MOTOROKR T505 Bluetooth Car Kit | 
| Brand: Motorola
List Price: $139.99
Buy New: $89.23
You Save: $50.76 (36%)
New (18) from $89.23
Rating:  69 reviews
Color: Grey
Media: Wireless Phone Accessory
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
Model: T505
UPC: 723755891494
EAN: 0723755891494
ASIN: B000WTM552
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Stream music from your phone to the T505 and through it to the car audio system, using the FM transmitter | | • | High quality audio conversations in even the noisiest environment with powerful 2 watt speaker. Use your car speaker systems for surround sound. | | • | Surround sound audio experience without the hassles of pro-installation. Easy pairing, simple clip on visor and guided FM operation. StationFinder for easy lock in of FM station. | | • | Echo / noise cancellation and surround sound deliver high quality audio in even the noisiest environments | | • | Easy pair, audio caller ID, large easy to reach button, removable visor clip all enhance ease of use |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 64 more reviews...
Works well considering it uses FM January 19, 2008
Wayne (Austin, TX)
86 out of 91 found this review helpful
I've been looking for a way to get my HTC Touch more "integrated" with my factory sat nav system in my Yukon. I already had the BlueAnt Supertooth II bluetooth speaker phone, but really wanted something that would work with the stereo.
So I pre-ordered the ROKR T505 and have been using it for about a week now. First, in the box, you don't get a whole lot. Just the unit, visor clip, a DC charger, and very detailed and easy to understand instructions. However, since it uses mini-USB, any one of my many AC, DC, or USB chargers will work just fine. This device is also quite compact when compared to the blueant device and looks good sitting on the visor (also unlike the blue ant).
After it was charged, I easily paired it up to my Touch, and media player (which was already open) immediately start playing music. I made a few test calls in the house, and it works great. The internal speaker is nice and loud (on par with the BlueAnt), controls are well placed for car use, lights and tones are easily understood, and the music will automatically pause/resume when you receive or place a call.
After reviewing the rest of the instructions to understand what the buttons did (recommended), I took it out to the Yukon, and pressed the "FM" button. The unit talks to you telling you which station to set it to. Once you tune the requested station, you now have full stereo sound through your car stereo for both Voice and Music. If it has a bad signal, simply press the FM button again, and it will find the next free channel.
I made a few test calls while parked and while driving around and it works just as it did in the house, except in stereo sound. While people could hear me OK, they could easily tell I was on a speaker phone. This is partly due to the vehicle being louder than usual on the highway (aftermarket exhaust). Voice recognition (voice tags) on the Touch also worked through the T505, just as it does with a bluetooth headset.
Through the stereo, I could hear the caller just fine. But in my area, which is in a big city, I did keep getting intermittent static, regardless of which station I was on. While not a major issue, it is rather annoying. Changing the station does help, but as you drive, it tends to pickup other stations in the form of breif static and may interfere with your phone call, requiring you to find another free station.
As noted earlier, incomming calls will mute your music, and it tells you the phone number that is calling. It won't say the name of the person on caller ID however. Even though I didn't really buy this to play music via FM, it works about as well as your average FM transmitter. So when a call comes in, I just press a button for the pre-programmed FM station that I previously saved in memory, then go back to CD when it's done. Although if you prefer to use FM for Music and Voice with your phone, this will makes things a lot easier for you. Just keep in mind that this is still FM, so don't expect anything near CD sound quality.
Overall, everything does work as advertised. The battery has lasted on a single charge all week, but haven't had a chance to see how long it will go. Unfortunately, the FM issues are annoying, but expected. Your results will of course vary depending on the sensitivity of your receiver and number of stations in your area. So to wrap things up, here is a list of pros and cons.
Pros:
* Excellent compact design with well placed controls
* Bluetooth supports A2DP (Stereo Bluetooth protocol)
* Very easy to use
* Voice dictation of certain commands
* Speakerphone nice and loud
* Mic picks up voice over moderate background noise
Cons:
* Expensive
* FM transmitter could be better
* No AUX output
Basically, once you understand what it will do and determine that it meets your requirements, this is definately something to consider. However, I personally plan on waiting for something that uses your AUX audio port instead of FM. Not to mention something that is a bit cheaper ($139 US at time of review). I returned it.
