Hands on Review of the Jabra SP700 Bluetooth Speakerphone

I have used a few Bluetooth Visor Car Kits in the past only to find sooner or later (more sooner), I retire them to the Bluetooth graveyard located in a dark corner in the spare room at home. It always begins on a high with a promise to provide a Hands-free but safe, convenient , compact, foolproof and law abiding way to receive and make calls while sitting in the comfort of a stationary or moving vehicle… However, eventually the honeymoon gloss fades and cracks appear to what first seemed a win, win situation.

Jabra SP700 Bluetooth Speakerphone

So when presented with the opportunity to try yet another Handsfree Bluetooth in-car visor product I did not climb over the office furniture or rugby tackle fellow colleagues to be first in the queue. However on this occasion a particular feature of the Jabra SP700 caught my imagination – it claimed to offer both voice and stereo music streaming direct from my Bluetooth enabled mobile phone to my in-car entertainment unit.

In the Box

The compact and stylish Bluetooth speakerphone also comes supplied with a visor clip that is already fitted, a USB charger cable, USB car charger and plain English and compact user guide.

Jabra SP700 Bluetooth Speakerphone Box Contents

Getting Started

Just connect the USB charger cable to a spare USB port on your computer and up pops an illuminated red battery icon to indicated that it is charging. When fully charged this icon then changes to green. If you do not have easy or regular access to a computer then think about purchasing a USB Mains Charger and use the USB charger cable provided in the box when not in the car. On the front of the unit are a range of icons that illuminate to indicate what status the speakerphone is in. I will discuss these in detail later.

There is no dedicated off/on button, and although not immediately obvious, this function is activated by pressing and holding the front of the speakerphone; 2 seconds to switch it on and 4 seconds to switch it off. If like me, you tend to exit your vehicle and forget to switch the speakerphone off then do not worry, the SP700 has an auto-power off when the phone is out of its Bluetooth range.

Pairing the SP700 to your mobile phone couldnt be easier; when you switch it on for the first time it automatically enters its pairing mode which is clearly indicated by an illuminated Bluetooth Status icon appearing. Next, just activate the Bluetooth function on your phone and set the phone to discover the SP700, enter the pin code (0000), mount it to your car visor and youre good to go!

The Jabra SP700 clips neatly to your sun visor in the car

Controls

Now the SP700 is not big on controls, I have already mentioned the lack of an on/off button and it does not have any audio adjustment controls aside of a volume up & down button on one side of the unit, and there is also a FM transmitter button located on the opposite side.

Features

Now the SP700 provides the basic functions like any other like handsfree kit, as well as supporting extended features of some phone models like voice dialling which as you may have already experienced is a potential Olympic Linguistic event in its own right. Also the SP700 features advanced noise reduction and echo cancellation that insures excellent sound quality on both sides of the call.

When using the SP700 the current status is clarified by a clear voice announcement available in 10 languages a treat no doubt for those multi lingual potential users out there or those wanting to practice some basic phrases before arriving at their international holiday destination this summer!

The voice announcer switches from a female to a male voice for different status alerts. However the announcement that caught me by surprise was the one that announced the caller ID of an incoming call brilliant and by pressing the front of the speakerphone I could answer or end the call. The announcer also confirms when the speakerphone is switched off and also when it has made connection with your mobile phone.

I found the clarity of the incoming call to be excellent by comparison to other Bluetooth visor speaker phones that I have used in the past, and I can confidently say that my voice was clearly received by my caller. I must admit that my vehicle suffers from very little cabin noise generally – however I also tested it in my wifes 1.4 about town vehicle which isn’t a tractor by any means – but with mischievous and noisy kids in tow I still found the SP700s speakerphone to be equally as impressive.

The Jabra SP700 has a classic, slim line design

The best feature is the FM transmission – A simple press of the FM transmission button illuminates the FM transmission icon and speakerphone mute icon, then kicks the voice announcer into action as she clearly tells you the FM frequency to tune your car radio to. If this frequency is congested by existing radio stations then you can make adjustments by 0.1MHz at a time using the volume keys, the announcer will recite the new frequency selected each time you make a change. My radios RDS function displayed the word JABRA to indicate that I had sourced the correct frequency and I promptly saved it to a spare preset number. This remains the fixed FM frequency unless you make a change as previously mentioned or reset the unit to factory settings. The only thing I did not have time to test was how the selected FM frequency would stand up to long journeys whereby you may drift into localised radio stations sharing the same frequency; however, the ease I found in changing frequencies leaves me quite confident that such an event occurring would not be a major problem to resolve.

The Nokia E71 phone was used to test the SP700 for streaming music to my car stereo, on hitting the play button on the phone, music came belting out almost immediately through the car speakers. The quality was fairly good, however I found that the SP700s lack of audio controls came to haunt it as the volume controls previous used to adjust the FM frequency remain set to this function while in FM transmission mode, so you have to rely on your in-car audio controls to equalize the sound and adjust the volume. This sometimes is a problem when you switch back to the radio or CD mode as the volume can sometimes be far too high for those built in sources.

