If you live in a state where windshield-mounted devices are prohibited, you can try sticking the Minikit to the dash with Parrot's accessories. (I didn't have much luck with that method, though; my car's interior didn't lend itself well to attachments.)

The combined weight of the bulky Minikit and my phone proved to be cumbersome to deal with. First you press the suction cup to the windshield, locking it in place with a lever. Then you attach the Minikit to the suction cup (the company includes an Allen wrench for further locking). You can extract the Minikit's microphone from the unit by pulling on the mic's cord and attaching it to the visor using the clips. Tedious.

Even though the Parrot Minikit Smart is awkward to set up, it did a good job of clamping my phone into place--my handset didn't move an inch during testing. The bottom of the unit houses a big scrollwheel that juts out nicely, with two recessed button areas to press on either side. I found these controls easy to access while keeping my eyes on the road and one hand on the wheel.

I liked how the Minikit automatically synced with my phone contacts after pairing (your phone needs to support this feature) so that I could use the voice-recognition function to initiate calls. Otherwise, making a call manually is a pain: You must push the scrollwheel, select the Phonebook voice prompt, and then cycle through the wheel's menu to find the first letter of the person's name. Then, at that letter, you scroll down to the individual you want to reach. I shied away from all of this while driving.

To receive a call, you press the green-lighted area to the left of the wheel; to end a call, you push the red-lighted area on the right. I appreciated hearing the Minikit declare the names of my callers (when recognized from the phone book) as my phone rang.