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A new traffic safety report has challenged the conventional wisdom that driving with a Bluetooth headset is safer than making a call directly on your mobile while on the road. The report says that portable gadgets are attributable to one in four accidents on US roads, and recommends novice drivers be banned from using their mobile phones outright while on the road.

It gets worse

The Governors Highway Safety Association out in Washington DC says half of all accidents are attributable to drivers being distracted while behind the wheel. Half of these very distractions are caused by our mobile devices, hence the 25 per cent causation ratio.

Perhaps the most conclusive evidence that Bluetooth headsets are doing very little to stop road accidents is the finding that there has been no decline in crash rates in the US states that have banned driving with handheld phones, hence the study’s assumption that headsets are no safer.

Learner drives the biggest risk

The GHSA says that novice drivers carry the highest risk of all drivers on the road. The study says: ‘Novices are the highest-risk drivers. Their attention should be focused on driving, not on cell phone conversations… A ban reinforces this message… and helps parents manage their teenage drivers.’ This is punctuated by the fact that driving while texting – something younger drivers do – is even more dangerous than driving and calling on the mobile phone.

Evidence is in the… crash site?

The non-profit group researched 10 years of crash reports to come to its finding. While somewhat morbid, it’s a better approach than a random survey, right?

Anyhow, this puts a dent on the value of Bluetooth headsets from a road safety perspective, but if you need your hands freed up while talking on the phone, it still in your best interest to get one – irrespective of how silly some look.

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A mini notebook with a real-wide screen, Sony Vaio VPC-W11S1E/T is ideal for multimedia and Internet. Available in a brown colour, the laptop has a Intel Atom N280 processor with a clock speed of 1660 MHz. A fast and efficient processor, it can handle multiple programmes with ease. Equipped with a RAM of 1,024MB and hard disk space of 160GB that has a speed of 5400rpm, the laptop offers ample space for all your files, photos, media and music. The laptop has a WXGA display screen of 10.1 inches that offers sharp and vivid images that are realistic and true-to-life. The screen has a display resolution of HD Ready 1366×768 and as aspect ratio of 16:9. Equipped with a Intel GMA 950 graphics card, the laptop has Ethernet LAN 10/100/1000, Modem and Wireless LAN for data communication. It has Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition as its operating system. Also, the Intel Atom Processor N280 has Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology, which makes the laptop even more efficient.

Along with so many features, the Sony netbook also has a host of expansio ports and slots like a Memory Stick Slot, a SD Card Slot, 2 USB 2.0 ports, a USB Connector Type A, one VGA Connector for Monitor, one audio out, one micrphone jack, one RJ-45 Direct Port but it does not have Express Card Slot and RJ-11 Direct Port. For connectivity, the Sony Vaio VPC-W11S1E/T laptop has Integrated Wireless LAN, Integrated Bluetooth (Version) 2.1 + EDR and Ethernet network 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX. Supporting high-end multimedia applications, the laptop is compatible with Intel High Definition Audio. It also has a built-in camera and a built-in ‘Motion Eye’ digital camera. It has one touchpad and keyboard for input while Kensigton Lock offers protection for the laptop.