Retailers see hands-free cell boomlet

Nevada's ban on cell phone use while driving provided a little boost to northern Nevada businesses that sell hands-free headsets.

John Comen, an authorized wireless retailer who owns seven stores in the region, says he was surprised by the volume of customers seeking hands-free devices. Sales peaked on Sept. 30, the day before the ban went into effect, Comen says.

Verizon spokesperson Heidi Flato says the company's six stores in northern Nevada and its kiosk at Meadowood Mall stocked up on hands-free and wireless headsets in advance of the ban.

Customers began to trickle in for hands-free solutions when the ban was first announced at the end of legislative session, and as the ban drew near more people began finding their way into regional stores.

"I think what we really saw in other states that have implemented cell phone laws is that as soon as it was announced we see a bump, and as we get closer to the effective date of the law we do tend to see more people coming in to get devices," Flato says.

Many of the customers seeking hands-free earpieces or wireless Bluetooth devices own older vehicles, Comen says. Many automobiles manufactured after 2007 have built-in Bluetooth connectivity, and over the past four years many of those customers already purchased compatible wireless devices.

"The people coming in now have Bluetooth phones, but their vehicles are older," Comen says.

Brad Stout, owner of Nevada Auto Sound, says he sold seven new Bluetooth-compatible car stereos the first day the new cell phone law was in place, and customers continue to drift into the store on South Virginia Street. Nevada Auto Sound also has performed installations for dealerships servicing customers that request a solution for hands-free driving.

Stout expects the stream of business to continue for many more months.

"It is going pretty good," he says. "My friend who owns stores in California, that law has been in effect well over year, and they have a constant flow of customers that need it."

Bluetooth compatible car stereos cost between $200 and $250, with additional costs for installation. The slicker decks can dial by voice recognition, as well as read emails and text messages.

Wireless devices and headset range in price from about $30 to $150 for a high-quality wireless earpiece or a wireless speaker that clips onto the driver's side visor. Most customers typically did not have a pre-determined price range or idea of what they wanted, Comen says, but as the ban approached people began snapping up whatever inventory remained on the display shelves.

"They really didn't know what they wanted and didn't know what the difference was between a $30 and a $130 device," he says. "Now they are just coming in and grabbing whatever. We try to get people into the right devices. Before some might have said, 'That is too much money,' but now they are saying, 'I'll take whatever you have.'"