Customer Reviews

Motorola T325 Bluetooth Portable Car Speaker (Black, Retail Packaging)

5 star:		(244)
4 star:		(140)
3 star:		(63)
2 star:		(62)
1 star:		(109)

 

 

I have owned other Bluetooth car speakers, but none compare to this one. Motorola really went all out in their research to find ways to make this product exceptionally user-friendly! You pair it to your cell phone, clip it to your visor and it does the rest! I, too, was concerned about it only coming with a car charger. I now realize the reason is because you rarely have to charge it. Unlike other speakers I have owned, I don't have to take it in every night to hook up to a charger (and then forget to get it in the morning); I don't have to turn it on and off or "connect" it to my cell phone every morning -- it does everything automatically, and the sound quality is excellent. And I especially like the feature that announces the person who is calling me. I don't have to take my eyes off the road for one second to look at the incoming number on my cell phone! I have only written 3 reviews on products in my entire lifetime of buying electronic gadgets (and I have bought LOTS!), so I really have to be sold on a product to write a review. I feel confident in stating that this product is worthy of a top rating.

Excellent product. Works better than expected. Before I made the purchase, I compared it with BlueAnt SuperTooth 3, Jabra Cruiser, Motorola T505 but eventually bought this T325. The big reason I chose T325 over others is because it is a newer product. Others have been on the market for years. I'm glad I made the right choice after using it for 4 weeks.

The most important feature I'm looking for is a reliable Auto On and Auto Off feature. My car is parked in the garage, about 20 feet from the desk where I usually keep my phone at. Heard some bad stories about the phone keeps the connection to the speakerphone after user leaves the car and missed calls with BlueAnt and Jabra. This T325 works perfectly. Usually 20 seconds after I leave the car, it always disconnects. In fact, for 4 weeks, it has never stayed connected to my phone after I leave the car, never failed to connect when I enter the car, and never disconnected when I'm in the car driving. All 3 makes it a perfect speakerphone for me. And that's consistent to all the phones I have been using. To summarize:

1. Reliable Auto On/Auto Off.

2. Reliable connection.

3. Works with multiple phones. When it is turned on, it will always try to connect to the last connected phone. If that phone isn't present, it will look for other paired phones. Works perfectly for my Blackberry Tour, Nexus One and my wife's Samsung Alias 2. It always connects to the phone whoever is carrying, making car switching easier. It is actually better than the factory Bluetooth in my wife's 2010 Prius. Prius doesn't connect to a different phone automatically. You have to go down 5 levels of menu to select the phone if you switch phones. T325 doesn't connect to multiple phones simultaneously though.

4. Love the auto announcement feature. When you enter the car, it announces itself: "Battery level is high. Connected to XXXXXX". You will know when to charge the speakerphone, and never find it out of battery when you need it. One of the reason I don't like these ear pieces is because when I get a phone call and ready to use it, half of the time the battery has died. The auto announcement provides some passive feedback rather than yourself actively checking battery status on the device, which we always forget to do.

5. Loud and clear speaker. Sound quality is a lot better than the speakerphone on Blackberry, much better than the one on iPhone. The person on the other end cannot tell I'm on a speakerphone.

6. Easy pair with phones. No need to put the speaker into pair mode. Just turn off all the already paired phones. Turn on the speakerphone, do a search from your phone, and connect.

7. Good battery life. After 4 weeks of daily usage (about 2-3 phone calls a day, a total of 10 minutes maybe), battery level just dropped to "medium".

8. It downloads phonebook quickly, and announces caller ID for incoming calls.

9. Like the micro-USB port. I can share the same charging cable with Blackberry and Nexus One.

10. Supports voice command if your phone can do it. When you press the big button, it basically activates voice command on your phone.

Things wish could be better:

1. Kind of big. Not obnoxiously big, but bigger than I thought.

2. Wish it had a screen, but for the price, it is expected. The auto announcement feature makes up for it though.

3. Volume buttons difficult to reach, but I don't change volume often.

I was given this as a gift and I love it. As far as charging it goes, one of the other reviewers said that it only comes with the car charger, but it uses the same charging cable as my cell phone, so I just use that. In other words, you can use a cable that plugs into your computer or the wall, instead of the cable that plugs into your lighter. The charge lasts a really long time because I got it in February and I am only charging it now because it alerted me that the battery level was medium instead of what I usually hear when I get in my car ("battery level is high").

It attaches to your visor and all you have to do is push one button to make a call or end a call. The device pairs with your phone and you can have it access your phone book. For example, after pairing, you can push the button and say "Call Mary". The device will say something like "Can you confirm that you want me to call Mary?" and you say yes, and then the device calls Mary.

I am told by my family that they can hear me very well when they call me, or when I call them.

