Mobile Fun Blog

Jabra Bluetooth Speakerphone SP700 Review

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

I have used a few Bluetooth Visor Car Kits in the past only to find sooner or later (more sooner), I retire them to the Bluetooth graveyard located in a dark corner in the spare  room at home.   It always begins on a high  with a  promise to provide a ‘Hands-free’ but safe, convenient , compact, foolproof and law abiding way to receive and make calls while sitting in the comfort of a stationary or moving vehicle… However, eventually the honeymoon gloss fades and cracks appear to what first seemed a win, win situation.

Jabra SP700 Bluetooth Speakerphone

So when presented with the opportunity to try yet another Handsfree Bluetooth in-car visor product I did not climb over the office furniture or rugby tackle fellow colleagues to be first in the queue.  However  on this occasion a particular feature of the Jabra SP700 caught my imagination – it claimed to offer  both voice and stereo music streaming direct from my Bluetooth enabled mobile phone to my in-car entertainment unit.

In the Box

The compact and stylish Bluetooth speakerphone also comes supplied with a visor clip that is already fitted, a USB charger cable, USB car charger and ‘plain English’ and compact user guide.

Jabra SP700 Bluetooth Speakerphone Box Contents

Getting Started

Just connect the USB charger cable to a spare USB port on your computer and up pops an illuminated  red battery icon to indicated that it is charging. When fully charged this icon then changes to green.  If you do not have easy or regular access to a computer then think about  purchasing a USB Mains Charger and use the USB charger cable  provided in the box when not in the car.  On the front of the unit are a range of icons that illuminate to indicate what status the speakerphone is in.  I will discuss these in detail later.

There is no dedicated off/on button, and although not immediately obvious, this function is activated by  pressing  and holding the front of the speakerphone; 2 seconds to switch it on and  4 seconds to switch it off.  If like me, you tend to exit your vehicle and forget to switch the speakerphone off then do not worry, the SP700 has an auto-power off when the phone is out of its Bluetooth range.

Pairing the SP700 to your mobile phone couldn’t be easier; when you switch it on for the first time it automatically enters its pairing mode which is clearly indicated by an illuminated Bluetooth Status icon appearing.  Next, just activate the Bluetooth function on your phone and set the phone to “discover” the SP700, enter the pin code (0000), mount it to your car visor and you’re good to go!

The Jabra SP700 clips neatly to your sun visor in the car

Controls

Now the SP700 is not big on controls, I have already mentioned the lack of an on/off button and it does not have any audio adjustment controls aside of a volume up & down button on one side of the unit, and there is also a FM transmitter button located on the opposite side.

Features

Now the SP700 provides the basic functions like any other like handsfree kit, as well as supporting extended features of some phone models like voice dialling – which as you may have already experienced is a potential Olympic Linguistic event in its own right.  Also the SP700 features advanced noise reduction and echo cancellation that insures excellent sound quality on both sides of the call.

When using the SP700 the current status is clarified by a clear voice announcement – available in 10 languages – a treat no doubt for those multi lingual potential users out there or those wanting to practice some basic phrases before arriving at their international holiday destination this summer!

The voice announcer switches from a female to a male voice for different status alerts.  However the announcement that caught me by surprise was the one that announced the caller ID of an incoming call – brilliant – and by pressing the front of the speakerphone I could answer or end the call.  The announcer also confirms when the speakerphone is switched off and also when it has made connection with your mobile  phone.

I found the clarity of the incoming call to be excellent by comparison to other Bluetooth visor speaker phones that I have used in the past, and I can confidently say that my voice was clearly received by my caller.  I must admit that my vehicle  suffers from very little cabin noise generally – however I also tested it in my wife’s 1.4 about town vehicle which isn’t a tractor by any means – but with mischievous and noisy kids in tow I still found the SP700’s speakerphone to be equally as impressive.

