BlueAnt V1 headset- your iPhone’s new best friend
One thing I can state for certain, voice command of a cell phone is a must have feature in the car. Sure it comes in handy other places too but since I’ve been carrying an iPhone 3G I sure miss being able to do simple call-related functions by voice. BlueAnt is stepping up with the first Bluetooth headset that puts voice command on the headset itself for use with phones that don’t have that capability. Can you say iPhone? I knew you could.
The BlueAnt V1 is roughly the same size and form as the Z9i (pictured right) I have been using and I can’t wait to get one of these new babies. The V1 uses voice technology by BlueGenie to allow the user to perform tasks by voice no matter what phone is being used. Here’s the scoop from the press release:
Using the BlueGenie Voice Interface from Sensory, Inc., the BlueAnt V1 allows users to easily control their headset with voice commands rather than pressing multiple buttons or even looking at the phone. Unlike other headsets that only support voice dial capabilities through q mobile phone’s voice features, the V1’s voice control is embedded in the headset itself. Beyond voice dial capabilities, the V1 enables the user to control all headset features such as pairing, volume and connection status using only their voice. The V1 supports such commands as ‘Pair Me,’, ‘Redial,’ ‘Call Back,’ ‘Answer/Ignore Call,’ and ‘Call GOOG-411.’ Users can even ask the V1, “What can I say?” and the headset will verbally list all features available on the device. And say ‘Teach Me’ and the device will talk users through its functions.
The full feature list shows the V1 to be a top-notch headset in all areas:
- Voice control, using the BlueGenie Voice Interface
- Dual microphones enable crystal clear communication in the noisiest of environments
- Voice Isolation Technology™ for extreme noise, wind and echo cancellation
- Firmware upgradeable via USB connector
- Three charging options – car, phone & USB chargers
- Pairs with up to 8 Bluetooth devices
- Comply™ Foam Tips and a variety of different sized rubber ear gels
- Small and lightweight, less than .35 ounces without the ear hook
- Innovative tie clip for attaching to shirt or cuff, when not in use
- Up to 5 hrs talk-time or 200 hrs standby
- Bluetooth v2.1 for simplified pairing
The BlueAnt V1 will retail for $129.99 and you can get complete information at the BlueAnt web site.
They announced this at CES. I figured it was dead when the Z9i replaced the Z9. Glad to see it’s still coming to market. Voice control (outside of the phone) is something desperately needed – hope it works as advertised! And I hope it experiences less interference than my (former) Z9.
We’ve been playing with a couple of V1’s for the past few weeks now, and the voice command function really is amazing.
Hate to link-whore, but our review is up:
http://www.slashgear.com/blueant-v1-voice-control-bluetooth-headset-review-2614626.php
How can the headset hear the word “redial” and redial a phone… if the phone doesn’t support any ‘redial’ command?
(Like the iPhone 3G)
We just got the V1 and the noise canceling works very well. The voice dial on our iPhone 1st Gen is not working yet. We we (my wife’s phone, my tech support) “4″ the V1 seems to be telling the iPhone to dial the 9th Favorite. We are still trying different things to get this to work. My wife says it is the most comfortable BT headset she has worn, having been through a Plantronics Voyager 510 and a couple of Motorolas.
Voice Control feature works well, yet BlueAnt (or Sensory) made some really poor choices about default unchangeable presets.
Sad that such ground-breaking technology would be restricted by dumb default presets. If you have an iPhone 3G like me, you’ll probably hate them too. Every time I call my wife I have to say, “Call Voice Mail” because she’s set to speed-dial #1, and BlueAnt/Sensory failed to consider that some users don’t have or want speed-dial #1 set to voice mail. And plopping the GOOG-411 present at #5 is completely presumptuous… they should have used slot #9, if at all (I have an iPhone 3G with Google Maps and Google Search, why would I want to pay for a call to GOOG-411??).
Hopefully idiocy won’t prevail and BlueAnt/Sensory will provide a firmware update the sets the matter straight, changing the speed-dial presets to ‘Call Speed Dial 1′, ‘Call Speed Dial 2′, etc., and either moving GOOG-411 to speed-dial 9 or better yet leave it out.
Mary,
I think the redial function is all in the headset which “remembers” the last number dialed. Anyway, it just works on our iPhone and V1.
I just got a BlueAnt V1 and it works great on my 2G iPhone with SW Ver 2.2 I have to agree that BlueAnt could have done a better job on the voice dial presets. I think they should have included a “call help” to dial 911. That should have been a no-brainer. Also, if they would have made one of the nine speed dial slots respond to a “call number” command and then dial a stated number string, there would tons mare capability from the headset. Before long there will be plenty of hacks and patches for this headset, so it is still a good buy now.