I created this review and posted on Android Central. Figured I should share here as well. Original Thread can be found here and i have copy and pasted below. Hope this helps!
After seeing someone mention the Motorola T505 in this thread, I decided to check it out for my self. I know this device has been out for a while, but due to the quality of it, I think a review can be beneficial for some.
Purpose of review: For those of you that drive older cars that did not come with bluetooth technology built in to the stereo and would like to hear phone calls on your stereo, this can be the device for you. Additionally, for those of you that do not have an iPod compatible radio and like to use their EVO as their primary portable music device, this may also be the device for you.
Overview and Un-boxing:The Motorola Motorokr T505 (link to Motorola's website) as an all-in-one bluetooth speaker phone and fm transmitter. The device measures approximately 2.75 inches long and wide (front to back and side to side, respectively) and is just shy of 1 inch think without the included clip (utilizing the pretty mandatory clip brings it to about 2 inches). The unboxing is very straight forward. Included inside the box are the device itself, the clip, a fold-our instruction pamphlet/diagram, a car charger (for the blue tooth. It will NOT work for your EVO), and some other miscellaneous papers. The instructional diagram is extremely easy to read and has pictures for every step of the setup.
Layout: The main function of the accessory is to be a BT speakerphone. The face of the device 2 buttons surrounding a back lit Motorola "M". The left button has a phone icon which is used for accepting, ending, flashing through, and making calls. The right button displays the play & pause icon, used for pausing and recommencing music and muting phone calls. On the left and right side of the device are the volume up and down buttons (respectively). While on a call, these buttons will raise or lower the volume and while playing music, these buttons will go forward or backward through your track listing. On the back of the device, opposite the call button is the power button and opposite the play/pause button is the FM transmitter button. The power button is activated and deactivated by holding it down for three seconds. The same goes for the FM transmitter button.
*It is important to note that these buttons are a bit awkward and take some time to get used to. This especially goes for the instances when you are required to press 2 buttons at once*
Using the T505: The pairing procedure is extremely simple. Once the device is on for the first time, it automatically goes into pairing mode. It came up immediately on the BT scan on my EVO and paired with no errors. The T505 announced that i may need a password and if so, the password is 0000, but i did not need it. Once paired, any audio output from phone calls made or received is played from the BT (which is not clipped about a foot away from me on my visor). The audio in microphone is also on the BT. Sound quality is very good on the speaker phone but it can be a little hard to hear people when driving on the highway. This goes especially for those of us that have loud cars (yes, i'm one of those guys that drives a very loud modded car. Sorry for setting your alarm off when i drive by ). However, this becomes a non-issue in FM transmission mode. On the other end of the phone, people reported that i would occasionally sound distorted but for the most part, ok. Having the windows open did not seem to effect the quality of my voice; people still said they could hear me fine, although i was more or less unable to hear them (again, non-issue, as i will discuss later). It is important to note that people did say they could hear everything, eg, road noise, my loud-*** car, etc, but my voice was still the most dominant thing they could hear. Additionally, any music you play on your EVO will be played on the speaker as well. The sound quality is decent, at best, for music and if you receive a phone call, they music stops as the device announces who is calling you. If you reject the call, your music picks up right where it left off. Same goes for you accepting and ending the call a few minutes later.
FM Transmitter: The built in FM transmitter is what changes the game for me. Once pair, you can turn on the FM transmitter. The BT will scan and within a few seconds, announce what frequency it recommends (usually a low 88-90 frequency). Once turned to that station, any audio from the phone is put out through your car's speakers. This holds true for both phone calls and music. You can easily control the volume now by adjusting the volume directly on your stereo and all the button features on the BT (taking and ending calls, skipping music tracks, etc.) still remain active. If the station you are on has a bit of static, tapping the FM button will make the device scan for a new station. Once you find a station that sounds good, you can save it by (awkwardly) pressing and holding the play/pause and FM button for 3 seconds (the BT will chime to let you know you saved it). Now the BT will prioritize that station next time you turn the FM transmitter on. And of course, when you receive or make phone calls, the music goes on pause while the call is on and picks up where it left off when ended.
Music Quality: As many users are likely to be playing music through this device, it is important to note that the quality is NOT perfect. That being said, it is very good. There are times where the volume seems to drop for less than a second, as if there was too much sound in the split-second of music and the BT couldn't transmit everything, but this is rare and inly noticeable when BLASTING the music. Overall, i would rate the quality of music 8 out of 10 as it is very good most of the time but occasionally gets hissy or sounds weird as aforementioned.
