Blackberry Visor Mount Speakerphone

[RHChan84]

No way to transfer address book to the VM-605.

[Ponderous]

Is this what you guys are talking about?


On sale at BestBuy.com. Thinking of picking up a pair of em.

UPDATE:Looks like they are on sale today and tomorrow (11/30) only. I picked up two of 'em for $59.98 each and also got free shipping if you order over $25. I will report back on how my wife and I like 'em.

[Kirkx]

Is this what you guys are talking about?

Yes, it looks identical, at the back it should have RIM's tag with the name VM-605 on it.

I have both VM-605 and BlueAnt ST3. BlueAnt would be a winner but it has one serious drawback, no FM transmitter. Here is where BlueAnt seems superior:

- better voice quality through built-in speaker

- ability to import Address Book from the BlackBerry (so it announces the name of a caller, VM-605 just reads the phone number)

- smarter mounting hardware, the magnetic clip stays attached to the visor, and then you can move BlueAnt from one side of the visor to the other easily with one hand, this comes in handy when you suddenly need to pull the visor down.

- when you walk away more than 10 metres (33 ft) from the car, BlueAnt disconnects from BB but doesn't shut off. Then, when you get back and shut the door close, the resulting vibration will cause BlueAnt to automatically reconnect to BB. With VM-605, it shuts off and then you need to turn it back on manually.

Using FM with VM-605 is a bit tricky. You have to turn it on manually (press FM switch) every time you want to sync it with a car stereo, and then it stays on only for one minute, which counts from the time you press the switch to the time you get connected.

So, if during making a call it takes longer then one minute to get connected, FM feature is automatically turned off, you have to fool around with FM button again, let's say in the meantime your caller answers the call but now VM-605 is making very loud announcement saying "Frequency 88.3 megahertz" and then finally you can talk. I had people hanging up on me because if this.

When you get an incoming call, you first need to change the preset on the stereo, turn FM switch on VM-605 and then turn up the stereo's volume, by that time often the answering machine kicks in and the call is lost.

FM feature is really only needed when there is lots of engine noise inside the car or if you have a window cracked open. If you have a full size sedan with a quiet engine and all windows closed, then FM feature is not needed. If you drive a sports car then FM definitely helps, especially at speeds over 110 km/h (70 mph).

For now I will probably stick around with VM-605 and start shopping around for a new bluetooth enabled car stereo system.

[Kirkx]

I put both VM-605 and BlueAnt ST3 on the visor next to each other and decided to run a few tests.

As it turns out, the volume of the caller is actually louder on VM-605 (we are talking about its internal speaker here), although at the highest volume setting the voice is a bit distorted (but still acceptable). I was driving Subaru Impreza WRX, definitely not a "quiet luxury sedan" and I had no problems hearing callers on VM-605 speaker even at 145 km/h (90 mph), there was no need to use FM feature.

The bigger problem was a microphone, it's not sensitive enough, even at 120 km/h (75 mph) I needed to scream commands or BB's "secretary" wouldn't hear anything and kept repeating "say a command". BlueAnt's mike seems to be much more sensitive.

[cre8tivspirit]

Will the VM-605 play apps like Pandora over the radio or just music that you have loaded onto your BB?

[RHChan84]

Originally Posted by cre8tivspirit

Will the VM-605 play apps like Pandora over the radio or just music that you have loaded onto your BB?

Yes.

10char

[psiclne]

I ordered mine on Cyber Monday and just got it today.....looks like everyone was happy with it.

[beauberry83]

do u prefer this over a jawbone or premium ear piece?

[Kirkx]

Originally Posted by beauberry83

do u prefer this over a jawbone or premium ear piece?

I would say "yes". Earpiece, no matter how comfortable, is still intrusive. I have Plantronics Voyager Pro headset, I use it at work, it fits perfectly over the ear and is very comfortable, but when I get to my own car I toss it out and use VM-605.

But there is no universal answer to your question, you would realy need to try both solutions.