BlueAnt S1 Review/Giveaway: The Car Kit You Want!

By: Tariq Bamadhaj (Senior Editor)

Update: June 4, 2010 12:30AM ET:  This contest is now officially closed. The winner has been chosen based on the rules. We have sent out an email your way to further verify your identity. After which, you are required to contact us ASAP with all validating information. We do not announce the winners right off the bat because of fake people trying to hack the system and claim the prizes. We have taken very careful steps to keep your private information secure, so we expect all winners to excercise honesty & promptness. Breaking any of the rules will result in a disqualification and as such, another winner will be chosen at random.

Staff note (May 8, 2010): The S1 is by far the best car kit we’ve ever tested. If you want to win one, all you have to do is post a comment below on how this product would help you on a regular basis. Only one comment is necessary. To qualify, entrants must be signed up for our weekly e-newsletter. You can sign up on the home page or on the upper right hand of this article. Since every review is a giveaway, it pays to be signed up. We do NOT send spam. Tariq will award one lucky commenter on June 5, 2010 with their very own Blueant S1.

With more and more states making cell phone use while driving illegal, the idea of getting a Bluetooth headset would have crossed your mind. Even if your state does not have such laws, having such a headset would definitely make you a safer driver, even if you occasionally use your phone while driving. Many friends I’ve talked to have already got themselves a Bluetooth headset and even use it when they are not driving but I still have a handful of friends who do not like the idea of having something stuck in their ear. If you’re such a person, the BlueAnt S1 was made with you in mind.

Introduction

Unlike Bluetooth headsets, the S1 is actually a car kit. You pair it up with your phone and it sits on your car’s visor, so there’s nothing to stick into your ear. What makes the S1 even better is that you can also stream music via the A2DP profile (if your phone supports this feature). What’s more, you can also pair more than 1 phone, in fact 8 would be the maximum it supports and out of those 8, you could have 2 phones connected at the same time through its multipoint technology.

It gets even better: Because of it’s larger size than Bluetooth headsets, it houses a larger capacity battery. I have no idea what that capacity is but its rated to give me 15 hours of talk time and 800 hours of standby! Now, I don’t even use the phone while driving that much but with such a battery, I’ve actually left the device turned on, for over 2 weeks, only to come back and see that it was still working! If that doesn’t amaze you, did I tell you that it also works while charging?

What’s In The Box

The S1 comes with a removable clip so you can best position the unit on your visor and I found this to be useful as I tried various combinations till I got one that worked best for me. And because it’s removable, you can easily remove the S1 from the mount if you need to bring it in for a charge. Another thing that I liked about the clip was that it was tight and no matter how many bumps I hit or stops I came to, it always held the S1 in place.

Yup, you have to bring it indoors for a charge. Even though you do get a wall charger and it works while it charges, unfortunately BlueAnt did not include a car charger. I wish that instead of a wall charger, they had instead provided a USB cable, wall and car adapter. You can, however pick up a universal one for cheap.

You also get a manual with the device and while it’s pretty straightforward if you plan to use it with one phone and only for taking and making calls, I found the manual useful on several occasions when I wanted to know how activate a particular function.

User Experience

The first few times using the S1, I had to look at it to get used to the buttons but I think BlueAnt did a great job with the button layout as I had it memorized in no time. Granted there are only 4 buttons but when you want to keep your eyes on the road, even glancing at it can be dangerous, especially on the highway. Well, that was solved with the groove that BlueAnt had in between 2nd and 3rd button as you can easily get to the button you want by feeling it.

What I did not initially was that the S1 responded to your voice so you did not have to use your hand to pick up a call. All I had to do was say Answer or OK and the call would automatically be picked up by it! If that’s not convenience, I don’t know what is.

Thanks to it’s A2DP streaming capability, I was also able to route my phone’s audio to device, something that proved really useful for navigation. Thing is, when I drive, I love to turn the music/radio up and this does interfere with my navigator’s voice which has resulted me in missing a few exits and turning too late. With the S1 however, that is no longer the case as I hear those commands loud and clear.

Loud and clear was the usual feedback that I get from my callers when I asked them about call quality. They could barely tell I was in a car with the radio on in most cases but when it was turned up, the noise cancellation was not as effective. Not a big deal for me since I turn off the radio when I take a call anyway. Even with the windows down, I’m able to carry out a conversation with minimal wind noise complaints from my callers. That’s not the case when speeds exceed 60 mph though. Then again, I don’t drive with my windows down when it’s over 60mph so that’s not really an issue for me.

My favorite feature of the S1 has to be the auto-pair. Even when I leave the car with my phone and it disconnects from the device, it reconnects automatically when I get back. I cannot tell you how many times I used to forget to re-pair my Bluetooth headset to my phone in similar situations but with the S1, that is no longer a problem. The only issue I encountered with the auto-reconnect was that it only connected the hands-free/headset profile and not the music streaming profile so I had to manually activate that profile when I wanted to use it for navigation. That was until I found out that you could also activate it by double pressing on the green (multi-function) button!

What I Like

• Loooooong battery life gives you longer talk and standby time.
• A2DP streaming means my turn by turn navigation prompts don’t get drowned out by the radio.
• Noise and wind cancellation were sufficient for my use.
• Works while charging.
• Multipoint technology allows for connecting 2 phones simultaneously and pairing with up to 8 phones.
• Clip is very sturdy and tight.

What Could Be Improved

• Instead of a standard wall charger, it would be nice to have a USB cable, wall and car adapter.
• Noise and wind cancellation not adequate for speeds over 60 mph. Not that I’m complaining.
• Learning commands for special functions takes a while, but becomes secondary once you’re used to it.
• Would be nice to have an auto-reconnect A2DP profile.

Reality Check

My perception of Bluetooth car kits has definitely changed with the S1. Where I once did not even consider them as I didn’t like the size of it, the added functionality of A2DP and multipoint technology really makes the investment worthwhile. When you couple in the fact that you can accept calls just by saying ‘answer’, that I only need to charge it twice a month and that it re-connects to my phones seamlessly, you have a great kit to complement your phone!

The S1 is a great Bluetooth car kit and if you know someone who drives and doesn’t like to use a Bluetooth headset, the BlueAnt S1 will make a great gift. With Mother’s Day around the corner and Father’s Day in just over a month, I’m sure there’s someone special in your life who would truly appreciate the convenience that the S1 brings. Or you could just get it for yourself and enjoy it!

• Brand: BlueAnt
• Model: S1 Sun Visor Handsfree Kit
• Price: $79.99