Barry45RPM

For non Bluetooth equipped owners. With your cradle & phone set up in the console, which model phone did you select/was provided to you. I am with Verizon wireless & would like to stay with them. Any problems?

Ezah

I ordered with the phone kit built into the armrest (euro 07 model). It came with the basic cradle installed and the dealer had adapters for various types of phones which just clip in.

I specified my phone type on ordering, but as they only fitted the adaptor when I collected I dont think it made any difference. Most common business phones were supported, and service provider was irrelevant.

The only problem I have is inability to select alternate numbers for people via the dashboard controls. Its annoying to have to open the armrest and find them on the phone (nokia 6020). Being unable to read text messages on the display would be nice also... or am I missing something?

Barry45RPM

Yup. Same here. There is a way to work around that so you dont have to open the console, & play with the docked cell phone.

Instead of putting alternate phone numbers into the phone the way you are now (the way the phone manufacturer wants you to, to save multiple entries), make a separate address book entry for the person in the phone as if they were a different person. Name the 1st one "Tom Home" and name the second one "Tom Work" (or whatever). Yes it makes for more names in your cell phone, but you only do it once and it makes scrolling thru the list in the speedo, to reach those alternate numbers possible. If you want one number to display before the other, put a space in front of the T in Tom. On my phone the space comes alphabetically before the letter T, and the space is not visible. If that doesn't work, put the space after the word Tom.

If you phone asks you to label the entry as "Home" or Work" dont do it because then the speedo display will read "Tom Home HOME"... but it doesn't bother me. I NEVER touch the phone in the console. Its docked there all the time.

Ta-Da!

cyclerider

I have a Verizon Motorola E815 docked in a cradle in my E550. The car downloads the phonebook to the COMAND and shows the individual numbers for each person with an icon for home, work, or mobile next to the name. I didn't have to enter each persons number separately. It also shows the home, work, and mobile in the MFD in the speedometer.
The E815 also displays text messages (SMS) on the COMAND. I bought the cradle from the dealer for $220 and the Motorola E815 on Ebay (mint condition) for $125. The cradle setup works MUCH better than bluetooth.
Barry45RPM, are you shopping for a 2007? If you haven't yet driven an E550, you should check one out. That motor is freaking awesome! And the brakes will convince you that SBC was a bad idea.

edspider

Yes, the cradled solution includes SMS display on COMAND, but I like the convenience of leaving the phone on my belt or pocket. I didn't want to have two phones and screw around with forwarding, etc.

I think the only reason we don't have SMS integration with Bluetooth is because the ACS adapter doesn't support that particular protocol. I don't remember what its called, but it's pretty much a Euro thing.

Barry45RPM

My '04 has a V60 in the cradle & yes its an expensive phone compared to the non MB version, but I wouldnt want to lose or drop the phone into the toilet, so I leave it in the car & made a Family share plan for 10 bucks on my Verizon account so the minutes are shared between the 2 phone. (I'd never be on both phones at once).

The phone on my belt is a regular priced Samsung, w/ new every 2 from verizon if I want to switch.. No one would ever call me on the car phone unless I tell them to call me back on it or I call them back.

Talbot

The problem I see with that is that if you're driving and you get a call, you have to answer the call on (belt phone) to tell them to call you on the car phone. Doesn't that defeat the purpose somewhat?

Barry45RPM

A teensy weensy bit. But by the same token, there's absolutely no risk of losing/damaging a very overpriced MB enhanced phone.

Sometimes I just look at the belt phone to see who's calling & then use the VCA to call them back.

cyclerider

The solution is really simple. I give everyone the number of my car phone, not my belt phone. The car phone is set to forward calls to my belt phone when I don't answer in the car (no answer transfer, Verizon calls it). So if I'm driving, the car gets the call, but if I'm not in the car, then my belt phone rings. Totally seamless integration, and no effort on my part at all.

Barry45RPM

Good solution! What handset was supplied to you? Is it 100% compatible? & just out of curiosity, will the COMAND display any text messages sent to the phone by someone, or do you get a "mail" symbol on the lower right telling you theres a text message on the phone to read.

cyclerider

See my post #4 above. When a text message arrives, I get a mail symbol on the lower right, and then you press the SMS soft key and read it right on the COMAND screen. You never have to touch the cradled phone.

DavidNJ

Is the E815 compatible with V710 cradle?

SUNILP

Yes the e815 and v710 share the same cradle.

cyclerider

I was told there are two different part numbers and the cradles are not identical. The cradle for the E815 is part number B67875844. The version of this cradle that starts with "BQ" is for the V710. The E815 will fit in the BQ cradle but this cradle will only work with the MB version of the V710.

The above info was supplied by Magic0309D in another thread on this forum. Based on his expert advise, I bought a Motorola E815 on Ebay for $125 and cradle part number B67875844 from my dealer for $220. The setup works flawlessly, including text messaging on the COMAND screen.

csumt76

All you need to know about handset/cradle/wireless carrier compatibility can be found here. Thank me later.

http://wireless4mb.com/

This service is provided for MB by Auto Wireless Solutions.

DavidNJ

Not so said the frog.

The information online and over the phone is skechy at best. For example, over the phone they offered an E815 (at an exorbinant $349) but it is not on their website. They show an E815/V710 cradle, but don't reference the older V710 cradle. Over the phone, they had no idea of any differences between the cradles. They also fail to provide part numbers for verification. From that site the cradle installed in '05 is just not listed.

Since the form factor and connectors are the same, I am also confused about the cradle differences. I thought the cradle was a passive wiring adapter. Why would they be different if the phones are physically and electrically the same? To the best of my knowledge, the differences are in software and in some phone electronics.

What is the source of Magic0309D's information?

cyclerider

The phones are physically the same. I own a non M-B V710 and two E815 Verizon phones. They seem to share the same external case, with just minor cosmetic differences. The E815 replaced the V710, and has V-Cast capability, which the V710 does not. I have no idea what the electrics (electronics) differences in these phones are.

The E815 has already been replaced by Verizon with another phone, and is no longer available. I had to settle for a used one from Ebay. If you think the cradle is the same, you could pick up a used E815 like I did, and then try it in your cradle. If it doesn't work, you would just have to go to the dealership and pick up the newer cradle.