Sony Ericsson launches AB900 wireless car kit, convertible not included
By Sean Cooper 
posted Feb 10th 2009 1:07PM
posted Feb 10th 2009 1:07PM
We've seen Bluetooth car kits come and go -- and Sony Ericsson has sold its fair share -- let's face it, they're often a huge hassle with very little return for your dollars. The SE AB900 may change that as this portable number offers up an RDS feature that finds an empty frequency to broadcast to your car's FM stereo, lets you get at your favorite five numbers and voicemail at the touch of a button, and will even let you stream your tunes from your mobile. But wait, there's more: 26 hour talk time, 40 day standby, no installation required -- we love this bit -- and it even comes in both black and silver. While the press pictures show a winsome couple giggling as they blast through the countryside in a convertible, the jury's still out on if this little number can deliver the kind of joy they're showing us it does. One more pic after the break.
if the convertible is not included...your telling me the iphone in the case i bought online isnt included too?
darn.
You can hate me for this comment. I don't care.
CONGRESS SHOULD MAKE HANDS FREE CELLULAR INTERFACES A MANDATE FOR ALL CARS OF THE 2012 model year and beyond.
If they are going to pass laws to punish drivers for driving with cell phones, then they may as well pass a mandate for car manufacturers to build in a speaker interface (which optionaly costs around $50 for a clip on device) so that drivers will have the option to obey the law rather than just ticket them for not obeying.
And before anyone shouts "more government" keep in mind, the government had to pass mandates to make certain every car had seatbelts and two side view mirrors.
ITS A SAFETY ISSUE. That's what the government's job is. Ensure it.
OH MY GOD
more SERIOUS comments from FLASHPOINT
LAHWD have mercy
Or why not mandate that you can't use your phone, given that using it handsfree is almost exactly as dangerous as using it in your hand. And while seatbelts benefit all, hands free kits don't benefit people smart enough to turn off their phone or ignore it once they get behind the wheel of a car. Explain why I'm paying for this again?
RikF
seatbelts DON'T BENEFIT ALL.
They only benefit those willing to FOLLOW THE LAW AND USE THEM in the interest of safety.
But even seatbelts aren't the end all...that's why now we have airbags on cars.
I'm talking about manufacturers being forced to install these items by the government. If once you have it, you choose not to obey - then you get tickets or citations. But if your car didn't have a seatbelt or twin rear view mirrors, you'd have no opportunity to consent to the law in the interest of safety.
Of course, scientific studies show that driving while carrying on conversation reduces response time in driving situations in rates similar to driving under influence.
I wish to be as happy as they are.
Nobody's ever that happy, at least not for long. That's what pictures are for.
Sony once again promoting unsafe driving overseas.
No kidding -- and putting the wheel on the wrong side to boot!
it looks like he is making a 90 degree turn too....no wonder they are screaming
Why do you people have to kill the dream?
she likes to get it on with her French Chauffeur.
(is that redundant?)
Sony ERICSSON for Gods sake!
ok...the convertible is not included but why the heck is that sexy babe in the back seat??
The AB900 gets to ride shotgun, baby!
So is the girl included???
If you live in an area with a fairly large population, and FM radio stations to match, FM transmitters suck. In OC, CA - there are too many radio stations that compete for the usual 6-8 FM fequencies used by transmitters. They are basically useless.
Not only that, but if you venture too far you're going to pick up a signal on your once empty station. Can you imagine having to find a new station every 20 miles?
Read before posting, this as a built-in RDS to automatically detect the empty frequencies...
So let me get this straight.... Sony wants you to send your music/calls via Bluetooth to this car kit, which will then reencode it into an FM signal and transmit it that way? Sounds like a recipe for some really horrible audio quality.
I have a similar no-name cheap-o device I bought at Target about a year ago for 50 bucks. It works GREAT. Not sure how this one from Sony Ericsson will compare, but mine is fantastic. It even has an audio input that lets you run your MP3 player into it. When a call comes in -- it stops the music, switches to the call, then back to music when it's over. It doesn't have a built-in speaker, though -- it only works through the open radio frequencies.
hey, when you're in a convertible ya really gonna tell the difference anyway?
