Taking a look at one of the Solar Bluetooth Car Kits
If there’s one thing that I hate, its buying batteries. To me it’s like buying gold fish from the pet store for your kids. You know they have a short life span and will end up in the trash eventually. With my wife constantly telling me to get off the phone when I drive and after having more than a few close calls with driving while talking on the phone (I live in California and it is illegal to talk and drive) I decided it was time to invest into one of those bluetooth car kits that would work with my iPhone. The first thing I thought of was “damn now I need to buy batteries for another gadget I own”. So the first thing I did was think “maybe if I buy a whole new stereo head unit for my truck with built in speaker phone then I wouldn’t have to worry about another battery sucking gadget”. Well that ended up being short lived once I figured out how much I would have to shovel out.
After succumbing to the fact that it is what it is I began researching all the different type of bluetooth car kits that were compatible with my iPhone. Bluetooth Car Kits have models that took batteries such as AA’s and others had internal battery packs. I figured an internal battery pack would be great as long as it was able to keep a charge for at least a week. See, the big problem that I have with a speaker using an internal battery pack would be the fact that I know it would die on me and I will always forget to bring it into the house to recharge. The same issue for me is the fact that I can’t use a bluetooth ear piece because I was never able to keep it charged. So my next thought was maybe I can find one that plugs into the 12v connection but I really would rather not have to deal with all the wires and it being plugged in all the time.
A Solar Bluetooth Car Kits
Finally I came across a speaker phone that charges directly from solar. I don’t know why but I never thought of this before! I guess I just figured this type of gadget didn’t have the market to be innovative with solar technology. I was glad to be proven wrong. Smart Talk Solar, a solar charged hands free speaker phone (bluetooth car kits) for iPhone and smartphones is exactly as it reads on Griffin’s website. With this gadget having an internal battery and being powered by solar then it was pretty much everything I was looking for. One of the features that I really like about this product is that it works with my phone’s voice command features. I never really used the built in voice command on my iPhone as it was easier to find a contact in my address book and call them. Most of the people I call are on my favorites list which makes it even faster. The next big question is… will it work with iPhones Siri feature on the iPhone 4S? I never upgraded to the iPhone 4S as the upgrade was not significant to me. But if these solar bluetooth car kits have the ability to use Siri as well then it will be worth going out and buying the new iPhone 4S. Siri would give the ability to work in conjunction with my task management system called “Remember the Milk”. You see I have what I like to call “Chaos Brain” and the problem is all my ideas and things I have to do come to me at the most inconvenient times, such as driving home from my day job. With the ability to add new tasks to my task management system via the Griffin Bluetooth solar speaker and Siri. I can put all my thoughts in place without having to touch my phone! Setup for the SmartTalk is pretty straight forward. It has a pairing button on the gadget that you push to start the sync process via bluetooth with your phone. Once the two devices are paired you never have to worry about it again. Once your phone enters the SmartTalk’s range it syncs up and you’re ready to go! Once you receive your SmartTalk it must be completely charged before use. You can either charge it by the solar panel which apparently takes about 9 hours, or you can use the usb cord to charge it via usb port on a computer or laptop. The multi-function button (the same one used to pair with your phone) is also useable for other tasks as well. You have the ability to answer calls, redial your last number called, activate your phones voice control and hang up a call as well. Other features such as call waiting and mute are also available if needed. The way this device is able to charge with solar panels is because it mounts securely to your vehicles front window by two suction cups. The SmartTalk also comes with an extra set of suction cups if needed.
The Bottom Line
This is definitely one of the bluetooth car kits that actually makes me give the manufacturers an “atta-boy”! Not only did this gadget fulfill my needs but the quality and time put into the SmartTalk was absolutely worth the $69.99. Once I tested the sound quality while driving in my noisy truck, I was very pleased that I was able to hear the person on the other end clearly. This is a product that I will recommend to anyone looking for an easy way to setup speaker phone in their vehicle.
