Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I realistically give this 4.5 stars, but I reserve 5 stars for perfect devices, so I round down. I'm a gadget-guru and have used a number of Bluetooth in-car speakerphones in search of the perfect device. In fact, I've used so many, I've come up with a criteria-list of 14 items that I use in my pursuit of the perfect Bluetooth device. What makes the perfect car bluetooth speakerphone? ==============My 14 Most Important Criteria Items============ 1. It should have caller-id that speaks the name of the caller Yes, this Jabra Tour has spoken caller-id, works great! 2. It should automatically turn on/off as you are away from the car Yes, it does this with a motion sensor which also works great. 3. It should have ample volume while driving at highway speeds Not as loud as the Supertooth HD (my favorite), but reasonable and acceptable. 4. You should only have to press a single and easily accessible button to answer or place a call This is where I mainly deduct a half-star. The button to use voice-dial is different than the button to answer a call and they are tiny and opposite each other. In fact they are so small that you sometimes have to glance up to see that you are pressing the right button - this defeats the purpose of hands-free that is supposed to keep your eyes on the road. If Jabra could just improve this, I would absolutely give this 5 stars. Look at the Supertooth HD SuperTooth High Definition Bluetooth Portable Visor Car Kit and Speakerphone for Cell Phones, iPad 2, and iPhone Retail Packaging (Black) (the only 5 star rating I've given), it's one big button, just press it, easy to find every time without looking. 5. It should make use of your phone's built-in voice recognition system (if your phone has this) Yes, assuming you can press only the small voice-dial button and not something else. Jabra - if you made the big round speaker an actual pushable button, you'd have an awesome, perfect product. [I'm still waiting for a manufacturer to make a wireless button we can install anywhere so we don't even have to reach up to the visor] 6. It should be easy to pair and auto-download your phone's contacts Yes, super easy to do. 7. It should reconnect easily when you are in the car Yes, this works very well. 8. Callers should be able to hear you clearly at highway speeds Callers can understand me but as with every Bluetooth speakerphone, they will likely know you are talking on a speakerphone or headset just because of road noise. I've used/listened to built-in factory Bluetooth phone systems in BMWs and Hondas and you can still tell they aren't holding the phone to their ear and mouth. 9. The charging port should not be obstructed when the device is installed on a sunvisor Yes, this is on the side and it is in an ideal spot. 10. It should have a long battery life Yes, although it doesn't automatically tell me battery life like the Supertooth HD does whenever it connects, you can hold the voice-dial button down for 3 seconds, say Battery and it tells you battery life. Fully charged it's some 20+ hours of talk time. After a couple of weeks of moderate usage, it was still at 12+ hours of talk time. I think after a month it was still around 10+ hours, which is excellent. 11. It should be reliable whether it is -40 degrees in Fargo or the internal car temperature reaches 140 degrees in Texas I've only had this for a couple months so it is too soon to tell, I will update this review after a few more seasons. 12. It should have good documentation or manufacturer's website and/or responsive customer support Yes, Jabra is excellent with their website and online support documentation. In fact, it doesn't really ship with a detailed manual, but it is easy to find on their website. I've noticed a lot of vendors have been doing this, cost-cutting, but greener for our environment. 13. It should be usable whether the sun visor is flipped down or up I am not deducting anything for this, but no, this is "one-sided" for however you've installed it. If you flip the sun visor, the speakerphone will likely be blocked and against the windshield and you're going to have to blindly find the buttons and lean forward to talk. The Supertooth HD is the only device I'm aware of that uses a magnetic clasp so that it can be removed and used on any side of the visor. If you never use your visor, then this is a moot point. 14. It should be reasonably priced As of this writing, the Jabra Tour is ~$85 and the Supertooth HD is ~$60. I still feel the Supertooth HD is a better device and value all around.