Customer Reviews

Motorola HF820 Easy-Install Bluetooth Car Kit [Motorola Retail Packaging]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Works very well, I haven't had any problems with connectivity, voice dialing, volume, sensitivity, etc. I've used it in rush-hour driving, and it's quite usable despite the background noise. (Quite useful if you need to have a conference call from your car!) Battery life is fine as well.

On the downside, the sound is a bit tinny (metallic, thin, and harsh). But perhaps that's what you get for the price. And I do find it annoying that it takes a different kind of charger tip from my Razr, and Moto includes only the car charger with this package.

(Perhaps some day the manufacturers will figure out that they don't really gain anything by having all these variant charger interfaces, and will standardize on one? Nah.)

Update Sep18, 2007:
I've occasionally experienced some problems with this item in the time I've had it, thought this info might be useful if you're considering buying this.

One problem is an occasional "hang" when dialing -- you make a voice dial call, the phone says the name so you know it got the right number, but then nothing happens. Usually you give it a puzzled look after a few seconds, disconnect and try again, and everything works fine.

Sometimes however it's a real hang -- the phone's waiting for the device, the device is waiting for the phone (probably some piece of the bluetooth protocol got dropped on the floor), and you can't disconnect, you can't power the device down, nothing. You have to get your phone out and disconnect the device from the bluetooth menu, then recycle the power on the device, then you can proceed again. I haven't figured out why this happens, or a surefire way to prevent it. Doesn't happen a lot, but it shouldn't happen at all, right?

It works well, I can hear people really well, and that they seem to not have a problem either, as along as the HF820 is on my visor and not too far away. Before I has it on my console between the two seats, but that wasn't working. But when I put it on the Visor (the side away from the side window to avoid car noise) it was easier for me and for others to communicate. The battery life is great, and it linked to my V555 Motorola phone with no problems. Before, I had a full hands free kit that had to be installed in my other car. but after having to pay $140 for the kit, $100 to install it, and $100 to get it taken out of the car. I figured it would be better to try another Hands free alterative. I hate ear pieces mainly because I just don't get enough calls to justify having a thing strapped around my ear for hours on end, but this was a good median between the two. It's also nice because I can use it in any car, without a hefty $100 installation fee.

I had a Jabra SP100 and it was so bad I almost gave up on this type of device. This Motorola is SO MUCH BETTER it's amazing. The performance is adequate; that in itself is a real breakthrough for these things. Don't expect miracles; if you're at highway speed in something other than a Rolls or Lexus you're going to have to speak up, but it works OK. It's smaller and more versatile than the Jabra, too, which is nice, and its little clip dealie can double as a stand for desktop use.

Folks, if you're in the market for a bluetooth speaker, don't cheap out because if you think about what you're asking a bluetooth speakerphone thing to do it's amazing they work at all for this kind of money. You can probably do better if you spend a lot more, but this is a good value and really is the cheapest you're going to find that will actually work. In fact, this one is probably the best you're going to get without having to really shell out for one that will need to be professionally installed in the car.

My only gripe is, that as much as I was disappointed by the little Jabra, it at least came with an A/C wall charger, which this does not...and with its prorietary tip I'm prepared for having to shell out another 20 bucks for a wall charger. Motorola, if you're not going to include a wall charger at least give it a generic tip (I LOVE NOKIA FOR THIS, BTW) so it isn't a double-whammy expense.

Good piece. I recommend it.

I have tried multiple wired headsets and the HS820 Moto Bluetooth ear piece for my Blackberry. They have all been either not loud enough or in the case of the HS820, bad sound quality. I decided to try the HF820 and it works really well. The volume is quiet good and the noise cancellation seems be quiet good as well as people I spoke to during my drive on the highway in my car, with windows up, didn't notice I was on the speaker unit.

I didn't give it a 5 stars cause I wish there was someway to control the tone or adjust it. If it did, it would get my last star! ;-)

So, I would definitely recommend it!

