Is Bluetooth Worth It?

[sierrasky]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post though I've been lurking for a couple of months now trying to soak up all this valuable info. I'm on the list for an '06 - Package 8 with delivery after Jan. 1st, 2006 also but wanted feedback about Bluetooth from those of you that have it. How easy is it to use, are there extra costs associated for its use besides your regular cell phone charges and overall, do you find it's worth it? I know that I will use the Navi but not sure about Bluetooth as my current cell phone is not enabled. I guess what it comes down to is that I don't know much about it!

[tullynoon]

Our next cell phone probably will be a bluetooth model and lots of legislation is in process to outlaw handheld phone use. If you'll keep your Prius as long as I will it's probably a good idea.

[CHART]

I think it is absolutely worth it. When I brag about my Prius, I always, eventually get to the pride I feel when stuck on the beltway doing 2 MPH electrically while the cars around me are "belching" smog into the air. It seems that the 1st things I talk about are the ability to walk up to my car, have it turn on the inside lights and wait for me to touch the door handle before unlocking for me. I mention that my keys never leave my pocket as I start the car and drive away. I also mention that my cell phone also never leaves my pocket as it pairs with the car when I start it up and if someone calls, the car mutes the radio, tells me who is calling on the multi-function display (if they are in my phone book) and allow me to answer the phone and speak and listen through the car stereo. There is no other cost, but I have found that keeping blue tooth enabled makes the battery life of my cell phone somewhat lower than my wife's.

Never having to take my kets and phone out of my pocket, especially in winter, is a waaaay cool thing to me!

[jrfaris]

We've purchased new phones that are bluetooth capable (Treo650). It was time to upgrade anyway. It has plus and minus features but overall, it's worth it. Basicly it's just a hands free car kit that connects to your cell automatically when you start the car (provided you have your phone with you). Makes it much easier and safer for my wife to call home (or receive calls) when she is driving. Biggest disadvantage is that some functions are disabled when the car is in motion so you are somewhat limited making outgoing calls.

[DanP]

Originally posted by sierrasky@Oct 15 2005, 10:55 AM
Hi Everyone,

This is my first post though I've been lurking for a couple of months now trying to soak up all this valuable info.  I'm on the list for an '06 - Package 8 with delivery after Jan. 1st, 2006 also but wanted feedback about Bluetooth from those of you that have it.  How easy is it to use, are there extra costs associated for its use besides your regular cell phone charges and overall, do you find it's worth it? I know that I will use the Navi but not sure about Bluetooth as my current cell phone is not enabled.  I guess what it comes down to is that I don't know much about it!

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I'm using a Treo 650 with my Prius. While the phone is not "fully" supported, I do find the bluetooth connection easy to use and a most welcome addition to the car.

Having once "paired" the phone and car (you only do this once), the phone is automatically recognized whenever you start the car. If you want to make a call while driving, you press one button on the steering wheel, and select a number from among the one-touch dialing items on the MFD menu (you have to set these numbers up beforehand, and they can be downloaded from the phone (but only one at a time on my phone)). You cannot manually dial in a number while the car is in motion, unless you use your phone's keypad. (If I do not have a one-touch number set up, I can also use voice dial on the Treo to avoid taking my eyes off the road, but that has nothing to do with the Bluetooth connection feature.)

When receiving a call, it's just a matter of pressing one button on the steering wheel. Having done this, you hear the caller's voice over the driver's side door speaker (the stereo having been muted when the phone began ringing). In my experience, I find that I need to speak up a bit to be heard, but that might be because I am fairly soft-spoken. You also need to be careful about taking turns when talking. Like all speaker phone applications I've ever encountered, transmission goes either one way or the other: you cannot hear what someone is saying and have them hear what you are saying simultaneously. If you don't take turns, you can sometimes lose a few words in a sentence. Taking turns when talking, however, is a good habit to develop, IMO.

