With laws for handsfree devices closing in on driving callers, find out why the BlueAnt Supertooth 3 is our handsfree device of choice in our full review.
Review summary of the BlueAnt Supertooth 3:
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 We were big fans of the BlueAnt Supertooth Light speakerphone, so when the BlueAnt Supertooth 3 arrived at our door, we were admittedly optimistic and rightfully so. The Supertooth 3 is not only the best Bluetooth speakerphone we've tried, it's one of the best Bluetooth handsfree devices we've used, period. Call quality was great, even barreling down the highway with the windows rolled down. We were skeptical that the text-to-speech would be a gimmick, but it turned out to be a useful, well-implemented feature. If you need a handsfree device, and everyone will, sooner or later, this is definitely the one we recommend. Release: July 2008. Price: $80.
Pros: Excellent call quality. Impressive battery life. Text-to-speech was more useful than we suspected it would be.
Cons: More buttons would make setup easier. Magnets worry us.
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Full BlueAnt Supertooth 3 Review:
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Design - Good
The BlueAnt Supertooth 3 aims for a simplistic design, but maybe it's a bit too simple. The device has "call" and "end" buttons as well as volume keys, but that's it. We understand keeping buttons to a minimum on a Bluetooth earpiece, but there is so much extra room on the Supertooth 3 that we think a few extra keys would have been a big help. Instead of memorizing the morse code-like button commands for pairing, redialing and accessing the device's setup menu, why not simply include buttons for those functions? Buttons could be clearly marked, easily hidden and would save us time digging around for the manual.
Otherwise, the BlueAnt Supertooth 3 keeps things even more simple than the BlueAnt Supertooth Light. The boom microphone is gone, now integrated directly into the slim, black box, but this didn't seem to affect call quality in the slightest. When paired with a phone, the Supertooth 3 has a tiny blue light that flashes. On a very dark night driving home the incessant flashing nearly drove us to distraction, especially as the device was placed on our visor, just above eye level. Usually, though, we didn't notice it.
Sound quality - Excellent
Sound quality on the BlueAnt Supertooth 3 is fantastic. It's better than any handsfree earpiece we've used and better than any Bluetooth speakerphone we've tried. It even sounded better than many of the phones we used to test the device, including our Apple iPhone and Palm Treo 755p. Most callers didn't realize we were talking on a speakerphone, and none suspected we were using a Bluetooth device.
We used the device as a conference call speaker as well as a handsfree device in the car, and it worked well in both setting. On the road, though, is where this device really impressed us. We made calls with the windows rolled down and didn't have to raise our voice above a normal volume. The wind was audible in between sentences, but the Supertooth 3 did an excellent job suppressing noise while we were talking.
Calling - Very good
The most interesting feature on the BlueAnt Supertooth 3 is its text-to-speech capability. When you first pair the device with your phone, it reads through your address book and stores the names. Then, when a call from one of your contacts comes through, the Supertooth 3 tells you who is calling and from which line (work, mobile, etc.). The phone can speak in a variety of languages and accents, including American and British English, French and other Western European tongues. Once the phone tells you who is calling, you can accept by simply saying "OK" (or "d'accord," or whatever they say in Italy). Unfortunately, you can't tell the phone to reject a call, but you can press the "End" button for the same effct.
Once we memorized the redial method for this device (hold for a few seconds, then release), placing calls was very easy with the BlueAnt Supertooth 3. The phone can pair with up to 8 devices, though we had some trouble pairing with two phones at once. Our iPhone seemed to forget the connection, and we had to re-pair in order to share the device with our Treo, but this could have been the fault of the phone and not the Supertooth 3.
Odds and ends
Like the Supertooth Light, the BlueAnt Supertooth 3 charges via a USB port, which makes it a great travel companion. We charged it by plugging it into our laptop, and the device held a charge for an extraordinarily long time. We never plugged the Supertooth 3 into our car outlet, but the device managed to hold a charge through more than a week of regular usage. The Supertooth 3 also retains the strong magnets on its back that worried us on the Supertooth Light. The magnetic hold on the visor clip was strong enough that it never spontaneously fell off, but since we were charging the device near our laptop (and our laptop's hard disk drive), we were worried about having powerful magnets around. We never had any problems, so this might be superstition on our part.
Price and availability
The BlueAnt Supertooth 3 is available now. We've seen it at online stores for as little as $80.
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