Is it just me? The speaker on my 9700 just seems to have a lower volume than other phones I have had, especially on phone calls.
I do have the volume on max, and it seems to be loud enough with ringtones, alerts and playing music.
I find that I really need to hold the phone much closer in order to hear the other party sufficiently.
I've noticed that too. When I'm drivng, I can't even hear the ringing when I'm calling someone when using the speakerphone unless it's right next to my ear. Lame!
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Try BerryBuzz which you can customize with a flashing LED to indicate a call. I thought talking on the phone in the car was illegal in CA. Also, a bluetooth earbud would also help.