[mr.mao]

HI -

this is off your bluetooth subject, but I tried was asking a deler about ordereding a 2006 and he said there was no way until it actually comes out. Did you have to put a downpayment down to be on a waiting list?

[Bill Merchant]

I think a Bluetooth phone to pair with your Prius is worth it, but...

Not all Bluetooth phones work equally well with the Prius (lots of discussion about that here on PriusChat) and the Prius' hands-free implementation isn't the most advanced. I have an SE S710a and if I dial from the phone and transfer the call to the car, the person I've called is always saying "Hello? Hello?" by the time I hear the switchover. If I call from the car's touchscreen, while stopped, this doesn't happen.

Phonebooks can be a problem, since the Prius only takes the first number entry for any name, so if you have "Bill -- 503-555-1212 work, 503-555-1234 home", you only get the work number in the Prius phone book. You have to set up two stupid "Bill work" and "Bill home" entries to have a choice in the car. The phone's phonebook is poorly organized then.

You can set up the one-touch buttons from the log of outgoing calls, but you can't add names: If you called Bill at home, you can set 503-555-1234 as one of the one-touch dial buttons, but you have to remember who has that number.

It's great for receiving calls.

[LaughingMan]

I agree with the others. I have a Sony Ericsson phone that I use with the car. Usually it works very well, and the sound quality is very good. The phone book on the car just stinks, as was mentioned.

I think it's still an excellent feature, and it sure beats having to wear a wire or a separate bluetooth headset while driving!

[maggieddd]

Originally posted by Bill Merchant@Oct 15 2005, 06:30 PM
I think a Bluetooth phone to pair with your Prius is worth it, but...

Not all Bluetooth phones work equally well with the Prius (lots of discussion about that here on PriusChat) and the Prius' hands-free implementation isn't the most advanced. I have an SE S710a and if I dial from the phone and transfer the call to the car, the person I've called is always saying "Hello? Hello?" by the time I hear the switchover. If I call from the car's touchscreen, while stopped, this doesn't happen.

Phonebooks can be a problem, since the Prius only takes the first number entry for any name, so if you have "Bill -- 503-555-1212 work, 503-555-1234 home", you only get the work number in the Prius phone book. You have to set up two stupid "Bill work" and "Bill home" entries to have a choice in the car. The phone's phonebook is poorly organized then.

You can set up the one-touch buttons from the log of outgoing calls, but you can't add names: If you called Bill at home, you can set 503-555-1234 as one of the one-touch dial buttons, but you have to remember who has that number.

It's great for receiving calls.

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Bill, why don't you setup your one-touch button from the phone book so that way a name of the person will be associated with it instead of the phone number. If you have Bill work in your phone book and add it to the one-touch dial, Bill work will show on the button and it will dial a number associated with it, so yu don't have to remember who has that number

[aaf709]

Originally posted by maggieddd@Oct 15 2005, 05:15 PM
Bill, why don't you setup your one-touch button from the phone book so that way a name of the person will be associated with it instead of the phone number.  If you have Bill work in your phone book and add it to the one-touch dial, Bill work will show on the button and it will dial a number associated with it, so yu don't have to remember who has that number

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Ahh, there's a touchy subject. If you have Verizon, you don't have the ability to put any numbers in the phone book (unless you have a hacked phone or entered the numbers with a laptop with BT) so you can't do as you suggested (it would be nice, though). You can only deal with the one-touch. If you call via the MFD (while the car is stopped) or receive a call, you can add those numbers to the one-touch, but the names won't be there, nor will the numbers appear when the car is in motion. I normally call only 2-4 people so it isn't a problem with me. I know #1 is home and #2 is parents.

A workaround to that is to create a POI and put the number there. You can dial by touching the POI as long as the NAV override is in play. Not as good as sending a number from the phonebook to the one-touch, but it's still something.

Bottom line.....the BT is pretty nice, but not all phones will do everything and the sound quality isn't that great. But it is hands free driving.