California car owners, the end is near. As you should already know, July 1 marks the first day that driving and using your cell phone without a hands-free kit illegal. This means that you either have to shell out the cash to get a Bluetooth-enabled stereo setup or get a headset of questionable sound quality.

Funkwerk Americas is offering what they hope is a good compromise. Most of their EGO line of car kits can hook into your car’s stereo without installation at a price that starts about the same as a higher-end Bluetooth earpiece.

The basic model, the EGO Cup, slides into your cup holder but, unlike the rest of the line, it just uses its internal speakers. For a bit more, the EGO Talk offers both a connection to the car’s speakers and the ability to access and play MP3-enabled devices.

The EGO Flash is the first of the devices to offer a screen (even if it isn’t full color) as well as voice recognition and text-to-speech. Next is the EGO Look with a small color and a funky little wireless knob remote that you can pretty much stick anywhere that is convenient. At the top of the price scale is the Drive, which offers a bigger screen and GPS.

One of the nice aspects of all of the car kits that plug into stereos is that, if you get a phone call, it instantly cuts out of whatever you are listening to so that you aren’t stuck fumbling with the radio whenever you get a call.

Grade: A-

Funkwerk Americas EGO Car Kits are currently available. For more information, visit www.egohandsfree.com.