SUMMARY:
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This is a simple device and easy to use, but sometimes the Bluetooth stays connected through-out the house, while my truck is in the driveway. This is the main reason I give this 4-stars. Charging port is under the device and if you are running low, it is hard to keep it mounted while stuffing the charging cord in between the device and the sun-visor. That is a minor reason why I also give it 4-stars. [See Update at bottom, recently lowered to 3-stars]
What's in the box:
====================
1. SuperTooth Buddy bluetooth device
2. Car charger that uses mini-USB
3. Magnetic clip that allows you to use the device with the sun-visor closed or open
What I like about this:
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1. Simple to setup and use; it gets the job done!
2. I press the green button and I can do voice-dialing the same way as I do with just my phone.
3. Seems like a pretty good battery charge, seeing how I never turn it off... probably 2-3 weeks worth, but I do not make lenghty calls in my car
4. Good price
5. Good volume, nice and loud
6. Callers report my voice sounds clear, though they can tell I'm on a speakerphone
7. Seems to work well in this Texas heat, which probably exceeds 120degrees inside the car in July/August, my Motorola T-325 did not. [See Update!!]
What I don't like about this:
=============================
1. No caller id, it only rings or you have to look at your phone display for $20 more, the Jabra Cruiser2 and Motorola T-325 announces the caller's name!
2. Bluetooth signal is almost too strong. I've parked my car in the driveway and sometimes it stays connected. I kid you not, but I take aluminum foil and just wrap it around my phone when I come home and usually the bluetooth signal drops and it disconnects.
Why don't I just turn off bluetooth on my phone?? Well, more times than not, every time I turn off Bluetooth on the phone, I forget to turn it back on and usually it is when I am driving and the phone is not easily accessible. You don't want to go around digging for your phone, that's why you get a Bluetooth speakerphone like this :).
Why don't I just turn off the actual device?? Well, more times than not, every time I turn off the device, I forget to turn it on, and usually it's when someone calls me and only my phone rings, etc. At this point it is too late to turn it on and hope it pairs in time AND answer the call.
So my aluminum foil method is silly but it works. Just wrap it for a few minutes when you come home and it seems to stay disconnected. The next time you get in your car, it will auto-pair.
3. One time with my phone in a backpack in the back seat, it took almost 10 minutes after I went over a speed bump before it auto-paired. *Most* of the times, it pairs within a minute of getting to my car. I'll strike this as a freak occurrence and update this review later if it reoccurs.
4. You have to hold the power button for a full 10 seconds before it turns off, but then again, I rarely turn it off, for reasons mentioned above
5. The charging port is on the bottom of the device, not on the side, this makes it very difficult to charge while mounted on the sun visor or on the clip.
How does it compare to other devices I've used?
================================================
1. I've owned two of the Motorola T-325 and that device has *EVERY* feature I have ever wanted, from caller-id-NAME-announce, auto on/off, automatic low battery warning, long battery life, easy to charge while mounted on the sun-visor, wonderful wonderful device BUT POOR RELIABILITY. One flat out broke and the second one seems to overheat in Texas, it will connect and disconnect 10 times while driving. Both occurred outside the warranty period. If the Motorola T-325 was more reliable I'd still be using it. Motorola has a newer version called the Roadster, but I'm seeing the same reliability issues in the reviews.
How does it compare to other devices I've researched?
=======================================================
1. For about $20 more, the Jabra Cruiser2 seems to match the Motorola T-325 that I used to love, but the Cruiser2 does not have perfect reviews and no auto on/off. The Cruiser2 does do caller-id-NAME-announce though. If the reviews were more consistently better, I would've considered the Cruiser2.
2. The Motorola Roadster is a little more, but I am hesitant because of my T-325 reliability issues also, a lot of 1-star reviews...
3. The Jabra Freeway is brand new, but 3 times the price! If the Jabra Freeway drops in price by 60% I would consider it it also has caller-id-NAME-announce, auto on/off, etc. Does not have exactly perfect reviews.
So until the next perfect device comes out with really good reviews, I decided to save money and get the SuperTooth Buddy. In the pursuit of hands-free, it gets the job done, minus some of the nice frills of more expensive units out there.
[Update 9-6-2011]
I have now returned my SuperTooth Buddy for several reasons:
A. The first time I needed to charge it, I charged it for several hours until the "halo" light turned green. The next day I used it fine. The second day, it would not turn on at all. I charged it up again and it seemed to work fine for a few days....
