PhoneTalk

Did you know that June is safe driving month? That means clearing away distractions while you drive which includes talking on the phone or texting while driving. With that in mind we’ve been trying out the portable Motorola Roadster Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphone. The product is similar to the Motorola T505 in that it lets you stream calls and music through the speaker or through the car radio. But that’s not all it can do.

For starters, the Motorola Roadster is simple to use and easy to pair. Simply turn on the device and activate Bluetooth on your cell phone and the Roadster takes care of the rest. There’s no need to hold down a specific button or perform any extra tasks. You can also pair the Roadster with two cell phones - a definite plus for people that still have to carry around two phones (one for work and one for personal use). In our tests we were able to pair the Roadster with the Samsung Epic 4G and the DROID X2 by Motorola with ease. We were able to make/receive calls with both models through the included speaker.

The Motorola Roadster also has a FM button for streaming calls and music from the cell phone through the car radio. In our tests, we found the feature worked great with the Motorola DROID X2, but not the Samsung Epic 4G. To find a free FM station for streaming you’ll need to hit the + or – buttons to go through the stations. The Motorola Roadster doesn’t perform a scan looking for any available frequency; instead, it manually checks each station.

Depending on the Android or BlackBerry phone you have you can download the free MotoSpeak app and have incoming text messages read to you and even respond to them without ever picking up the phone. We were able to use this app with the DROID X2 by Motorola paired to the Motorola Roadster and we found that it did a solid job of reading incoming texts. However, it didn’t always translate exactly what we said as a reply especially when we were too close to Motorola Roadster.

Overall, the Motorola Roadster is a slick looking portable speakerphone option that can be used with most Bluetooth phones. We appreciate all the extra features the accessory offers such as streaming calls and music through the car radio and the ability to read text messages via the MotoSpeak app. That said, even without those features, this universal in-car speakerphone is a solid driving companion.

Find out how you can win a Motorola Roadster in our Stay Connected and Drive Responsibly this Summer Giveaway.

Topics: Phone Smarts Motorola Verizon Wireless Text messaging Sprint Driving laws BlackBerry Smart phones Bluetooth Accessories Android Google Apps 4G Phones