Customer Reviews

BlackBerry Remote Stereo Bluetooth Gateway for BlackBerry 8100, 8110, 8120, 8130, 8300, 8310, 8320, 8330, 8800, 8820, 8830, 9000 (Black)

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I picked this up because I wanted to have a way to connect my cell phone to my car radio, but you need to have it always plugged into a usb source. I figured that it "charged" like a cell phone, but no it doesn't. However, the audio quality is impressive; I got it to pair with both my Sprint Touch Pro, and my MacBook.

After reading the reviews, I was concerned that this device would not allow me to connect to my car's speakerphone (handsfree profile, Parrot 3200LS Color) and my my stereo for music (running slacker radio on the BB Bold).

Here's my problem... Typically I'm listening to an audiobook or Slacker radio in my car with the headphone plugged into the the AUX jack on the stereo. The phone automatically attaches to the speakerphone (Parrot 3200LS Color) via Bluetooth. When a call comes in, the Parrot mutes the AUX input and switches the stereo to the Bluetooth audio path. Unfortunately the Bold continues to send audio through the headset jack (now muted). So I have to unplug it from the stereo to make or receive calls. That's annoying. (This worked properly on my Curve, but not the Bold) So I bought this device on the hope that I could connect both the music and calls via Bluetooth. I was skeptical, but it was worth a try.

I'm happy to report that it works perfectly! After pairing, edit your device settings in the blackberry's Bluetooth settings, and make it a trusted device. Now my blackberry bold connects automatically to my speakerphone *AND* the stereo gateway at the same time. What's more, the Bold properly pauses the music when a call comes in. When the call is over, I go back to Slacker radio and hit the pause button and it starts right back up!

Audio quality is fine, too. I have noticed that it sounds better if you turn up the volume on the phone. On my bold, the volume control changes the volume sent to the stereo gateway. However I occasionally hear clipping (distortion) when the volume is on MAX. I leave it one notch down from MAX. Definitely better quality than AM (or even FM). It is very slightly worse than a direct connection through the headphone jack, but I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't looking for it. Much better than acceptable, and I have a decent stereo in the car.

One other reviewer mentioned that you had to re-pair if you disconnected the power. That is NOT true in my case. I unplugged it from the cigarette lighter (not included) overnight several times, and it pairs right up as soon as I plug it back in.

Highly recommended!

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Update Feb 2011:
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I am still delighted with this device, I use it every day driving to work. There are two minor annoyances that I want to mention that make it slightly annoying on rare occasions.

1) It DOES remember more than one device pairing. I have no idea how many, though. It's "sticky" to the last one it paired with, which can be annoying sometimes. For example, if my wife drives my truck, it will pair and work properly with her iPhone 3gs. If the NEXT trip is with both of us in the car, it remembers HER phone, and pairs with it. She has to turn off bluetooth on her phone for a moment, then it attaches to mine, and all is well. If I drive alone with out her on the next trip it attaches fine and stays attached to my phone. Without a display there is no way to indicate which pairing is "preferred", so I just live with it. Not a big deal if you know to expect it.

2) It sometimes acts weird if I leave the car on while the engine is off. I can only assume the power glitch is due to voltage drop from starting the car. For example, if we're listening to Slacker on my blackberry and I stop to get gas, I turn the key to AUX from ON. This just shuts off the engine until I finish pumping gas. If I get in the car and just start it, the gateway sort of "hangs" and does not stay attached nor does it attempt to reattach to the phone. I have to remember to turn the car off (and open a door on my GMC) to completely shut it down. Then after 5 seconds I restart the car and it connects normally. Again, not a big deal once you know about it.

My rating still stands, I love it. You will too.

This bluetooth stereo receiver works as advertised. Good quality sound with no pitch changes like the DC800. Pairs up fast. Only has one button and a two color LED, Truely a minimal gateway from your bluetooth source to your stereo. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because it does not come with a power supply. It runs from usb cable power and it has no battery. I had to go out and buy the right usb cable and the a wall usb wall plug to run the device. I also had to upgrade the stereo cable as the stock cable was not a high enough quality and picked up ac hum.

update: This product did not contain a charger as advertised. The device must remain on or it will lose its pairing information.

However, the basic unit is bomb proof.

My situation was this:

* I have a car with BT handsfree (2009 Altima Coupe) and 3.5mm aux jack for music on the face of stereo
* I have a droid I was connecting to the car with 3.5 to 3.5 cable for music and using BT for calls

Now this was ok, but I hated having to connect the wire every time I get in, and the headset jack on my hardware was actually bad (I work at Mot so this was just early hardware, final Droid h/w has no such issue as far as I know).

So I wanted a A2DP solution. Hence I found this gateway. I was worried that if I used this, my handsfree BT audio (for voice calls) would be lost, but I was pleasantly surprised. The phone actually switches *instantly* between this A2DP multimedia BT profile over to the BT profile for handsfree anytime I want to place a call or receive a call. And the steering wheel controls to make and receive a call work perfectly also.

So the end result is excellent stereo BT audio for music and podcasts (love google listen app!) and BT handsfree works great for calls still.

Just FYI, the audio quality on this device is AMAZING with the Droid. IMPORTANT NOTE however is that I tried two setups. One was an ipod touch 2gen, and the other was my Droid. Droid supports changing the volume on the A2DP output, and I had no clipping on anything. With the ipod touch, it has a fixed volume out from the ipod for A2DP, and for some reason when connected with this gateway the audio on any of my moderately loud music (and by moderate I would say it really wasn't even "loud") would clip and sound terrible. I strongly believe this is an ipod issue and NOT an issue with this product. But may people own ipods so this is something to strongly consider when deciding to buy this gateway.

