BLUETOOTH SOLUTIONS: USING YOUR CAR'S SOUND SYSTEM

Wireless MOTOROKR T505 clips on your visor

BLUETOOTH SOLUTIONS: USING YOUR CAR'S SOUND SYSTEM By ROY NAKANO

MOTOROLA MOTOROKR T505 This is about as close as you can come to replicating an integrated Bluetooth-enabled vehicle without calling on professional installation. The T505 is a unit that clips onto your visor and connects to your vehicle's audio system via an FM modulator. Push the FM search button on the T505, and a woman with an English accent will speak up and tell you which FM station to turn your tuner to for the optimum Bluetooth signal. The T505 will then suppress adjacent channel signals and uses a variety of noise-cancellation technology to provide a clear speaking signal through its built-in microphone to the callers on the other end. In-coming signals are reproduced through your vehicle's audio system, making the T505 almost as hassle-free as an integrated Bluetooth-enabled car. When calls come in, the T505 automatically mutes the music and audibly announces the Caller-ID, so drivers can keep their eyes on the road. Edge echo and noise reduction technology and a built-in microphone and two-watt speaker also ensure that drivers hear incoming calls. Unless you have your sound system at deafening levels, you should always be able to hear in-coming calls. If you happen to have your radio tuned to the Bluetooth-enabled channel, you will hear the ringtone from your vehicle's own speakers. The T505 is extremely portable and requires no wires or installation. Drivers simply clip the device to a car's visor and pair the T505 using Motorola's EasyPairâ„¢ technology to a compatible Bluetooth device. When the T505 is connected to a stereo Bluetooth phone or an MP3 player, calls and music are streamed wirelessly with the clarity of your car stereo. Drivers with standard Bluetooth phones can use the T505 to make and take their calls over the car stereo. And when the ride's over, the T505 can be unhooked and taken to another car for the next trip. If there is a downside to the T505, it's that the optimum FM station Bluetooth operation will probably change if your commute crosses more than one county. However, a push of the FM search button will tell you what the optimum station will be at any given moment. The only other consideration is that the T505 is not as convenient to take with you, should you continue to want Bluetooth operation after you leave your vehicle. On the other hand, you can put the unit in your purse or briefcase, and you will be able to continue with Bluetooth operation no matter where you go. You won't be able to do that with the system that's built into the Prius, Lexus, or Bluetooth-integrated vehicle. Ergonomics 9/10 Audio Quality 9/10 Aesthetics 5/10 MOTOROKR T505 SPECIFICATIONS Price: $139.99 Street Price: $120 Talk Time: Up to 18 hrs Standby Time: Up to 14 days Battery: 1150mAh Weight: 88 grams Dimensions: 76mm X 78mm X 22.8mm Speaker: 2 Watt Digital FM Transmitter (no RDS) Bluetooth Version 2.0 (w/out EDR), Class 2 For more information: Motorola.com/hellomoto/t505 Next Page: On-The-Ear Headsets Back to Page One