Hands-On Reviews of 12 Hands-Free Bluetooth Devices

Do yourself a favor: make sure your car is up to code by this July—no broken headlamps or taillights, up-to-date registration, etc. – and, oh yeah, make sure you pick up a hands-free Bluetooth device for your cell phone.

On July 1st a new law will go into effect in California making it illegal to talk on a wireless phone while operating a motor vehicle. If you are 18 or older, and you want to use your phone while driving, you will need to use a hands-free device – no “ifs”, “ands”, or “buts” about it—and there will be no grace period either. If you are under 18, you can’t use your phone while driving, period. The fines are small ($20 first offense, and $50 thereafter—but amounts can triple with penalty assessments) but convictions will appear on your driving record, potentially ballooning insurance fees. Find out all about the law here: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws/index.htm.

Contrary to the rumor mill you can and will be pulled over just for using your phone—no other infractions are needed. (However, running around with a headlight out and gabbing with your wireless glued to your ear will only increase your odds of getting nailed.) With the hassles and fees that come with ignoring the law, and the relatively low cost of Bluetooth hands-free devices these days, it just makes sense to cover your ass—dontcha think?

We put 12 of the newest Bluetooth devices through the wringer to help you find the right one for your car-talking habits. All of the devices were tested with one phone along the same stretch of highway at the same time of day, and call clarity was compared via voicemail recordings. Read on to find out which ones made the grade. (Prices listed are MSRP—street prices may be much lower.)

BlueAnt Z9

Website: www.myblueant.com
Battery: 5.5 hours talk time, 200 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $79.99

One of the smallest and least expensive devices in our roundup, the Z9 sports two levels of noise reduction, which BlueAnt terms Voice Isolation Technology. The first level is for standard use in normal everyday environments, the second level is for use in “extreme noise” environments, such as a car. We found both levels worked fairly well, though our voice did sound muted at times when using the maximum setting. Also, we did experience some intermittent and random “crackle” interference. Overall the Z9 delivers solid performance while also being both easy and comfortable to use.

Verdict: 7

Jabra SP5050

Website: www.jabra.com
Battery: 6 hours talk time, 150 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $98.78

Okay, so you don’t like sticking anything other than your finger into your ears. No problem—check out the sleek and stylish Jabra SP5050 speakerphone. This device clips onto your sun visor and is remarkable easy to set up and use. There’s even a night driving mode that turns off the LEDs so they won’t distract you. We also like that the device shut off automatically after losing connection with your phone for more than 15 minutes, which saves battery life.

Too bad the included car-charger cord is only three feet long, as it can interfere with driving controls if you have to use the charger while on the road. Also, while the call quality was great on surface streets, there was a definite downgrade when we hit the highway (due to escalated cabin noise) – something we experienced with all the speakerphones we tested.

Verdict: 7

Cardo S-640

Website: www.cardowireless.com
Battery: 8 hours talk time, 250 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $59.99

The S-640 is a sleek, miniscule device that clips to your shirt or pocket and strings along a tethered earbud on an 18-inch cord. In addition to the fashion benefits, this also makes the S-640 very comfortable to use during long drives. Unfortunately, the device lacks noise-cancellation technology, and our voice tended to sound more muffled on calls when compared to standard headsets. Voice clarity during non-highway use—both in the car and out—was excellent, however.

Verdict: 6

Cardo S-800

Website: www.cardowireless.com
Battery: 8 hours talk time, 168 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $79.99

 

 

The S-800 is one of the most feature-packed headsets we tested. Just about all the latest buzzwords are here: favorite numbers hot button, call back, location buzzer (love it!), auto answer, missed call indicator, conference call, voice dial—the list goes on. It also looks exceptionally cool it its silver shell (we like shiny things). Plus, embedded audio balancing, noise reduction, and speaker boost combine to deliver voice quality that is among the best we have tested.

Unfortunately, the button layout and overall design make the S-800 difficult to use, and the large earbud made for an uncomfortable fit—which definitely isn’t ideal in the car. An optional ear loop improves fit slightly, and a lanyard is included to wear the device around your neck while not in use.

Verdict: 7

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Venturi Mini

Website: www.myventuri.com
Battery: DNA
Price (MSRP): $129.99

This Bluetooth speakerphone plugs into a cigarette lighter and can be used to stream music and phone calls through an available FM frequency on your car’s stereo. It also packs in a mess of useful high-end features (if your phone is compatible, that is). For example, you can import your phonebook into the device—eliminating the need to use your phone to make calls. If your car radio supports RDBS, your radio will even display phone book contacts. The Mini’s bright OLED display also shows caller ID information, and a USB port is provided so you can use the Mini to charge your phone or other USB devices.

Call clarity was acceptable, but not as good as the SP5050 or Supertooth Light speakerphones. (This may be because of the recessed location of lighter plugs, which can make it hard to speak directly into the device.)

