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|  | |  | | | Blueant S4 Handsfree Voice Controlled Bluetooh Car Speakerphone | | | | | SKU:
BLUEANT_S4 | | Availability:
Out of stock | | | | | | BLUEANT S4 BLUETOOTH CAR KIT | | | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Product Length: | 4.88 inches | | Product Width: | 0.62 inches | | Product Height: | 2.38 inches | | Product Weight: | 0.64 pounds | | Package Length: | 8.7 inches | | Package Width: | 6.1 inches | | Package Height: | 1.7 inches | | Package Weight: | 0.25 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 164 reviews |
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| | Features | Voice DialVoice AnswerCaller Name AnnounceVoice Access To The World
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 164 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
219 of 223 found the following review helpful:
 Best Yet! Jun 12, 2010
By GatorJ
This is best handsfree car speakerphone I've had so far. My first was a Motorola T305 which I found to be (barely) adequate. I then purchased a Blueant SuperTooth II which I used up until the purchase of this unit. I really liked the SuperTooth II in terms of call quality, amazing battery life and the convenience of the on/off switch being activated by the microphone boom. It was a bit limited in its feature set as newer models were being released, but it was/is a solid performer. Based on excellent reviews of the Motorola T505 and my desire to get a new gadget, I also purchased one of those. I was not particularly impressed with it in terms of call quality or ease of use and gave it to the same friend who inherited my Motorola T305.
I was ready to get a new handsfree (nothing wrong with the SuperTooth II, I just wanted a new gadget again) and was pleasantly surprised to learn BlueAnt had just released the new S4. I quickly ordered one and received it on Monday (I'm writing this on Saturday).
First thing I noticed after opening the box is that the S4 is noticeably smaller and lighter than the II. It is nicely finished and I find it to be much nicer looking than the II, almost elegant in appearance. The S4 does NOT come with an AC charger. Instead you are supplied with a cigarette lighter adapter and an approximately 11" long USB cable. The S4 uses a micro USB plug with the port on the side of the device, next to the slide on/off/battery save switch. The port is covered by a lighter gray cover. Also in the box are the manual and two sunvisor clips...one for thicker, one for thinner sunvisors. The unit is held to the sunvisor clips by two rather strong magnets.
After charging the S4 for a while...the battery is rated at 20 hours talk time and 700 hours standby, I paired it with my phone. That was easy, the first time you power up the S4 it talks you through the pairing procedure. For those who care, the S4 uses a male voice as opposed to the II's female one. (Edit: The SR does use a female voicxe for "answer or ignore" incoming calls (see below))
A couple of things to note so that you do everything in the correct order and don't have to repeat steps. The S4 has upgradeable firmware. The unit I received came with firmware version 1.2 and version 1.5 is currently available. The first thing you should do is go to BlueAnt's website and download the updater software. Follow the directions EXACTLY...if you don't press the phone icon "button" long enough...until both the green and red lights cycle on and off...the program won't run correctly (ask me how I know) and upgrade the firmware. After you are finished updating the S4, it has to be paired with your phone (all over again if you previously paired it prior to updating it). It will also be necessary to transfer your phone's contacts. If you transferred your phonebook prior to updating the firmware you will have to do it again. Also, and this is not clear from the manual, you have to disconnect the S4 from your computer to transfer your phonebook.
So now that it was updated and set up, it's time to play with it. The main function of any handsfree kit is to allow you to communicate clearly with it. It that sense, the highest compliment you can pay such a device is that people don't know you are using it. Everyone I've asked during a call has indicated they could hear me clearly and weren't aware I was on a speakerphone, whether I was in my fairly quiet daily driver or my much louder sports car. The volume on the S4 is excellent and is adjusted by merely swiping your finger along the face of the unit. Note, the S4 does NOT have an FM transmitter. I did not want that function, but if you require it, this is not the unit for you.
The S4 has a few LED lights that can be easily turned off by voice command if desired. The voice command system has worked flawlessly and truly renders the S4 a handsfree unit. You can check battery level, activate your phone's voice dialing, redial, call back your last incoming call, confirm connection to your phone, adjust voice recognition sensitivity, update your phonebook and access Bing's 411 service (in my area with my carrier) all though voice commands. When a call comes in, the S4 announces either the contact's name or telephone number and asks if you want to answer or ignore the call. You can answer or ignore calls be either voice command or tapping the phone icon on the face of the unit...one tap to answer, two to ignore and a single tap to terminate the call. If you transferred your phone's contacts, the S4 announces the name for incoming call, otherwise just the number.
