The introduction of a new by-law means that Cape Town motorists using their cellphones will face stiffer punishment.

One of the most contentious rules is that anyone found using their cellphones will have it confiscated. Is it necessary? Who knows.

What we do know, however, is that you'll probably want to invest in a hands-free kit for your cellphone. So we took a look at the Parrot MiniKit+.

As the name implies, it's a pretty small device for a hands-free kit, about the size of a large smartphone itself. It won't turn heads when you see one pulled out, but it's not ugly either.

Getting started

 Installing the MiniKit+ is a painless endeavour, with no complex attachments, suction pads or anything else needed. Instead, the device has a metal clip on it, letting you attach the kit to your visor.

And if that's not enough, there's also a little strap as an extra, so you don't have to damage the visor with the metal clip.

Speaking of extras, you also get a USB charging cable and a car charger, but the kit will last for a while, coming with a 15 day standby time.

Turn the device on, and you're greeted with a clear female voice, reading out the various settings as you jog through them with a little dial. Aside from the dial, there's also a power/cancel button and green button to help when adjusting settings.

Connecting the MiniKit+ to your mobile device is pretty simple really, with the Bluetooth technology meaning that almost any smartphone works fine. We did have one problem though, as we couldn't find the password for the Bluetooth connection at first (four zeroes, duh!). So we had to visit the Parrot website for answers.

General usage

In practice, I ran straight into problems trying to connect the device to my Windows Phone though. Whether it was an isolated incident or my own inexperience, the handset seemed to have an unstable connection.

However, connecting to an Android tablet was a simple affair, working straight away.

The combination of tablet and hands-free kit is ideal for GPS solutions, with a clear, loud voice used for dishing out directions. In fact, the speaker itself was pretty good, although you won't want to use it for music as it sounds slightly better than your average smartphone's speaker (so, still tinny).

The Parrot MiniKit+ also lets you sync your contacts list to the device, allowing you to make proper voice calling. Again, it wasn't really successful on the Windows Phone, but worked on an Android handset.

The kit also has another useful feature, turning on when it detects movement, such as a door opening or closing. It's pretty practical, so you'll spend less time pairing the devices and more time getting a move on.

Still, despite its quirks, the Parrot MiniKit+ is worth a look if you'd like to stay connected while on the road. And at R750 at online giant Takealot, it won't break the bank.