Motorola T305 Bluetooth car kit

By Siddharth Raja on 14 November 2006

An inexpensive and simple to use portable Bluetooth car kit that acts as a wireless speakerphone for your mobile phone.

Editor's rating:8.2 User rating:6.5
  • Good: Loud speaker • Simple to use • Stylish look
  • Bad: Distorted audio • Average battery life
  • Specs: Other • See more specifications
  • RRP: AU$129.00

Motorola's stylish T305 portable Bluetooth car kit offer users a simple and inexpensive wireless hands-free solution for using a mobile phone whilst driving. Rather than installing an expensive Bluetooth kit inside your car, the portable T305 offers much of the same functionally, but can be moved from one vehicle to another.

Design
The T305's sleek design features a plain black plastic outer shell, highlighted by a faux carbon-fibre front panel that actually looks quite cool. Located on the sides are separate buttons for adjusting the volume, while a backlit multi-purpose button on the front flashes red when there's an incoming call. Pressing it answers incoming calls with the conversation directed though the powerful 1-watt speakerphone. Otherwise, the button can be used to activate voice dialing.

A small clip that attaches to the back of the device allows you to mount the T305 on your car's sun visor, which allows for easy access. The T305 also has a mini-USB port at the base of the unit for charging in home as well as a vehicle power adaptor that plugs into your car's cigarette lighter for in-car charging. However, the 12 hours of talk time and 200 hours standby should be more than adequate for most trips.

Features
One of the major benefits of the device is that you don't have to wear any annoying headsets for hands-free conservations. Mounting the T305 on the sun-visor is the most practical location, as it's easily in reach for you to answer a call. The device also worked well when placed in the car's coin holder or storage bin.

The inbuilt speaker and microphone are enhanced with echo and noise reduction technology that help to minimise any loss of quality during conversations, and the addition of Bluetooth 2.0 plus the EasyPair feature make connection with you mobile phone easy.

Performance
Setting up the T305 is a very simple process. Once paired with our Nokia phone, which was very quick, we were ready to test it while out on the road.

Volume from the 1-watt speakerphone is very loud, even at medium settings. Our ringtone was easily heard even with the car's stereo turned up high and the windows down. Activating the call does require you to take one hand off the steering wheel for a short moment, but then everything is hands-free.

Echo and noise reduction technology worked well, with respondents mentioning that voices were crisp and clear. However, audio from the speaker, though loud, didn't feature the same level of quality.

The 200 hours quoted battery life lasts just over 8 days, which is only average compared to some competitor models such as BlueAnt's SuperTooth 2 that lasts up to 800 hours' standby.

Overall, we came away very impressed with the T305. Its inexpensive price and ease of use makes it a very worthwhile addition inside your car.

Topics: motorola, bluetooth, car, kit, t305

Comments (22)

  • JKH gave 6/10 on 07/10/2009 04:37

    • Good: Speak is Loud - Easy to use
    • Bad: People can't hear me - very frustrating

    Most of the people - 90% or so - say "You sound really far away." I recharged fully but did not help. Others say they echo bad or that they can just barely hear me at all. I took it back for the Motorola T215 - haven't used it yet - will let you know.

  • koolduffdude gave 9/10 on 25/12/2008 12:36

    • Good: easy to use
    • Bad: blue flashing light (cover with black tape and its all good)

    good unit has decent sound quality. Excellent buy for non-tech savvy persons.

  • bajadog gave 5/10 on 11/09/2008 22:53

    • Good: Loud enough speaker, compact design, under $50.
    • Bad: Callers say the can hear themselves echo when I call them.

    Thankfully I did not pay retail for this device. Overall a good hands free device.

  • djalberti gave 5/10 on 09/08/2008 17:46

    • Good: A lot cheaper than a lot of the other high tech stuff that is out there. Not a lot to it for the simple minded.
    • Bad: Only comes with a car/usb adapter to charge(you can also charge it with your own usb cable to your pc). I got pulled over by the highway patrol because they wanted to know what the blue flashing light was on my visor. After I showed them, they told me to take it off of my visor and place it elsewhere at night since it was a driving distraction. I guess I'll have to go with the black tape routine.

    Paired with my Verizon LG Envy phone with no problem. Sound is fair when sending/receiving. Simple to use.

  • iPhoneGuy gave 9/10 on 10/07/2008 15:05

    • Good: Very simple to use. Really good sound. Max volume is only slightly distorted. Turned down one notch and was perfect.
    • Bad: Blue light but not as bad as they say.

    Super easy to pair. Good sound, better sound on medium volume. Decent battery life.

  • James gave 9/10 on 23/04/2008 02:25

    • Good: - small
      - No ear crap needed
      - decent batt life on it
      - charges pretty fast
    • Bad: - The blue light is a little bothersome but not enough to pass on this thing.

      - Rolling with the sunroof and windows open does limit sounds quality.

    Got mine about 3 weeks ago and still works great. No issues to report!

  • JWD Photo gave 6/10 on 27/03/2008 00:50

    • Good: Sound quality good on my end, easy seamless pairing.
    • Bad: The flashing BLUE LIGHT is very distracting at night!

    Paired easily with my Krazr, peolple I talked to said they hear an echo and the sound is tinny. I Took it back and bought the Jabra 5050 for better sound and no blue light distractions.

  • Kevster143 gave 9/10 on 08/01/2008 08:14

    • Good: I don't have to wear those stupid-looking bluetooth ear pieces anymore. Crisp sounding, easily paired with my Samsung Sprint phone, and it's wireless (doesn't need to be plugged in all the time like a radar detector.)
    • Bad: If you have the volume all the way up, people on the other end say that they can hear themselves talking. Maybe the speaker noise going back into the microphone? If you turn the volume down a bit it works fine though.

    Perfect unit. I bought one for me, then liked it so much I got them for my parents, sister and friends for Christmas.

  • traveler gave 9/10 on 03/01/2008 10:16

    • Good: Easy pairing and useability
    • Bad: Blue light, but I fixed it for me by putting a piece of black tape over button and cutting a small hole in tape so light is still viewable!

    I just bought one of these for my wife's car and it paired instantly with her verizon cell phone. The price is right for the quality and ease of use. I will probably get another one for my own car as I don't like the earphones.

  • Wayne gave 9/10 on 23/11/2007 02:24

    • Good: Easy setup and use, compact, clear enough on both sides of conversation, good value
    • Bad: Flashing blue light at night (Not sure if frequent mention in reviews just has me focused on it more than necesaary though)

    Works well with my Verizon LG8300.

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