Portable Bluetooth

I’m a good daughter. I call my mom almost every single day. It was important when I moved that we found a way to maintain the closeness in our relationship.

That means I wake her up at about 7:00am her time nearly every morning so that I can talk to her on my drive to work.

Because I’m a good daughter.

I am also, I have been told, a terrible driver.  I tend to disagree with that assessment (despite evidence to the contrary), but I do try to limit my distractions while driving to smoking, listening to music and pondering the meaning of life.

I tell you all that to tell you that I almost always use some type of bluetooth device while driving.  Because I am nothing if not succinct.

I’ve been using a Motorola Bluetooth Headset ever since my husband got it for Christmas a couple years ago.  It pairs easily with my phone and the sound quality is fine.  It does what it’s supposed to do.  I’d been asked to try other bluetooth headset models recently and have found that the Motorola was still my favorite.

A representative from Parrot.com contacted me recently and asked me to review their portable Bluetooth hands free kit.

My first thought was what the hell is a portable Bluetooth hands free kit?

I’d only ever used the headset version before.  You know, the little thing that sticks in your ear that makes people think you’re talking to yourself.  I didn’t even know portable Bluetooth hands free kits existed.

And yet, it seems, they do.

But what the hell are they?

It’s like a garage door opener that you stick on your car’s visor.  Except it doesn’t open your garage door or your neighbor’s garage door.  Instead, it connects to your cell phone and turns into a speaker/microphone thing.

I don’t know why companies don’t ask me to name their new products for them.  Clearly, I have a gift.

ANYway – so, I agreed to try this portable Bluetooth hands free kit thing out, but I was skeptical because the last Bluetooth headset I’d been sent was pretty crappy.  And nothing about the Parrot.com website screamed “WE ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN MOTOROLA!”

It arrived in the mail, I unpacked it from the box, and stuck it on my visor.

There were two buttons and a knob.  I pressed some buttons.

A woman’s voice said, “who do you want to call?” and the kids and I squeed like idiots.

“Uh… call Adam,” I told her.

“Adam Home… Adam Cellular… Adam -”

“Call Adam’s Cell Phone,” I clarified.

And she did.

Adam answered and I explained that I didn’t need anything but to hear his voice over my totally awesome new toy.  He said something about being able to hear me really well despite the fact that I had the windows rolled down in the car – which is usually a problem when I’m on my Motorola headset.  Adam hung up and the bluetooth thingie beeped at me.

I pushed some more buttons.

“Redialing last call,” the disembodied woman said.

“Shit! Wait! No!” I frantically pushed more buttons while my children giggled in the backseat.

“Who do you want to call?” she finally asked after a series of button pushing that I knew I’d never be able to replicate.

“Call Jared,” I told her.

“Calling Jeremy,” she said.

“Shit! Wait! No!”  I pushed more buttons until I heard the now familiar disconnection beep.

After three failed attempts to call my husband that resulted in me calling my brother in law at 7:00am, I gave up on the voice activated dialing.  I started pushing the dial and it said “Phonebook” and then “A” and then “J” and then, finally “Jared”.  I pushed some more buttons and finally managed to make a call to my husband.

He, too, commented on how clearly he could hear me.

A few days later, I tried to show off my new awesome toy to my friend Hilly.

I pushed the red and green buttons repeatedly until I finally got the voice call prompt.  I told her to “Call Jared”.

She proceed to call Jeremy.  And then Janet.  And then Terry.  And Tina.  And Janet again – except the last time I wasn’t sure who she’d called until a woman who was Janet and not Jared answered the phone.

Hilly was not impressed.

“Can’t you just use your phone to dial?” she asked.

I was not impressed with her suggestion and resolved to never call my husband again.

Several days later, I decided to read the 7 page owner’s manual.  Two minutes later, I figured out to press the red button to turn on the device and the green button to make a call.  And the red button once if I accidentally call the wrong person.

And?

To say “Ja. ReD.” to call my husband.

Turns out, the owner’s manual is kind of a big deal. And really easy reading.  And – well – this thing is stupidly easy to use if you actually read the instructions.

Why does no one ever tell you this stuff?

The final verdict on Parrot’s Minikit Chic Bluetooth Portable Handset thing is that I gave my husband back his Christmas present.  I’ll be using the MiniKit from now on.

You can buy your own MiniKit on the Parrot website here.

OR you can buy a Minikit Chic Portable Bluetooth on Amazon for about $25 less. (Why do companies do that??)

OR you can enter to win a FREE one from Parrot by leaving a comment on this entry before midnight on Thursday August 19th.

Because that’s how much I love you.

Thanks for subscribing to Buy-Her.com! If you like what you see, please help spread the word by sharing this post!