Battery Life: Here is another big seller for me. The battery life is GREAT on this BT. To put this into perspective, I drive anywhere between 30-50 minutes to work, then another 30-45 minutes to campus, and finally 40-50 minutes back home. Work is 5 days a week, school is 4 (even though i used this over the weekend, i am not including weekends in this small analysis). All things considered, MINIMUM weekly usage (excluding weekends) is approximately 460 minutes (over 7 hours). My BT is connected the entire time and almost always on FM transmission (i usually don't play music in the morning, but going to school and home, i always use it). Plus i take calls occasionally too. Considering all the aforementioned, after 2 weeks of this (10 work days), my battery was still not low (the "M" flashes red when low). I decided to charge it today just cause. I am very impressed with the battery life of this BT.
Trepidation: It wouldnt be fair for me to conclude this review without stating what i do not like about the BT, so here are a list of annoyances:
1. The speaker itself is not as loud as i'd like. When i'm not on FM transmission and i get a phone call, i don't want to have to turn on the FM transmitter and change my radio station just to hear who's calling me. When normally driving on the street, this speaker will suffice. But if you have a loud car and you're flying down the highway, eh....
2. The buttons are a bit awkward. I've gotten used to them already, but initially, it's a little annoying using the buttons on the back of the BT.
3. The music quality issue listed above.
4. This is the closest you can get to having a BT sync in a car stereo without having a BT stereo, and it comes with a small price. You have to press a lot of buttons to get it started. For example, a typical "getting in my car" experience when leaving work and heading to school. Get in my car, start the car, turn on the EVO BT, plug it into the car charger, turn on the T505, wait for it to sync, turn on the FM transmitter, wait for it to announce the station (same station every time, it's already saved on my radio), change to appropriate station, select music on EVO you want to hear, enjoy. Sounds like a lot because it is. Admittedly, this takes all of 15 seconds, but still, sometimes i don't feel like it. Also, you cannot turn to the saved FM station before the BT announces it otherwise it'll grab a different one. Weird, but it happens.
Conclusion: I am very happy with this device and recommend it to anyone that would like the things listed in the purpose of review section. My biggest worry was the battery life and it is phenomenal. It's not perfect, but it's very close. Because the device is older, most stores around me didn't carry it (no best buy, walmart, etc.) I was able to find it at Staples for $85 (but i had a $25 coupon ). However, i've seen it online for as low as $59.99 (tiger direct, i think).
**Lastly, I do not have my factory car antenna. I replaced my antenna with an Autoloc in-car antenna, so my antenna is located inside my car on my rear windshield. I am aware that many people have had trouble getting good reception with FM transmitters. Reception is not an issue for me, and whether that is due to device quality, antenna quality or possible antenna location, is unknown to me. The point is, there are many variables to consider when purchasing a product such as this; individual results may vary due to these variables. My experiences are as above and I hope if you purchase this product, yours will be too.**
Hope this was informative and helps someone!
I have one of these as well and works perfect on my EVO.I got mine for xmas back in 08 and while i dont use it every day i will def agree on the battery life.If i've recharged this thing 12 times since i had it it would be a miracle!Highly recommended!!!!
I got this for my Palm PRE, worked great. Now I use it for my EVO, I use it daily.
I have this device as well and while it is great I wish the fm transmitter signal was stronger...commuting from new York to jersey, I have to change stations in the t 505 often.....
Related
I notice there is alot of disussion over BT headsets, and several threads adressing range/crackling/'static' noise .
However, none of them clearly identifies several BT headsets which won't have problems with using range with Universal - as our pet gadget definetly have it's own issues performing considerably worster then other BT phones / PDA-s with headsets.
So I would kindly ask you all to identify me few models of BT headsets you are using and which can normally communicate with universal in most common situations without crackling/static/disconnections.
I have used old Nokia HDW-3 - and it performed excellent, I could walk all arround the room, turn my head in any direction, stand in between phone and headset (even with universal) and it would sound flawlesly. However, I got the new headset X-sport - very tiny (less then 8g) and fitting me comfortably, but alas, when I charged it and tried to use it - it crackles even if my Uni is on the desk infront of me and I turn my head away.
Please advice on models I could mail order without fear of showing this flaw.
Dalm said:
I notice there is alot of disussion over BT headsets, and several threads adressing range/crackling/'static' noise .
However, none of them clearly identifies several BT headsets which won't have problems with using range with Universal - as our pet gadget definetly have it's own issues performing considerably worster then other BT phones / PDA-s with headsets.
So I would kindly ask you all to identify me few models of BT headsets you are using and which can normally communicate with universal in most common situations without crackling/static/disconnections.
I have used old Nokia HDW-3 - and it performed excellent, I could walk all arround the room, turn my head in any direction, stand in between phone and headset (even with universal) and it would sound flawlesly. However, I got the new headset X-sport - very tiny (less then 8g) and fitting me comfortably, but alas, when I charged it and tried to use it - it crackles even if my Uni is on the desk infront of me and I turn my head away.
