Bluetooth handsfree

Thinking about the bluetooth handsfree kit for my C2 CAB for a Ericsson T68i from Paris Audio. They quoted me approx $400 installed for the bluetooth kit and $800 for a hardwired kit. Anybody have any experience with either. Opnions or suggestions would be great.Thanks! Steve

There was a thread about this search under parrot

Steve I just use the Ericsson HBH-30 bluetooth headset with my T68i. No need to hack your Pcar and costs a lot less.

Does the T68i have voice activated dialing? I'm looking to add a phone to my car once it arrives and reached the same conclusion about using a BlueTooth headset instead of a permanent mount. I just want to make sure I can dial handsfree. Karl

Karl the T68i is a great phone, but most people in the US aren't very familar with it as it's a GSM tri-band phone. I travel all over the world so its ideal for me. It does have voice activated dialing, plus a host of other great features. <a href="http://www.sonyericsson.com/T68i/" target="_blank">Sony Ericsson - T68i page</a>

I have the Plantronics blue tooth head set with the T68. The noise canceling feature of the headset makes the phone useable with the loud exhaust and the top down. Much easier than the kit install.

Thanks. I'm not sure about GSM though. I'm sure I'd get decent coverage in the DC-NY corridor but what about when I'm at remote tracks like Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen, VIR, and Summit Point? My current digital phone can also do analog and that saves me when I am in remote locations. I'm thinking that any replacement should have similar capabilities. Karl

Karl I don't know of any CDMA or TDMA phones that have bluetooth. One thing we're not noted for here in the USA is having the latest advances in mobile phone technology. If you're from the USA and travel to Europe or Japan you suddenly realize that you're living in the mobile phone stoneage. I'm a tech geek and love the bluetooth in my t68i. I can sync my phone with my powerbook, tungesten-t Palm pilot, use it for dialup via GPRS, send/receive SMS and use my headset - all with no cables attached. Oh and use it as a clicker for all sorts of remote computer operations using the Salling Clicker software. <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/jonassalling." target="_blank">http://homepage.mac.com/jonassalling.</a>

I already have the Sony Ericsson headset handsfree. It works great when outside the car, or when the phone is close by the headset (walking). When in the car, sometimes it works perfect and sometimes not at all?? Thats why I was thinking of the bluetooth install. Plus it will mute the radio, it also includes a speaker phone! Basically I think the bluetooth is great technology, but when the connection between headset and phone are lost, it's a pain to drive and scroll thru menus to get reconnected. Just my 2c.

I am in the wireless technologies business and I use an Ericsson T68 (primarily due to the Bluetooth functionality). It is a good phone and yes, it does have voice dialing. I also use a Nokia 6310i (GSM tri-band phone) with a Nokia CARK 112 (www.nokia.com) bluetooth car kit installed in my 996. Ericsson has just launched their in car bluetooth kit (HBC-30) and it looks very, very nice. I will most likely switch to the Ericsson kit since my Nokia kit isn't 100% compatible with the Ericsson phone. As far as install, it is clean with no hacking of the interior. I mounted the microhpone in the factory microphone spot (on the gauge cluster, to the left of the gauges). It took a bit of work to get it to fit in there but it's perfect. The speaker is in front of the center console, under the dashboard vents (the ones that warm your feet) and there is no mounting post or cradle. I double-side taped the control **** (about 1" round piece) under the steering column. I use this all of the time except for very high speed highway driving where I revert to using the HBH-30 bluetooth headset. I wouldn't be worried about "hacking the car up" if the install is done properly. Just make sure that they squeeze the microphone into the factory spot on the gauge cluster. Porsche spent quite a bit of time searching for the ideal spot to mount the microphone to avoid wind and road noise. It really makes a big difference. I installed this kit into a friend's '03 986S and he can use it even with the top down.