Some people don’t like the idea of a Bluetooth headset, even if it’s as attractive and well-designed as the Aliph Jawbone. Instead, they prefer to keep their hands free with the use of a Bluetooth speakerphone. Many newer cars have this as an available option, but it’s certainly a lot more affordable to take the route of a standalone Bluetooth speakerphone, just as it’s cheaper to buy a portable GPS navigator than to opt for the one that goes in your dash.
The Solar Bluetooth Car Kit from Anycom is actually quite a creative product, because — as you can probably guess — it comes equipped with a solar panel, effectively branding itself as a “green” solution for anyone who wants to talk without having something attached to their ear. By harnessing the power of the sun, the Anycom unit has no negative impact on the environment. Well, other than the manufacturing process and all the juice that has to be generated to keep your cell phone alive and ringing.
Specs and Features
On paper, the Anycom Bluetooth Solar Car Kit (Model SCK-1) sounds like quite the formidable product, especially since it has the bonus of having a solar panel on the back for “green” power. Let’s have a look at some of the core features and specifications.
- Bluetooth 2.0
- 3 hours of sun gives up to 30 minutes of talk time
- 16-bit DSP with echo cancellation and noise reduction
- 95 dB high performance speaker
- Up to 15 hours talk time
- Up to 25 days standby
- Up to 30 foot range
- Integrated antenna
- 12/24V car charger with USB cable
- Rechargeable, 3.7V 480mAh lithium-polymer battery
- Supported profiles: Headset (HS) and Hands-Free (HF)
- Dimensions: 91.3 x 50.5 x 13.3 mm
In addition to gaining power through the solar panel, the Anycom Bluetooth speaker also has a miniUSB port on the bottom. Using this port, you can charge up the device using a standard USB port on your computer or you can make use of the provided car charger adapter and juice it up from the cigarette jack. To attach the Solar Car Kit to your windshield, Anycom has provided a couple of suction cups, a couple strips of double-sided tape, and a transparent black holster. This allows you to remove the speaker without removing the mount.
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Three Buttons For Everything
Some people may say that by limiting the number of buttons on this unit, Anycom has managed to simplify the user interface. Unfortunately, it’s quite the opposite. The three buttons include the main button on the face of the unit and the two volume buttons on the right side. When you get an incoming call, you answer it by pressing the main button “briefly”. If you hold the button for one second, it rejects the call. Hold the button for much longer than that and you turn the whole thing off altogether.
As you might be able to telegraph, it can get pretty frustrating if you accidentally hold the button for too long for it to be a pick up, ending up in a flush to your BFF. I personally would have preferred the standard interface of having two buttons for this purpose: One for picking up and one for hanging up, just like on your mobile.
Moreover, by placing the volume buttons on the right side, they’re not nearly as easy to access as they could be. It might have been better if these buttons were either at the top section (where it says “Bluetooth”) or a little lower on the front face, maybe closer to the “Anycom” logo.
Gadget Thief Magnet
I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel particularly safe leaving all my precious gadgets out in plain sight when I leave my car in a parking lot. My car stereo has a removable faceplate, I take my portable GPS with me when I leave my car (or I hide it somewhere), and I would likely take this Bluetooth speaker with me when I park my car too. As a result, the solar panel becomes not nearly as useful as it can be. After all, the solar panel isn’t exactly exposed when you have it in your pocket. Or how about when you park underground?
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Huh? What Did You Say?
All of these things are secondary to voice quality. While the speaker on the Anycom Solar Car Kit is perfectly adequate, even when I had the car stereo playing at a low-to-moderate level, the microphone was very disappointing. It could not recognize any of my voice-dial tags unless I turned my stereo off, talked really loud, and leaned into where the device was mounted on my windshield. This can’t possibly be very safe having my face shoved into it while driving.
Maybe it was because of the voice recognition software, right? Well, the person on the other side of the line said that I sounded very “distant” and had a very difficult time hearing what I was saying. When I tried being the person on the other end, I felt the same frustration, barely being able to hear my co-converser. A bad mic ruins any Bluetooth product.
Conclusion
Anycom had a rather interesting idea for the Bluetooth Solar Car-Kit. I can certainly appreciate its ability to keep the battery topped up throughout a lengthy drive, assuming that you have it optimally placed on your windshield. Installation was relatively easy, with the exception of the suction cups that took a little work to wedge into the holster. The compact footprint is also a huge plus in the cramped quarters of some vehicles.
On the downside, the solar panel isn’t all that practical, unless you want to invite gadget thieves into your car. Worst still, as mentioned, the microphone appears to be very weak — it’s just a pinhole in the side — which fundamentally ruins any prospect of me recommending this item. If you need a Bluetooth speaker for your car, I’d say that you’re better off with a product like the BlueAnt Supertooth Bluetooth Handsfree Speakerphone, even though it’s a fair bit bigger. The microphone on it is much better. However, this could be an interesting addition to that “Prius” or other hybrid for the full eco-friendly effect.
Pros
- Innovative integration of a solar panel
- Reasonably easy to setup and install
- Very compact form factor
- Speaker is loud and clear
Cons
- Controls can be awkward and confusing
- Solar panel is a gimmick
- Microphone doesn’t work very well
- Not very practical
- Glossy finish is a fingerprint magnet
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