cuddly as a guide dog, it is made up of one earpiece and microphone, which would allow the blind a certain anonymity, kind of like Daredevil, in that he would no longer need a cane or furry pet, which would leave both of his hands free ... to fight crime, perhaps? [create the future contest via gizmag]

A few notes on testing and results: As with the earphone Battlemodo, my testing methods were not scientific but practical: The audio test was a sonically diverse playlist of reasonable bitrate MP3s, the isolation test was a ride on a San Francisco city bus followed by white noise on a home stereo, and the mic testing was done by, well, making a few calls.

Each headset gets its own conclusion, including a summary of the circumstances for which the set is best suited. One with fantastic sound might cut off the noises of traffic, making it useless for biking. Another might be great for running, but not pick up nuanced tones of your obsessively ripped lossless audio collection. Apple's own headset serves as a baseline—it doesn't have its own section, but it is referred to where appropriate. At the $70 mark and above, it tends to be outclassed. Because of the varying needs of headset users, there's no one Battlemodo champion, but some are definitely better than others. Here are the results:

Altec Lansing Earclip-S - $40
One of two earclip-style headsets we tested, these earphones don't offer much over the standard headset besides a secure fit. Music playback is as clear as on Apple's buds, but without any of the bass. They're not very attractive and feel cheap and flimsy. The sticky rubber sheathing can sort of grab your hair, if you're bushy around the ears, though it does help the clips stay put. There are two controllers, one on the mic and one down the wire for with volume and mic shutoff. The volume controller is sensitive and gets inadvertently adjusted pretty often, and the call/play button can be hard to find in a hurry. The mic added an annoying static sound to voices.
Conclusion: Recommend for exercise duty, where they would at least stay in place and sound OK. They're water resistant too, but at this price you may not be too paranoid about sweat murdering your headset anyway. They look, feel and sound as cheap as they are.

Shure Music Phone Adapter - $50
Shure's solution to the headset problem is to sell you the earphones and microphone separately. Pairing with the fantastic SE110s will make for a fantastic combo, but the combo will set you back almost $150 total. Good thing you can use this adapter with any earphones. Voice quality is high, even in situations with ambient noise, but extras are not; there is just one button and gator clip.
Conclusion: If you like your current earphones, keep them and buy the Shure. Ideally, your earphones will have a short cable, otherwise you'll have to clip the mic to your shirt and let the excess cable dangle.

Maximo iMetal iP-HS1 - $70
Music is richer and clearer than with Apple's headset, but not by much. These fit like traditional earbuds, and are on the large side in both look and diameter. They're solid, but could be perceived as a little garish on account of the chrome finish. The single, large low-hanging button works well and is the easiest of the lot to quickly press. The very capable mic is positioned and designed intelligently, and is the best we tested.
Conclusion: A solid replacement for lost or broken Apple headsets for people who have big, weird ear holes and don't care about isolation.

Maximo iMetal iP-HS2 Isolators - $70
These are the in-ear version of the iMetal. Sound is slighly bottom-heavy but the rest of the range is well-represented. The tips are comfortable, and provide surprisingly good isolation. Walking doesn't cause any annoying thumping from the cables, which is often a problem for similar in-ears. The single call/play button is identical to that on the other Maximo, as is the superb mic.
Conclusion: The best value and a recommended purchase, provided you want something that shuts you off from the outside world.

V-Moda Vibe Duo - $100
These in-ears are about as bassy as they are stylish. This results in a slightly muddy sound but they're good for casual listening. Isolation is fair, but you hear significant cable rustling when you walk with them. The tip choices are smart and comfortable for a wide range of ear holes. The single control button is on the mic, easy to find. The mic delivers clear, intelligible sound at a moderate volume.
Conclusion: Too expensive for what you get, but look great and are as tough as nails.

Sennheiser MM50-ip - $100
Sound is comparable to iMetal isolators in terms of balance and quality, but they handle high volumes and bassier songs a bit better. Senn gives us plenty of tip choices, most of which are cushy and easy on the ear holes, but with a low to fair amount of isolation. There is some degree of cable noise when walking, but it's not too intrusive. The mic has a flush call button that can be hard to feel, but luckily sits directly opposite an easy-to-fumble-for indention at the mic's grille. Mic quality is above average, but not very loud. Unequal cable length after the split drives some people nuts, but works fine.
Conclusion: If they were a few dollars cheaper they would be much, much more appealing. Without a significant performance advantage, they lose out to the cheaper Maximo iMetals.

AirDrives Interactive Headset - $100
Taking a totally different approach than just about anyone else, the AirDrives are earclips with drivers that sort of float above your ears. The logic is that they won't interfere with ambient noises and permit all-day listening without fear of ear damage. Achieving a proper fit (or hover, I guess) was difficult on my freakish baby ears, but once you bend them correctly they don't budge. The listening sensation is akin to being in a room with the stereo on, so it's easy to hear what is going on around you. Voices sound fine, but music is robbed of any low to lower-mid frequencies, which I expect would be a dealbreaker for many.
Conclusion: Good for work or exercise where awareness of your surroundings is key, but that's it. Sound is just too poor to recommend for music lovers.

Etymotics hf2 - $180
Excellent, balanced sound, featuring the same audio hardware as the hf5's that won their category in our earphone Battlemodo. These won't win over beat junkies, but are truly in a different class than anything else reviewed here in terms of sound quality—and price. Putting these guys in usually means getting a deep, full seal against your ear canals, which can be offputting to some people, but rewarding to others. Isolation is very strong, and cable rustling is minimal. The mic setup is a one-button affair, but that button is easy to find.
Conclusion: Only buy these if you're an audiophile who, for some reason, doesn't already have a pair of decent earphones. Otherwise, just grab the Shures.