I have used other bluetooth car speakers for a long time. I was most recently using the Motorola T305, which had plenty of volume and clarity for me hearing my callers but my voice sounded shrill and tinny when my callers listened to me, and it also transmitted lots of background road noise. So I was shopping for a unit that sounded better than my T305.

THE GOOD:
This T325 has two features that I really like:
(1) The fact that it automatically shuts itself off shortly after you exit the vehicle. My garage is less than 33 feet from my home office, and my old bluetooth car speaker stayed connected to my phone (within 33 feet) even after I went into the house. This unit solved that problem.
(2) Caller name is announced. This unit automatically downloaded my address book from my iPhone 3GS, and used it to announce the caller's name during incoming calls.

THE BAD:
Sound quality. The T325 unit's volume and clarity was not as good as my T305, and my callers heard no improvement in my voice - still shrill and tinny, with lots of background road noise.

BOTTOM LINE:
I returned the T325 and purchased a Jabra Cruiser instead (Jabra model HFS001). It's a minor nuisance that the Cruiser stays connected to my iPhone in the house (so I have to turn the Cruiser off when exiting the car), but the quality of sound produced by the Cruiser is SOOOO much better than either the T305 or the T325. Using the Jabra Cruiser, my callers can hear my voice crystal clear with no tinniness, even with the car's A/C fan on high and windows down (the cruiser uses two microphones for superior noise cancellation). And, it's loud.
The Cruiser also has a feature that plays a cell phone's MP3 music over the car's FM radio, but I will probably not use this.

Sorry Motorola, but you've got to make a better product for people like me who prioritize excellent sound quality over nice-to-have features.

UPDATED 01-29-11:
I'm still using my Jabra Cruiser model HFS001, and still love it. It's turned on (standby) about 40 minutes per day 5 days per week, and handling calls about 20 minutes per week. At that rate, I recharge it about once every 2 months before it runs down.

the motorola t325 is great. the whole family is now hands free since we share a car. the t325 turns on automatically and links to your phone as soon as you get in the car. no buttons to press. i'm legal, and the kids are legal as soon as they get in the car. no matter how short the trip. it also tells you how much battery life is left, although it seems to last for at least a month..

our last speakerphone had to be turned on, and so no one ever did..

calls sound great..

k

I bought this for my wife. It was very clear when she called me. The speakers do a good job. I found it easier to use than the Hands Free Link system I have in my Acura. It has a nice unobtrusive profile. The verbal caller ID, the auto power down when you leave the car,and voice dialing are very nice features. The unit waking up and announcing the battery strength when you open the door is cool. For $60, it's a good deal. I considered the Jabra, but I chose this due to the stated talk time and stand-by for the battery. If you have the new universal micro USB power adaptor for your phone, you can use that, otherwise they give you the micro USB car adaptor, so you won't need one next time you get a cell phone.

I love the Bluetooth car speaker! I have to admit I was worried about the sound quality of the speaker but was pleasantly surprised with the sound. Great speaker so you and the other person can hear each other. The first person I talked with didn't notice I was using a Bluetooth until I told them. They told me they could hear me perfectly loud and clear. Now they want to buy one for themselves.

I found this product just in time. I wear hearing aids so in ear devices are not necessarily an option for me. The motorola T325 with voice caller ID works great with my hearing aids. The push of one button and i'm connected. Pairing the device with my Palm Pre was quick and painless. I worked just as the instructions said it would. In a matter of minutes it collected all the numbers from my phone was ready in a flash. I was so imported with this device that I brought one for my girl friend. She has a blackberry so honestly speaking it was a little more work to get it to pair but after a few clicks on the internet to check the requirements for her phone we were in business and she loves it as well. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone looking for a bluetooth hands free device for your car.

Excellent product. Works better than expected.

Love the Auto On and Auto Off feature. Usually 20 seconds after I leave the vehicle, it disconnects.

Love the auto announcement feature. When you enter the vehicle, it announces itself: "Battery level is high. Connected to XXXXXX". You will know when to charge the speakerphone, and never find it out of battery when you need it.

The person on the other end cannot tell I'm on a speakerphone. Announces caller ID for incoming calls.

Bought a second unit for the spouse's vehicle.

I have been very pleased with its performance. My cell phone book synced up nicely with the device. The announcers voice is clear and others can hear me well when I call them as well as when they call me. When I exit my vehicle and get about 20 feet from the device it disconnects automatically and when I enter the device speaks telling me it is once again connected. Now, this device is not connected by any wires to your vehicle and therefore you get no canceling out of the radio when you receive a call but this doesn't bother me. The battery life of the device is about 17 hours talk time and about 2-3 weeks standby. For my level of usage for a bluetooth device, for the price, this one has served my needs. I have not yet used the Bing 411.