INTRODUCTION

    For road warriors, a Bluetooth headset can be a big help for freeing up both hands. But what about a Bluetooth speakerphone? A speakerphone is usually louder, isn’t as intrustive as inserting a device into your ear canal, and, in the case of the VR3 LCD Bluetooth Speakerphone from Roadmaster, can show you the number of the incomming caller. Sounds pretty compelling, but how was the execution? Read on for the review!

WHAT’S HOT

    There’s a few interesting features of the VR3 that make it stand out from other Bluetooth speakerphones. The fact that is has an LCD screen means that you can see the number of incoming calls – unfortunately, that’s all you see, since it’s a numeric display only. That wasn’t much help when I got a call coming in: I’d still have to peer at my phone to see the name associated with the number. Also unique is that you can scroll through recently placed calls, recently missed called, and recently received calls, by using the three-way-button at the top of the unit. From there you can initiate a call right from the speakerphone if you find a number that you want to dial. Also hot is the device’s battery – which lasts incredibly long. How long? Over three weeks of on and off testing, the unit’s battery indicator didn’t drop below the full mark. Pretty good! Finally, the unit has some level of DSP to reduce noise.

SETUP

    Setup was just as easy as pairing any Bluetooth device. In this case, the manual asks that you press and hold the multi-function button for six seconds…my Smartphone quickly recognized the VR3, and after entering passkey "0000," I was set!

PRODUCT FEATURES

(all images link to higher resolution)

    Here is what comes inside of the box: the unit, an extra clip, a car charger, an earbud, and (not pictured) a three page manual. No home charger is included, but since it uses miniUSB, you can use a generic charger if you’ve got one.

    The entire unit is glossy-black, which is pretty attractive. The body of the VR3 is plastic and feels a bit cheap – but since it is to be placed on your visor, you won’t be actually holding or touching it much. On the front you will find the LCD screen, and two buttons. The top button blinks blue every few seconds when the unit is turned on — at night, I found this very annoying.

Here’s a shot to give you an indicated of its size.

Having the screen swivel was a good touch. The microphone is actually on top of the screen.

    Moving around to the other side we see a three way button towards the top of the image (which controls volume, plus other functions), a miniUSB charging port with rubber flap, and a headphone jack for use with a wired headset (good for when you don’t want the entire car to hear a conversation).

And on the back, we ave a large clip that fits just about an visor.

    It was tough to get a shot of the product in use – but here’s an attempt. You can see the white-on-blue LCD screen. The unit fit very snug against the bottom of my visor, and it looked attractive. At first, I placed the unit on the passenger-side visor, but got best sound results by placing it over the driver.

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HELP SUPPORT

       After reading the instructions numerous times, I’m still not exactly clear how to reconnect my phone to the speakerphone without having to turn the device off and on again. What I’ve come up with is the following: the unit will go into standby after a few minutes of there being no connection with a phone. At this point, to reconnect the phone, you press the mutli-function button once (this never occured automatically for me). Then, if the device shuts off after several hours of standby, you’ll have to press and hold the multifunction button for three seconds for it to turn back on, and automatically connect. Confusing.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

   

The device will work with just about any Bluetooth phone. I used it with an HTC Star Trek Smartphone.

BUGS AND WISHES

    There is an annoying blue light that blinks on the unit every few seconds – this is distracting at night time. I couldn’t find a way to disable this.

    The unit didn’t come with a home charger – requiring the user to run a cable from their cigarette outlet to the speakerphone when they decide to charge. Not sure about you, but I don’t like wires running through my car.

    As mentioned, the sound quality wasn’t great. The volume was plenty loud, I could hear the caller and the caller could hear me, but the true clarity that I’ve experienced from other Bluetooth audio devices just wasn’t there.

PURCHASING

   
The Bluetooth speakerphone can be purchased for a reasonable $70. Click here for ordering info.

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PROS

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  Small and attractive

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  LCD screen with caller ID

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  Great battery life

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  Good volume

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  Inexpensive

CONS

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  Caller ID only shows number

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  Confusing connect operation

• No way to deactivate the blinking status light
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  Sound quality is mediocre

Value
Ease of Use
Features
Overall

OVERALL IMPRESSION

    Overall, I still like this unit – because it’s one of the few Bluetooth speakerphones that have a screen. I found the screen to be very useful for screening incoming callers. If you’re not looking for top notch sound quality and don’t mind taking on devices with a learning curve, then this device may be a good copilot on your adventures.