Review: Motorola Roadster Bluetooth Speaker Phone

 

Being as we are now in 2011 and pretty much all 50 states have cell phone laws, I like being able to bring you reviews for products that can keep you connected and still follow the law. What we have today is the Motorola Roadster Bluetooth Speakerphone. With this clip on bluetooth speaker you can stay in constant contact with everyone and receive your email and SMS messages when used with the MotoSpeak application. Continue reading for the full review.

 

As you can see the Motorola Roadster comes  complete with everything you need (minus a bluetooth capable phone) to get started using the Roadster strait out of the box. Included is the Roadster, vehicle charging cable, and Quick Start Guide. After charging the device over night I was ready to sit down and familiarize myself with the unit before using it.

As you can see on the front of the Motorola Roadster there are 7 function buttons. Three across the top and four across the bottom. On the top we have the Mute Button, then Call Button, and the Voice Dial button (in that order). Across the bottom we have the Music Button, Volume Down/FM Tune Down Button, Volume Up/ FM Tune Up, and finally the  FM/Speaker Button.

As you can see on the side are the Micro USB charging port, Charge light, Status light, and On/Off switch. There are no buttons on the other side

The Motorola Roadster is light weight (87 g) due to being made from plastic. Dont get the wrong idea though, this is a very strong and durable plastic that will stand up to the automotive/office environment that it was made for. The clip for your visor is metal and secured to the device with solid plastic tabs. The clip has no movement at all and feels like it is a integral part of the device. The imput buttons are made of a solid piece of pliable plastic and have a nice texture to them. They have just enough give in them to let you know the button has been pushed, but not so much as to feel like they are loose. The curved design allows easy acess  to all the button while driving down the road without have to take your eyes off of the road.

Setup of the Roadster is easy. After fully charging the device, all you need to do is set your phone to paring mode and turn on the Roadster. The pairing is automatic and no code was needed for authentication on either the BlackBerry  or the WM7 phones I tested it on.  The Roadster is then ready for use. The Roadster has noise cancellation that removes almost all of the ambient noises from driving.  When used inside of my house there was no background noise at all. Callers did not realize that I was not talking directly into my phone at all.

The speaker in the Roadster is loud and clear and voices can easily be heard over road noise. I did notice that the volume was turned up the whole way while using it so any more outside noise and their may have been problems. Also remember this was tested while driving a 10 year old car so newer cars with better sound proofing and insulation will not have this issue.

One of the features of the Roadster is the ability to be able to transmit your phone conversation via FM to your radio for easier listening. The set up for this is easy also. All you have to do is hit the FM button on the lower right of the device and directions for how to set it up to your radio are spoken to you. Tune your radio to the station that the Roadster advises that it’s broadcasting to and you have all your conversations broadcast to you radio. Is that radio station already in use? The Roadster has multiple frequency’s that it can broadcast across so there is always a great chance that you will find a station that isn’t in use. When using the Roadster this way there is noticeable static that is inherent when using a small FM transmitter in this method. Never at any time was it a hindrance to the conversation but you could tell it was there.

The Roadster has a auto on/off feature that after the device senses that the paired device is out of range it will go into  a low power usage mode to save on the battery.  When the phone comes back into range the Roadster automatically returns to full power and reconnects to the phone.

On of the added bonuses of this device is the ability to also stream music. Why would you want that option when your driving in your 2011 Bentley with 10 speaker surround? You wouldn’t, but with the design of the Roadster it also makes it great for use in the office or poolside or anywhere else you would like music but don’t have a stereo/computer/Internet streaming device.

As you can see from the picture above the clip not only functions as a clip but also as a desk stand that holds the device at the perfect angle for personal listening at work. This lets you enjoy the music without having to turn the music up so loud that it bothers your coworkers/ boss.

All in all this is a excellent device for someone looking to not only have a bluetooth device for in car but also for in the office also. No this won’t help keep your conversation to yourself  when walking through your local Bentley dealer but that’s why we did a review of the Motorola Finiti earlier. This device works great and I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a alternative to a in the ear bluetooth headset, or to complement a in the ear headset.

The Motospeak app that was used during this test is currently available for BlackBerry and Android devices. When we hear a date for a release of the app for WM7 we will be sure to let you know.

Spec’s for the Motorola Roadster are:

• POWER SAVING MODE
• ON/OFF SWITCH
• STANDBY TIME*
  up to 3 weeks
• TALK TIME*
  up to 20 hours