Please advice on models I could mail order without fear of showing this flaw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using Sony ericsson Stereo Bluetooth Headset HBH-DS970. The coverage and sound quality are excellent. It offers full A2DP funtionality with Windows media Player as well as pocketmusic. The hardware controls on this headset include Forward and previous track button (which really work with my universal with Darkforce Rom), volume control and an OLED display which displays the caller ID (number only). Voice dialing works perfectly. The earpiece looke like normal earphone (no buldging contraption on the ear like most bluetooth headsets.
Bottom Line:
Any radio freq. is line of sight. So if you turn your head and the two radios (Receiving & Transmitting) are not in LOS, it means that the signal needs to bounce off something else, or go through something, (in this case probably your Head ) which causes the signal to fade, hence the interference.
Laubscherc said:
Bottom Line:
Any radio freq. is line of sight. So if you turn your head and the two radios (Receiving & Transmitting) are not in LOS, it means that the signal needs to bounce off something else, or go through something, (in this case probably your Head ) which causes the signal to fade, hence the interference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bluetooth range is also sometimes ROM specific
I'm quite aware that line of sight provides optimal radio connectivity. But in theory as well as in my experience, good bluetooth connection should be able to cope with such an obstacle as my head providing that distance is about 50 - 70 cm.
However, I guess that most of Universal users are well aware that our devices have inferior performance to most 'regular' mobiles on the market. Is it location of the BT module or ROM - I don't know - it would be great if it's ROM as it would make it relatively fixable. I'm using QTEK latest shipped ROM 1.30.77 WWE together with R.13.00 radio ROM - but willing to change if it helps.
However, by what I red in other threads on this forum, inferior performance is more likely caused by location of BT module in the device.
Thus some headsets which have better BT transmission and reception (more radiated power and better reception) due to their construction should provide us with better BT performance). Thus the 'field test' is only good pointer which headset to buy or not to buy. For me, BT headset which can't communicate from my belt to my ear when I break line of sight by my hand swinging while I walk - is unusable - I'll much rather wear a wire
I tried my old Nokia HDW-3 and it performed great. On the other hand I tried that X-sport tiny one - it was disaster. Now I'm waiting new examplar of good old Nokia as well as Jabra BT800 - I'll report about the field tests
I've tried two options with my QTEC 9000 and using Windows Media. I bought Motoroka S9: really nice concept with the BT unit embedded in the back of the headband, and the sound quality is excellent, and switched between music and calls easily, the track forward (but not backward) control worked, buttons easy to manipulate. Several drawbacks however: it becomes uncomfortable on your ears after an hour or so due to the the design and the hard plastic used (may depend on the shape of your head) and the phone mic only works through one earpiece not in stereo (this is stated in the documentation, it was not a problem with my setup). The fatal flaw however was the BT range. It worked fine when I hold the phone behind my head, inches away from the headset BT unit, but this was impractical for extended periods of time When I put the phone in my jacket pocket or shoulder bag, the continual breakup of the signal made it unuseable. The phone signal performed better but for music this has very limited success and certainly doesn't work as a mobile device, which is sort of the point.
I then bought a Sony Ericsson HBH DS200. The range problem is resolved, music streams fine with my device in my pocket, shoulder bag or briefcase. I can walk around a room and listen to music and make calls no problem, although the music signal drops out when blocked by my body and the distance is about 2m or more. The swithching back to music after taking or making a call is a bit flaky, sometimes i need to reset the devise again to reestablish the connection, but sometimes it works OK. No caller ID on the headset, no volume control, no track back/forward, so it's a bit basic, but after the previous experience, I'm just happy it works. The supplied earbuds are good, and you can unplug them and use anything else you want with a 3.5 jack.
Hope this helps.
Jabra BT800 Jabra BT250V Plantronics A510
The Jabra BT800 (or 810, whatever it was with the LCD) would not get very loud with my Universal. It also wasn't very secure. The LCD would have been cool though...
The Jabra BT250v was very secure, could get plenty loud (most times), but had crappy reception, and worse reception when/if an SD card was inserted. When I say crappy reception, i mean bad. At arms length the headset started having static. As far as I could tell it was only I who heard it, but when I started hearing static, the person on the other side couldn't really hear me.
Plantronics A510 is the bomb!! (in a good way). I have only had it for a few days, but it is super lightweight, gets plaenty loud enough, and I can walk almost 30 feet form the Universal and keep a connection. AND thats while I have an SD card in! It's less than $50 on amazon and is their #1 selling product! It has 1700+ reviews on the site, which I found impressive.
AllanonMage said:
The Jabra BT800 (or 810, whatever it was with the LCD) would not get very loud with my Universal. It also wasn't very secure. The LCD would have been cool though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm the issues with the volume for noisy conditions. In that case I have to manually raise the volume on the headset.
In my silent office the volume's just fine, but yes, it could be higher by default.
I never experienced problems with the range or any disturbances.
With the Universal on my desk I can even wander around on my balcony, which means being about 4 meters away and having no direct line of sight.