B. With my phone in the cupholder, it did not auto-pair for another 10 minutes, this has now occurred 3 times. Sure, I can turn the unit on/off and or toggle my bluetooth and make it pair, but I shouldn't have to, it should automatically pair when in range. For battery-savings, perhaps *MY* phone defaults to checking every 10 minutes if it doesn't find a device for a long while, or it could be the SuperTooth, who knows, but other devices like the T-325 (and BlueAnt S4 and Jabra Freeway) automatically turns itself off and on, so this was never an issue before.
C. I decided to return it when it wouldn't turn on again 2 more times. The second time it happened, it worked on the way home after a short trip doing errands. The third time, I got a little Sherlock idea, and put the device on the a/c vent to cool it off (even though it was not too hot to touch). After just a couple of minutes, the device then turned on and auto-paired and worked fine since. So my assumption is that if it gets too hot in your car, that the device won't power on. (You can test if it is on by hitting the "Up" volume button, when it reaches max volume level, you should always hear a beep, regardless of being paired. Holding down the power button should also beep on/off, too. In my cases, the device would never turn on or beep, etc.)
Final Parting Summary:
=======================
With the 30-day warranty period almost over, I decided I needed to return it ASAP given the reliability issues I've seen related to Texas Heat so far. Too much finagling involved to make it work; things should just work out of the box. I still think 3-stars is fair because those of you in a much milder climate, might have great luck with this. When it works (and turns on) it is a pretty decent no frills bluetooth speakerphone, especially for the price. Like another review mentions, if you're sitting on your couch one day and go to use your phone and hear nothing, it is probably because the bluetooth is still connected in your car! hehehe. This is probably why the other manufacturers added *motion-sensing* auto on/off...
I bought the Supertooth Buddy for my Mother in law, as I needed something easy to set up, and operate without too many bells and whistles, and the Supertooth Buddy is it! Personally I am getting tired of the technical "arms race" with electronic devices. The Buddy does it's job well without having to jump through hoops. I read the manual, explained it to my wife, and she set it up for her Mother, no problems! To me that is the true test, as my wife isn't a gear head. If she can set it up, and my Mother in law can work it, then it passes the test. It is plenty loud enough for conversations, and the magnetic visor clip allows the Buddy to be swapped from one side of the visor to the other in an instant if one needs to change the visor position. A great bluetooth device for those of us who just want something simple that works. It comes with a car charger and USB to Mini USB cable to charge the unit. It does not come with a home charger, though one can use the USB cable to charge it using your USB port on your computer. Standby time is 1000 hours, so the lack of a home charger shouldn't be an issue.
Buy SuperTooth Buddy Bluetooth Visor Speakerphone Car kit-Black Now
I bought this several months ago and absolutely love it! It's so great to be driving and not have to worry about cords getting in the way. It keeps charged for almost a week and I use it several hours a day. It's so easy to use and charges in about an hour in the car.
Read Best Reviews of SuperTooth Buddy Bluetooth Visor Speakerphone Car kit-Black Here
New laws necessitated that I use a bluetooth while using my cell phone in my car. Did not want to buy a really fancy one that did all kinds of things that were unnecessary for me. The reviews helped me pick this one. VERY easy to use. If I can figure out how to use this, ANYONE can! Not that I am a dummy, but there are more technical types than me in the world. Now that I have figured out how to use it, it does work great! Callers can hear me very clearly, and not the noise of the traffic all around me. I can hear the callers very well. When you get in to your car with your cell phone on, and the bluetooth function on, you'll hear a beep as the bluetooth unit syncs to your phone and you're good to go. If you want a very inexpensive but VERY good bluetooth unit for your car, this little unit is a GEM! Thanks!!!
Want SuperTooth Buddy Bluetooth Visor Speakerphone Car kit-Black Discount?
I was fed up using bluetooth headsets with my iPhone. Everytime I seemed to want to use it, they were either not paired properly, battery dead or the person on the other end could not hear me properly.
So, I was looking for a hands free car kit. A full integrated one for my Audi A4 was about $400+. Too much.
So after some investigating, I came across this alternative.
What I really like about it, is that it just works. I charged it up using a USB mains adapter, 3 weeks ago, I paired it up with my iPhone (that took about 1 minute) and then clipped it onto my visor. I have not had to charge it since.
Whenever I walk up to the car, it beeps to say that it is speaking with my iPhone. From then on, it just works. Sound is clear in both directions. I just leave my Bluetooth on my iPhone 4 on. I know that when I step into my car, then it will automatically be working.
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Of course, if you're buying these, then you're probably buying them for the price and the fact that it's a convenient combo. My original Samsung AC adapter and charging cable were fine, I just needed a separate one to keep elsewhere and a charger for my car too.
