BlueAnt Supertooth II

Blueant's SuperTooth II Bluetooth portable handsfree kit is a clever product designed to be mounted in just about any modern vehicle to facilitate safe--and legal--mobile phone conversation in a moving car.

The kit ships with a base plate that can be permanently attached to a sun visor. A couple of small but powerful magnets on the rear face of the device itself allow it to be attached when required, and then removed for parking. The SuperTooth II measures 14 x 6 x 2.5cm, making it small enough to fit into a trouser pocket, notebook case or handbag between uses.

The design reflects the fact that drivers using the device need to have their eyes on the road, and a single button next to the microphone is used to pick up and hang up the connection. The panel also features a couple of indicator lights: one to signify Bluetooth connectivity and the other for battery charge. The battery offers up to 20 hours of talk time and a phenomenal 800 hours standby.

The device operates in full-duplex mode, meaning you can talk and hear at the same time. The front face features a volume knob, and the 5cm speaker is loud enough to overcome the noisiest of cars. The noise-cancelling microphone isn't overly sensitive, and there were no problems with the device picking up feedback during operation.

In fact, in our testing the entire unit worked flawlessly: the audio was clear and crisp, and the microphone was sufficiently powerful to avoid having to yell into it to be heard at the other end. And just in case you come across a noisy environment that overpowers the speaker, a headphone is also included in the package.

Both in-car and AC charge adapters are also provided in the SuperTooth II package, and the battery takes around 3.5 hours to charge completely. Blueant's comprehensive Web site at www.blueant.com.au includes a list of compatible Bluetooth mobile phones and PDAs, and we found no problems pairing the SuperTooth II with a Nokia 6230i, a Motorola A1000 and a HP iPAQ h6365 smartphone. In fact, it supports multi-pairing to two devices, which means it can be paired to two devices at once!

With ample connectivity options, decent sound, and clever features like multi-pairing, the SuperTooth II kit hits the mark perfectly.