With a direct line of sight static gets noticable at about 8 meters, which is living room couch to kitchen sink
I got the BT800 from a good friend who felt uncomfortable wearing it and he told me, that he experienced range problems if the phone was in his left pocket and HS on his right ear. He was using a, mmh, i believe a wizard at that time and the behaviour didn't change after switching to a btv 500 or 250.
This brought me to the theory that range problems in case of small distances are closely related to the belly size of the user.
EvilJogga said:
This brought me to the theory that range problems in case of small distances are closely related to the belly size of the user.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PRICELESS!!!!
So I've got a pair (if you can call it a pair) of Motorola Motorokr S9-HD Headphones.
I can connect them to the phone just fine, but when I cover the bottom portion of the phone with my hand the signal drops out completely and I was wondering if anyone else experiences this or if it's just me.
So surrounding the bottom portion of the phone (with the Home, Menu, Search and Back buttons) with my hand and the signal drops out. Headphones on, phone in front of me.
Same thing happens if I push the phone up against my chest/stomach, no signal. Sometimes to the point that it disconnects entirely.
Normally I would be like "no big deal, I just won't do that." But the phone being in either my front or back pocket causes the same effect, making them kind of useless.
So, end result, is it my headphones, my phone, or both? Can you test the headset you have and see how it works out for you?
I've attempted this on stock ROM with Root, Fresh 5.3, and DC 3.2.3 with the same results each time.
I tihnk the BT and WIFI ant's are on the bottom
teh CDMA is on top -- if i cover the top, i can go from 4 bars to 0 barz
if i cover the bottom the wifi drops a lot
i think the BT ant is pretty weak .. couldn't go more than 10 ft from a laptop doing audio streaming
i'll try the BT later on when i get home unless someone else gets to it first
strung said:
I tihnk the BT and WIFI ant's are on the bottom
teh CDMA is on top -- if i cover the top, i can go from 4 bars to 0 barz
if i cover the bottom the wifi drops a lot
i think the BT ant is pretty weak .. couldn't go more than 10 ft from a laptop doing audio streaming
i'll try the BT later on when i get home unless someone else gets to it first
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if the BT antenna isn't on the bottom, then why is it when I put my hand over the bottom the signal drops?
I want to see if anyone else can replicate this issue..
I have the same headset. I tried everything you did and it works for me. I occasionally get a breakup of audio, but it is not related, however it is the headset.
Brutal-Force said:
I have the same headset. I tried everything you did and it works for me. I occasionally get a breakup of audio, but it is not related, however it is the headset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn, that sucks. I hardly used the damn thing. Thanks for checking it out, I would have assumed it was the phone.
Sirchuk said:
Well if the BT antenna isn't on the bottom, then why is it when I put my hand over the bottom the signal drops?
I want to see if anyone else can replicate this issue..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm saying the tooth antenna IS (probably) on the bottom hence why you cover it up it dont work as good. sorry my grammer sucks
I would swap it for another one. While generally I find the headset to be a great improvement over past Bluetooth Headsets, I am still not impressed that after 15 years that bluetooth has been around that it has yet to impress me as a wireless medium.
This headset is still only class 2 and Bluetooth 2.0. Where are all of the Class 1 and Bluetooth 4.0 devices?
I have tried all the Plantronic, Jawbone and Numerous Motorola devices and have been left wanting. I will probably be returning this headset as well. Although it has good sound quality, the earbuds (event he smallest ones) are too big for my ears and they do not seat down inside like a quality pair of tips. The phone breaks up especially while on the phone, but for listening to music, it is in general quite a good device.
The biggest problem with going wired headsets is that people have quit making a good wired stereo heatset with mic.
well, I have had 20 or more BT headsets, and, the only one I have EVER had that played music without breakup is the Jawbone Icon..
Sure the sound sucks, its mono and tinny, but I never lose signal with pandora, slacker, or sd card music with this headset..
motorola s9HD was one of the worst ones I had for losing signal from my phones..agree that its a shame that no one is able to make a HQ STEREO BT lightweight headset that doesnt drop signal yet..
the backbeats are damn good for music, world better than my s9s. ive got the 903 but the 906 are supposedly even better
I have the same issue with the motorolas, not as bad as you but I do get the breakup if i carry the phone in front of me. I have the Shure 530 headphones which kick ass so I got a Sony BT Transmitter, I think it is the BT15 or maybe the BT30, works perfect for me, I clip it on the front of my shirt plug in the Shures and presto bluetooth. The receiver even has a built in mic, works about as good as the Motorolas.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=sony+bt15&rlz=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=10714892124428811058&ei=YH43TJrnAdWfnwf_ob2ABA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC0Q8wIwAg#
I can't for the life of me remember which one I have but be advised one of them has a mini usb charger the other requires a specific cradle, i go the one that has the mini usb, didn't want to carry around a specific charger for this.
Can anybody suggest a good bluetooth headset for MT4G?
