Blueant S4 Handsfree Voice Controlled Bluetooh Car Speakerphone
June 17, 2010 by Guest Author
Filed under Mobile Phones
- Use Your Voice to Make and Receive Calls
- Hear Your Messages on the Go
- The S4 integrates with Microsoft BING-411 to provide a handsfree gateway to a world of information.
- The S4 also features embedded audio help that talks you through the setup and pairing process, and if you can’t remember the voice commands you can ask the S4 “What Can I Say?” and it will tell you the available options.
- The S4 features integrated A2DP streaming audio functionality, so you can listen to music or podcasts and hear turn-by-turn direction information from a GPS application on your phone.
Product Description
The BlueAnt‘s most interesting feature is its hands-free trigger mode. While in trigger mode, a green LED is illuminated to indicate that the BlueAnt is listening for its activation phrase, “BlueAnt, speak to me.” When t… More >>
Blueant S4 Handsfree Voice Controlled Bluetooh Car Speakerphone
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I was concerned about a battery powered Bluetooth speaker that mounts to your sun visor via magnets. Could this thing actually emit decent sound? Surprisingly yes. The BlueAnt S4 eliminated the need to drive around with an annoying little gremlin in my ear, and its wind, road, and background noise reduction really did the trick. The good news is that even if your phone doesn’t support Voice Dialing, the BlueAnt S4 syncs your list of contacts so if you get a call, Charles will announce who the call is coming from. He’ll even announce numbers that are not stored in your phone when a call is coming in. If you’re an avid Bing user, you can tell Charles to access Favorites, then Traffic, Weather, Information, etc. however the BlueAnt S4 is especially worth it if your phone supports Voice Dialing over Bluetooth. That way you’ll be able to take full advantage of hands-free interaction behind the wheel.
Rating: 5 / 5
This is best handsfree car speakerphone I’ve had so far. My first was a Motorola T305 which I found to be (barely) adequate. I then purchased a Blueant SuperTooth II which I used up until the purchase of this unit. I really liked the SuperTooth II in terms of call quality, amazing battery life and the convenience of the on/off switch being activated by the microphone boom. It was a bit limited in its feature set as newer models were being released, but it was/is a solid performer. Based on excellent reviews of the Motorola T505 and my desire to get a new gadget, I also purchased one of those. I was not particularly impressed with it in terms of call quality or ease of use and gave it to the same friend who inherited my Motorola T305.
I was ready to get a new handsfree (nothing wrong with the SuperTooth II, I just wanted a new gadget again) and was pleasantly surprised to learn BlueAnt had just released the new S4. I quickly ordered one and received it on Monday (I’m writing this on Saturday).
First thing I noticed after opening the box is that the S4 is noticeably smaller and lighter than the II. It is nicely finished and I find it to be much nicer looking than the II, almost elegant in appearance. The S4 does NOT come with an AC charger. Instead you are supplied with a cigarette lighter adapter and an approximately 11″ long USB cable. The S4 uses a micro USB plug with the port on the side of the device, next to the slide on/off/battery save switch. The port is covered by a lighter gray cover. Also in the box are the manual and two sunvisor clips…one for thicker, one for thinner sunvisors. The unit is held to the sunvisor clips by two rather strong magnets.
After charging the S4 for a while…the battery is rated at 20 hours talk time and 700 hours standby, I paired it with my phone. That was easy, the first time you power up the S4 it talks you through the pairing procedure. For those who care, the S4 uses a male voice as opposed to the II’s female one.
A couple of things to note so that you do everything in the correct order and don’t have to repeat steps. The S4 has upgradeable firmware. The unit I received came with firmware version 1.2 and version 1.5 is currently available. The first thing you should do is go to BlueAnt’s website and download the updater software. Follow the directions EXACTLY…if you don’t press the phone icon “button” long enough…until both the green and red lights cycle on and off…the program won’t run correctly (ask me how I know) and upgrade the firmware. After you are finished updating the S4, it has to be paired with your phone (all over again if you previously paired it prior to updating it). It will also be necessary to transfer your phone’s contacts. If you transferred your phonebook prior to updating the firmware you will have to do it again. Also, and this is not clear from the manual, you have to disconnect the S4 from your computer to transfer your phonebook.
So now that it was updated and set up, it’s time to play with it. The main function of any handsfree kit is to allow you to communicate clearly with it. It that sense, the highest compliment you can pay such a device is that people don’t know you are using it. Everyone I’ve asked during a call has indicated they could hear me clearly and weren’t aware I was on a speakerphone, whether I was in my fairly quiet daily driver or my much louder sports car. The volume on the S4 is excellent and is adjusted by merely swiping your finger along the face of the unit. Note, the S4 does NOT have an FM transmitter. I did not want that function, but if you require it, this is not the unit for you.
The S4 has a few LED lights that can be easily turned off by voice command if desired. The voice command system has worked flawlessly and truly renders the S4 a handsfree unit. You can check battery level, activate your phone’s voice dialing, redial, call back your last incoming call, confirm connection to your phone, adjust voice recognition sensitivity, update your phonebook and access Bing’s 411 service (in my area with my carrier) all though voice commands. When a call comes in, the S4 announces either the contact’s name or telephone number and asks if you want to answer or ignore the call. You can answer or ignore calls be either voice command or tapping the phone icon on the face of the unit…one tap to answer, two to ignore and a single tap to terminate the call. If you transferred your phone’s contacts, the S4 announces the name for incoming call, otherwise just the number.
In the week I’ve had the S4 I’ve been very impressed with its call quality, feature set and convenience. Battery level is still at high after the initial charge. Assuming you don’t need the FM transmitter function, I believe this is an excellent choice and recommend it without hesitation or other qualification.
Rating: 5 / 5