iPhone Bluetooth Headset:

Apple flunks Driver’s Ed

What you don’t know can kill you.

Apple, a company on the cutting edge of video instruction, could have made this product a lot safer to use by, instead of burying the usual lawyerly gobbledygook, providing a practical short video. I propose the following:

One qualifier: There are no statistics on cell phones and accidents. No one really knows if this or any hands-free device makes driving safer. They also can’t say, for certain, if driving with a cell is dangerous. Not the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Not all those insurance dudes. Only a few surveys done in Perth, Australia, Denmark and an old one in Finland.) But we all know we have both done and seen people do stupid, potentially dangerous things as we try to drive and work the phone at the same time.

This much we all can agree on: the less distractions while driving, the better.

What this (and every headset) needs is a side lesson that makes it as easy to work as a turn signal.

1. Keep the thing off until you answer the phone.  Turn it off when you’re done.

8 out of the top 10 gripes on Apple’s own Most Useful Customer Ratings page are about the battery. You’ll get a lot more mileage if you conserve the battery.

2. Learn to use it as if you were blindfolded.

Just like a turn signal, you’re better off being able to work it without looking at it. Here’s how:

To turn it on, press the button for three seconds until you hear these four rising tones:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

To turn it off, press the button for three seconds until you hear these four falling tones:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Try that little tray they provide for keeping your change or that thing people used to call an ashtray. If it’s in the same place every time, you’ll know where to grab it.