Taking calls using the FM transmission mode was a delight, however be aware that your calls may be picked up by a stranger who is tuned to the same FM frequency and in close proximity to your vehicle, so keep this feature just for music or calls that are not of a private or sensitive nature. On a final point if you turn off your radio or forget to change the status of the SP700 back to its own speakers, then the SP700 automatically disconnects from its FM transmission status following a period of non-use.

The SP700 boasts up to14 hours talk time & up to 255 hours standby however after a week of testing I am yet to re-charge.

Conclusion

I must admit the SP700 has not changed my preference which is to avoid taking calls while driving if I can, however when circumstances dictate that this is unavoidable or for those of you or where this is a day to day necessity then the SP700 does not disappoint, mainly because of its ease of use, functionality, portability and quality. The Ace up its sleeve however is the FM transmission that adds a more practical and up to date feature for all music lovers who have migrated their favourite playlists into the fashionable multi-media Bluetooth mobile phones that are currently available a smart move by Jabra.

How to find your Nokia Model Number

Nokia have the largest handset range of handsets out of all of the mobile phone manufacturers and I’ve recently started to think that most of their handsets are all looking pretty similar. While it’s nice that Nokia phones all have the same look and feel, it does make finding the right accessories for your Nokia phone a bit tricky – especially if you don’t know the model number of your phone.

Nokia have tried to keep it relatively simple over the years by dividing their handsets up in to ‘series’ or ranges. I’d say that the most well known range is the more recent N-Series, but every one of their handsets belong to a series of handsets whether it be 1000 series, 2000 series etc, where the series is determined by the first digit of the model number. Interestingly they’ve never done any phones starting with a 4 – anyone know why?

This short guide will show you a few quick and easy ways to work out which Nokia phone you have.

Check your phone

Nokia N96 Model number printed above screen

This might seem like a really obvious thing to suggest, but some Nokia handsets will have their model number printed on the housing somewhere. If you have bought your Nokia direct from your network, you may find that the model number has been replaced with the networks logo. If this is the case – try the next step:

Read more »

Top 10 Apps for Nokia Symbian S60 phones

Since the launch of the iPhone App Store by Apple last year, we’ve seen an explosion in the amount of applications, games and ringtones for mobile phones. Phones are now getting smarter than ever before and many now allow us to install extra applications and add functionality to our phones. Over the next few weeks I’m going to be compiling a list of the top applications for each of the different mobile phone operating systems; Symbian S60 3rd edition, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Android, iPhone & Java.

Symbian S60 V3 Handsets From Nokia

I’m starting off with Symbian 60 3rd Edition (also known as S60 V3). If this doesn’t mean much to you, don’t worry, S60 V3 is probably the most common operating system and is found in most Nokia N-Series (N95, N96) and Nokia E-Series (E71, E66) handsets. Over the last few months there have also been a few handsets from Samsung that run S60 such as the Samsung INNOV8. The latest touch screen phones from Nokia – the N97 and the 5800 XpressMusic run on Symbian software, but as they are touchscreen, they run on S60 V5 so the applications listed here won’t work on them. I’ll be compiling a list of Symbian 60 5th edition applications shortly.

Read more »

Nokia Point & Find Now Available

Nokia Point & Find

The Nokia Beta Labs Boys & Girls really have been busy this week! Normally we have to wait months for new software to play with, but they’ve just released a new version of their ‘Point & Find’ application. Point & Find is an application that lets you access information and services on the internet, just by pointing your camera phone at everyday objects. It then uses GPS data, along with a database of virtual tags to figure out what you’re looking at, and then sends the relevant information back to your phone.

You’re probably thinking, “sounds great but what does that actually mean?” so I’ll give you a few examples:

• You’re walking down the street and you see a poster for a new movie. By pointing your camera phone at the poster, you’ll be able to view movie trailers, check showtimes, book tickets and get directions.
• You’re out shopping and the latest gadget catches your eye. You scan the barcode with your phone, and are able to read more detailed product information & get the latest reviews. You also get a price comparison from leading online retailers so you can check to make sure you’re not paying too much.

This software is still a very early Beta, so that means that there will be bugs and times that it won’t quite do what its supposed to, but I’d say its still worth a try!

Point & Find is available at the moment for Nokia Symbian S60 handsets (Most NSeries) and is available to download from the Nokia Point & Find website.

Download it, Try it, and let us know how you get on with it.

Nokia Photo Browser now available for 5800

The boffins over at Nokia Beta Labs have just released a clever little photo application for the Nokia 5800. Imaginatively called “Nokia Photo Browser,” the application adds a flashy looking interface to your photo gallery. To view your photo’s you can now just swipe your finger across the display and all of your images will flow nicely across your screen. Double tap to view an image, and you can now tap your photo to bring up a magnifying glass to zoom in.

The cleverst part of it though seems to be the face recognition. When you double tap on a face in a photo it zooms in to the face, and as you swipe the display, it moves to the next face in the photo. No more scrolling around to refocus on people faces! The Photo Browser is only available at the moment for the Nokia 5800 (and N97 when released) and is available now to download from the Nokia Betalabs website.

