Im very anxious to see how the bluetooth phone integration works. Did you try one out? Does the phone 'just connect' by being in range (after pairing one time), or do you need to have the phone out and press an acknowledge button? (i.e. can I just leave my phone in my pocket?) How well does the speaker/mike work through the sound system of the car?

 

can you do anything to the car from outside with the phone?

 

They should have put Bluetooth Technology in the remote and made the remote better, I mean if they are spending money, than do it right..

300 FT of range for the Remote would be KICK ASS!

 

Justin mentioned
the Phone has to have Bluetooth and has to have hands-free profile to work with the car.

 

Yes we tried it out.

The phone must have bluetooth AND hands free profile before it can connect with the car.

You pair the phone with the car once. Afterwards as long as your phone is turned on and within 30ft of the TL the car will connect with your phone. So your phone can be anywhere in the TL even in the trunk...it doesn't matter. You pick up your calls via the steering whl control. You will know who is calling because the number will show in the gauges(lower right hand corner) unless the person calling has their number blocked. 6 phones can be paired to the car. A total of 50 numbers can be stored in the cars phone book. If you have a Navi TL then you can also dial the numbers listed in your navi data base.

 

That's a REALLY sweet feature. Anytime you're driving and the phone rings, you don't have to fumble for your cell phone, just press a button on the steering wheel and start talking? And their number (should be name) shows up on the dash?? Any way to retrofit that to the TSX?

 

One warning here: some of the earlier/cheaper Bluetooth phones only have 'Bluetooth FTP'. This is a system whereby you can drag and drop images, sounds etc from your PC to your phone. This is far from the 'hands-free' profile that you should be buying.

On the other hand, voice recognition with the phone will allow you to save a 'voice tag' paired to a number. So you can say to the voice recognition system "call that sonofabitch bob" and if you've paired bob to the voice tag "sonofabitch bob" it'll dial him directly.

Additionally, you'll be able to say "Dial 555-1234". My particular favourite if you have the navi is "Find nearby Japanese Restaruants", then it lists them, you see 'Seto Sushi' is number 2 and say "Dial number 2" to make a reservation.

That's my kind of gadget!

-ferg

 

I have a bluetooth enable phone, Sony Ericsson T616. Bluetooth is awesome! it has been popular over in Europe for a few years i believe.

Quiz Question: Anyone know what Bluejacking is or has anyone done it before??

 

Great! I have a Nokia 3650, i cant wait to see it work in a new tl

 

I've never heard that term before, but I can make a guess pretty easily. Bluejacking in this case would be using your TL to make calls using the bluetooth-enabled phone of one of your passengers or maybe even someone in the car next to you.

Or in another case, a BT-enabled laptop could connect to a phone and use it to make outgoing calls as well.

 

Yup, you have the general idea down. i have read stories where people will forward a text message with their number and a note to a cute girl who left bluetooth enabled on her phone. in one case the girl actually called and they ended up dating.

i randomly search for bluetooth devices with my phone in malls, restaraunts etc. ready to send something stupid or funny. most people have no idea where or how it got to their phone.

 

Are any Bluetooth-enabled phones with the above features available via Verizon Wireless? I've looked on their website a number of times and couldn't find any. Help?

 

I don't think Verizon has any Bluetooth enabled phones yet. I might have to switch to another carrier.

-r

EDIT: I just called their customer support. He confirmed that there are not any Bluetooth enabled phones available. He indicated that there should be one in a "few" months, but didn't know the exact date.

 

You need to check out Ebisu. It's on 9th in between Irving and Lincoln. The best! If I lived in SF, it'd be all over. I'd be there three nights a week.

 

Same goes for Sprint. Both Verizon and Sprint are CDMA carriers. The carriers who are currently offering Bluetooth are either TDMA and/or GSM carriers, e.g. ATT Wireless, Cingular, T-Mobile. I still can't quite understand why CDMA Carriers don't even have Bluetooth products scheduled for release in the foreseeable future, but the GSM operators have a number of products out presently.

Hopefully the automotive industry will accelerate Sprint and Verizon's rollout of Bluetooth phones. I'll be switching my service in the meantime. That's a definite.

 

Try Sushi-Ran in Sausalito. It's better than Ebisu and there's a hot little saki-bar next door. Get's busy quickly, so Bluetooth a call on the way over the Golden Gate.