How is SE MW600? I would like to know if anyone could see the song title in the set and whether all the volume up, down, next etc are working fine.
bnvsvkk said:
Can anybody suggest a good bluetooth headset for MT4G?
How is SE MW600? I would like to know if anyone could see the song title in the set and whether all the volume up, down, next etc are working fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you could always google search "SE MW600 review" and see what people say. And if you want end users try punching in "amazon SE MW600 review" and see what they are saying.
Personally i use an older Motorola ear bud that serves the purpose.
bnvsvkk said:
Can anybody suggest a good bluetooth headset for MT4G?
How is SE MW600? I would like to know if anyone could see the song title in the set and whether all the volume up, down, next etc are working fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I Work At best buy and I'm using the Plantronics 975 its a great device very comfortable with great noise cancellation
plantronics 855 is a great headset. a2dp stereo bluetooth and a removable earpiece.
I've been using mine with a Jawbone Icon (Rogue) and I haven't had any issues. It's light, stylish and very functional.
I don't know if these are the "best" but I have the Motorola behind the neck ROKRs, and like them.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875982253
imho
Plantronics Voyager Pro +
Willing to bet you one dollar paypal that it's the best bluetooth you've ever owned.
Reasons:
Gel air filled custom ear fittings *these actually screw on too , very impressive
long mic boom (so people can actually hear you)
not one person to date has said I sound like sh*t (FINALLY)
a2dp support
status updates by pressing power button (announces battery time remaining)
press and hold outer button, it calls a toll free number that you can configure on a website to hookup with your e-mail, it reads rss feeds, news.
I also work for t-mobile and I've used bluetooth headsets ranging from 29.99 to 199.99, some of them I thought were amazing (motorola backbeats) but the problem always came down to whoever I was talking on the phone saying
"dude are you on bluetoooth?"
me: yes
"you sound like sh*t"
me: YARGGGGG HOW MUCH MONEY DO I HAVE TO SPEND TO SOUND DECENT
Many beg to differ, but I've owned the same pair of rocketfish headsets for almost two years now...very good to me with many sweaty head days at the gym.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
I know this is a late reply but I thought I would throw in my 2 cents on the topic.
I was looking for something to listen to music while at work (desk job), working out, etc.
I ended up buying the Motorola S305 from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BH3I9U)
I have had these now since February and I am extremely happy with them.
PROS
Comfortable to wear
Decent sound quality
Easy to use controls
Phone headset is has good call quality. Others can hear me as if i'm on the handset
Micro USB charger, same as phone
low cost
CONS
Foam earpieces soak up sweat
no noise cancellation
Overall, for $35.00, you can't go wrong!
Plantronics seems to be the winner. I have both 925 and 975. Both are optimal and work fantastically.
Now my 925 is paired with my HD2, and the 975 with MT4G.
Are any of these recommended for both phone calls and for working out (sweat resistant)? I'm just mainly looking for headphones for working out minus the dang cord. Also if I get a phone call when I'm working out or shooting basketball, I wanna be able to answer without stopping.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
bump... anyone have an opinion? Just waitin to buy one for some input from people who I actually trust lol
I've owned the Plantronics BackBeat 906 for almost a year and have had mixed results with both a G1 and a MT4G.
It can be so comfortable that I forget I'm wearing it. But sometimes the earbuds are loose, mostly when worn under bicycle helmet straps. Because it's loose, I can't hear music very well.
Audio sounds great. Convenient controls. Haven't figured out how to skip a song on Pandora or a podcast on Listen though. Clicking play sometimes starts a saved voicemail rather than Google Listen or Pandora. I'm not sure how to define the "default" media app in Android.
Paring is hit-or-miss. Often it pairs with just the phone audio and not the media audio. This happened more on the T-Mobile ROM than it does on Cyanogenmod 7, but still happens. The solution is a cumbersome opening of the BT settings, long-press the device, un-check and then re-check Media Audio.
Reception is good if the phone is within 20-30 feet (the advertised range.) Reception is horrible if the phone is in a pocket. I have a backpack with a very high pocket and that usually works, unless I turn my head to the left. It is VERY annoying.
Here's what I sent to Panasonic:
I own a G1 Android-powered phone and about 50% of the time when I turn on my BackBeat 906 it syncs with the phone audio, but not the media. Is there some trick to get it to sync with both?
Also, the reception is so poor that when the phone is in my pocket the audio drops out completely. I am tall, but much less than 30' tall.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Their response:
Please try a reset...press and hold the power button on the headphones....and while you are doing that, please connect the charger to the Backbeats until you see a blue or red solid light and then release the button.....let it charge for an extra 30 seconds and then try to use them
Also, delete the headset from your cell phone's list of paired devices. Once deleted, make sure to power your phone completely off. Then power it back on. (This will reset the Bluetooth stack in the BT software on the phone). Then re-pair the headset with your phone.
