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Review: Jabra SP200 Bluetooth Speakerphone – A Solid, Affordable Choice
I’ve never had the kind of life that requires a Bluetooth headset. I don’t take hundreds of calls a day or work at a job where my hands need to be doing one thing while my mouth does something else. That being said, there is one place where hands-free communication is less about convenience and more about physical safety and that place is in the car. As more and more statistics point to the dangers of distracted driving, more and more states are mandating the use of a hands-free system. But what do you do if you have an older vehicle that isn’t equipped for such technology? One solution is to turn to a relatively new class of products, wireless Bluetooth speakerphones for the car.
I recently had a chance to test one of these devices, the Jabra SP200 Bluetooth speakerphone system and after several weeks of testing, I have to admit that I’m impressed. The SP200 is an inexpensive yet thoughtfully designed product whose performance exceeded my expectations. It works well and is a solid, affordable choice.
The SP200 kit includes the speakerphone with wire clip, a USB charging cable, a separate car adapter for the charging cable and a quick start manual. The speakerphone itself is about 5” in length and is designed primarily to be clipped to the sun visor of your car, although it can be used upright as a traditional wireless speakerphone. The far end of the device houses an internal speaker while the nearer end houses a built-in microphone, an LED indicator, an oversized answer/end button and a huge volume wheel which extends outwards from the case to form the leading edge of the device. A simple power switch sits on the left hand side while a USB port on the right hand side allows for charging either from a computer or in-car with the provided adapter.
The large and simple controls of the SP200 make it easy to use while in motion, especially when working by touch. I especially liked the fact that the volume wheel gives audible feedback when turned, emitting louder tones when the volume is turned up and increasingly softer tones as the volume is lowered. This allows you to find the most comfortable volume setting prior to actually receiving a call.
The SP200 also has a strong internal speaker. Voices sounded clear and natural, even at relatively high volume levels. On the other end of the conversation, callers had no difficulty understanding me and the SP200’s digital processing did a good job of suppressing unwanted echoes and road noise. They did observe that my voice sounded a bit flatter than it does over my iPhone, but this is not uncommon for Bluetooth devices.
During my tests, I also found the unit to have very good battery life. Jabra claims the SP200 has 10 hours of talk time and 23 days of standby, numbers which mesh with my observations. Best of all, the speakerphone automatically enters sleep mode after being separated from the phone for 15 minutes, which is a handy feature if, like me, you tend to be forgetful. A single tap on the answer button re-awakens the unit once you return and a series of tones helps to confirm reconnection.
One of my initial disappointments with the SP200 was its lack of voice dialing support for the iPhone 3GS. Fortunately, Apple’s recent OS 3.1 update has fixed this issue and it now works as expected, although I did have to delete my existing Bluetooth profile for the SP200 and go through the re-pairing process before the feature would work properly. For those with other types of phones, I strongly suggest a visit to the Jabra website. The main page for the SP200 has a compatibility checker which will let you know whether you phone is fully compatible.
With a retail price of $59 and online prices in the $45 range, it’s hard to find much to dislike about the SP200. Ideally, I’d like to see the answer/end button back-lit so it’s easier to find in at night and the blue LED indicator does tend to wash out a bit in bright sunlight, but these are minor concerns. The SP200 is easy to set up and easy to use, with good battery life and solid all-around performance. Best of all, the SP200 can be used in any kind of vehicle or even as a freestanding speakerphone. If you’re concerned about cellphone safety in the car or simply want the convenience of an simple hands-free solution, the Jabra SP200 is a solid and affordable choice.
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