Bluetooth for your car, not your ear. Also? Why they make owner’s manuals.
Posted on August 19, 2009 by Miss Britt in Tech
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
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
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.
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Posted on August 19, 2009 by Miss Britt in Tech
I would love to give this to my Dad despite its ‘girliness’ because he is in SERIOUS need of something like this. Not to mention it is illegal in California now
I hate my bluetooth… but I like that it keeps me somewhat focused on the road. I know what I’ll be asking for for Christmas — unless of course you give me one. ;p
I haven’t found a bluetooth solution that works all the time yet.
Still trying.
I’ve been looking for something like this for a while, thanks for the review!
@Dee, CONGRATULATIONS!!
Random.org says you’re the lucky winner!
Emailing you now.
@Miss Britt, Delivery is scheduled for Monday and I cannot wait to try it out – I will definitely be reading the manual
I need this. I refuse to answer my phone while driving because I can’t talk on it and focus on driving at the same time. It’s beyond frustrating. Plus this is pretttyyy.
Your reviews are fucking brilliant.
I heart you.
This would be such a great gift for the hubs. I have the worst time hearing him with his bluetooth when he has the windows down in his car. Your review alone makes me wish I had the money to go out and buy it to try out.
i’m a bad bad bad horrible driver. i suck at it and i’m not afraid to admit it.
i also have to use my phone a lot.
but there’s nothing funnier than watching me try to use the phone, blue tooth it, and drive all at the same time.
fun times.
It sounds like carphone bliss and looks pretty funky too. Do they do a version where the husband can speak to his mother without me having to hear either side of the conversation?
@Vic, now THAT would be freaking brilliant, right?
i still have the headset with the wire that connects to the phone. it’s sad and pathetic. I could really use a wireless one
Ooh. I want one. I lost my Bluetooth sometime in the last few days and cannot find it anywhere. Did you steal it? It’s gold and douchey-looking.
I have tried so many bluetooth thingys and can’t find one I like….so i just don’t talk on the phone anymore….at least thats what I tell people when I don’t call them back
Hey, the only reason I suggested that you use your phone to dial out through your blue tooth is because I have been there, done that about 100 times. My car doesn’t dial proper numbers with background noise very well so I was trying to be helpful!
Dayum. I very obviously need this. But very obviously can’t win here, because then there would be charges of nepotism. Good review!!!
I never liked the idea of the bluetooth hanging on my ear. Its florida, I wear sunglasses all the time, and just another thing dangling there would annoy the hell out of me. That said though, I am on my phone alot when I drive so I may have to give this a try.
Ooo… I think Mister would love this! If I decide to give it to him.
Excellent review!
That sounds like an awesome electronic toy that I must have.
Oooo, I vant von!
PICK ME, PICK ME!! i can’t use those things that stick in your ears because of my noise sensitivity. this sounds like a fantastic solution. i would love to win and make my driving safer. thanks for the informative review and the giveaway!
Delurking to win, because I’m classy like that!
I sorely need this…as much as I enjoy breaking the law, I suppose I should obey CA’s hands free one, if only to keep my insurance cost at an arm instead of an arm and a leg.
And how super cute is the little thing?!
I want one… first, it’s adorable. Second, I can read, so I should be able to use it. And I have a really bad habit of losing the headsets, so one that STAYS attached to the car would be a good thing
i love it! i’ve near used bluetooth before but this post makes me want to buy one… except, wow, expensive! so maybe i’ll win one
Thanks for the info tho
I so need this! I hate those Bluetooth headsets but I’m in California and you have to be handsfree when you’re on the phone in the car. Thanks for the contest!
My car keeps forgetting that it has built-in Bluetooth, so maybe I should give it up and get one. Besides, it’s pretty!
This sounds pretty cool but I’d really like something that will dictate and send my text messages while driving so it can be hands free too
The contest is closed.
The winner is Commenter #4 – Dee.
Congratulations, Dee!
Ah dang I can’t win but I wanted to say, I hate user manuals but after reading it, I learned how to use my bluetooth headset as well. My parents loves it now that I bought them one too.
hands free AND it moves the magnet away from your brain so you won’t get a brain tumor. Nice!
My husband reads ALL user manuals. Kind of sad, isn’t it?
I bought this on your recommendation, and used it for the first time today. Love it! I often have to drive a lot, and I need to talk on the phone to a) work or b) keep myself awake. It’s perfect!
@DemMom, I’m so glad to hear that!!
Tip: when it starts to sound like your reception is spotty, the unit needs to be charged.