If this does not fix your issue, my suggestion is to try pairing the headset to another cell phone, if possible. If the issue continues with the second phone, you will need to replace the headset. If your headset connects properly to the second phone, then the problem may be with the first phone rather than the headset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...did not help. I still struggle with piss-poor reception when the phone is in a pocket.
well what frickin good is a bluetooth headphone set if you can't have the phone in your pocket lol
Yes Rosebud1, it is extremely frustrating! It's fine sitting on a desk, but for cycling, running, or walking I would not recommend this headset.
Thanks for the reply. What horrible customer service too!!
Yeah, it was a pretty useless response. I suspect it's just a horrid design flaw that they know they can't fix, so sending the customer on a wild goose-chase delays the inevitable.
U should check out the jabra clipper. I use it when I work out n its awesome
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
so basically... it seems like no one has found a really good set for a decent price
Under a motorcycle helmet
I am looking for a bluetooth headset that will fix and work well under my motorcycle helmet. Any recommendations?
I am very interested in a Bluetooth FM Transmitter. I am interested in both technologies; voice and music. I like the idea of the Motorola line t505 and roadster, but i am not sure either of these have voice command for any kind of phone book. It would be nice if i could dial with voice command. And of course it would be nice to have decent audio quality. Any ideas?
BTW - i have a mytouch 4g
I've had the Roadster myself for about a week and a half now, and the MyTouch 4G just a week beyond that. I love having a no-wires setup for both calling and music playback, especially since no aux adapters were ever made for my car's headunit.
The Roadster has a nice little speaker on it for voice communications (don't fret, call audio can still go through FM audio), a decent FM transmitter*, good battery life, and easy to use buttons. I specifically like that you can manually adjust the broadcast frequency across the whole FM band, rather than be married to a handful of presets that may or may not be crowded in your area. A nice benefit, also, is that the Roadster comes with a Micro USB CLA, so I didn't have to buy one for my MT4G. =)
* - It took me a few days to find an optimal freq to use in my area, but once I did, the signal was quite strong)
The Roadster is meant to be used with Motorola's MotoSpeak app which, in my opinion, sucks. I've never been overly impressed by voice recognition in general (let me be the first to point out, that may mean I'm the problem ) but MotoSpeak is resoundingly lacking, both in quality, and capability, when compared to the Genius button.
As for sound quality, your happiness will be dependent on your taste in music, and your ear's attention to detail. The audio sounds compressed; while capable of thumping lows and decently sharp highs, the product seems unable to do both at the same time. Any composition that has rumbling bass and crisp highs in its mix will lose one, or both, depending on the tune. (I can't think of the term for this phenomenon... fairly certain its not dynamic range or frequency response, but is obviously related to both.)
To be honest & fair, though, I'm not sure there is an FM solution that will NOT compress audio.
For what its worth - those are my two cents. Congrats, you drug me out of lurking. =)
Cheers,
CS...
Is there one of these that actually work well?
It compresses it because it has to stay within range of a specific frequency. If you played a high-frequency sound on 102.7 (FM), you could hear it on 102.8 (FM) but it would be a lower frequency. Don't quote me, this is just what I understand of it.
Turn your phone's music volume down and make your car stereo amplify it... it seems to work for me.
I am using this one for about a month now:
Soundfly BT Ultimate Bluetooth Car Fm Transmitter
Works well enough.
You can find it on Amazon.
It's not the cheapest, but I've been rather impressed with the Jabra Cruiser 2. As others have posted you're going to loose some sound quality, it can't be helped, but this one seems to loose less than other.
Review of Motorola T505
pnut22r said:
...I like the idea of the Motorola line t505 and roadster, but i am not sure either of these have voice command for any kind of phone book. It would be nice if i could dial with voice command...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have owned 2 T505s. The first I left in a rental car in Boston. I have been very happy with the product. You can use it for voice dialing with nothing extra to set up on the phone (at least in CM7). You just press the phone button on the t505 and wait for it to say "Speak now", then say "Call John Smith on Mobile", or whatever. It has a play/pause button that will start your default music player. It has volume controls for the internal speaker, but in FM mode they function as skip forward/backward.
The device has great battery life. It lasted all the way to LA and back from Tucson, AZ on one charge while listening to Pandora the whole drive.
The built-in speaker is pretty decent for phone calls, but sounds pretty tinny when listening to music through it.
My only complaint about the t505 is it's "Auto Channel Selector" for the FM transmitter. It attempts to find a channel that has low interference, but will sometimes pick a channel way to close to a very powerful local radio station. I have to keep pressing the radio button for it to choose a different channel. I would like to be able to specify a specific channel, but after a few tries it seems to eventually settle on one that works fairly well.
Last I saw they have them on sale for under $50 at Newegg.
Hi all,
I bought a pair of Plantronics Backbeat 903+ headphones yesterday.
Thought I'd put a quick review and warning for anyone that is thinking of using BT headphones for anything that is latency sensitive.
