This month handsfree phone laws went into effect in California and Washington. These West Coast states simply joined others that have already enacted similar laws. More of the country will surely follow suit. For those of you who haven't already prepped your car with a handsfree phone kit, we've decided to review a selection of Bluetooth solutions, starting with the Motorola ROKR T505.
The plug-and-play Motorola ROKR T505 doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Motorola's higher-end solutions like the T605 or IHF1000, but then, it doesn't have to be installed, thus saving you some dough. The simple speakerphone with Digital FM Transmitter clips right onto your sun visor. Since it's so sleek, the T505 doesn't obstruct your vision at all.
Syncing to your phone is simple and reliable. If you leave your car for an extended period of time, the unit goes into standby mode. Simply push a button to wake it up and it will sync automatically with your phone once again.
The ROKR T505 features a built-in FM transmitter with "Station Finder" technology. It works well, but like all FM transmitters we've tried, it's not ideal in crowded metropolitan airspace. The built-in 2-watt speaker (that's right, 2 whole watts) is loud enough to be heard over a revving engine and preferable to the FM transmitter option. Of course, if you want to listen to music stored digitally on your phone, I'd go ahead and stream it to your car stereo. The music automatically mutes when calls come in and resumes when you're finished talking.
Calls are clear and the built-in microphone works well. An Audio CallerID lets you know who's calling by relaying the telephone number. When I first tried this out, I was concerned about having to recharge the unit, but I didn't have to for over a week! Motorola states it has up 18 hours of talk time using the FM transmitter and up to 14 days standby. If you are running low, it comes with a car charger.
For a retail price of $140, the Motorola ROKR T505 is just the ticket for someone looking for a reliable and easy-to-use Bluetooth car kit. It sure beats wearing a headset.
(Speaking of headsets, check out this recent blog for more info on handsfree laws.)