Pros: Inexpensive, very easy to use, calls sound loud and clear, long lasting battery.
Cons: Voice dialing not perfect but pretty good.
The Bottom Line: I would highly recommend this hands free device because it is very easy to use and the calls sound loud and clear through the SP700 speaker. No complaints.
flashfriday's Full Review: Jabra SP700 Bluetooth Headset
Due to California's recent enactment of a law which forces you to use a hands free device, I did my research and ultimately settled on the Jabra SP700. I even purchased a new Virgin Mobile phone (Flare) that had Bluetooth. Here's my review of this device while being paired with my Virgin Mobile Flare phone. Ease of Setup and Initial Impressions
The first thing I noticed about the Jabra SP700 was the ease of setup. Pairing the device with my cellphone was quick and easy. Even though it says the SP700 is compatible with most bluetooth enabled cellphones, I was still worried that my very cheap Flare phone would not be compatible. It was simply a matter of enabling visibility on my cellphone and then searching for devices to pair with. It found the SP700 very quickly and maintained contact. The SP700 has a woman's voice that reassuringly announces "Connected" as soon as the SP700 and the cellphone are paired and properly communicating. I was also impressed with how nicely the SP700 fit onto my car visor.
First Road Test
It was time to take the SP700 on the road and see how well it performed. To prepare for my road test, I created a voice dial command for my cellphone that would dial home when I said the phrase "home." I wanted to see how well the SP700 did with voice dialing. I also instructed my wife to give me a call when I was on the freeway. I was paired up and ready to go. Here are my results.
First, my wife's incoming call was immediately picked up by the Jabra SP700 and it loudly and clearly announced our home phone number. Answering the call was a simple matter of taping the front of the SP700 (which is essentially a big button). I began speaking to my wife through the SP700 speaker and it was very clear and nice and loud. I could easily hear my wife's voice even though I was going 70 mph on the freeway. My wife also indicated that my voice was very clear and loud as well. After my wife hung up, the SP700 announces "Call ended" which is also good to know (especially since I am using a Pay-As-You-Go Phone) So far, so good!
Now it was time to try the Voice Dialing feature. I tapped a button on the side of my phone and the SP700 prompted me to say the name. I said "Home" and it quickly said "Calling Home" and proceeded to dial the number I had preset. This is truly a great hands free device that works as advertised. My fear that this would be too complicated to use was unfounded since the SP700 only has a couple buttons and features and is very easy to use.
Further comments/review after owning it a couple months
After a couple of months of daily use, here are some of my observations. First of all, the voice dialing feature works well most of the time but it is by no means perfect. Once in a while the SP700 will not recognize the name and continually ask you to repeat it. Thankfully it only happens once in a while. I have also learned to minimize this problem by making my voice commands very clear and distinctive.
Second, I tried out the FM transmitting feature which allows you to transmit the cellphone/mp3 player to your car speakers. It prompts you to enter a specific FM frequency (which for me is usually 88.1). Others have commented that there was too much interference and that it was hard to hear the call on both ends. This was not the case with me. However, since the speaker on the SP700 is so loud and clear I found it unnecessary to use this FM feature. I just don't have a desire to hear my calls in stereo.
The battery on the Jabra SP700 also seems to last a long time and I rarely have to charge it. I still charge it once a week for my own reassurance but I'm sure it could go much longer without a charge. I do wish the charging cord plugged into an outlet versus a USB port but it still does the job (just much slower). They also include a nice car adapter which allows you to charge the SP700 on the road. I tried it once to see if it worked and it does just fine.
Final Comments
The Jabra SP700 does exactly what it advertises to do and is a great solution for anyone looking for an inexpensive hands free solution yet doesn't want that funky looking bluetooth headset in your ear all the time. I even bought my wife one and she doesn't know how she ever lived without it. We both feel much safer on the road now and it's nice to know that we are not breaking the law.
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