 Not perfect but the best I've tried March 8, 2008
RJ (MN United States)
67 out of 69 found this review helpful
I bought a total of 5 (yes five) different Bluetooth speakerphones to test on my car visor and operate with my Sprint HTC Touch phone. Each unit has flaws and two are unusable in my opinion when used with the Sprint Touch. Your results may differ.
Here are the units I tested:
The Jabra SP5050, Parrot Minikit, BlueAnt Supertooth Light, BlueAnt Supertooth II and Motorola T505. I chose these units based on the positive user reviews on the Amazon site.
Now how they perform when paired with my Sprint HTC Touch...
BlueAnt Supertooth Light - Works good with few complaints. Connects automatically every time. Has mini USB for charging which is exactly the same as my phone. OK speaker volume (but the volume may cause an echo on the other end). I like how turning the unit on or off is accomplished by pushing the mic in/out. Magnetic clip is nice.
BlueAnt Supertooth II - Works good but doesn't usually connect automatically with the Touch. I need to push the talk/end button to connect. Best speaker volume (you can turn the volume too high which may cause an echo on the other end). This unit can be used with the visor up or down since the mic can swing totally open. Aesthetics might not appeal to some. I really like how turning the unit on or off is accomplished by swinging the mic in or out. Magnetic clip is nice.
Jabra SP5050 - Maybe the best aesthetics with very slim size. Easy to understand if it's on and connected with the alert tones. Very light unit and did I say how slim it is?
Terrible low volume with my Sprint Touch! The volume is unusable for highway speed driving and is a deal killer compared to the other units. This cannot be corrected using the volume on my phone as it's at max too! I was so hopeful for this unit.
Parrot Minikit - Works great sometimes. Has great speaker volume. Sometimes cannot get it to connect and sometimes locks up. I believe this is an issue with the Minikit and the Touch combination as I also tested a Parrot LS3200 color built in unit with the exact same terrible results. Unusable!
Motorola T505 - Nice aesthetics. Connects automatically every time. Has mini USB power connector exactly the same as my phone. Very good speaker volume and I love the option of using the FM transmitter with my car stereo for even better sound and volume. No complaints from people on the other end and they never heard an echo like the BlueAnt. I haven't tried using the music player but that isn't why I bought it. I prefer the Supertooth II on/off mic switch over the Motorola back of the unit location. This is by far the best unit for use with my Sprint Touch and the one I'll keep using. Works fantastic!
Now I'm giving away the other units to friends.
This is the bluetooth device you were looking for! March 27, 2008
Ronald Epstein (NJ)
39 out of 39 found this review helpful
I recently bought a 2008 Cadillac CTS. It is the best car I have driven to date, but the biggest problem it has is that all vehicles manufactured prior to April 2008 have no bluetooth. This is the first car I have owned without bluetooth installed since the technology first became available. Since I run a business and constantly use the phone in my car, I scrambled to find the perfect device.
Right now the two most popular BT devices are the Blueant Supertooth Light and the Motorola T505. It was a tough choice which way to go but I chose the Motorola because it had FM transmitting capability.
The one thing that is misleading about the pictures depicted of this device on Amazon is its size. I was amazed to see just how small the T505 is. It comes with a very strong clip that secures itself on the visor, and it easily slides on and off whenever you need to remove the T505 for charging purposes.
The included car charger is worthless for most because who wants that cord dangling from the visor? What is visibly absent here is a wall charger. I can't really get upset about this as it does have a USB socket that allows you to plug your device in your computer's USB port for charging.
Pairing was easy. Hold the Power button down for a few seconds (you may have to press PLAY as well) and the T505 goes into pairing mode. My iPhone immediately recognized the device and once you type in 0000 you are instantly paired. No need to pair the phone each time you enter the vehicle.
