Jabra CRUISER 2 Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphone

I own the Motorola T505 and the Jabra Cruiser2. It made sense to me to take a little road test and compare the two bluetooth speakerphones in an effort to determine which one is better. With my mom on the other end, I took to the local freeways and switched back and forth between the two units while mom told me what she was hearing on her end of the conversation.

Form: The Jabra Cruiser2 is attractive. It is lightweight but has a solid feel to it. Controls are simple to use and understand. The unit's design is understated and minimalist. A clip holds the Cruiser2 to your car's sun visor. Unfortunately, the Jabra's clip cannot be reversed. My car, an Audi, has sun visors that flip from front to rear, rather than the usual rear to front configuration. That means that I cannot use the Jabra Cruiser2 unless I mount it backwards. Conversely, the Motorola T505's clip allows the unit to be reversed, which gives one more mounting flexibility.

Setup: Pairing the Jabra Cruiser2 was quick and simple. A woman with a pleasant voice provides pairing instructions and also tells you quite clearly what's going on with the unit. My cell phone is a Palm Treo 755p, which was the model that came out just before the Palm Pre. For whatever reason, the Cruiser2 is apparently unable to download the directory from my phone. So when a call comes in, it simply announces the number rather than the name of the caller. I'm guessing this won't be a problem for most, as it's probably a simple incompatability between my cell phone and the Cruiser2.

Function: I used both the Jabra and Motorola units by listening through the internal speaker and I also used the FM transmitter function. The sound quality of the Jabra Cruiser2 is superior to the audio quality of the Motorola T505 when using its internal speaker. It's internal speaker seems to be larger, clearer and has a better volume output than the Motorolas.

According to mom, the microphone quality was similar between the two units. However, she felt that the Jabra's audio output was more "choppy" than the Motorola's.

When I use a bluetooth speakerphone, I usually set it to output to FM stereo. It is there that the Motorola has a clear advantage over the Jabra. I heard consistent background noise and static from the Jabra Cruiser2 where much less interference was heard from the Motorola T505. Several times, FM radio stations overpowered the Jabra's FM output. Yes, I clearly understand that the goal is to operate on a frequency where no FM station is broadcasting and I tried to do that. But the Jabra's FM transmitter did not seem up to the task. I'd rate it poorly with respect to it's FM output function.

Conclusion: There are things to like about the Jabra Cruiser2 and things not to like. It's appearance is sharp, setup is a breeze, and it's simple to operate. Audio quality and volume using the internal speaker is clear and relatively loud. But I'm frankly quite unhappy with the FM output of this unit.

I was torn as to whether to rate this unit 2 stars or 3 but I gave Jabra the benefit of the doubt with a 3 star rating. However, I don't expect to use the Cruiser2 much, if at all, because the poor FM transmitter is a deal breaker to me. So, if you're planning on using the Cruiser2 by utilizing its internal speaker, I think that you'll be satisfied with its performance. If you want to listen to calls and music using your car's stereo speakers, I'd skip this unit and instead consider the Motorola or a different bluetooth speakerphone with stronger FM output.

After reading all the reviews, I initially went with the Motorola Roadster. I liked that it had the ability to read text messages (my teenage sons favorite way to communicate with me) and that it turned on automatically when I got in the car. Once I had it, it works basically as stated but the sound quality was so poor and the fm transmitter was poor. I bought the Jabra 2 and have been using it for the past few days. I was so surprised when the voice came on reading me a text message! Motorola doesn't tell you this but the app MotoSpeak works with other units! Not only that but the quality of speech is far superior on the Jabra unit. So far, I'm really happy with it. Both units pair with 2 devices, both have FM transmitters, both use voice commands.

Based on my primary uses, here's my list of pros/cons for each

Jabra: Pros

Voice dialer is accurate

Display lights are easy to see.

Connects very quickly with my phone.

Good sound from the unit itself

Better FM transmitter (Washington D.C. area airwaves are packed but I get clear sound all around town)

Nice loud sound from unit, can use it if FM station isn't available.

