Andyw2100

I have a lead on a potential phone that is compatible with Verizon, and may also have bluetooth capabilities. The phone is the Samsung SCH-I600. I found a discussion of this phone in the newsgroup alt.cellular.verizon. The phone is already on the market. Someone there who owns the phone said that he did not think the bluetooth accessory was available yet, but the implication is that there will be one. The phone takes SD cards, and there are SD bluetooth cards available, but I have no idea if there would be compatibility issues, or just what these SD bluetooth cards might do. For example, I don't know if the "hands-free" profile we need would be supported or not.

I sent the message below to Samsung, via their website, earlier. I will follow up here, if and when they reply to me.

Message to Samsung:
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I am interested in the SCH-I600. I understand that it will be a bluetooth phone, with the use of some accessory. Is this correct? If so, when will this accessory be available? Also, do you know what bluetooth profiles will be supported? I just bought a new Acura TL, with built in bluetooth, but it requires the bluetooth phone to support some specific bluetooth profile. I am trying to figure out if your phone will work with my new car.

I thank you in advance for answering all of my specific questions.
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If anyone here knows anything about this phone, and whether or not we can make it work with our cars, I'm sure we'd all appreciate the info.

Thanks!
Andy W.

ndabunka

If the phone doesn't already have Bluetooth integrated from DAY one, it will NEVER be an intergrated BT phone. BT is not something that can be "added later". It does not run on an SD card. I recommend you try a different phone. The Siemans S55 or S56, The Sony/Erikson 610 or 616's seem to be the best ones for use with this car at this time. There are BT adapters out there that can plug unto the earphone jack but you loose about 95% of the features you want BT for so it's not a good method.

MikeRadio

My Treo 600 from Sprint when purchased had one of the features listed as "Bluetooth avilable from third parties through the SD slot"

Still no 3rd parties are making it yet.... and when they dom might not have the hands free profile.

Mike

mook

Andy,

Be sure to check that any phone with Bluetooth supports the handsfree profile, otherwise it won't work with the TL. The Bluetooth standard has several "profiles" that specify different types of interfaces, for phones there is a headset profile that supports basic wireless headset and the handsfree profile that supports audio, dialing, signal strength, battery power, etc. Just putting a Bluetooth card into a phone or PDA/phone will not make it work with the TL.

I have found most phone sales people don't even know this. Face it all they want to do is sell you something. I've been trying to find something about Verizon offering a phone that will work with the TL, but haven't yet.

My advise is to change companies. Since we can transfer our numbers now, there is very little reason to stay with Verizon if they don't have the phone we need. My contract with Verizon is up in March and if they don't have a phone by then, I'm going to AT&T.

Andyw2100

Thanks for the replies, guys.

To Ndabunka--the phones you list are not CDMA phones, and will not work with Verizon.

To Mook--I too have been looking for a Verizon option for a long time...from before I bought the car. I even went so far as to purchase a Motorola 270C, and bluetooth adapter, when it was thought this phone --would-- work with the car, but of course later I learned it would not. My contract with Verizon is not up for some time, as I just added a second line. And since I live in a pretty rural area, and often travel to other rural areas, I am afraid to lose the relatively good coverage that Verizon provides.

I have to think that with more and more states outlawing "handed" (as opposed to hands-free) cell-phone use, and with more and more car manufacturers building some sort of bluetooth handsfree technology into their cars, Verizon --will-- eventually come around. Of course the question is when. I was really hoping this Samsung phone could be the answer. Oh well...
Andy W.

tallrussian

Andy,

I looked into SCH-I600 a while ago and I found out that the SD cards that are available for that phone are designed for data transfer (e.g. notebook connectivity) and they DO NOT support the "Handsfree profile", which makes those SD cards useless for the TL (as well as for the Toyota Prius, Jeep, Chrysler, BMW and other vehicles that have Bluetooth support).

/tallrussian

P.S. Call Verizon customer care (800) 922-0204 or *611 from your phone and/or from http://www.verizonwireless.com "Contact us" and inquire about Bluetooth support and ***** about canceling your service if they can't tell you when Bluetooth handsets will be available.

Ruben Miranda

i hope NEXTEL comes out with a bluetooth phone!

gbriank

Folks:

Get onto www.verizonwireless.com and under the "contact us" tab send VZW a message stating your frustration. Key words to add are "PIC away to another provider" and "termination of service". I guarantee you, if enough folks complain and voice their intent to leave they will take action. Verizon charges a $175 termination fee, but most folks don't know VZ shells out over $400 to capture you as a customer. It doesn't pay to lose someone who just signed up.

ndabunka

Of course they are not CDMA, they are GSM. The CDMA issue is mute as Verizon does not offer ANY Bluetooth phones (and does not have a plan to do so in the near future). Vote for BT support with your pocketbook and your money...Move your service to someone who does.