E200 Safe2Talk

[Guest Paul [MVP]]

A bit of a late review, as i've been playing with this one a little while, but thought i'd give you all my thoughts on the E200 Safe2Talk car kit.

As we all know, the issue of car kits on the E200 is a sticky one. There has never been a satisfactory solution in my mind, so I was intrigued to give the newly-improved Safe2Talk car kit by Ora, available at SmartphoneAddons.com here at a very reasonable 39.99, a try.

So, first of all, what's in the box?

A surprisingly compact box holds all the kit you are likely to need - the unit itself, a vent mount holder, and an external microphone.

The unit is made from good quality plastic, and feels very sturdy.

The main unit has a large speaker, a power button, a privacy button - which can be used to route the sound through a headset which is plugged in to the relevant port on the unit. The cable from the unit to the phone itself, you'll be pleased to hear, has a snap-connector inline, which should allow simple upgrade for future handsets. There is a rotary volume control on the unit.

The microphone has a velcro fixing (I fixed it to the top of my steering column), and has a very long cable allowing fixing anywhere.

The only slight disappointment is the vent mount holder - it looks and feels a little cheap, and indeed mine packed up :P

Below are a few pics of the unit in my car:

The unit just about fits in my cigarette lighter, and is angled slightly upwards, which helps the sound. It should fit most cars.

So... what does it sound like?

Within the limits of the e200 (which has pretty naff sound in general), it's pretty good! The sound is plenty loud enough (if a little trebly as through the normal e200 speaker), and the callers at the other end can hear perfectly clearly.

For me the strongest benefit of this unit is the fact it can potentially be easily upgraded to future handsets.

Would I recommend it? Overall, yes, especially if these simple upgrades materialise.

Couple this unit with a decent car holder (I use a Belkin vent mount magnetic unit), and you'll be happy!

:)

P