According to East Valley Tribune this phone is called "polite" because it helps the user drive politely... Well, where I live - Portugal - it is illegal to talk on the phone and drive at the same time, so the device is useless around here.

Anyway, the purpose of this phone is for safer driving, and is being tested for about two years now. Next month there will be a presentation of the project in Toronto, Canda, but it hasn't been determined if it will be released to the public.

Let me just say that it has some good features, such as:

• If the telephone detects the driver is frequently braking and moving the steering wheel --- an indication of complex driving conditions --- all calls are routed to voice mail. It will retrieve those on the driving list when the driving situation clears.


• If the phone senses an air bag deployment, it will automatically initiate a call to a predefined number such as 911 or a loved one with an accident alert and location.

Via textually