[MBW]

I just pulled a Parrot PMK5800 car kit out of the box - haven't tested it yet. The whole thing is a big, horsy extension of a lighter plug with a mike, a display & a small FM transmitter - it plays your audio & your phone calls through a vacant spot on your car's FM radio. Installation is easy enough, set-up only a bit tedious, but I haven't yet run it through our review process so I can't tell you much else about it.

[Redflea]

Originally Posted by Redflea

In case anyone is looking into this kit, more comments.

Unfortunately, the more time I spend w/the Parrot MK6000, the less happy I am with it.

I'm finding that it won't kick off the BB voice-activated dialing reliably...in fact, most of the time pressing the green start call button on the parrot controller just displays the BT connection status dialog on the Pearl.

I talked to a tech at Parrot who has a CK3000 and a Pearl and claimed it worked fine for him, but he didn't have any suggestions to get it to work for me.

I'm going to spend more time w/the Parrot's voice-dialing system, but it is tedious...you have to record prompts for every contact you want to dial using it, something not required w/the built in VAD on the BB.

I just found out about another line of kits (EGO - Home*-*EGO Multimedia Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kits) that I might try out. <Sigh>

Well, it turns out the connection issue w/the Parrot was maybe a BB issue - since I upgraded to OS 4.5, my BB connects flawlessly to the Parrot kit in my car.

So I'm happy again.

[ewh01]

I put a 3200 in my Titan. Got the wiring harness, couldn't be easier - plug n play! I love it! Now I don't have to worry about getting a ticket (NJ) and I can concentrate on driving while on the phone. I have (had) a BT Earpiece, but that got uncomfortable, when I did remember to take it out of the charger and/or turn it on.

Now, I get in my truck and within seconds, I have a connection between my phone and the Parrot. Sound quality is great, but it did take some adjusting the various levels of output and microphone volumes. Initially I had some echo issues, but they're all gone now that I have the volumes right.

My only complaint is the poor documentation and the bracket isn't the tightest.

[Redflea]

Glad to hear it...I especially like the fact that if I'm listening to music or a podcast on my BB when I get into the car, it switches to the car speakers when the Parrot connects.

One caution...the research on using a phone from the car indicates that hands/no-hands isn't really the key issue; it's the loss of "local" concentration that occurs when you're involved in a conversation w/someone remote. Not the same as a conversation w/someone in the car, and the likelihood of an accident really isn't reduced significantly from calling w/phone in hand. So be careful out there!