This week, it became illegal to talk on your mobile phone handset while driving in the states of California and Washington. While the first fine is just $20 in California, these fines will escalate quickly. If you’re not in California or Washington, you might want to heed these words as well. In many states across the country, hands-free laws are being developed– if they’re not already enacted. So continue reading, GearCravers, for 5 products that will keep you legal and keep those handsome devils above off your back.

Number Five: Bluetooth Headsets

If your job requires that you’re on the phone for more than an hour per day, a bluetooth headset is justified. If not, owning a bluetooth headset puts you quite close to douchebag territory. This law, however, re-writes the rules completely. If you’re in your car on the go and need to take a call, a bluetooth headset is no longer a fashion faux pas. If you wear it around all day, that’s another story…

If you decide you want a bluetooth headset, we suggest the Aliph Jawbone. The Jawbone is simple, stylish and effective– it includes military-grade noise cancellation that continuously adapts to your environment. Your calls will be clear, cool and most of all, street legal. Just be sure to leave it in your car when you get out…

Buy: $74.99

Number Four: Mountable Bluetooth Handsfree Systems

If you want a device that will stay put in your car and keep you legal, we recommend mountable bluetooth handsfree systems. These range in price, connectivity and features, but we don’t feel that you’d need to spend more than $50 for a unit like this. We recommend the Iqua miniUFO handsfree system, a small, portable bluetooth hands-free unit that. The miniUFO runs on a rechargable lithium battery, allowing for 10 hours of talk time or 450 hours on standby until you need a charge. You can mount it quite easily in a few locations in your car, like the sun visor as shown above.

Buy: $49.99

Number Three: Eco-Friendly Bluetooth Handsfree Systems

For those that don’t want to worry about batteries, recharging or cigarette lighter cables, we suggest going the “green” route. LG Electronics recently revealed their solar-powered hands-free bluetooth system. Attach this to the top of your dash and the LG HFB-500 will draw its power from the sun. As long as you let it stay put in the daytime, it should give you plenty of talk time until the following morning. This piece hasn’t been released yet, but its street price is expected to be right around $100.

Number Two: Rear-View Mirror Bluetooth Handsfree Systems

Whoever came up with this one deserves a beer on our tab.  From an acoustic perspective, placing a mic on a rear-view mirror is ideal, as this is a perfect audio pickup location, better so than a mic mounted on your console.  What’s more, the display on this rear-view mirror shows the number or contact that is calling from your phone’s contact list.  One word of warning– you might want to turn this feature off when your girlfriend is in the car (who’s Stefani?  Why is this Stefani calling you?).

Buy: $139.95

Number One: Bluetooth Enabled In-Dash Multimedia Systems

Call us crazy, but we have a hard time seeing how this is any safer than talking on a handset while driving.  Crazy or not, safe or not, this is the most lust-worthy option available in handsfree bluetooth mobile systems.  The Pioneer In-Dash Multimedia System can play DVDs, audio media, it can connect to your iPod and most importantly– it connects to your mobile phone and acts as a bluetooth handsfree system.  When a contact calls you, their details show up on the built-in, retractable 7″ screen.  When you’re not taking a call or listening to your iPod, why not watch a DVD?  We recommend Cannonball Run.

Buy: ~$1,500

Thanks for reading, GearCravers.  If you find another bluetooth system we’ve missed, or have other options/experiences you want to share, leave us a comment!