Sony injects car stereo with Bluetooth

Tired of seeing that hands-free monstrosity ruining your car dash’s sweeping curves? Fear not, young petrolhead – Sony has launched a neat and tidy Bluetooth car radio to link wirelessly to your phone.

The MEX-BT5000 contains an integrated microphone to pick up your nattering, and its integrated Bluetooth will let you make and receive calls while your mobile is tucked away in a pocket.

You won’t have to rummage around to find someone’s number, either – it supports Object Push Protocol (OPP), which means you can transfer up to fifty phone book contacts to the head unit’s display.

After more Bluetooth action? If your mobile happens to have A2DP audio streaming – which should become standard on all handsets as the year progresses – you’ll also be able to play tunes from your phone and navigate them via the radio’s controls.

Wireless trickery aside, the BT5000 looks exceptionally cool and has some deal-clinching audio features – there’s 52W output for each of the four channels, support for the usual selection of digital tunes (MP3, WMA and ATRAC) and a large display to show all that mobile and music info clearly.

We’re still waiting for details on the price and availability – look out for an update here very soon.

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Update: Sony doesn't yet have a price for the BT5000, but it's expected to be available from July.