Bluetooth Phone Option

Bluetooth Phone Option

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Discussion

iains

Original Poster:

1,099 posts

265 months

Thursday 3rd July 2003
quotequote all
Does anyone out there have this option on their car? What do you think of it?

I am told that the bluetooth interface allows the phone's memory to be displayed on the Nav screen. Are there any phones which work better than others? I know that bluetooth is supposed to be universal but having had experience of sync-ing a Nokia and a Ericsson phone to headset / iPAQ the functionallity is different.

x5x3

2,424 posts

260 months

Thursday 3rd July 2003
quotequote all
I have bluetooth.

The phone quality is crap - if you are doing over 80 then it is very difficult to hear others.

It does not work with all phones. I have a Nokia 6310i which works and an Ericsson T68i which doesn't.

That said, it is not BMW's problem - Ericssons have not implemented the protocols correctly.

The numbers do come up on the radio display and yes it does mean you can use the phone without plod picking on you.

The best bit is that as long as the phone is switched on then if you are in the car then it works, even if it is in your bag in the boot.

Overall - it costs less than the old package and therefore it is a very good advance.

Marshy

2,749 posts

291 months

Thursday 3rd July 2003
quotequote all
Umm, that's interesting, because there's another school of thought that says that Ericsson were/are ahead of Nokia in the bluetooth implementation stakes, with a bunch of Nokias not implementing the audio handover stuff.

Probably strongly depends on software version in the phone: if your T68 has R2 era software then it's quite early, if it's R5 or R6 then you're considerably more up to date.

Mind you: P800... bluetooth... bah.

iains

Original Poster:

1,099 posts

265 months

Friday 4th July 2003
quotequote all
Cheers for the response - I had the option of the fixed DECTS system or bluetooth, and went for the later as I am fed up of having lots of numbers / phones. Although, I now understand that Vodafone will let you have two SIMS on the same number so that solves that problem.

I am interested to hear of the different experiences with different phones - I have had similar experiences with Nokia / Ericsson phones with some of the different functions working / not working on different pieces of kit eg: On the Bluetooth remote headset, the answer feature (by opening the boom mic) works on the Ericsson, does not work on the Nokia 6310i.

I'll let you know how it works when the car arrives.

BTW - do you have the interface for the Nokia (to allow the aerial / chargor to plug in)? How much did BMW charge you for this?

luca brazzi

3,978 posts

272 months

Friday 4th July 2003
quotequote all
Spooky, I'm looking to do the exact same thing right now....trying to decide whether to get the bluetooth option fitted on to the company car order. The BMW
thing sounds like an excellent idea (an not a huge amount of dosh), but reading this thread am concerned about the sound quality.

LB

HarmanTheKarMan

8 posts

256 months

Friday 4th July 2003
quotequote all
Just taken delivery of a 330Ci with the Bluetooth option and the sound quality is excellent.

However there has been some discussion on [www.bm3w.co.uk] about the position of the microphone. Apparently its a directional mic and on M3s it points towards the LHS, even though its a RH drive car. There is a DIY fix if needed.

I'm using a Sony-Ericsson T610 which pairs to the car with no delay or problems, although so far there isn't a charging cradle available from BMW, although this is likely to be available shortly.

Cheers,

Paul

john_p

7,073 posts

257 months

Friday 4th July 2003
quotequote all
Yes for some reason BMW have decided to fit the (directional) microphone so it points to the LHS, if you have a coupe with no sunroof. It is a 5 minute job to swap around and makes the other person hear you much better.

Bluetooth is great though, even without a cradle. Integrates very well with the car. Shame you can't read text messages on it though..

Regards differences between the phones, there are some little differences..

The Nokia 6310 will NOT let you view, on the car's display, more than one number per contact. Might be a pain if you have multiple numbers per person.

The Ericsson T68 will let you, but it will not transfer new numbers each time you connect the phone and the car. You have to manually unpair and pair again.. annoying. And no cradle is available. Also some models don't work properly.

Not sure on the T610, or the Siemens S55 (a cradle is available for that one). Don't let that put you off though!

>> Edited by john_p on Friday 4th July 19:59

john_p

7,073 posts

257 months

Friday 4th July 2003
quotequote all
The Nokia 6310i cradle costs £54.

http://mdload.com/bluetooth is a good FAQ

x5x3

2,424 posts

260 months

Tuesday 8th July 2003
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I think the cradle was about £50.

The dealers have already replaced some parts of the phone system already but it is still poor - even when compared to cheaper after-market products. It is back in soon so I will get them to have another look.

If you find someone who will give you a duplicate SIM then let me know as I want a couple but cannot find anyone who will do it.

iains

Original Poster:

1,099 posts

265 months

Tuesday 8th July 2003
quotequote all
Apparently (according to Mr Carphone Warehouse) Vodafone are now making duplicate SIM's available on the same number, but you have to ask them direct and there is a charge (surprise surprise).