I will use them mainly for music. Probably rarely for phone calls unless I happen to be listening to music when I get a call.
Sound quality is quite good. They sound fuller and not as harsh as the stock headphones that came with the Note.
Better than I expected, but there is a lack of highs. It was very noticeable when compared to my cheap, corded, Philips SHL9500 foldable headphones that I usually travel with.
Had to nudge the highs up in the EQ of Power Amp to be able to hear the treble well.
Range is better than I expected too. I'm just in a small apartment, but I could walk all around the room and into the next room and around the corner (losing line of sight), with no noticeable difference in sound. This was further than the 10m range they claim.
I also put the phone in my jeans pocket and it continued to work fine. I'd read some reviews complaining that it needed line of sight or would drop out, but no such problems for me.
Battery life is awesome on these. They claim a full charge will last 7 hours. I used them for 3-4 hours last night.
When I turned them on this morning, they said they had 5 hours remaining. I probably wasn't listening constantly over the 3-4 hours last night as I was starting and stopping apps, so that is probably about right.
Also, when you turn them, a voice announces how many hours the battery has left which is handy since there is no visual indicators.
Comfort for me was very good. I had them on for almost 4 hours last night and didn't notice them most of the time. Although when I took them off, my ears were a little sore from the buds being in there, but with most in ear phones my ears get sore sooner than that and I notice it whilst they are still in there.
Note that the cord between each ear is quite short and only just reaches around my head. I can fit 2 fingers between the cord and my head, but only just, and I have a shaved head. I also tried on the Jabra Sports in the shop, but they didn't feel as comfortable to me, and also the cord was quite a bit longer and I thought it may get in the way or get caught on something when exercising. So best to try them on in a shop to check if they fit your head.
One thing I didn't realise about bluetooth headphones is that they introduce latency. It seems to be about 500ms.
You can test the latency by connecting the BT headphones and then changing your ring tone. When you audition different ring tones it will play them through both the phone speaker and the headphones, and you will hear the lag.
In addition to listening to MP3s, what I primarily wanted them for was for music apps and recording, so that I wouldn't have a cord getting in the way, or have to be restricted to the length of the cable.
It's not too big a deal with the multi track programs I use (Loopstack and Audio Evolution mainly, with FourTracksPro) as I can adjust the latency, but it means I have to change it depending on whether I'm using the BT headphones or not).
But for apps that require live input and monitoring (like drum, guitar, piano apps that you play and want to hear yourself playing live), the latency makes them not really useable.
I can still use these headphones to record guitars and vocals through the Note's microphone, but I just need to adjust the latency which is annoying.
Any music app that is program/sequence based like Caustic or Easyband, is not too much of a problem as you don't really notice the latency, apart from the fact that what you see on the screen is slightly out of sync with what you hear.
Also for games that require the audio to be in sync with the screen, the 500ms is not really useable (I have a game called Beats, which is a rhythm game and you need the screen and audio to be in sync).
For video, though using the stock video player, it is in sync, so there must be some latency compensation going on in the software which is good.
When I tried youtube, using the youtube app, it is out of sync at the start, but then it gets into sync, so there is some kind of buffering or compensation giong on there too.
So, if it's just listening to music or watching video is what you want them for, I thin they are really good.
If you want to use them for games or music apps that will be negatively impacted by the latency, then you are probably better off sticking with corded headphones.
I will probably end up carrying corded phones with me when I travel for the times when I don't want any latency.
But for walking around, exercising, just casual use, the Backbeat 903+ headphones are really good and am happy to be free from a cord for those situations.
Cheers,
Rich
good review...I was planning to pick one up.
richlum said:
Hi all,
I bought a pair of Plantronics Backbeat 903+ headphones yesterday.
Thought I'd put a quick review and warning for anyone that is thinking of using BT headphones for anything that is latency sensitive.
I will use them mainly for music. Probably rarely for phone calls unless I happen to be listening to music when I get a call.
Sound quality is quite good. They sound fuller and not as harsh as the stock headphones that came with the Note.
Better than I expected, but there is a lack of highs. It was very noticeable when compared to my cheap, corded, Philips SHL9500 foldable headphones that I usually travel with.
Had to nudge the highs up in the EQ of Power Amp to be able to hear the treble well.
Range is better than I expected too. I'm just in a small apartment, but I could walk all around the room and into the next room and around the corner (losing line of sight), with no noticeable difference in sound. This was further than the 10m range they claim.
I also put the phone in my jeans pocket and it continued to work fine. I'd read some reviews complaining that it needed line of sight or would drop out, but no such problems for me.
Battery life is awesome on these. They claim a full charge will last 7 hours. I used them for 3-4 hours last night.
When I turned them on this morning, they said they had 5 hours remaining. I probably wasn't listening constantly over the 3-4 hours last night as I was starting and stopping apps, so that is probably about right.
