Just Got The New BluAnt S4 Speakerphone, Evo FTW!!

[Chris5#WN]

So I just picked up the new Blueant S4 true hands-free voice activated car bluetooth speakerphone (wow thats a mouthfull) and all I can say is 4 stars with the EVO!

Pros: Speaker quality is top notch
Controls are like Palm Pre gestures (swipe left and right for volume)
First Bluetooth device with built in firmware upgradable (syncd all contacts to unit via) usb
Paired within 2 mins to the EVO when first turning it on
Very easy to use with voice commands, "Answer call," "BlueAnt Talk to me" "What can I say to you." etc...
Compatible with Bing 411 (yet to try) and will actually read you information like movies times, and other goodies
from Bing... Also reads aloud your SMS & Emails with supported Android app in market!
Battery lasts 20+ hrs on standby, use alittle less (charges within 2-3hrs)
Can be used to stream media and music through speaker as well -
Comes with 2 visor clips that connect to powerful speakphone magnest on underside (a thick clip and thin clip is provided for different sized visors, also USB cable and car cigerette lighter adapter -


Cons:
Not until Froyo 2.2 is released will I be able to voice command a call, until than i have to use the phone and click call (but thats like every other bluetooth at this point) So somewhat dissapointed but i can wait so its not a huge deal breaker for me -
No formal wallcharger, only usb charging and the cable is very very short which makes charging this thing from the visor a big no go (it won't reach)


So there you have it, calls are crisp and clear, has a noise reduction system inside to help with wind etc. Speaker is loud enough for any conditions really, setup was a breeze, and use is even easier! When froyo lands this will be the speakerphone to own. Got it at BB for $99 (had a gift card so said why not) was going to originally buy the Motorola T505 for around the same price, -

Will post long term updates for anyone interested!

 

[aweedman]

Looks nice. Wish it had an FM transmitter though. That's a deal killer for me. I'll stick with my Motorola T505.

 

[Chris5#WN]

Update**

Unit will read aloud your incoming texts which is pretty funny to listen to, but (which does not specify on box) you have to download "Vlingo" from the market to have your emails read aloud which by the way is $9.99 ...

Just wrote to Blueant to confirm this small left out detail as it says on the front of the box Safereader S4 will read your incoming texts and emails from Android, Blackberry and Iphone native phones and only a small card included in box shows an advertisment for Vlingo reader for email and texts read ...

While the T505 is a top notch unit its also old at this point and is not truley hands free as many reviews show, upon Froyo this will be completely hands free to the point where you just say Blueant Call John Smith and it will call him, as well as end call or switch lines for call waiting etc. Right now its a toss up, but with the other working voice controls its a solid unit - As for the FM transmittor its user preference as this has a nice large speaker which works great and honestly unless you have to have it coming from your cars speakers you won't notice or have a need for it when its right above your head lol

Also Bing 411 is cool, it connects you to bing when you say Favorites tell me Weather, Movies, stock quotes, traffic conditions etc.. which is sweet, all hands free -

 

[thekarens]

You don't have to use Vlingo. You can use the Blueant Android app. Straight from the Blueant website section for the S4:

http://www.myblueant.com/products/speakerphones/s4/index.php
Free Android Application

"Users with Android devices can further enhance their BlueAnt S4 by installing the BlueAnt S4 Android application. The application provides text message readout directly into the headset and includes help and support for your S4."

 

[gametime69]

Media also??

So this unit will stream audio from a movie also?

 

[boomhower1820]

Looks nice. Wish it had an FM transmitter though. That's a deal killer for me. I'll stick with my Motorola T505.

Same for me, I love my T505. On slow nights at work I will fire up a movie and have surround sound in the car, pretty cool.

 

[storino03]

what does ftw mean? for those wondering? for the win? fix the window? flowering thy woman? from the whip? far too weak? o_o

 

[riste601]

For the win

 

[Sh3ngLong]

Been checking out the BlueAnt S4 for a while now and you just made me pull the trigger. Thanks for the review, EvoNY.

 

[Chris5#WN]

You don't have to use Vlingo. You can use the Blueant Android app. Straight from the Blueant website section for the S4:

S4 True Handsfree Voice Controlled Car Speakerphone - BlueAnt Wireless
Free Android Application

"Users with Android devices can further enhance their BlueAnt S4 by installing the BlueAnt S4 Android application. The application provides text message readout directly into the headset and includes help and support for your S4."

Appreciate the comment but installing the free android app that you posted about is what I am taking about, it only does texts not email, you get a tone notification when an email comes in, Vlingo is suppose to be the alternative reader that also does email, kind strange why the app market s4 app can't do emails

 

[pwnst_r]

Evo ftw because your bluetooth accessory works well? Does it not work well with other phones or something?

 

[Chris5#WN]

This is the Evo specific thread right lol......and yes it does work great with the accessory, some reviews of other phones had issues with the phone book sync if I'm not mistaken, just thought it would he cool to let other evo users know there is a great alternative new tech speakerphone out there that's works flawless with or phone s

 

[Sh3ngLong]

I've been playing around with the S4 the past few days now and I'm loving it.

• Speaker is loud and clear.
• The people in the other end have no problems hearing me, even when driving with my windows down going about 45 mph. I was actually involved in a brief conference call the other day with some folks on my way to work and there were no problems exchanging words on both ends. When I got to work, I asked the people who were a part of the conference call how I sounded on the speakerphone and they said they thought I was talking through the handset.
• Pairing and transferring your contacts over was super easy.
• Haven't missed a voice command yet. Every time I said "BlueAnt speak to me" or "answer", it always responded correctly. I even whispered the command and it still responded fine.
• Text to speech is excellent. The pronunciation of names and words sound more fluent and less robotic compared to the voices you hear in Sprint, Google, and Garmin navigations. I find it hilarious when I receive an incoming text message with curse words.
• Plays the audio fine with YouTube, SlingPlayer, music, and videos.

As EvoNY mentioned, I can't do voice commands to call a particular person in my contacts just yet until we get Froyo. So once we get that, the S4 will truly be "hands-free."

Some other features I would like to see in the next/future firmware upgrades:

• Like the incoming calls, it would be nice to have the option to listen or ignore incoming text messages. Some personal text messages can be embarrassing when driving with co-workers.
• Ability to customize the trigger phrase. It would just be more fun to call it "Jeeves" or "KITT" instead of "BlueAnt".