| Author |
Bluetooth Car Handsfree HCB‑300 |
masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
PM |
Official Sony Ericsson press release
Sony Ericsson today unveiled the newest addition to its portfolio of in-car accessories, the Bluetooth™ Car Handsfree HCB‑300. It offers an innovative Color ID interface that makes it easy to share the device with other people who drive the same car. The HCB-300 is ideal for users who lead active lives and have a keen interest in taking advantage of the latest technology. The HCB-300 will be available in stores in Q3 2004.
The HCB‑300 automatically connects to the user’s phone using Bluetooth™ wireless technology when the car ignition is engaged, even if the phone remains in a pocket or bag. This makes it more convenient for people who frequently have to get in and out of their car. The user can make their preparations to drive without having to remember to connect the HCB-300 to the phone. With the phone still in the user’s pocket or bag, there is no risk of leaving the phone behind in the car when the journey is over.
The HCB‑300 can handle up to five different user profiles. Each user chooses an identification color from the Color ID feature. When the car ignition is engaged, the HCB-300 automatically connects to the last phone used in the car displaying the pre-selected Color ID for that phone. If a user with the Color ID ‘blue’ drove the car last, the display will indicate the Bluetooth™ connection with a blue screen interface. If the next person in the car is a different user with a Color ID ‘green’, the HCB-300 will first try to connect to the ‘blue’ phone, as it was the last used in the car, then automatically search and find the ‘green’ Color ID user’s profile. A user can manually change the Color ID with one easy key push or simply wait for the HCB-300 to find the phone. The Color ID feature allows an entire family or group of colleagues using the same company car to use the same HCB-300.
The HCB-300 supports the voice recognition, voice tags in the address book of the phone in use, allowing users to receive phone calls while driving without losing focus. If the phone rings it’s easy and convenient to take the call with just one simple key push increasing the driver’s safety and convenience.
When a call is received, the car stereo automatically mutes and the driver can hear the caller’s voice loud and clear. The HCB-300 offers excellent sound quality for a pleasant user experience, allowing users to handle important calls without the worry about missing vital information because of sound disturbance.
|
|
|
Grimslade
Joined: Jul 25, 2004
Posts: 464
From: London
PM |
Has anyone actually seen the HCB-300 on the market? Expansys only has it in preorder status. I want a bluetooth car handsfree, but it seems silly to buy the last-generation one when a new one is one the way. OTOH, the HCB-300 is looking a lot like vaporware these days...
TIA,
Brian |
zebi
Joined: Apr 11, 2002
Posts: 114
From: Belfast
PM, WWW
|
Its on expansys for about £111, and is widely available now.
Only thing is that has anyone actually got it/ tried it out?
At the price it sounds a bargain!
[ This Message was edited by: zebi on 2004-10-09 20:21 ] |
Grimslade
Joined: Jul 25, 2004
Posts: 464
From: London
PM |
Mine should arrive monday, but it might be a couple of days before i can install. Will give a quick review next week after i have got it working, if there's any interest. Let me know.
This message was posted from a T630
That shud have been "mine should arrive..." As for my "mind," I've given up waiting.
[ This Message was edited by: Grimslade on 2004-10-10 14:21 ] |
zebi
Joined: Apr 11, 2002
Posts: 114
From: Belfast
PM, WWW
|
that'd be great. post up a review. This could be my next buy!
|
Grimslade
Joined: Jul 25, 2004
Posts: 464
From: London
PM |
Was beginning to think no one was interested! Got the kit today. May be a couple of days before I work up the courage to start tearing apart my car... |
Grimslade
Joined: Jul 25, 2004
Posts: 464
From: London
PM |
Ok, my HCB-300 is installed. I chickened out on wiring it myself and forked over the cash to have someone else do it. In preliminary testing, it sounds great (remote party reports same). Interface is un-problematic; switching between phones once they're paired is dead easy. Gripes/cautions: the switch is tiny, which is mostly good. But it's flimsy, which is bad. The advanced music mute only works on certain stereos; mine is one of them, but you can't assume yours is too... Cont
This message was posted from a T630 |
zebi
Joined: Apr 11, 2002
Posts: 114
From: Belfast
PM, WWW
|
That sounds about alright. Have you ever used a bluetooth headset? I'be been able to pair more than one phone to the same headset concurrently- where calls from two phones are received by the same headset.
Do you know if that is possible with the car kit? |
Grimslade
Joined: Jul 25, 2004
Posts: 464
From: London
PM |
I have an HBH-600 and an HBH-65 headset. The way the HCB-300 is set up, there's an LED which can be switched between five different colors, each representing a different user with an already-paired phone. (Currently, I have two phones paired to the HCB-300, so if I hit the toggle button, it toggles between blue and green only) The HCB-300 will only pick up the signal from the phone assigned to the current color.
So, say my wife and I are in the car, and the carkit is showing "blue," my color, when my wife's phone rings. She can hit the toggle button, switching the carkit to "green," her color, at which point the carkit would ring, and she could pick up her call.
does that make sense? I've got a picture of the control unit on the dash, but I have to get it off my phone before I can post it. |
davidb67
Joined: Feb 04, 2004
Posts: 41
PM |
Grimslade,
your post gives me the good news I need!!!
I have a SE T610 (work) and a moto V600 (personal), and have just changed company car, and wanted to get a bluetooth car kit so I could use either phone. whilst you can pair several phones with most b/t car kits, the HCB-300 appeared in the sales lit. to make it easier to switch between phones.
I was still unsure though if you could enforce a "phone jump" whilst a call is coming through on the "wrong" phone....
your post seems to confirm exactly what I have been wondering: the non-"active" phone starts to ring, you hit the button on the car kit controller, and it makes that phone "active", then the carkit can be used.
Great!!!
i was tempted to go down the Siemens HKW-600 route, for it's neat little display (and at a more reasonable cost than either the Parrot or Nokia ones), but i think the functionality of switching EASILY between both my phones, is worth more than seeing who is calling.....
any pictures yet??? |
Grimslade
Joined: Jul 25, 2004
Posts: 464
From: London
PM |
Pictures are on my digital camera. When I get home tonight I'll d/l them and post them. I think you'll be surprised how small the little thingy with the buttons on it is. I had my wife driving around with the windows open yesterday, and I had no trouble hearing her or the kids in the backseat through the included mike, which I had installed just above the rearview mirror in the middle of the ceiling. |
Grimslade
Joined: Jul 25, 2004
Posts: 464
From: London
PM |
OK, here's a pic. Not much to show, of course, but it gives a sense of scale. Sorry about the focus, etc. (The phone condom isn't mine, so please, no comments...)
 |
davidb67
Joined: Feb 04, 2004
Posts: 41
PM |
Thanks for the pic Grimslade, and having the T610 there helps for scale.
i'm now confident to go for the HCB-300 - thanks again!! |
mince-inside
Joined: May 09, 2004
Posts: 452
From: Made in Alnwick living in Scot
PM |
Would this Car kit work with the P900 or is the P900 missing bluetooth handsfree option...?
_________________
Pictures in my head
Worst job ever! v's Dream Job V= 
[ This Message was edited by: mince-inside on 2004-10-20 22:39 ] |
Grimslade
Joined: Jul 25, 2004
Posts: 464
From: London
PM |
I believe it supports the the headset profile as well as handsfree, but most people who've tried to use car handsfree kits w/P900 have expressed frustration with the experience; connection instability, etc. It's listed as compatible on the web site, but I've heard a few installation shops recommend against trying it.
[ This Message was edited by: Grimslade on 2004-10-21 01:39 ] |
|
|
Posted: 2004-03-09 11:50