The Jabra SP700 has a classic, slim line design

The best feature is the FM transmission -  A simple press of the FM transmission button illuminates the FM transmission icon and speakerphone mute icon, then kicks the voice announcer into action as she clearly tells you the FM frequency to tune your car radio to.  If this frequency is congested by existing  radio stations then you can make adjustments by 0.1MHz at a time using the volume keys, the announcer will recite the new frequency selected each time you make a change.  My radios’ RDS function displayed the word JABRA to indicate that I had sourced the correct frequency and I promptly saved it to a spare preset number.   This remains the fixed FM frequency unless you make a change as previously mentioned or reset the unit to factory settings.  The only thing I did not have time to test was how the selected FM frequency would stand up to long journeys whereby you may drift into localised radio stations sharing the same frequency; however, the ease I found in changing frequencies leaves me quite confident that such an event occurring would not be a major problem to resolve.

The Nokia E71 phone was used to test the SP700 for streaming music to my car stereo, on hitting the play button on the phone, music came belting out almost immediately through the car speakers.  The quality was fairly good, however I found that the SP700’s lack of audio controls came to haunt it as the volume controls previous used to adjust the FM frequency remain set to this function while in FM transmission mode,  so you have to rely on your in-car audio controls to equalize the sound and adjust the volume.  This sometimes is a problem when you switch back to the radio or CD mode as the volume can sometimes be far too high for those built in sources.

Taking calls using the FM transmission mode was a delight, however be aware that your calls may be picked up by a stranger who is tuned to the same FM frequency and in close proximity to your vehicle, so keep this feature just for music or calls that are not of a private or sensitive nature.  On a final point if you turn off your radio or forget to change the status of the SP700 back to its own speakers, then the SP700 automatically disconnects from its FM transmission status following a period of non-use.

The SP700 boasts up to14 hours talk time & up to 255 hours standby however after a week of testing I am yet to re-charge.

Conclusion

I must admit the SP700 has not changed my preference which is to avoid taking calls while driving if I can, however when circumstances dictate that this is unavoidable or for those of you or where this is a day to day necessity then the SP700 does not disappoint, mainly because of its ease of use, functionality, portability and quality.  The Ace up its sleeve however is the FM transmission that adds a more practical and up to date feature for all music lovers who have migrated their favourite playlists into the fashionable multi-media Bluetooth mobile phones that are currently available – a smart move by Jabra.

(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)

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Car Kit Pairing Guides

Monday, May 11th, 2009

If you’ve ever had a car kit fitted, chances are that the engineer who fitted it paired your phone to it for you and it ‘just worked’ without you having to do anything to set it up. The only downside to this of course, is when you upgrade your phone you’re left with a car kit thats looking for an old phone, and a new phone that can’t find the car kit.

If you’re anything like me, user manuals get thrown in the back of a drawer, never to be seen again, so figuring out how to get your new phone to work with your Parrot car kit could be quite a challenge. To help you out, We’ve put a quick guide together on how to pair your phone with some of the most recent car kits. So as long as you know how to search for Bluetooth devices on your phone you should get connected again in no time at all.

View the Pairing Guide for Nokia Car Kits

View the Pairing Guide for Parrot Car Kits

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Pairing Guide: Nokia Bluetooth Car Kits

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Nokia CK-20:

1. Switch on the device and the car kit.
2. Activate Bluetooth on your phone, and search for Bluetooth devices.
3. Select the car kit from the list of found devices.
4. Enter the Bluetooth passkey 0000 to pair and connect the car kit to your phone.

Your phone has now been paired with the Car Kit and is ready for use.

 

Nokia CK-300:

If you are have a Nokia phone running S60 Software (mainly N-Series) you can download the car kit application for your phone from the Nokia Support Site.

1. Switch on the device and the car kit.
2. Activate Bluetooth on your phone, and search for Bluetooth devices.
3. Select the CK-300 from the list of discovered devices.
4. Enter the Bluetooth passkey 0000 to pair and connect the CK-300 to your phone.

Your phone has now been paired with the Car Kit and is ready for use.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Top Ten Bluetooth Headphones

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

As more and more of us are using our mobiles as our MP3 and Video players, and while the headphones that come in the box aren’t bad, they’re never the best. We’ve already put together a Headphone Buyers Guide, but what if you want to leave the wires behind and get yourself a set of Bluetooth Headphones? Well, to help you decide, here’s our top ten Bluetooth Headphones & Stereo Bluetooth Headsets.

Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 Bluetooth Headphones:
These are without doubt my favourite Bluetooth Headphones, hence they’re at number 1 in my top ten. Although it still has a wire, the IS-800 is pretty much the only headset that doesn’t feature a fairly bulky control unit. Instead this has a small, simple in-line control that allows you to answer and end calls. Battery life is impressive at upto 270 hours – especially considering how small this headset is! The only slight downside is that the IS-800 doesn’t have any music controls on, so you will need to control your music on your phone.

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Use a Bluetooth keyboard with your Nokia phone

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Email on mobile phones is becoming a pretty standard feature, but the one thing that still puts me off emailing on a traditional handset, is having to type (a sometimes lengthy) email using the mobile phone keypad. Predictive texting and phones with half/full qwerty keyboards do make this a little easier, but its still not the same as having a proper, full sized keyboard.
The good news for Nokia owners is that if you have a handset that runs on S60 (think Nokia N95, N96, 5800 etc..) you can use a full size Bluetooth keyboard with your phone. Officially this isn’t supported on all phones, but un-officially all Symbian 60 devices are supported!

Now obviously if you’re walking down the street trying to email, this is going to be of no use to you what so ever, but what if you’re out of the office and need to reply to that email or maybe you’ve plugged your phone in to the TV to watch back your photo’s and want to be able to control your phone remotely?

We’ve put together a short guide that tells you how you can set up your phone to work with almost any Bluetooth keyboard. Read More…

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Stereo Bluetooth coming to iPod Touch & iPhone!

Friday, March 20th, 2009

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Pairing Instructions: Plantronics Bluetooth Headsets

Friday, February 20th, 2009

Before you can start to use your Plantronics Bluetooth Headset you will need to pair it with your phone. Pairing is the name of the process that allows your phone to find and connect with another Bluetooth device. In order to pair your devices you will need to put your headset into pairing mode and enter a passkey.
For detailed instructions on how to pair your Bluetooth Headset to your phone, Plantronics have created a pairing guide.

Now, I do have to warn you, it is a little bit cheesy and is designed for use in America, but it still tells you what you need to know to get your phone and headset to talk to each other.

Service Provider:
As I mentioned before, this pairing guide is aimed at the American market, so the Service Providers/Networks listed here are USA networks. Its not a problem though, just select “Other” from the bottom of the list.

Phone Manufacturer:
This guide will help set up headsets with standard mobiles and smartphones. If your device is a Smartphone, choose “Other PDAs”, if its a normal mobile phone, choose “Other Phones”

Phone Model:
You’ll only have the option here for other phone, and an image of a Motorola V3 will be displayed. Don’t worry too much about this, the steps for pairing are similar for all phones. If you want to try and find specific instructions for your phone, you can try selecting a network at step one and browsing through the handsets, but the USA seems to be a little bit behind us at the moment, and the handsets listed are a little old now.

Plantronics Headset:
You’ll now be presented with a list of all the Plantronics headsets. Select your headset from the list and you’ll then be shown and talked through the steps needed to pair the headset to your phone. If you want to start again at any point, just hit start over at the top of the screen.

Now that you know how to use it, you need to head over to the Plantronics Pairing Guide.

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Bluetooth Car Kit Buyers Guide:

Friday, February 13th, 2009

When choosing a Bluetooth Car Kit, its easy to become overwhelmed by the vast range of Car Kits available. They all look the similar, they do the same basic job, so what’s the difference and what should you be looking for when choosing a Bluetooth Car Kit?

Fitted or Portable:
Bluetooth Car Kits are generally available in two different formats – Fully Fitted or Plug and Play. By Plug and Play I mean they are normally powered by your cigarette lighter and clip onto your sun visor. Fitted Car Kits require professional installation, and have better audio quality and extra features over Plug and Play kits. Having said that, the quality of Plug and Play kits has improved significantly over the last few years and they are now proving to be a good alternative to the Fully Fitted Car Kit. Plug and Play kits can easily be transferred between vehicles and can be used in the home or office.