Next ? is how much benjamins are they proposing for this thingy? Perhaps, what's their target market population?
In case they're forgetting something, it's 2009.
Can anyone recommend me a decent working hands free blue tooth device for my car, so the calls can be heard in the car's audio system, like reisa mentioned in her comment.
Aw, man -- I'm a HIS comment. I checked the device, but it has ZERO wording on it -- just a few icons for the buttons. I'll see if I can find the instruction manual somewhere for the name ... but as I recall it's called something very generic, like "BT Radio Transmitter". It was in Target back in the automotive section, not the electronics & TV area.
The Motorola T505 is probably the most comparable product currently available. I like mine, but still have headaches getting open bandwidth in Southern California.
Bluegenes - I've got a Venturi Mini, plugs straight into the cigar lighter, streams music, address book and voice via A2DP and you can save 5 frequencies of your choice. All info is sent via RDS to your Radio and a nice bright blue OLED display on the front. I'm from the UK so not sure if you can get it in the US, but Parrot do a similar thing if you can get one of them.
Why is this a good idea? My wife has a simple bluetooth speakerphone thing (BlueAnt BA-SUPERTOOTH3 Bluetooth Handsfree) she clips to her visor, and charges once a week, and it works perfectly fine. No radio stations to tune, pairs automatically. Clips magnetically... I don't see why a solution like this Sony is a good idea.
Just different strokes ... the audio quality of the call is phenomenal when it's pumped through the full-blown speaker system in your car. It's the difference between listening to a movie through your TV speakers, or hooking it up to a surround sound system. You get the sound either way -- 'cept one's better.
I have a Sony Ericcson bluetooth visor speaker that looks a lot like this, minus the FM radio function. Can't understand why you need the radio feature, since the speaker is loud as hell.
By the way, I'm very happy with it. I hate having bluetooth headsets in my ear, and this is really the next best option for me short of having one hard-wired in the car. The pairing is easy, the display pops up the caller ID, and it sounds good on the other end.
I find it interesting they chose a convertible to advertise this product, when, based on my experience, the great flaw in all products like this is, yes, you can hear all kinds of great things through your stereo, but when you're on a call with the top down, the people on the other end hear one thing... wind. If they've figured that minor issue out, I'll buy one.
@Ivan: I was just going to say that. Unless you have a Sony Ericsson phone the T505 is a better bet anyways because the charger is mini USB, better choice if you've got a phone that has mini USB than Sony Eri proprietary connector crap.
Agreed. Proprietary connectors benefit nobody but the manufacturer. Not to mention that they are showing up almost year late in the game. Motorola's T505 is a rock-solid product. I've had mine for nearly a year, and I have only had to charge it up 3 times. I always fire it up when I get in the car, too. Too bad for Sony. They permanently lost my business over a refusal to make good on one of their products. I have one Sony product left, and when that dies (and it will), I shall be Sony-free forever.
Am I the only one that thought that was a parallel port on top for a minute? I was really confused by that.
LOL.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/93143
Time for the RealityCheck®!
1) It didn't start out as a convertible - only after installation and fighting the special cables (not to mention the twit hanging around his neck the whole time) did the driver (who shall remain nameless in this advertisement) have to use a US Army emergency issued ration can opener to pry the top off. The black bits are electrical tape hiding his handy-work.
2) He is trying to "shake" the chick not give her a thrill ride. He is tired of her showing up every time he buys a "fucking piece of shit (FPS)" - see reference above). All she does is latch around his neck and scream in his ear - which is one reason why he had to pry off the top of the car (see one above).
3) The FPS is the do-dad that is stuck on his visor - and yes he is driving from the proper side of the car - this was only released in Japan and these are the only two gaijin in all of Japan to actually accept money to do this ad. Why a Japanese release? Because they are the largest single cultural population that habitually purchases FPS on the planet. (no offense intended - this is a RealityCheck®)
4) There is no 4).
Looks like it could also function as a neat looking alarm clock.