But for ease of use, sound quality and reliability, Howze recommends a permanently installed unit. Typically, a bracket for the phone is mounted by the radio or in a center console, a speaker is installed behind the dashboard, and a microphone is wired to the sun visor. And the sound is very clear. You just say Call home, and the system does the rest, said Debroah Frakes, spokeswoman for OnStar Corp., whose systems now come also on all Saab models and some Acuras and Lexuses. Sound for OnStar comes through the car s audio system, and a microphone is usually installed in the rear-view mirror.
Costs are relatively high, and a bit hard to pin down.
Frakes said OnStar came as standard equipment on some cars, and as part of an upgrade package on others. She estimated that it adds several hundred dollars to the cost of a car. On the plus side, there are no long-distance or roaming charges. One other drawback, to some phone users, will be that the OnStar phone has its own separate number. We like to say that if a fax machine deserves its own number, a car certainly does, Frakes said.