For best results make sure the bluetooth volume is all the way up on your phone. This will provide the loudest results from the built-in T505 speakerphone.
My first call came today while I was driving. A british voice announced the incoming phone number. I simply pressed the front PLAY button and the call was connected. Speakerphone was crisp and loud. It was pretty incredible as far as the overall voice quality. People sitting in the back seat would have no problem hearing or joining in the conversation. The caller said I sounded great on his end and would never have guessed that I was talking on a speakerphone.
Press the FM locator button on the back of the unit and a British voice will announce a vacant FM channel that is available for you to tune and have your call directed to. Directing the call to FM produced a rather good quality call though slightly fuzzy.
I would not hesitate to recommend this device to anyone looking for the most ideal bluetooth solution for their vehicle. For portable hands-free bluetooth, this is about as good as it gets.
 Not for iPhone Users May 29, 2008
Harry St Ours (DC)
12 out of 16 found this review helpful
Although advertised widely as a product compatible with the iPhone, it is not. The Motorola T505 may be a slick and useful product for Motorola phones, but it is useless for the iPhone. Although there are many blogs that suggest techniques to make it work with the iPhone, nothing I tried can get this unit to work properly. Once paired, the iPhone needs to be kept awake and in (get this) visual voicemail mode in order to communicate to the T505 properly. Even then successful use is spotty at best, and at no time can you play music through the T505's internal speaker, nor via the FM transmitter over your speakers. Sometimes pairing is disconnected for no apparent reason. I recommend against iPhone users purchasing this device.
Works good for the most part April 11, 2008
Cell phone guy (Kalamazoo, MI USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I had the BlueAnt SuperTooth speakerphone in my car previously. While it worked okay for the most part, issues with echoing and that fact I wanted A2DP made me search around for other options.
When I first laid my eyes on the T505 I know this was exactly what I was looking for. I couldn't find any solid professional reviews of the device at the time, but judging by the Amazon ratings, I decided to go for it.
First, the device physically is steps above anything from BlueAnt or even previous Motorola bluetooth speakerphones. The light on it doesn't glare at you when driving at night and it doesn't take up half the visor in your car.
The first design flaw I found with the device is turning it on and off. You must press the power button on the back for about 3-4 seconds until it chimes. This really isn't a huge issue, but powering it off is. The device is supposed to turn off after losing connection from your phone for 20 minutes. In theory, you leave your car, and it will power off on it's own. Problem is if your out of your car but near it still, it will stay on for as long as you're near your vehicle. Even more annoying is when I'm at home and I answer the phone it will answer in the car parked in my garage! After a few minutes of confusion I tell my Motorola Q9c smartphone to turn handsfree off for the call. However, the same thing happens on the next call coming in. To stop this, you have to either power off the T505 when leaving your vehicle (press for 3-4 seconds) or manually tell the cell phone to disconnect it's session from the device. Again, this isn't a huge issue, but it's annoying. I think Motorola should offer a simple "switch" on the device like the blueant has. It makes it way easier to quickly turn off and on, and gives you a good visual if the device is on. The T505 status light slowly goes on and off, great while driving, but seems like you have to look at it for 3 seconds to decide if it's on or off.
The FM Transmitter is weak. If you have a car were the antenna is mounted near the front, then you're probably going to be fine. However, the antenna on my vehicle is located in the rear. I rarely get a clear signal. I will say the automatic tuning the T505 does is excellent. It usually does pick a weak frequency to tune to. I like how you can chose to have FM or use the speaker on the T505. Most FM bluetooth speakerphones only use FM. For music however, I find I rarely use the A2DP on this device because the music usually has static in it. Again, a lot of this has to do with antenna placement and probably how well your stereo pulls in FM stations. I really wish the T505 would offer a line out. You could run a wire up to your visor and plug it directly into your stereo.
Good call quality (both speaker and FM if you're getting a decent signal) and price make this attractive and I would recommend it to anyone as long as they understand its weak points.
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