Nevada Jack

Here are some shots of the Moto V557 and AWS Cradle installed in the armrest section of the S550. The small case in front of the phone is for the phone should I want to take if from the car. In most situations I leave the phone connected and have a RAZR on my hip which receives forwarded calls from the car when I am not in it.

i7iceguy

hey jack,

nice set up! im thinking about doing the same but I ordered the bluetooth module instead. Going to give that a try. How does call forwarding work with the cell phones? is that an extra charge per call? Every time when you get in the car, do you have to do something on your razor to forward the calls?

thanks jack.

Nevada Jack

You just program the permanent car phone to forward the call to the other phone number. I have Cingular and the service includes call forwarding, so I set the 557 to forward calls if not available to my RAZR number. I don't have to do anything on the RAZR to accept the forwarded call. The additional line only costs $10 a month on my plan.

I don't know how the BT system would work. If you only have one phone and that is not plugged into the system, I don't see how it would forward the call...you need two phones with different numbers. Why use BT when adding a separate line allows you to have more options and the cradle is only $220 vs $350 for the BT?

i7iceguy

the idea for me with BT is to have only 1 phone. but if BT doesn't seem to like my treo or if Im missing out on features because of the BT compatability, i will probably go with the cradle.

///MB

Nice setup Jack. If you count the price of the mercedes branded phones you have to use, isn't the cradle more expensive? hehe. I know you get the external antenna connection and charging, which is great.

i7iceguy: Call forwarding is usually a free feature, but I believe it does use your minutes. So, if you have it forwarded to your other phone, you will be using double minutes.

As far as the bluetooth adapter is concerned, we had our dealer throw it in when we got our S and it's been working great so far. We have it paired with a Moto E815. It's very convenient because you can leave your phone in your pocket/purse or whatever and it will quickly connect once you get in. However, had I known about the phone/cradle option, I probably would've had them give us that instead.

Nevada Jack

You don't have to buy the phone from AWS...some of the "approved" phones that fit the cradles are available from Cingular or Verizon so you can purchase from them at their package prices. And minutes these days are not really a concern...I have the carry over feature with Cingular and I have more minutes than I can use.

The BT works fine for most people but the lack of charging and external antenna usage is a minus for it. Since I carry the RAZR with me all the time I just don't worry about the phone in the car because it is always there fully charged and ready when I hit the go button. With either setup though, COMAND is a nice interface and works well for both...

Nevada Jack

Hope that Treo works for you...but the two phones is pretty convenient.

MagicO309D

Even the latest Treo 700w/p still have some instability issues with the BT link. They interface better than the 650 but there are still some issues. Also, phonebook download is not yet supported over MHI with these phones.

The good news is that these issues will improve in the future. Treo and Rimm as well as the carriers are getting serious about compatibility with automotive hands-free systems and everyone is starting to work together and share information!

Nevertheless, cradle solutions still rule for cars like V221 because of the metallic coatings used on these vehicle's windows. They work great for blocking heat gain from the sun but also attenuate radio/cellular signals quite effectivelly too. If you're area has cellular signal "holes", a cradle solution will be your best choice.

///MB

So, our Verizon non-Mercedes branded E815 will work, simply if we purchase the E815 cradle?

Thanks.

MagicO309D

The Verizon E815 is a great choice for MHI Bluetooth and MHI Cradle use. It's on the approved list and provides phonebook download over the Bluetooth Interface Module too.

If you want to use E815 in a cradle, get the new part number B67875844. Don't get the older cradle part number that starts with "BQ", that's the cradle that only supports MB V710 handsets.

With the E815 inside a V221, I was able to reliably see a gain from 2 bars to 4 bars each time the handset was docked in the cradle. When standing outside of the car, the handset always displayed 4 bars.

If you want to see the results you can expect to get with a cradle, check your phone's bar count outside and then again inside your car (with all windows closed).

cyclerider

I have a Motorola E815 with a newer software version than the one that AWS recommends. Any idea if it would work in the cradle? I need to choose between MHI Bluetooth and MHI Cradle when my E550 arrives in September. I am leaning towards the cradle solution at this time. I have read about poor voice quality issues with the Bluetooth module. Which would you choose?

Can Drive 55

Jack, it looks like we think alike. I have the cradle in my E55, as there is no BT option, I have cingular, and I have my phone forwarded to my other cell phone that I carry. I had a BT connection in my Lexus and I thought it left a lot to be desired. I like the cradle in the E much better. One thing that I like is the fact that the phone begins to power up when the car is unlocked. It is usually finished with the process by the time the engine is started. I also like always having the phone in the car. I am never without a phone, even if I forget to bring my other one. I think the reception is better with the outside antenna than it was in the Lexus.

I do have a couple of questions about the Razor for you, Jack, as my V600 is 3 years old and about ready to be replaced. I am thinking about a Razor for a replacement. I think it is thin enough to fit in my back pocket without using a carrier. Is this a correct assumption? Also, there are several different models available - V3, V3x, and V3i. I am guessing that the differences are memory for music, camera MP rating, and so forth. I don't care too much for music on the phone or most of the other special features. I do check my email occassionally on my current phone and I use the camera one or two times a year. I think the camera is great for documenting traffic accidents or other uses like that, but the quality is so poor that I would not choose to use it for regular photography. The other question is do you recommend one of the Razor models over the others? BTW - I would buy it from and independent retailer and get an unlocked model so I can take it out of the country and use it overseas with a local sim card. Thanks.

Nevada Jack

I really like the RAZR and yes it will fit easily in your back pocket. It is thinner than most wallets (it measures 1/2 inch) and half as wide...I have the standard Cingular case for it which clips on my belt (came as a promo at the time), but I have also just stuck it in my shirt pocket also.

Mine is the V3 which was the only one they had at the time and I don't really know what the various model differences are. It has a camera with pretty fair quality...

BTW...I see TV ads now for a Samsung at Cingular which is very thin also and is the sliding open model rather than the fold opener. It looks pretty nice and the keyboard and stuff looks similar to the RAZR...can not remember the model # though.

Can Drive 55

Thanks for the info.

jmrdmd

Cycle,
I just put the E815 and cradle in my S550 and also in my wife's SL550. She uses a Treo 650 but it didn't work with the bluetooth module in her car. The cradled 815's work flawlessly.
Jan