Also, when you turn them, a voice announces how many hours the battery has left which is handy since there is no visual indicators.
Comfort for me was very good. I had them on for almost 4 hours last night and didn't notice them most of the time. Although when I took them off, my ears were a little sore from the buds being in there, but with most in ear phones my ears get sore sooner than that and I notice it whilst they are still in there.
Note that the cord between each ear is quite short and only just reaches around my head. I can fit 2 fingers between the cord and my head, but only just, and I have a shaved head. I also tried on the Jabra Sports in the shop, but they didn't feel as comfortable to me, and also the cord was quite a bit longer and I thought it may get in the way or get caught on something when exercising. So best to try them on in a shop to check if they fit your head.
One thing I didn't realise about bluetooth headphones is that they introduce latency. It seems to be about 500ms.
You can test the latency by connecting the BT headphones and then changing your ring tone. When you audition different ring tones it will play them through both the phone speaker and the headphones, and you will hear the lag.
In addition to listening to MP3s, what I primarily wanted them for was for music apps and recording, so that I wouldn't have a cord getting in the way, or have to be restricted to the length of the cable.
It's not too big a deal with the multi track programs I use (Loopstack and Audio Evolution mainly, with FourTracksPro) as I can adjust the latency, but it means I have to change it depending on whether I'm using the BT headphones or not).
But for apps that require live input and monitoring (like drum, guitar, piano apps that you play and want to hear yourself playing live), the latency makes them not really useable.
I can still use these headphones to record guitars and vocals through the Note's microphone, but I just need to adjust the latency which is annoying.
Any music app that is program/sequence based like Caustic or Easyband, is not too much of a problem as you don't really notice the latency, apart from the fact that what you see on the screen is slightly out of sync with what you hear.
Also for games that require the audio to be in sync with the screen, the 500ms is not really useable (I have a game called Beats, which is a rhythm game and you need the screen and audio to be in sync).
For video, though using the stock video player, it is in sync, so there must be some latency compensation going on in the software which is good.
When I tried youtube, using the youtube app, it is out of sync at the start, but then it gets into sync, so there is some kind of buffering or compensation giong on there too.
So, if it's just listening to music or watching video is what you want them for, I thin they are really good.
If you want to use them for games or music apps that will be negatively impacted by the latency, then you are probably better off sticking with corded headphones.
I will probably end up carrying corded phones with me when I travel for the times when I don't want any latency.
But for walking around, exercising, just casual use, the Backbeat 903+ headphones are really good and am happy to be free from a cord for those situations.
Cheers,
Rich
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reviews. I am looking for ones to go to the gym.
I actually own the same model. Owned the previous model up until i wore it out. It's a perfect set of bt headphones to work out with and it's discreet when wearing it around. It fairs well functionality-wise; haven't had an issue with my note.
Thanks for the review.
I have just bought my Note2 and Plantronics 903+ and as i am a normal user (phone calls and music) it is really awesome.
But I have few issues with this and i need your confirmation
1) The Music forward and backward buttons doesn't change the music track? I have my corporate mail and hence have set up PIN lock in my phone. Is that dur to auto locking of phone with PIN or the Bluetooth buttons are not compatible with Samsung Note2?
2) While making calls outside, the noise cancellations is pretty good, but at times i hear some disturbing sound/noise in the call and i am pretty sure it is only through the Bluetooth i hear the noise.
The forward and back buttons work on my Note 2.
You have to hold them for a few seconds otherwise they just do volume up and down.
I'm using N7 player.
I notice that the headphones get A LOT of wind noise when outside. I notice it a lot when riding my bicycle. But, also when just walking.
I've since bought a pair of Jabra Halo 2 and use them most of the time now. They are more comfortable and sound better. Plus, I can connect them with a cord for zero latency.
I use the Plantronics if I'm going to be sweating a lot.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
Nice review and good advice for all potential buyers. However, I feel a clarification about BT latency is in place. Not all bluetooth headsets introduce so much lag. I'm an avid Motorola S10 user and altough some delay is present, it's nowhere near the 500ms OP estimated for the Plantronics set. In fact, even rhytm games like Tapsonic are still playable on the S10, which leads me to believe the delay is more around the 50ms mark. Huge, half-second lag seems to be more a sign of bad implementation by the manufacturer than limitation of the bluetooth standard. Let's not forget that Playstation 3's joypad uses BT technology, but it's implemented so well that tests found it to be practically lagless down to less then a frame ([email protected]) compared to wired connections.
Is that low latency for media playback, or phone calls?
When you connect BT headphones to your phone (or PC) they make 2 connections. 1 for phone calls and 1 for media playback.
Both of my BT headphones have low latency for phone calls because they use a lot lower quality when in phone mode.
But both have high latency for media playback mode. (ie. Anything other than phone calls)
The amount of data required for the BT controllers is a lot less than that required for stereo audio.