Scosche DIYBRH $99
The average consumer probably doesn't realize that when you buy a Bluetooth kit for your car the price doesn't include the install fee. If you're comfortable installing a head unit, you might find a stand-alone kit a no-brainer, but most of us take one look at the tangle of wires and think, "There's no way I'm dealing with that!" That's where this Bluelife wireless system from Scosche comes in.
Installation is simple. All you need is a cigarette lighter outlet and a head unit with an aux input (either one on the front or on the back). More and more factory HUs have the front aux input, so you can literally buy this kit and have it hooked up to your car within five minutes. The hardest part will be opening the box!
Once you've plugged the DIYBRH in, you activate the Bluetooth by depressing the main button (actually, the only button) for five seconds. Tell your phone it's OK to go and you're connected in moments, for both hands-free calls and streaming audio. This is a bare-bones hookup so all commands go through the interface on your phone. We like the simple approach-it's easy to use and it works well!
If you've connected your phone before, the adapter will automatically sync up when you turn it on. So if you're listening to music on your phone, as soon as you hop in your ride and turn the DIYBRH on, the audio will transfer from your phone's internal speakers to the car's. Pretty nifty. The only weak point is the fact that the audio has to travel through the little mini jack if you're doing a front aux connection. Because of this, the user must select the aux source on the head unit in order to hear audio when dialing or receiving phone calls. We also noted playing music from our phone sounded a bit muffled with more noise coming into the aural picture than with the Pioneer adapter above.
For those of you who value the convenience of this setup (we can't emphasize how truly convenient it is), the sound degradation is a small price to pay. Consider getting the DIYBCKH ($189) which tacks on a Bluetooth adapter for your MP3 player. Now that's easy listening. -Brook Howell
Motorola T605 $179.99
Earpieces are fine for mobile phone use, but frankly who wants some contraption stuck to your ear as you go from office to meetings to home? We tested Motorola's IHF1000 last year and were very pleased with its flawless performance, ease of use and the optional dedicated speaker. Much is the same with the Motorola T605. It is a well-designed, attractive product and also has the dedicated speaker if you prefer the option of mounting that in a location of your choosing rather than using your stereo system's speakers. The T605 also is set up for Advanced Audio Distribution Profile, A2DP, so if you have a phone that has audio playback, then you can stream music via the T605 and listen to music off the phone through your car's speaker system.
These days it's all about wireless, but if need be you can connect an MP3 player via the standard stereo jack. What we found with the IHF1000 was the same with the T605; that is, the great sound quality for phone calls. The mic picked up speech just about as well as the phone itself and audio from the other party sounded loud and clear. This is attributable to Motorola's latest version of echo and noise cancellation technology. Moreover, the T605 features automatic volume adjustment, so as background noise increases the unit reacts accordingly.