A final note, sometimes when I get in the car, the BT connection for this gateway doesn't quite auto connect. I would say about 30% of the time. But it's easy to put a bluetooth shortcut on the droid, and in there quickly force a reconnection. Once connected, I drive for hours with no connection problems. It's just a initial powerup issue with BT sometimes. Not that big of a deal to me, but just wanted to let you know.

Justin

I have owned this gateway for about 2 months. The gateway is used in my office to connect to my blackberry so I can listen to music without tripping over another cord. The gateway paired instantly with my BB. It is easy to use, control, and connect. The sound has been very good. I have not noticed any of the rattling or other sound distortions noted by another reviewer. As a gateway for a BB (not a high def audio solution) it is perfect. I have no complaints about ease of use, cost, set up, or audio quality and would highly recommend it to someone looking to simplify their life.

Works great with my iphone 4 and my accord coupe that has an aux in an built in hands free bluetooth. When connected, i can stream pandora or slacker radio and connect to my cars bluetooth at the same time. When a call comes in, it switches to the cars handsfree bluetooth then reconnects to the blackberry module to continue playing music when the call is over. Very cool in my opinion to just hop in and not have to connect wires to listen to music...or maybe I'm super lazy, either way, this thing rocks.

We don't have bluetooth in our cars and I really wanted a "wirefree" way to play the iPhone on the car stereo. I'm still surprised this was the only one I could find that provided this capability at a reasonable price and had some good reviews. The title doesn't help either in that it sounds like it's targeted just for BlackBerry but it works just fine with an iPhone. Sound quality is great. I really like how when you get out of the car and walk out of range the iPhone automatically stops the music. That way you can pick up right where you left off.

We just completed 20 hour trip using this and Pandora radio and we were really impressed.

We liked it so much we bought one for both cars. One goes through the AUX IN and the other goes through a CASSETTE ADAPTER. We use this one Walkman Car Connecting Pack for MD Walkman and CD Walkman (Model# CPA-9C) We are also going to get one for our home stereo.

The only down side is this model doesn't come with USB power cable. Since it is in the car I just plugged it into the USB slot on our iPhone car charger. So the only extra expense was the usb-mini cable which we seem to have tons of these days.

So bottom line if your car doesn't have Bluetooth built in but you have an AUX IN or a CASSETTE ADAPTER you can have wiresfree music in car.

Highly recommended.

Its the best Bluetooth gateway I ever used! I had a Sony one and it was horrible, lost connection all the time. I use my Blackberry with this Stereo gateway, and not only is the sound quality fantastic, but the connection is strong. I set one up on a 5.1 surround sound system in my living room and the sound quality is excellent and I can walk all over the house, kitchen, bedroom, basement and I never loose connection. I even set it up in my car. the second I turn on my car the Bluetooth gateway turns on and automatically links to my blackberry. sound quality is also great in the car, and I don't loose connection, even when I get out of the car, walk in the store to get a cup of coffee and my car is in the parking lot. I still get a connection, and the music keeps playing.

Normally I don't write device reviews unless I REALLY REALLY think the product is fantastic. I HIGHLY recommend this Product.

I really like this solution for wireless music. Having no battery is a plus as there is nothing you have to charge. Once it is paired (and working) with your device, it links seamlessly and plays anything that you are. NOTE: Didn't work with my old Droid Eris or my wifes Droid x. It pairs but will not repair the next time. It works perfect with the Iphone 4.

The sound quality is great. Much better than the Kensington Assist One. I really cant tell the difference between this and a cord. I played it thru my high quality home stereo listening for good frequency respone and stereo imaging, it was great! I might buy another one for the house to listen with the phone in my pocket.

The trick to hassle free use is to leave this hooked up to power and stashed in the glove box. If you turn off the car (and your accessory power plug switches off with the engine) when you turn on the car again, it will come on automatically and try to pair, without touching the on button!

So what I do is while walking out to the car I start playing my music, podcast whatever, over the phone speaker-get in the car and start it with the stereo set to Aux in. Viola! my phone pairs with the gateway and starts playing before I fasten my seatbelt. (About five seconds) No buttons or cords! My iphone 4 battery lasts all day so I don't worry about charging it while driving.


Voice nav will come out thru this device but unfortunately phone calls do not. I hear a bluetooth speakerphone will work simultaneously with this device but I don't have one so I cant confirm.

This is really one of the best gadgets I've ever bought. It does exactly what I need, perfectly, all the time, and nothing else.

I had the whole thing set up in about two minutes in my BMW 335i. A short audio cable is provided, but you'll need to supply your own USB power cable. In my BMW, the switched 12V power and aux jack are in the armrest, so I just plug everything in and it stays hidden away. When the car is turned on, the stereo gateway comes on and my 9700 pairs with it and with the car's bluetooth hands free at the same time. I start up Pandora and have high-quality streaming tunes even though my phone is in my left pocket. If a call comes in, or if I place a call, the audio is pause on my phone and the car switches to the handsfree automatically. When I hang up, the phone and car switch straight back to the music. It's perfectly integrated as if the car and phone were made for each other and the stereo gateway didn't even exist.