Announces name of caller/texter

When using with GPS, it is clear and uninterrupted.

Cons:

Doesn't turn on automatically, easy to forget

can't dictate a text response

Points for Motorola roadster: Pros

Automatically turns on when I get in the car

Uses motospeak to play texts

More voice commands. Can just say "answer" or "ignore" for incoming call.

Can dictate a text response

Cons:

Voice dial is very inaccurate

Display lights aren't visible, don't know if it lost the connection

If unit is turned off, once turned on, it doesn't connect to phone unless it is first plugged into charger. Could just be a defective unit but a very annoying quirk

sound from unit too low to use in place of FM transmission

Poor FM transmission. Constantly having to change stations which makes it very hands on!

Cuts off the first part of sentece when using phone GPS

only gives phone number not name even though the phone book was downloaded.

I'm keeping the Jabra Cruiser 2 and sending the other back to amazon. Although the ability to dictate a text response is nice, I find it just as easy to call someone back instead. I don't mind having to turn the unit on when I get in the car. If I forget, the unit pairs so quickly that I can do it before I answer a call and not miss the incoming call. Hope that helps!!

Buy Jabra CRUISER 2 Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphone Now

In this video, I show you how I paired the speakerphone with my LG Xenon phone.

I also demonstrate the FM compatibility, the ability to play Youtube music, the ease of making a call, and the little extras that come with this device.

Enjoy!

Read Best Reviews of Jabra CRUISER 2 Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphone Here

I'm using this with a Sony Ericsson C905a.

Construction Quality: The unit feels great. It's nice and solid, with satisfying weight. It clips on my visor with the wire that doubles as the FM transmitter (clever!) and just feels and looks nice.

Setup: Pairing the device was as simple as a bluetooth headset. A robotic voice comes on when you first turn on the Jabra, walking you through the process. That same voice informed you that it has downloaded your phone book. To connect another phone, just hold down the phone button and the voice repeats the process. Easiest pairing I've ever experienced. The bluetooth will enunciate the names of incoming callers if they are in your phonebook. Setting up the FM transmitter to work was trivially easy. You hit a button on the side marked "FM" and the robot voice tells you the frequency to tune into (and a radio icon lights up). You can hit the + or and the voice will announce a new frequency (these same keys control volume if you aren't using the FM mode).

Performance: The built in speaker is loud, but I much prefer using the FM transmitter. I'm really pleased with the noise cancellation. It's not perfect, but it is much easier to hear, and my wife says I'm easier to hear when I'm talking into this thing. The AD2P -> FM transmitter is a great bonus because my phone has a lot of music on it. The music sounds good, not great (you need a line in for better quality). Honestly, this is probably the biggest surprise for me because I usually hate FM transmitters. Bluetooth reception is also much better than the headsets I'm used to, probably because this device is a little bigger. I can leave my phone in my pocket and make and receive calls.

Battery Life: I have to be honest, I have only tested this for several hours at once between charging. It has been 'on' for 8 hours and handled at least 3 hours of talking without any problems for me, but I don't know how much longer it can last (I suspect much longer). I think I'll be better informed on how well the battery holds up after I've had it for a few months (I'll update this review). The device charges from a USB Micro cable and comes with a car charger adapter.

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This little guy works famously, as advertised. But beware, it works TOO GOOD. By that, I mean that the range exceeds that which is practical. So ? So, if you don't remember to switch it off each time you leave the car, and you go into a store, concrete walls or not, if you are still within it's very large radius, you are STILL CONNECTED. If the phone rings, Jabra will answer, even though you will try with your phone in your hand to answer but are prevented. Jabra still trys to connect with your phone as though you are still in the car... Most annoying. If you forget again when parking at home, it will still answer when you get inside. You must remember to switch it off each and every time you leave the vehicle. The only way I could find to override the connectivity and answer the phone in the store or home, was to use the Speakerphone on the phone which commands Jabra to Disconnect. Still, Jabra gets 5-stars for it's clarity, ease of setup, application and faithfulness. :-)

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