In the week I've had the S4 I've been very impressed with its call quality, feature set and convenience. Battery level is still at high after the initial charge. Assuming you don't need the FM transmitter function, I believe this is an excellent choice and recommend it without hesitation or other qualification.
55 of 56 found the following review helpful:
Awesome Purchase Jun 17, 2010
By D. Forman
"Ben's Mom"
I had wanted to get a hands free device for the car after getting and I Phone. I did a lot of research and reading and decided that I didn't want anything that dealt with the radio. I wanted to keep it simple. When my husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday, this is what I asked for. I love the Blueant S4. It is easy to use and was easy to set up with my I Phone. I did purchase a longer charging cord, as the cord that came with the S4 was about 6 inches long and wouldn't really work in my car. Now I can have the S4 charging if need be and not have to worry. No one realizes that I am on a speaker phone unless my son is in the car and decides to chime in with a hello or two. I would definitely recommend to others who are technically challenged like myself. If I can set it up and use it, anyone who can read and follow directions can do it too.
59 of 61 found the following review helpful:
 Good attempt, but still room for improvement Sep 10, 2010
By Raoul Yeates
"MISH"
Let me just start off by saying that everyone's tastes would differ... and the opinions stated by myself may not be what you experience... I suggest reading more reviews... especially the critical comments about the item to help improve your decision making process...
Now with that said, The Blueant S4 was purchased to replace the ST3 which I purchased actually 2 weeks earlier... not that I didn't like the ST3 (I love it) but disappointingly it did not have multipoint. I believe that if the ST3 carried this feature it would be a top seller.
It is a nicely designed speakerphone and I do like the fact that the power buttons slide on/off unlike the heavy pressing you had to do for the ST3. Also the lights are not as bright so it is great to drive with at night.Slightly larger than the ST3 but still quite light... the visor in my vehicle didn't hang or fall everytime I hit rough stretches of road. Also really nice is the handsfree trigger where you say "blueant, speak to me" and the cool voice awaits your command... though I would have liked to have the language options available on it as the ST3. But the problem with the trigger is that there are times that you have a conversation and may just mention some words that the S4 believes sounds like the trigger phrase... and it goes waiting for you.
Unfortunately there are some key issues that are more serious than that though... Firstly, sometimes the commands are not recognized. Now my car is loud, but has been used in other vehicles as well and when there is an incoming call in which it asks you to say "answer", there are times it would not answer... also it says to touch the unit itself... which also is hit or miss... unless I have been doing something wrong.
The Speaker loudness during a call could have been a little better. The trigger voice you will notice is usually louder than the call itself, but it is pretty good... not as good as the ST3 though... with the windows down, it was a little difficult to keep a sound conversation dependent of your speed.
Another note that disappoints me is the voice dialing... I have 2 sony ericsson phones that have the system setup, however I cannot get either to voice dial through the S4... again I am not sure if this is just an issue with my phones or the S4 itself.
But most problematic with the S4 experienced, is the connection problems with the phones if you step out the vehicle. Many times I have stepped out the car for a few minutes out of range, then when I return I would expect it to connect by saying the trigger phrase and asking if connected... many times I get no response. Touching the center button manually should get it to connect and even then there are times that it doesn't... I have found myself on many occasions having to turn off the system and restart it just to pick up the BOTH phones I have...
Also, blueant could have done a better job with the components that come with the package... mainly the addition of a house charger and even if not that, they could have given a LONGER cord rather than the strip of USB connector they give you... I felt like was being short changed with the S4, after receiving all the ammenities of the ST3, which comes with a longer cord, a car charger separately and a house charger.
But all in all, it is still a suitable speakerphone for basically doing just that.. being a speakerphone. But to make this competitive in my opinion, Blueant has some homework to do. Perhaps a software update may improve some things, perhaps not, definately they need to improve their accessories available than what they give you now.
Good: Slide power button, trigger phrase quite helpful, lights not too bright for night driving, fairly good call quality, multipoint
BAD: Limited accessories, calls in the speaker not very loud, voice answer not always solid, voice dialing issues, reconnection to phone(s) problematic
Gets 3 stars from me. I will continue to test this item and return with more feedback as time progresses...