Nokia have put this video together to show it in action:

Nokia E72 and Nokia E75 Leaked

Barely a week goes by without at least one new handset being leaked on the internet. Well, this week it looks like its the turn of Nokia to have their thunder stolen, with the unofficial leak of two new E-series devices. Currently dubbed the E72 and E75, these two handsets build on the current successes of the E-Series but add higher spec and better usability.

Nokia E75
Nokia’s new E75 features a unique slide out QWERTY keyboard, I say unique, but this style of keyboard has been around for many years on HTC devices and is about to make its debut with Sony Ericsson on the Xperia X1.

Nokia E72
This appears to be an upgrade to the recently announced and extremely popular Nokia E71. The only differences we can see so far are slight cosmetic changes to the keyboard with the introduction of a couple of extra keys and a possibly a higher megapixel camera.

Can Nokia beat its rivals? With the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 due in a matter of weeks, and the HTC Touch Pro already doing well, it will be interesting to see if Nokia can attract any more users. The E-Series platform works well, runs smoothly and is already proving to be a successful platform for business users.

Here’s the leaked footage! Let us know what you think.

New Nokia N78 Software Announced

Nokia N78

Nokia have just announced a second software update to their latest N-Series handset, the N78. Version 12.046 was released on the 14 July 2008, giving a number of performance improvements:

• Softkey selection
• Bluetooth Stability
• Video Playback
• Email Sending
• Alarm Clock Functions

Unlike the previous update, Version 12.046 will be available to download via the Nokia Software Updater, as well as Over the Air – removing the need to connect to a PC.

To download directly to the N78:

• Click Menu > Tools > Utilities > Device Manager.
• Select Options > Check for updates and follow the on-screen prompts.

The file download for this may be quite large, so we’d suggest connecting to a Wi-Fi network if you don’t have an unlimited data plan. This update may not be available for users of network branded handsets.

To check what software version you are currently using enter *#0000# on your handset.

Push Email for Nokia Symbian S60 phones

Nokia have just launched a Beta version of their free push email service. Users with mobiles running Symbian 60 3rd Edition software, such as the Nokia N95, can sign up to use it on the Nokia Email website.

Once you’ve created your account, and entered your existing email details, you are sent a link to download the application to your phone. The service works by checking with your existing email provider for new messages and then pushing them over the air to your handset.

Push email works in a different way to email on your Desktop PC. Rather than logging on and retrieving your emails at specified intervals, the email application maintains a constant connection to the email servers so emails are delivered straight to your handset almost as soon as they are sent.

The great thing is that its doddle to set up, unlike the native email application on Nokia Handsets. You don’t need to change your email address and the service works with all POP3 and IMAP email providers. Corporate email and Hotmail are yet to be supported, but this could change in a future version.

The application runs quietly in the background, without any noticable drain on your battery. Emails can be set to come through instantly or you can manually check for new emails.

The one slight negative that I’ve found so far, is that it doesn’t mark emails as read on the server only on the handset. Not a problem for me, as I only get about ten emails a day, but for heavier business users this could lead to spending extra time sifting through the inbox figuring out which emails have been read. Hopefully this is something that will be addressed in future versions.

With Nokia Email you are able to:

• View, respond, forward, compose and delete emails.
• Manage your email inbox, outbox, drafts, and sent folders.
• Set the days and times your device receives email.
• Search contacts already stored on the handset.
• Call the sender direct from the email.

Currently there are 11 officially supported handsets, the E51, E61, E61i, E65, E66, E71, E90, N73, N80, N81 8gb and the Nokia N95. We’ve also tried this on the N82 and the N95 8gb, and it seems to work fine.

Head over to the Nokia Website for more details.

Having problems with your Nokia Charger?

Mobile Fun have put together a simple guide to help you to determine which type of Nokia Charger you need for your phone. This simple guide lets you know exactly which charger you will need and shows you all the different charging options available. Check out our full guide to Nokia Chargers.

Nokia Chargers

Classic Nokia Charger
This is the original Nokia Charger connector, the one that everyone will have lying around at home. No longer used on any of their current handsets, this is a 3.5mm connection used on handsets from the original Nokia 5110, right through to the Nokia 6230i.

2mm Nokia Charger
This is the current Nokia Charger, used on most of their handsets. With phones getting smaller in size, Nokia reduced the size of the charging pin down to 2mm. If you have the classic Nokia mains or car charger, you can use the Nokia CA-44 Charging Adapter to reduce the size of the charging tip from 3.5mm to 2mm.

Micro USB Nokia Charger
Starting to appear on the higher end Nokia phones, the Micro USB Charger uses the same port as some handsfree kits and data cables (not at the same time!) These ports provide a faster transfer rate, which is why they can normally be found on the latest Multimedia handsets.

Charge Anywhere
Historically you could only ever get chargers to use at home or in the car. Now you can charge your phone just about anywhere. You can now use a USB Charging Cable connected to a spare port on your PC or Laptop, an Emergency Charger that uses a standard AA Battery, a wind-up charger or even Solar power.