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SuperTooth HD: An expensive Bluetooth speaker phone with poor feature implementation
The SuperTooth HD is SuperTooth's top of the range Bluetooth speakerphone. Last year I reviewed the SuperTooth Crystal speakerphone -- one tier down from the HD -- and was surprised with its ease of use and performance, but felt it was lacking somewhat in quality and design. Since then I've had the opportunity to spend some time with the feature-enhanced SuperTooth HD. At US$129, it's nearly double the price of the Crystal. Are those extra features worth the extra $60? Read on to find out! Design From a design standpoint, the HD has much of what is lacking in the Crystal. It's larger, which gives it a sturdier feel, and it isn't made from tacky, cheap plastic that plagues so many devices -- including the Crystal. It looks and feels like it was built with some sense of quality in mind. %Gallery-178155% There are three buttons on the device. The first is an on/off button, the second is primarily a direct-to Handsfree Assistant button (more about this later), and the third is a multifunction button (answer call / end call / voice dial & redial) that doubles as a large dial for volume up and down. Compared to the Crystal, these buttons are a pleasure to use. It's particularly nice to turn up or down the volume on a call using the dial. Similarly to the Crystal, the HD has a magnet on the rear so you can attach it to the included clip, making it easy to attach to a car visor or other convenient spot. The clip also doubles as a mount for when you place it on a desk or counter. As mentioned in the Crystal review, the design is simple, but it's effective. Functionality The HD shares many of the same specs as its smaller sibling. Battery life (20 hours talk, 1000 hours stand by) and Bluetooth range (around 10 meters) are the same. Where the HD takes ground on the Crystal is with its louder speakers (with a 5.4 Watt class D amplifier), noise cancelation and dual microphones for better audio quality. There's also the HandsFree Assistant, but I'll come to that in a few paragraphs. Considering I didn't encounter a scenario where I needed the Crystal's speaker to be louder than what it has to offer, I'd say the HD's boost in volume is not necessary, but welcome. Particularly for those rare, but exceptionally loud environment moments. At top volume, the HD is incredibly loud. In fact, it's uncomfortably loud. But unlike the Crystal, there's very little distortion at full volume. The HD's class D amplifier and new speakers do pay off in this area. Full volume on the Crystal is a distorted mess. Similarly, in my tests with the Crystal, I didn't struggle with others hearing my voice. However, with the HD in those particularly loud environment moments, the noise cancellation did seem to help with clarity for those on the other end. Two of the biggest selling points of the HD are its voice feedback / interaction and HandsFree Assistant support from Dial2Do. Unfortunately, both are its biggest draw back. These two features represent a very bad attempt at Siri-like interaction from SuperTooth on the HD. First off, the voice commands (like calling a contact with your voice) require you to sync your address book to the HD. Unfortunately, this process is anything but simple. The HD spent a good few minutes copying my address book over, but from what I can determine, it can't use the formatting of an iOS address book, which means it doesn't recognise my contacts. I tried any number of ways to get this to work, but I hit a dead end. Visiting SuperTooth's website yielded poorly laid out support which was difficult to follow and didn't fix the problem. SuperTooth also says the HD's firmware can easily be updated, but there is no where on the site where you're told how to do this. Secondly, the HD's ability to send text messages, tweets and Facebook updates relies on Dial2Do through the HandsFree Assistant button. I'll only say this about Dial2Do: do not bother going there. If you have an iPhone, or any other smartphone, it makes no sense. I'd even hesitate to recommend it to those with dumb phones. In this day and age, there's just no point. Worst of all, all these features and more are built into Siri and iOS. And you can access Siri through the HD, though it's a two-step process to get there. Ironically, accessing Siri on the Crystal is a one step process. It begs the question: why try to replicate features in a speakerphone that the phone itself can perform significantly better? Conclusion It's hard to recommend the SuperTooth HD when two of its main selling points are basically obsolete to iPhone users. And with that in mind -- even though the HD has slightly better looks, a louder speaker and noise reduction -- you'd be crazy to spend $129 on the HD when you can get the SuperTooth Crystal for half the price and simply augment the powerful features that iOS already has to offer. Check out the SuperTooth HD and Crystal at the SuperTooth Store website.
SuperTooth Crystal a decent Bluetooth speakerphone
The SuperTooth Crystal is a Bluetooth hands-free speakerphone for when you're in the car or not able to hold your phone. Since I live in central London, I don't drive. So I've never needed or used a Bluetooth speakerphone. However, I do have extremely poor cellular reception in my house. It's nothing to do with my carrier or my iPhone, it's just that I'm surrounded by tall, big buildings. So when I got the opportunity to review the SuperTooth Crystal Bluetooth speakerphone, I jumped on it. If I could leave my iPhone in one of the rare spots in the house where I do get reception and pair it with a speakerphone, I'd be able to have a cellular conversation throughout most of my house, instead of crouching down in awkward positions to get signal. Design The SuperTooth Crystal (US$69) resembles an elongated, slim pebble. It's actually quite attractive, however it doesn't have the weight or solidity of a pebble. It's surprisingly light when you pick it up. It's made of what feels like a rather tacky plastic, which makes it feel quite cheap and not particularly sturdy. It's not going to break in your hands, although it might crack if you dropped it on the pavement or tarmac, but what doesn't these days? However, I've felt better plastics used to better effect. %Gallery-161995% A magnet on the rear of the device attaches to an included clip, making it really easy to attach the Crystal to a car visor or any other convenient place. Or in my case, even the fridge! The clip conveniently doubles as a mount for the Crystal, too, when placed on a surface or counter. It's a simple design, but it works effectively. Functionality Pairing up the Crystal to my iPhone was as easy as any other Bluetooth pairing. Once paired for the first time, the Crystal will automatically pair itself back to your phone with a notification beep (with Bluetooth turned on) whenever it's in range (up to 10 meters). And if you happen to have two cell phones, the Crystal can be paired to both at the same time. Using the Crystal to take and make calls couldn't be easier, especially with an iPhone 4S using Siri. Pressing the multi-function button (think Home button) on the Crystal activates Siri, so you can make a call or send a text totally hands free as well as all the other benefits Siri has to offer. Similarly, if your phone rings, simply press the multi-function button to answer or end the call. I didn't have a previous generation iPhone to hand, but I suspect using the multi-function button when there are no incoming calls would activate voice dialing. Of course, you can always take, dial or end a call by using your phone the normal way and simply use the Crystal as a speakerphone. There are four other buttons on the Crystal, two on each side: volume up, volume down, power on / off and end. I couldn't figure out what the "end" button did (it didn't end calls). Using the multi-function button seemed to achieve all phone functions I required, including ending a call. When the Crystal is activated, all the buttons light up, making it easy to operate in the dark. Sound on the Crystal was anything but crystal clear, but it was absolutely usable, if not slightly muffled. The Crystal can get loud, although at full volume audio became distorted. For the most part, the built-in mic seemed to pickup what I was saying with no difficulty for those on the other end, so long as I was facing the device when I was speaking. Siri had no more difficulty understanding what I was saying than in any other scenario. The Crystal has a built-in, lithium ion battery, providing 20 hours of talk time and 40 days of stand-by. The battery can be charged in 3 hours with a micro-USB cable. Conclusion Bar a few minor niggles with audio quality and the particularly cheap feel of the device, the SuperTooth Crystal works really well -- whether you're using it for hands-free driving or simply as a speakerphone. As an iPhone 4S user, there's an added bonus with the Crystal simply augmenting Siri's functionality. The SuperTooth Crystal is avialable at the SuperTooth Store website for US$69.