Caller Display:
I’m sure we’ve all had it happen us, you’re driving along, phone’s in your pocket, starts ringing, you answer it and immediately wish you hadn’t as you’ve been avoiding the caller! With a Bluetooth Car Kit with caller display, the callers name or number will be displayed on screen so you’ll know straight away who it is. If you decide to go for a Bluetooth Car Kit with Caller Display, look out for one that has Phonebook Synchronisation or Text to voice. More on these two below. Fully fitted kits don’t normally have a screen, but it is worth paying a little extra to go for one with a screen. If you can, look for a kit with a removable screen (eg; Parrot MKi9100) this will remove any temptation to thieves as you can take it out of the car when you leave.

Phonebook Synchronisation:
Phonebook Synchronisation is all about making calls easier while you’re driving. When you pair your phone with the kit, your phonebook will be transferred to the Car Kit. It does depend to some extent on your phone as to how well this will work, but it means you can call someone without having to scroll through the contacts on your phone. Bigger buttons and a clearer screen make this a much safer way of looking through your contacts.

Voice Features:
Voice Dialling has been around for a while, but always with varied success, and again depended greatly on the phone that you were using. With most current Bluetooth Car Kits, the voice dialling is controlled by the Car Kit and not the phone. Without getting overly technical, the car kit matches your voiceprint to the name in your phonebook, and then sends the number to the phone – this is great as it means that some phones that don’t support voice dialling can now be controlled by voice in the car.
You no longer need to record "voice tags" for each name in your phone book either. Instead, you just say the name, and the voice recognition software will match your voiceprint to the name in your phone. If the kit supports text to voice, the kit will speak the callers name as well as displaying it on the screen. In most cases, you will still need to make at least one button press to activate the voice recognition.

Multipoint:
Multipoint is a relatively new technology in Bluetooth Car Kits. Standard Bluetooth Car Kits normally allow you to pair with 2 or more phones, but only one can be active at any one time. Multipoint Bluetooth Car Kits allow you to connect and use two phones at the same time – ideal if you carry a work mobile and a personal mobile. With Multipoint, both phones are connected, and when a call comes in, the audio is transferred to the Car Kit automatically. If a call comes in on your second phone, you can easily switch between calls, just by pressing a button on the Car Kit.
For more information on Multipoint and how it works, check out our guide to Multipoint.

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Tag Heuer to release Bluetooth Headset

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

Quite a few big brands are trying to get in on the mobile phone market. Tag Heuer have already tried once with the launch of their Meridiist Mobile phone, and they’re about to follow it up with a Bluetooth headset.

The headset will come with its own compact and stylish portable charger, that also doubles up as a portable storage device with 4GB of internal memory. Charging of the headset will be done using a USB port, and can be charged in the car or from the mains using a USB mains adapter. The charger has its own built in battery that will allow it to charge the headset even when not connected to a power source.

The Tag Heuer Headset features:

• voice dialling
• call answer/end/reject
• volume up/down/mute
• call hold
• call waiting
• last number redial
• 4GB Memory (In portable charger)

No information has been released yet on when we’re likely to see this headset released, but I’d say we’re looking at early 2009.

More photos below.

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Gadget Show – Top Rated Bluetooth Headsets

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

Our friends over at the Gadget Show on Channel 5 recently reviewed 20 of the most popular Bluetooth Headsets on the market. Suzi tested them all out, and then ranked them based on comfort, fit, style and most importantly, call quality.

After putting the headsets to the test, this is how they ranked:

1) Aliph Jawbone 2 – The clearest of the range with advanced noise cancellation.
2) Invisio G5 – The worlds smallest Bluetooth headset.

3) Celleden Micro – Compact and simple Bluetooth headset.

4) Jabra JX20 Pura – Made from Titanium.

5) Bluetrek Metal – Ultra Slim at just 4mm thick.

Check out the video on the Gadget Show website where you will also be able to read the full reviews.

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