[REVIEW] - E200 Safe2Talk Carkit

[Guest Will]

Another ‘no holes barred' review from Will.

The e200 Safe2Talk car kit,

As I do so many miles, every day, I’ve been looking forward to a proper car kit for the e200, I had the experience of testing a fully fitted e200 full car kit, which unfortunately did not make it to market, and when I returned my review sample, I really missed having a proper kit.

So when SmartPhoneAddons sent me the e200 version of the popular Safe2Talk kit, I was pleased to test this ‘easy to fit’ solution.

Unfortunately, the first one sent out, had some items missing, but a quick mail to SmartPhoneAddons, and a replacement was sent.

(Why do I always have problems like this?)

The box contents are:

Instructions (I doubt these are really needed!!)

Air vent phone holder,

Speaker and cigarette lighter adapter unit,

Microphone,

E200 Connection cable.

As the unit is powered by the cigarette lighter, and has an integral speaker, installation is ‘simple’ in the extreme. Literally you connect the cable to the unit, plug in unit, plug in microphone, and plug in the phone!

What pleased me at this point is that the unit has 2.5mm external microphone and speaker sockets, so I could wire it directly into my car stereo.

The holder that is supplied with the kit, although not used in my final installation, is nice, holding not only an e200 but also the c500, and xda! (of course this kit will not work with a c500, but I’m sure a version will be available in the near future.) In my car I have 2 Krussel car holders fitted, which allow me to ‘hook on’ my xda and e200 while they are still in their cases.

My car (one of those little Smart cars) has a recessed cigarette lighter socket, and I was concerned the unit would not fit, but it again the design seems to be suited to these situations too.

Once the microphone was mounted, (supplied with a Velcro and self adhesive pad), and the wire plugged in, it was time to take to the road.

On powering on the unit, the phone displays the charging icon and the ‘car’ profile is activated on the e200. Mapopolis spoken directions are fed out of the unit (although in my testing media player did not play out at all). SMS/Mail and other application driven sounds are also fed out through the unit.

The standard test of a 150 call to Orange Cust Services :

(free, and of varying audio quality at their end!) – was surprisingly good, with the speaker loud enough to hear at all speeds. Plugging the unit into my stereo meant I could gain more volume, and the quality of the call remained excellent.

The microphone is also very good, with a strong directional bias (a passenger talking at ‘normal’ volume was not heard by the caller, but when they raised their voice could join in the conversation. There are 2 buttons on the kit, a power switch, and a privacy button. The power switch can be used to prevent battery drain if you have a permanently live cigarette lighter. The privacy switch can be used switch the audio from the loudspeaker to the 2.5mm headphone jack on the unit.

Although the kit is designed to be self installed, the curly wire between the unit and the handset is a mixed blessing, as it’s harder to route in tight spaces to where the phone is positioned, but I’m sure this is a personal opinion, and other people love the flexibility of the coils to keep the wires tidy. During the summer, when wearing sunglasses in the car, I find using a bluetooth headset is uncomfortable, so this was a welcome change.

Overall to stay safe, and for the budget price of £39.99 it’s a worthwhile investment, and does ‘what it says on the box’ – roll on a c500 version!!