An amendment to the Australian Road Rules to take effect soon will make it illegal to use a phone for any purpose while driving other than to make and receive telephone calls. (Of course the rule also requires that the phone be either mounted to the vehicle, or that you make or receive the call without touching the body of the device*). This is under Australian Road Rule 300.

The result is that using Maemo Mapper or that other maps application for driving directions will be illegal - even if the phone is affixed to the vehicle.

The limitation appears to have been directed at things like web browsing (email, text messages and video messages are explicitly listed as not being phone calls).

This is despite the fact that a navigator device ("driver's aid") is explicitly permitted even if it is affixed and used in the same way as the phone (rule 299). This is because the restriction on phones is a separate prohibition that does not take into account the permissive provision for navigators.

The same problem does not appear to affect the N810 (or the N800 and N770 with a bluetooth GPS receiver), although it is possible somebody might argue that the N810 counts as a phone if it is configured to make and receive SIP calls and has an active Internet connection.

This amendment was agreed by the various jurisdictions in February this year, although it has only just received media attention.

Hopefully not too many people have ordered the N900 in Australia hoping to use it for this purpose. Given that its retail price here appears to be something in the vicinity of $1,000, it may be that not many people have.

* - Usual disclaimers apply - this is a summary of the applicable division that does not cover all the details.

yeah i heard it too in the whirlpool forum, but isn't it okay if we put it in the car stand? i mean we can't use it to call, sms, etc,, but it will be okay if we use it as GPS and put it on the car stander... just looking at it to give us direction just like a normal GPS device..

N900 = mobile computer.

I don't get it - as long as you don't touch the device there shouldn't be a problem right? - turn on the GPS and leave it while you drive - you're an idiot if you try re-routing mid-trip while trying to drive at the same time.

You aren't 'using' it, it is just there

I don't live in Australia, but at least in the states no cop is going to be looking so close to differentiate between a GPS and a phone. I don't see the big deal at all...

Of course, if you are trying to browse the web (it multi-tasks after all!) at the same time... Also if you have a passenger, just let them "use" it.

lets just get the bloody N900 down here. Going to Nokias AU website has no info on the N900 - but N800 info is still available.

I just relocated from Denmark - to find out that gadgets gets released even later than I'm used to!

No. I know the newspaper articles were a bit vague on this, but the provision actually prohibits the use of a phone outright, then makes a limited exception for telephone calls provided it is either in a cradle or you are using a hands-free arrangement of some kind (again, summary, don't rely on this etc). The drafting of the provision is less than ideal, but that's what it does - use the N900 (or any other phone) as a GPS navigator while you're driving, and you can be nailed. This is about the law - not common sense. The two rarely have anything to do with eachother.

I know this was a joke, but in case anybody takes it seriously, that distinction will not get far in a court - if it has a GSM transceiver and can make phone calls, a court will not have a second thought about calling it a phone. You might even have a problem with a laptop that has a GSM card, but then as a practical matter you wouldn't be able to use that as a navigator because it's rather difficult to mount it in a cradle on the dashboard.

As long as it's in the passenger's hands and the screen is not viewable by the driver (passenger relays directions), that may work, but if you have no passenger that is unhelpful.

"Use" means "use" - if you are taking advantage of its functionality, you are using it.

Seriously, that will be challenged sooner or later, and hopefully revised.

Who's first?

People actually care about un-enforceable laws? come on...

It's enforceable, just facing some difficulty. Odds are it will be a secondary offense, discovered after the driver is pulled over for some other reason. Like driving with a busted taillight and marijuana in the ash tray.