40 of 43 found the following review helpful:
Excellent - if you have a voice-enabled phone Jun 08, 2010
By Mark Stran
"Marked and Stranded"
I was concerned about a battery powered Bluetooth speaker that mounts to your sun visor via magnets. Could this thing actually emit decent sound? Surprisingly yes. The BlueAnt S4 eliminated the need to drive around with an annoying little gremlin in my ear, and its wind, road, and background noise reduction really did the trick. The good news is that even if your phone doesn't support Voice Dialing, the BlueAnt S4 syncs your list of contacts so if you get a call, Charles will announce who the call is coming from. He'll even announce numbers that are not stored in your phone when a call is coming in. If you're an avid Bing user, you can tell Charles to access Favorites, then Traffic, Weather, Information, etc. however the BlueAnt S4 is especially worth it if your phone supports Voice Dialing over Bluetooth. That way you'll be able to take full advantage of hands-free interaction behind the wheel.
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
I love the BlueAnt S4 Nov 20, 2010
By Terry Frazier
"Cognovis Group LLC"
The BlueAnt S4 is, hands down (pun intended,) the best remote call accessory I've ever used. When I bought this I wanted something that would let me carry on a conversation in the car without holding the handset. Being able to hear and be heard clearly was my No. 1 requirement.
Not irritating people on the other end of my call, or forcing them to constantly ask me to repeat myself or listen to a bunch of road noise unless I press mute, was requirement No. 2. These people are not interested in my spiffy voice dialing if they can't understand me.
The S4 is a stellar performer in both areas.
I have not used any other hands-free speakerphone but I have used (or been subject to) every imaginable ear-piece/headset/microphone gadget -- both wired and un-wired. Every other device -- and this goes for expensive Jawbone-style ear-pieces down to the old-style Shure wired headsets -- always left one party or the other struggling to hear or understand.
The noise canceling is terrific. When I use the S4 in the car people don't even know I'm on a speakerphone. It's so quiet when I'm not speaking that people frequently ask, "Are you there?" yet they never have trouble hearing or understanding me when I do speak.
There are a few comments and reviews here that note this or that function doesn't work well, or the voice recognition isn't good, etc. I haven't had any significant issues. I can call/answer just fine. The available features vary depending on the phone(s) you have. I've used it with a Blackberry Curve and an old Sanyo flip phone (at the same time.) The voice recognition isn't 100% perfect, but it works as well as any other voice recognition device I've ever had, including fancy voice recognition software like Dragon NaturallySpeaking. I don't mind pressing a button on my old phone to dial if I'm going to get a great, hands-free, 30-minute call.
Recently a colleague with whom I speak regularly using the S4 was so impressed that he went out and bought one. For the first time I was on the receiving end of an S4 conversation. I was just as impressed. I couldn't tell he was using it. It was actually better than when he used the handset.
Battery life has been very good. I set it to turn off the hands-free command mode after three minutes to conserve the battery. Talk time has been very good. I haven't timed it but it's well past two hours.
Pairing is easy. Charging is fast. The dual phone support works well for those of you that carry separate phones for work and personal use.
All in all, I love the S4. If call clarity and ease of use is your priority this is a fantastic device. If you're main concern is some of the geekier stuff your mileage may vary.
**8-week Update
I've been using the BlueAnt S4 for eight weeks now and two minor issues have cropped up. Neither changes my overall opinion or rating, but they're worth mentioning for potential buyers.
First, the dual-phone support seems a bit iffy. As noted above, I have used the S4 with two phones simultaneously connected. This seems to cause problems with the Blackberry Curve. The main symptom is that the sound intermittently goes "warbly" -- sounds like both parties are under water -- and is unusable. Sometimes it will go away, sometimes it won't. Usually I just turn the S4 off and talk on the phone, but that defeats the purpose.
I can't determine any other cause except the dual connection. The problem only occurs when I have two simultaneous Bluetooth connections. And it only occurs with the Blackberry. At one point the Bluetooth profile seemed to get corrupted. I had to reset the S4, wipe out the connection data on the phones, and start over. This fixed some other issues, but did not cure the intermittent warble problem.
The problem has never surfaced with just a single BT connection, nor with my Sanyo phone.
The second problem is the S4 doesn't like cold weather. I live in Texas so it doesn't get really cold, but below 40-degrees F. the on-off switch doesn't always work. I have to switch it on-off a couple of times to get it started.
The unit has never failed to come on, and I have not contacted tech support. It might be a little defect, but it hasn't really bothered me.
Just a couple of minor things that might be fixed by some future firmware or something, but my rating and overall satisfaction remain the same.
See all 164 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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