sosh

In anticipation of delivery of my ML550 in late sept I want to replace my current Cell phone. Need an ATT phone that will integrate with all functions (bluetooth) with the vehicle. This must be a "world Phone" useable in the rest of the world. Any suggestions or reccomendations?? E Mail is not a priority nor is texting.

tarponbeach

Sosh, As much as I hate AT&T, because of their terrible coverage in my area, I would recommend the iPhone 3gs. Mine integrates perfectly with my '08 CDI, and I have tested it with the '09'c new Comand system with the same results.

carpersn

Ditto. My iPhone 3G and wife's iPhone 3GS work perfectly in my 07 GL and 09 R.

sosh

The I phone is a consideration but I am not a real fan of them. How does it work in Europe and other foreign areas??

dgiturbo

I myself was not an iPhone fan, and actually tried the Palm, but the bluetooth pairing was an issue. Got the iPhone and it works perfectly every time.
I also travel overseas a lot, and so far so good. Works in London, Frankfurt and Mexico. Just remember to turn OFF data roaming to avoid really expensive charges when overseas.
Also, if you have wifi at your destination, you could actually log into Skype and talk.
Have fun downloading some of the thousands of apps when you get it!

sosh

My concerns about the I Phone are based upon a friends comments who uses one. These concerns are voice quality, transmission quality, battery life, and difficulty of use. Any comments??

dgiturbo

10 being excellent, I give voice an 8, transmission 8, battery 6 and difficulty a 9 (really easy to use). There are some features that Apple does differently as compared to the PC group, but once you get use to it, you will wonder why you did not switch before. Here on out, any personal computer I buy will be Apple branded.
On a downside, I have the 3G as oposed to the 3Gs, and as such I do not have video or the compass. Also the text message function does not yet send pics. (MMS I think that's called?) As for the battery, it does recharge very quickly.
just remember to get the iPod interface setup in your new ride!

dgiturbo

Also if email and texting is not a priority, consider the Motorola Razor lineup. I had a Razor before the iPhone, and it worked flawlessly. Probably the best phone I ever owned, but work assignments dictated a PDA style phone.
The Razor will pair perfectly with the bluetooth, and I have used mine extensively worldwide. Voice and transmission is crystal clear. Also the Razor can be unlocked, so I would swap out my SIM cards on overseas arrival save on international roaming fees. Not paying the extra $30/month for the ATT Apple iPhone plan is also a plus! And you can carry a spare battery for your Razor!

sosh

How is battery life with the Razor?? With the I phone are batteries changable in the field so a spare can be carried? What do you mean that the Razor can be unlocked??

dgiturbo

Razor battery life is so-so, depending on usage. There is a code or something that you enter and it unlocks the phone so you can use any SIM card. What I did was buy a pre paid SIM card from say ePlus Blau in Frankfurt, and use that to call back to the States for around .05 Euro cents per min. Not possible with the iPhone as they want the $30+ a month and int. roaming charges. ATT or an independent retailer can provide the unlock code. Requires some negotiation.

The iPhone battery cannot be changed without sending it back to Apple. For both phones, get a car charger and an extra wall plug.

ocwill1

iPhone here as well, have not paired to MB yet, but works just fine in Nissan that I drive.... As for battery, any smart phone will have crappy battery, and as soon as bluetooth is activated, battery starts draining quick then too... I love my iPhone 3G, ifyou want a compass, just go get the free compass app....

willie

docraider

Can anyone tell me what the net work connector in my center console under the SOS buttons is used for? I was told you can plug your phone into the connector and its like getting bluetooth and everything integrated works. Is it true.

If not what is the easiest and less expensive way to get bluetooth to work with a 03 clk without the phone cradle?

thanks in advance.
joe

davidbho

is where you would plug an Mercedes phone cradle in. You buy one specific to your car and phone, and plug it in. I had that on my C32, and still have it on my ML55. They actually also sell a blue tooth puck that goes onto the cradle. Pretty expensive though, cradle should be around 150, puck around 300. And itegrates with blue tooth.

I currently have 2 forms of blue tooth, one on my ML55, via the blue tooth puck with VCS. This setup works fine, addressbook (limiited to only first 100 names), and when the car is still, perfect. When travelling 80mph on the freeway, the people on the other end say there's a lot of background noise.

The other one I have is an R500, with the newer generation blue tooth that plugs into the center console, and same thing as above, when driving, background noise. But the difference here is no limit as to the address book. And you can look up names and numbers via the command display.

Both are paired with Iphone 3g. So for you guys with iphones and bluetooths in your car, you should ask the other end, it sucks, i tried it myself. wife called me, while she was driving, and I couldn't hear worth s***.

I read that Viseeo or however it's spelled works better as far as voice...that's my 2 cents.

Also to add, recently travelled to france, london, and the iphones work the same as they do here, just remember to change data roaming if you want to get all your emails and surf as you do here...but crazy rates apply if you don't call ahead and get it all hooked up in a monthly rate.

michaelb74

i have a 07 ml 350 and want to buy the blue tooth cradle but have some questions with the paring with the sprint instinct. Any feedback?