Bluetooth headsets are plenty popular, but unless you’re a corporate powerhouse who’s on the phone nonstop or a yuppie too cool to hold a phone in their hand like the rest of us plebeians, headsets aren’t that practical to be wearing all the time. Honeywell’s recently-launched Airlite 900 aims to provide an alternative hands-free solution for the car. Measuring up to the size of a credit card, this little sucker offers quite a bit for something so tiny, but be prepared to make some compromises.
The Short Version
Airlite 900
By Honeywell ($99.99)
Specifications
- Bluetooth version: 2.0
- Power: Class II
- Range: Up to 10M (33ft)
- Wireless compatibility: Bluetooth devices supporting headset & hands-free profiles
- Frequency: 2400-2483.5MHz
- Security: pairing, encryption and authentication
- talk time: Up to 10 hours
- Standby time: up to 250 hours
- Weight: 1 oz
- Dimensions: 3.5″ x 2″ x 0.2″
Pros
- Loud
- Slim and portable
- Bundled accessories put it at home in the car
Cons
- Tinny sound
- Pricy
- External speaker or headset just as good
Verdict
Good sound volume in a small package is great, especially when it avoids mid-driving phone-fumbling, but your cell’s speakerphone probably has better quality, and will cost you considerably less than $99.99.
The Long Version
Presentation
The layout of the Airlite 900 is pretty simple, and when it comes down to it, slimness is one of its key selling points. A plus and minus button let you easily adjust volume, and the phone button handles all of pairing, answering calls, starting calls, powering up and powering down. A Privacy key lets you swap between handsfree and handset mode especially easily. A little indicator LED above the phone button lets you know when its paired, searching, or turning off. The speaker itself is near the top on the front face, while the mic and charging slot are along the bottom edge.
Functionality
Pairing up with my BlackBerry Bold was dead easy, and recognized the built-in voice dialing application no problem. It’s actually really convenient having something immediately bring up voice dialing, as it’s cumbersome (not to mention dangerous) to try navigating menus while in the middle of driving.
In terms of actual sound quality, I was a little disappointed. Maybe the Bold’s incredible external speakers have spoiled me, but the Airlite 900 came off as pretty tinny. That’s a compromise you’ll have to make for size, but the sound is generally clear and can be surprisingly loud if you crank the volume. The device works with the Bold’s media player fine, but I wouldn’t recommend playing a lot of music on there.
After taking a call on the Airlite 900, I was wondering why I wouldn’t just leave my phone on a car’s dashboard, or even get a mount if I were feeling fancy. After all, any mobile with Bluetooth is likely to have a speakerphone available too. Well, the biggest convenience is in being able to access controls without having to shuffle around for your phone in mid-traffic, which folks may well need if they can’t keep their phones somewhere handy.
The Airlite 900 charges via microUSB and will provide a solid ten hours of talk time on a full charge. That’s pretty damned good for something so slim, and ensures you won’t have to recharge all that often. Even when you do, it comes with a cigarette lighter charger, which can actually be pretty helpful if your phone happens to use the same plug. Alas, I’m stuck with miniUSB. A standard wall charger is also included.
Overall
Overall, it’s a tricky accessory to market. With alternatives like headsets and built-in speakerphones readily available, the only thing really going for the Airlite 900 is portability. As you can see, it fits just dandy in a wallet, and the accompanying leather clip lets you put it on sun visors or anywhere else that works for you. Sure, this could be an appealing accessory to the right person, but for your your average consumer, $99.99 may be a bit steep. The Airlite 900 has a cool form factor, and it does what it says it does, but in the end, this is one gadget you can easily live without.