Jabra SP700

Featuring a built-in FM transmitter allowing users to hear phone calls through their car audio system, Jabra's SP700 is a versatile Bluetooth hands-free speakerphone.

The design of the SP700 is derived from the SP5050; it's similar in both appearance and function. This unit is primarily designed for in-car use, but can also be used at home or in the office — the attached sun-visor clip conveniently doubles as a small desk stand. The unit itself is sleek and slim; when clipped to your sun visor, the compact design won't intrude on the cabin of your vehicle.

Pairing is a simple process — holding down the power button for five seconds puts the SP700 in pairing mode, denoted by a flashing red and blue indicator light.

Once connected, operation is simple. The unit only has three buttons: a large answer/end call button, volume control on the right and an FM transmitter button on the left. A small display sits at the top of the unit and features different coloured LEDs to inform you of power, Bluetooth connection, call status and FM transmission. Activating 'night driving mode' dims the LEDs to reduce the likelihood of a driver being distracted.

The unit automatically goes into pairing mode when switched on, so synchronising with any Bluetooth compatible phone is quick and hassle-free. The SP700 can pair with up to eight phones and it remembers each phone, so there is no need to do anything after the original pairing besides power the unit on.

The major additions to this model are text-to-speech and FM transmission. The former means the SP700 'talks' to you during its operation. It tells you information such as 'power off', 'connected' and the number of an incoming call (the SP700 has voice announcements in 10 languages). Unfortunately, unlike the Supertooth 3, this unit won't announce the caller's name even if it is stored in your phonebook, nor can you answer calls using just your voice.

The FM transmitter is the best feature of this unit, as it allows you to use your in-car audio system and speakers to make and receive calls. This is a simple process that involves pressing the FM button. The unit will then announce an FM frequency, allowing you to tune your car's audio system. If your phone supports the A2DP Bluetooth profile for audio steaming, you can also play music from your mobile through your car stereo using this feature.

The SP700 produces relatively decent audio quality during calls. We were impressed with both incoming and outgoing audio, although incoming sound isn't as loud as we'd have liked — but you can eliminate this issue by using the FM transmission function. Jabra claims the device uses advanced DSP noise reduction and cancellation; we were impressed with the audio quality even while our window was open.