New Bluetooth Solution for our trucks! MOTORMOUTH II

[BigRed76]

I just came across this site .... http://www.scosche.com/products/productID/2049

The video shown is our truck! How cool is that.

DESCRIPTION
Scosche Industries, award-winning innovator of iPod, iPhone and iPad accessories, is excited to announce the highly anticipated motorMOUTH II plug and play Bluetooth handsfree car kit and streaming audio receiver. The iLounge 2010 CES Best of Show winner plugs directly into a vehicle’s MP3/AUX input for hands-free conversations and will stream audio from any A2DP device.

Users simply plug in the motorMOUTH II and hit the multifunction button to enter pairing mode, indicated by the blinking blue LED. Once paired users can dial directly from the handset or press the multifunction button once for voice dialing. The motorMOUTH’s DSP echo cancellation technology ensures a crystal clear conversation every time, even in noisy cars.

Scosche provides an aux relocation cable for car owners with an auxiliary input located in the center console. Those users can then temporarily or permanently mount the new input in a location for the motorMOUTH to clearly pick-up the driver’s voice. The motorMOUTH II also ships with a Y adapter for users that prefer to directly connect their music.

 

[sumo]

thats actually pretty cool

 

[BigRed76]

bump .... I can't wait for it to arrive!

 

[jcrack_corn]

this is no different than any number of cheap bluetooth add ons that have been available for years.

it is not comparable at all to the factory solutions. You would have to change your input to AUX with this device anytime you want to place/receive a call.

In fact, this option may be worse than nothing at all, because I wonder what happens if you are paired, and the phone rings but you are listening to the radio.....my guess is that the phone itself wont ring (because it is paired and sending the ring signal to the bluetooth device), but the stereo wont be on AUX so no sound will occur....possibly.

 

[jerryp]

Interested in any user reviews of the MOTORMOUTH II

I'm very interested in this device and would love to read some user reviews.

From poking around a bit on Amazon, it appears that this is the 3rd iteration of the device--I think there was one in a different form factor (a relatively large device that plugged directly into the cigarette lighter), then a version in this form factor with a part number BTAXM and now a newer version BTAXS.

My use would be 90% streaming podcasts where audio quality is not all that critical and 10% for phone calls.

I don't really see this as a competitor to the hardwired solutions like the PXAMG or CoastalTech that allow you to use the factory audio system, steering wheel controls, etc. and that charge the phone, but it could be a nice alternative for those of us currently plugging our phones into the aux input every time we get in and out of the car. If you want to play music or make/receive phone calls frequently, the hard-wired solutions are probably worth the expense and installation hassle.

The fact that they chose a Yukon/Tahoe as the vehicle in their demo video and PR photos gives me some confidence that the Motormouth II will be OK. I know from experience that the visor-mounted Bluetooth handsfree kits (I have the Jabra SP700) do not work very well in our trucks if you try to use the FM broadcasting feature--I think this is due to the position of the FM antenna. The SP700 is fine for phone calls using the speaker and mic built into the SP700 but this is not adequate for podcasts or music.

For $56.08 shipped on Amazon, this is probably worth a try. If I take the plunge, I'll write something up here and on Amazon.

-- Jerry
2007 Yukon XL Denali

 

[stevek]

"Billy Mays here..."

 

[jerryp]

"Billy Mays here..."

Maybe. I've looked at the hardwired options and have come close to buying the PXAMG or the Coastal Tech box du jour (looks like there is yet another iteration of that one--GMX550), but I'm kinda hoping to avoid having to look at wires at the top of my dash, which is where I'll be mounting my phone (iPhone 4).

The Motormouth seems like a good option for my limited needs and has some benefits over the hardwired solutions (nearly invisible, 0 installation time/trouble, easily moved to other cars, costs less than the price of a tank of gas)--if it works.

 

[jerryp]

I purchased the Scosche MotorMouth II Bluetooth device from Amazon a few weeks ago. Here are my impressions—remember that my use is 90% listening to podcasts (spoken conversations—not music) and 10% for phone calls. I don’t listen to music on this. I use it in an ’07 Yukon XL Denali with an iPhone 4.

Pros:

• Relatively unobtrusive. Blends in well with the interior of my vehicle. Small issue: The picture on Amazon shows a black endpiece cap on the microphone. The cap on mine is chrome and looks a little cheesy but it matches the trim on a couple of switches below so I guess it’s OK. Would have preferred a black cap.
• Audio quality for podcasts and phone calls is fine. No complaints from people on the other side of the phone call. Quality on my side of the call is very good.
• Inexpensive at $52.99.
• 2 seconds to install and remove. Also works fine in my wife’s ’08 Honda Odyssey although the Aux input on that car is way down by the floor so not good for phone calls, but fine for streaming podcasts.
• Stays paired to my iPhone pretty well. It has never needed to be re-paired although I have had to go into the Settings…Bluetooth app on the iPhone and manually connect to it once or twice—I think this is an iPhone issue although I don’t recall ever having to do it for my other Bluetooth devices.

Cons:

• Streamed music is definitely lower-quality than a direct 3.5mm cable to the Aux input. I believe this is a Bluetooth bandwidth limitation, so not directly a con with this device but with all music-over-Bluetooth solutions.
• The battery doesn’t last very long. I’m recharging every 4 days or so after less than an hour listening time per day—probably due to forgetting to turn the device off and having it discharge. Would be nice if it had an internal timer to turn itself off if no BT signal seen for 30 minutes or so. Fortunately, you can use the device in-place while charging—just plug the charger into the cigarette lighter on the dash and the other end of the charging cable into the MotorMouth.
• There is only one button for all controls. Would be better if there was a sliding switch for ON/OFF. To turn the device off, you hold the button down for about 5 seconds.
• The blue and red indicator LEDs are shown as a thin ring of light between the chrome end piece and the rest of the device. They are very difficult to see in daylight which contributes to the problem of leaving it turned on by mistake when leaving the car.
• Volume via the vehicle's AUX input is very low (compared to XM radio or other local sources). I max the volume control on the iPhone and still have to turn the radio volume way up. I believe this is due to the fact that the Aux input is line level and not amplified--I had to do the same thing when connecting via 3.5mm cable. Just be aware when switching to other sources lest you be blasted by very high volume on the other sources.

Summary:
All things considered, I’m reasonably happy and would rate this device at 4 out of 5 stars. It’s nice not to have to physically plug in a cable to the iPhone’s headphone jack every time I get in or out of the car, the price is right and the device couldn’t be easier to install/remove but this device does have a few annoyances as noted above—primarily having to do with battery life and unsuitability for music.

-- Jerry
'07 Yukon XL Denali

 

[1STIMEYUKON]

has anybody tried going the oem route? ll be doing today on my 08 yukon

 

[dsump]

I agree with Jerry. I ended up selling mine due to most of his cons. The battery died very quickly and when I was on a bluetooth call with the charger plugged in, the person on the other end of the call couldn't hear me. The unit felt cheap and the charging plug would sometimes not go in straight and then it wouldn't charge. The unit wouldn't work at full volume unless you used the "Y" adapter (this is in the 07 Aux jack). I was let down by this product and I'm glad I was able to recover some of my money.