© admin for Buy-Her.com, 2009. | Permalink | 36 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: amazon, bluetooth hands free kit, bluetooth hands free kits, cell phone, motorola bluetooth, parrot, portable, portable bluetooth

How can you be good at traveling?

Watch someone who travels for business pack.  They never forget anything, they know what’s essential and what’s dead weight, and they’ve discovered all kinds of tips and tricks for making life out of a suitcase easier.

Whether you’re planning your first vacation in years, or cashing in your frequent flyer miles again, here’s a few things you can’t leave home without.

10 Things To Buy A Woman Who Travels

1. Hanging Toiletry Bag

Baggallini Hanging Cosmetic Bag

Never forget your toothbrush or your mascara – either at home or at a hotel.  These bags keep everything organized and visible.  The bathrooms in guest rooms and hotels are notoriously short on counter space.  Hang this on the towel bar or the back of a door and have easy access to everything you need.

I love this Baggallini version because the bottom compartment detaches.  Take this to the gym and store your shower products in the detachable compartment.

2. Travel Bottles

Eagle Creek Custom Travel Bottle Set

Hotel shampoo sucks.  It might be good enough for a man with a buzz cut, but it’s notoriously awful for a woman’s hair.  Of course, thanks to the joy that is the TSA, you can’t just throw your own bottle of shampoo in your carry on.

Pack your own shampoo, conditioner, facial cleanser and moisturizer in these clear, 3 oz. bottles and save packing space and a cavity search in security.

3.  Jewelry Storage

eBags Bazaar Jewelry Case

I hate packing and trying to figure out what one necklace, bracelet and earrings will go with everything I plan to wear during my vacation.  But I also hate pulling a tangled mess of what used to be nice jewelry out of the bottom of a cosmetic bag.

Now I can accessorize while I’m traveling and have the organization of my jewelry box.  This version offers tons of storage and packs flat.

4.  Awesome Travel Pillow

TravelRest – The Ultimate Inflatable Travel Pillow

Hat tip to Robin for pointing this one out.  She’s a freaking genius and my neck thanks her a thousand times over.

Remember when you used to be able to get a pillow and a blanket on a plane?  Of course, you used to be able to get a damn meal on a cross country flight, too.  Lucky for us, this pillow works in a plane or in a car.

5. Waterless Hand Sanitizer

Bath and Body Works Waterless Hand Foam

Traveling is dirty.  And germy.  And it’s usually the places farthest from a water source that leave you feeling the grimiest.  This 1.7 oz. bottle fits in your post and passes the TSA test.

6.  Travel Umbrella

Travel Samsonite Flat Pack Umbrella

If you have luck like mine, it will rain when you’re on vacation.  But it won’t be raining when you get up.  Oh, no.  A torrential downpour will be unleashed when you’re miles away from your hotel after you’ve spent hours getting ready for a night out on the town or something.

I carry a mini umbrella with me everywhere in my purse.  This mini version is even flat for packing purposes.  Genius.

7. iPod touch (or iPhone. Ahem.)

Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation)

I’ll be honest, I don’t know how people survive in this day and age without an iPhone or some kind of smart phone.  I mean, I hear it’s possible – but I also hear some people still have dial up.

If you’re not in the market for a new cell phone, you should definitely consider an iPod touch – especially if you travel frequently.  There are a ton of iPhone apps that make traveling easier.  I can’t imagine traveling without access to the internet – maps, weather, phone books, subway routes.  I can do absolutely everything from anywhere.

8. Unique Luggage ID Tag

Luggage Tag – Neon Pink Plastic Set of 2 by Travelon

I hate the luggage carousel.  Hate.  I hate shoving my way past the morons who insist on standing 6 inches from the carousel just to get my damn bag.  And I hate even more having shoved my way to my bag – only to realize it is not my bag, but someone else’s bag.

I started tying a colored scarf to the handle of my suitcase a few years ago so I could recognize my suitcase more easily.  These luggage tags do double duty of making your black suitcase stand out in the sea of black suitcases and providing contact information just in case your bag gets lost.

9.  A good sleep mask

Pb first class sleep mask

Sleeping in a strange place can be difficult.  One of the things I’ve found that helps me get a good night’s sleep is a sleep mask.  It’s especially useful if you’re on a weird schedule or in a new time zone – or staying in a guest room that lets in bright ass sun at 6 am.  Like at my house.

10.  Portable sound machine

Marsona Travel Sound Conditioner

Speaking of a good night’s sleep – do you sleep with the fan on at home?  Or use a noise machine for white noise?  If you’re used to background noise when you sleep, a strange hotel room can make it difficult to sleep.

The Marsona is extremely portable and small enough to pack in an overnight bag or carry on.

Thanks for subscribing to Buy-Her.com! If you like what you see, please help spread the word by sharing this post!

© admin for Buy-Her.com, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bags, gifts for travel, iphone, organization, portable, travel, travel accessories