We tried to cover the bases here, but this list of headsets is by no means comprehensive—if you want to add anything from your personal experience, please share it in the comments. Special thanks goes to Clay Hane for testing assistance.

California drivers 18 and older must use hands-free devices when talking on cellphones beginning July 1. Drivers under 18 cannot use cellphones or text-message.

FOR DRIVERS 18 AND OLDER: Voice commands count as going hands-free for drivers 18 or older. BlackBerrys, GPS systems, etc., are OK to use.

FOR DRIVERS YOUNGER THAN 18: Cellphones are banned for these drivers. They also cannot text- message or use laptops.

These kinds of laws are specifically about phones rather than distractions, and it really shows in the language. Cells are banned, but BlackBerries are fine? Really? The intention of banning phones is reasonable and the law will likely benefit the state as a whole, but it could use some fleshing out. Primarily, it doesn’t give the police the discretionary power they would need to properly deal with more types of distracted drivers, many of whom are even more dangerous than your average talker.

So if you’re down about the new rules and/or understand the world much like an 8-year-old boy might, here are some alternatives that are totally (probably) more acceptable in the eyes of the law than dialing and driving:

USE A LAPTOP

If you’re under 18 it looks like you might be out of luck here. If you’re a legal adult though, the coast is apparently clear. Invest in EVDO or one of those new 3G-equipped Chryslers and browse the net, fire up your favorite racing game or install Skype and prank call the developing world. If you’ve got big hands you can even hold it like a cellphone for bonus points.

USE A BANANA

If your incessant phone usage is a function of some kind of strange cranial fixation, hold something else against your ear. Talk into a banana, or a boomerang. Or a kitten. All of these things offer at least the tactile satisfaction of your average handset, and each has an added benefit (snacking, hunting and affection, respectively).

DEAL WITH YOUR HYGIENE

The sights of a man struggling with an electric shaver or a woman gracelessly applying lipstick are common enough already, so take that concept as far as you want. It’s easy to forget about your toenails, for example. You should really take care of them, otherwise you might trip and have an accident.

BUY A KINDLE

Impress the cute driver next to you with your brain, via your Amazon e-book reading device. For hands-free use just strap it to your wheel, or windshield. You can peruse your favorite quarterly, dig into some obnoxious book by Ron Paul about why making cellphones (or anything) illegal is totally illegal or even download every statute of California law, just to have around.

MAKE A SANDWICH

If you’re bored, hungry or both, why not just make yourself a hoagie on your dashboard? You’ll find that getting a decent sandwich together there is pretty easy in spite of (or maybe because of) all the ArmorAll residue. Extra kudos if you can convert your Foreman grill to DC power without popping a fuse. Also, extra sandwiches.

USE A GPS DEVICE

Mio's upcoming Moov 380 GPS device has calling and texting built right in, but it's A-OK under the new law. If you've got a Dash system, have a ball drawing your own customized routes. Or just buy a map. Make sure to unfold it all the way so it blocks your windshield.

WRITE A NOVEL

Can be combined with the laptop option, but spiral notebooks and legal pads work fine too. You’ll regret not doing it for the rest of your life, and self-publishing is cake nowadays. With your new mobile data connect, you could even print on demand while you, say, merge onto the freeway.

TAKE A SNAPSHOT

When the world is zipping by at 45mph it's easy to miss things. With the camera tech that's available today, there's really no reason for that. A Casio EX-F1 will never let you miss a moment, with helpful features like pre-recording for still shots and slow-motion video up to 1200fps. The faster you go, the cooler the video.

HAVE CHILDREN

While the first two stages of producing a child are almost definitely not allowed during driving, there’s no law about bringing birthed kids in your car. The more the merrier. Give them some toys, preferably loose and with plenty potential as projectiles. You don’t want to be one of those distant, uncool parents, you want to interact with your offspring. It’ll be fun because kids are wacky, but also because the stakes are much higher. Don’t screw up!

Again, I'm no lawyer, but I'd bet much of the crazier distractions are probably covered under generic distracted driving laws in many states. But the point remains that there are far more distracting things you can do than talk on the phone while driving, like trying to type on a touchscreen iPhone keyboard while driving stick, and so this law is woefully out of date for Gizmodo readers in particular. So, technophiles, how will you pass the time in the driver's seat now?

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As far as functionality is concerned, the TeleMax III keeps the simple theme going by automatically muting the TV mode when a call is received —and since it is hands-free, the bulky look of the unit should pose no problem. At this point, the Telemax III is still in a prototype phase, but Tiller+Tiller hopes to have a commercial version ready (along with stripped-down I and II versions) for release sometime in the next 18 months. [Gizmag]

The headset hangs up calls when docked, turns off when the engine turns off, and turns back on when the engine is turned on (provided it's docked). In addition, The Yada is a super light product for its size, mounting to an air vent or dashboard. Nothing groundbreaking, but the built-in headset charger seems made for people like me who always forget to charge their headset at home. The YD-V1 should hit stores next week for about $60. [WinPlus]

The company's already using this hands-free transporter as a camera platform, perfect for a Steadicam operator to move about freely while taking shots with his camera mount attached to a special bracket.

There have also been dances choreographed using the contraptions, with the participants wearing long skirts to cover up the device's wheels. There's no info about pricing or availability to the general public yet, but this hands-free idea looks like a crucial improvement over the original Segway. [Handsfree]

With the TransDock, it seems like you can keep your hands on the wheel all while charging your phone and fiddling with your iPod controls at the same time. With all these features, the $129 price point doesn't seem so outlandish. – Jason Chen

Product Page [DLO]

HandsFree Cell Phone Kit [Product Page via Nerd Approved]

Product Page [Mockia via Mad 4 Mobile Phones]