One problem with GSM phones. There are two GSM standards, one used more often internationally and the other strictly domestically. Both suck here in the US because there is simply not enough GSM sites out here. I once had a GSM Ericcsson T28 World phone (Bluetooth capable). It would work all over the world except the US!!!! The carrier was Cingular and it was horrible (wouldn't work in my office, wouldn't work in the entire state of Ohio, Atlanta was spotty...just a real pain in the butt).

I think TDMA is a dying technology too.

The Bluetooth in the TL is neat, but I would like to take a survey 2 years from now to see what percentage of TL owners use it regularly and how often.

 

The driving force is going to be what the NHTSA, FCC, and state and local agencies mandate about cell phone usage. I think Auto makers, cell phone makers and cell phone carriers are going to be required to develop products that support handsfree communication.

 

I have a hard time believing anything is better than Ebisu, but next time I visit the Bay Area I will be sure to check it out.

 

Yeah, maybe it's time to take advantage of the new legislation that may allow cell phone number portability....

 

November 24 is coming!

 

Is there anything that would prevent this legislation from going to effect? I hope not.

 

Well if I did end up with a TL, I'd be feeling like quite a smartypants since I made sure that my next phone would have bluetooth when I bought it last year!

 

I dont think that Verizon will ever carry bluetooth phones. I forget the reason, but check the verizon forum on www.howardforums.com for better info. Great Site!!

As for the "World" GSM phone. The rest of the world (Europe, UK..etc) use the 1900 and 900 mhz bands on their GSM phones. The US uses 1900 and 800mhz (because the US government uses the 900mhz band for other reasons...), so any world phone will only utilize ONE (the 1900) of the TWO bands here in the states. 800mhz is the Euro equivalent to 900 and is only used in the US, while the rest of the world uses 900.

Bottom line, GSM is awesome and so does bluetooth

 

Thanks for the link to Howard forums. Actually, they say that Qualcomm has released a chipset supporting Bluetooth on CDMA phones. At this point, it's a matter of whether enough people complain to Verizon about the lack of Bluetooth support.

 

Does anyone know of a TDMA phone that supports Bluetooth and has HFP (hands-free profile)?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

actually you guys.... Sprint announced bluetooth support a few weeks ago, phones will be out by next summer.

http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showt...hreadid=113022

 

 

oh and btw... kensteele on the CL site is one of the lead product developers at sprint.

he has tested sprints bluetooth phones in the 2004 TL already.

 

here is a comprehensive list of bluetooth enabled phones

http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/fin...php?m=s&f38r=r

 

Soopa, thanks for the info. So one question, when does Sprint intend to release its phone? Anything on A-CL about this?

 

read

i said the phone will be out for next summer.... most likely in July.

read the post above the one u just posted

 

JUST INCASE YOU MISSED IT:

Originally posted by soopa
actually you guys.... Sprint announced bluetooth support a few weeks ago, phones will be out by next summer.

http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showt...hreadid=113022

 

ALRIGHT, I GET THE POINT. It's late!!




I guess I'll hold on to Sprint since it appears they're going to deliver. Yeah, I'll have to wait a while, but I'll survive.

 

sprint always delivers when it comes to hand set technology........ THANK YOU KEN


too bad they don't deliver quite as well with quality of coverage


anyways... if you guys want good cell info... forget the cell phone sites... visit acura-cl.com.

theres so many people that work for cell providers on that site it seems theres a Sprint vs Verizon war every day

 

This video is a bit troublesome. Sprint was scheduled to debut that phone in Q3 of this year. Now, it's being delayed almost one full year. Very strange.

I'm not too fond of the Sony Ericsson T6xx series. It's a nice looking phone, but the buttons are too small and hard to push. Oh well, the quest continues. Hopefully Samsung will come with something soon.

 

i dunno read the posts on CL forum... kensteele went into detail about sprint+bluetooth at one point. i forget where

 

Soopa, I just checked that link you gave me at A-CL. That phone is coming out this year. It was scheduled for 7/03. A press release is expected any day now.

So, I'll get that and deal with the small, hard buttons until Sprint comes with something better. It would be cool if it were flip.

 

im sure, just like with every new tech, once one phone is rolled out... 5 others will be rolled out at half the cost 3 months later.

 

Yeah, Nokia is starting to ramp up its CDMA Technology, so I expect that they'll have something to offer very shortly.

 

Nothing. It's a done deal.

However, cellphone companies will tempt you to sign up for 1-2 year contracts with assorted seemingly attractive offers. Caveat emptor.

-ferg