I got this a week ago, and it is pretty good. I use it for my car. When you turn on the unit, your phone (mine is a Motorola V3) says "connected to Motorola HF820" and whatever sound comes from your phone now comes from the unit. So I press buttons on the phone and the speaker plays the same tones. It is loud enough for highway driving with the windows up, but not down. You have to turn off your music to hear people on it or to use the voice dialing. The voice dial is nice, I just press the main button on the unit and say a name and it dials. It uses whatever voice commands you already have in your phone. The 850 version requires install which you might be able to do. The advantages with that unit is that the music mutes when you get a call, and you don't have to charge it. It's also louder because it has a dedicated speakerbox or you can have it wired to the car sound system. But then again, that's more $. I like this for about $100 because I hate headsets and I almost got a ticket the other day.

I use this with my BlackBerry 7290.

My primary motivation for buying the Motorola HF820 was that it would serve both as a car handsfree device while I was driving, and as a regular speakerphone for my blackberry 7290 at other times.

Having used it for a couple of days, I would say it works satisfactorily but is not great. The voice quality could be better. You don't get a whole lot of controls other than basic volume and on/off buttons.

One thing you might want to know:
When your box arrives, you have to charge the device for 2 hours before you can start using it. Okay, you say. No big deal. Well, the annoying part is there's no wall charger included. I ended up buying an iGo charger ($29) from Radio Shack.

It only ships with a car charger, perhaps because they expect you to use it in the car all the time. Well, since I am also using it as an add-on speakerphone for my BlackBerry 7290, I am disappointed that there is no wall charger included.

I've used this Speaker phone with both my Motorola V3 and Sony Ericsson phones and it works nicely. It is much louder and much clearer then the speaker function on the V3. I had no issues hearing and understanding people when traveling in my Tacoma at freeway speeds with the windows up. In my Miata convertible I can also hear most people decently with the top up, but some soft spoken people were difficult to hear at freeway speeds over the road noise. I must add that my Miata is a fairly noisy car, in most cars you will not have any problems hearing. Most people I talked to on it did not notice they were on a speaker phone. I did not try any voice dialing fratures, but those are really functions of the phone and not this product.

I feel like they stole my idea, but they added on to it! With so many people not getting landline phones these days, I have thought for years there should be some sort of way for people with cell phones to have a slightly louder ringer for people like me that sleep a little harder. I originally got the HF800, and it was able not only able to wake me up when it rang, but for a bluetooth speaker I was amazed that when I had it on the road driving people told me I sounded like I was sitting down at home. I could hear them clearly as well.

Well, I lost that one in a U-Haul move, and after a few months decided it was time to get another. I noticed the upgrade of the HF820 and received it recently. The sound quality both for me and the person I am talking to is just as great, and better yet battery life has been extended so one gets more talk time out of it.

I give the product 5 stars, but I give Amazon.com only 1 star as the product description is not accurrate. The item does NOT come with a lanyard to wear it around your neck. There is a place so one can use something to hang it around your neck, but nothing is included inside the packaging and the description on the packaging makes no mention that they include it as it only listed the visor clip and power adapter included. Not that the lanyard was a selling point for me, but it is indeed slight misrepresentation for those that it is important.

I was replacing a Plantronics headset that didn't work well and was hard to use, and the HF820 works much better for me. Earbuds/headsets always seem to be uncomfortable for me (or even hurt). I think most are designed to fit men. I also like the fact that there's no problem using the HF820 while wearing sunglasses.

One feature that wasn't mentioned in the product description or in any of the reviews is that the HF820 does have a mute button. That was a particular feature that I wanted but was not sure about when I ordered it.

An AC adaptor sure would have been a nice addition. I don't often drive for 2 hours at a time to charge the device initially. But overall I'm very pleased.

This product is very good. I have had no problems.

It works as stated in the product sales information.

I am very pleased with the device. The only draw back

is that it only has a car DC battery charger and no AC

charger is available. The DC charger takes approximately

30 minutes to recharge.