Verdict: 6

Plantronics Explorer 370

Website: www.plantronics.com
Battery: 7 hours talk time, 200 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $79.99

This headset looks and feels like it was built like a tank—and for good reason. It was designed to meet military specifications for dust, water, and shock resistance. Indeed, we let a couple of 5-year-old rug rats play with it for an afternoon and it still worked fine—plus we soaked it in the sink and tossed it around a bit ourselves.

It’s basic as far as features go, but the controls are simple, and the set delivered good sound quality that put it squarely in the middle of the pack. Also, the 370 may be a big bulky for some ears—and aesthetic tastes. It comes with a lanyard so you can wear the device around your neck while not in use.

Verdict: 7

Plantronics Voyager 855

Website: www.plantronics.com
Battery: 7 hours talk time, 200 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $149.99

The 855 weighs in as the most spendy option in our roundup, but the extra clams are worth it if you use your phone for music playback, too. An extra, detachable earbud is included so you can listen to music in stereo, and the device’s intuitive control layout makes handling calls and music a breeze. The 855 uses Plantronic’s proprietary AudioIQ nose-reduction technology, and it works: voice clarity was excellent on both sides of the conversation. The set has a sliding boom mic that we found improved our voice quality slightly in the car. An optional ear loop is included, which is a good idea if you plan to extend the mic, as are three different sizes of gel earbud covers that help achieve the perfect fit.

Verdict: 8

Aliph’s New Jawbone

Website: www.aliph.com
Battery: 4 hours talk time, 200 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $129.99

We were a fan of the last Jawbone headset simply because calls sounded clear on both ends. However, last year’s device was a bit bulky and heavy, and the controls took some getting used to. Enter the New Jawbone, a slimmer version of its predecessor that sounds just as good, and is much more comfortable (and less embarrassing) to wear.

Cutting the Jawbone to half the size comes at a cost of 1/3 of the talk time when compared to last year’s model—but the sleeker, beveled design does not sacrifice any style points. Unfortunately, it may be too “cool” for its own good: the invisible button design still takes some getting used to, making the manual a must-read (which you really should do anyway, with any headset.) What matters, though, is that voice quality is king and the New Jawbone was neck-and-neck with the Plantronics Voyager 855 at the top of the heap. It’s not cheap, but Aliph caters to the mobile elite by throwing in four leather earloops and three sets of cushy earbuds.

Verdict: 9

BlueAnt SuperTooth Light

Website: www.myblueant.com
Battery: 15 hours talk time, 800 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $99.99

This visor-mount speakerphone uses voice-isolation and echo- and noise-suppression technology to achieve the best voice quality of the speakerphones in this roundup, delivering the clearest-sounding voice recording results. We could hear callers loud and clear while driving up the highway at 65 mph (not a smidge faster, of course). And other than our voice sounding a little muted (again, common with all speakerphones we tested), callers on the other end reported no issues with hearing us. The simple setup, intuitive controls, and excellent battery life makes this one a winner.

Verdict: 9

Jabra BT8040

Website: www.jabra.com
Battery: 15 hours talk time, 800 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $99.99

The BT8040 bests the Z9 for the smallest headset award in this roundup, and it also shaves a bit of weight and “klunkyness” by eschewing the earloop in favor of just a gel earbud for a solid fit. Three sizes of gels (six total) are provided, and we were able to achieve a comfortable, secure fit with little difficulty – your ears may differ. Some may find the lack of an earloop unsettling, but the BT8040 is ideal to use if you wear glasses. The onboard DSP combats background noise, putting the BT8040’s voice quality square in the middle of the pack. We found inbound quality to be noticeably better than outbound quality. The set also supports A2DP for music playback.

Verdict: 7

Garmin Nuvi 760

Website: www.garmin.com
Battery: DNA
Price (MSRP): $642.84

With the popularity of Garmin’s Nuvi 760 for GPS navigation the verdict we’ve rendered here is akin to heresy. However, we are looking at the device mainly for its hands-free phone feature, not its GPS functionality (which we admit is superb). As a speakerphone, the 760 just doesn’t cut it, despite handy features like the ability to upload your phonebook and view call histories, etc. The voice quality is simply marginal, on both sides of the call, and the 760 was at the bottom of the list in our roundup in this all-important category. It would be a good backup option, but we’d only recommend it for primary use if you have the quietest vehicle cabin on Earth.

Verdict: 4

Anycom Solar Car-kit

Website: www.anycom.com
Battery: 15 hours talk time, 600 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $59.99

Going green is all the rage and this speakerphone attempts to cash in on the growing desire to be eco-friendly. The device is designed to attach to your windshield, and a solar panel on the back converts three hours of sunlight into 30 minutes of talk time—should you get caught with your battery power down. The solar feature works, but is really of questionable value. And, since you have to mount the device on your windshield, it is more susceptible to road noise, which likely contributed to the lackluster call quality. Plus, right now, it is illegal in California to attach anything to your windshield. (A law allowing GPS units to be attached has been passed, but has not been enacted.)

Verdict: 5