best hands free dialing Bluetooth headset? - Galaxy S III Q&A, (US Carriers)

Hi All,
I was wondering what everyone thinks is the best Bluetooth headset to do hands free dialing?
I want to be able to dial in the car hands free. In other words, no unlocking, no interaction at all with my phone. It should dial, by voice, while locked. Perhaps there is a headset with a button to press where it then activates a "listening" functionality? Or perhaps you say a specific word? And I would also appreciate additional command abilities, like having it read my e-mail or texts to me, and dictating emails.
All I know is what I want it to do. I have never had a bluetooth headset before. I have been waiting for this functionality. I also would appreciate the highest call quality possible, while keeping cost reasonable. I'd be ready to spend up to $100 if needed but a bit less would be nice.
Mainly I'm wondering if you can use just any headset with handsfree dialing.. or if you need a "special" one like Motorola's CommandOne or Finiti. I don't understand why you would, though, because isn't that somehow built into Android? it has voice dialing and voice recognition and voice commands, after all... So I don't need one of those special headsets right? Or do I?
Also I want to keep Bluetooth off until I need it. I guess that can be solved by just getting some TecTiles and having one in my car where when I bump it, it turns on Bluetooth. Perhaps that could somehow help also, in terms of perhaps activating some type of listening dialer? Or Google commands? S-Voice? What does everyone think the BEST solution would be in terms of A) not using battery (I don't have a car charger...yet..) and B) the BEST voice recognition for dialing..I want the correct dial the first time >90% of the time .. is this possible?
Thank you all for any input or thoughts...

Related

Jabra 250 & Dailling a contact without using the Headset

my friend has an xda II & he bought a Jabra 250 BT headset, he have no idea how to use it & moreover i never had BT in any of my phones so both are ignorant regarding BT, now he asked me a question, "How can i dial a contact from my Headset without the use of the phone, is their any SW i need to use?" i tiold him, i have no idea but i will forward his question to this forum, so could someone answer this question pleaaaaaase ?
the point is the right BT profile ... the headset profile doesn't work except during a phone call ... what you need is a "hands free" profile which will deal with all types of system "sounds" ... then you can use MS voice commands s/w ... however, I didn't try this myself, but in theory it should work
I have this combination. I've not checked the groups recently but from personal experience you cannot dial from the headset with the exception of a bolt-on (name escapes me) that will allow you to use the headset button to redial the last number.
I also have Microsoft voice thingy which works well but you need to initiate the call from the pda and then switch it over to the headset once connected. This little bolt on does manage the operation of the bluetooth radio and disables it to save battery after one minute. If you want to initiate a call like this then it is best to kick the bluetooth off first otherwise there is a delay before the headset links up and the person you just called is left hanging around whilst you frantically try to transfer the call to the headset!
Having said that and with all its limitations the two do work well together. One thing I did do based on various comments on this web site was to update my firmware to latest version.
Hope this helps

voice dialing from bluetooth z9i

Is it possible to voice dial from our bluetooth headsets? I have a blueant z9i and i haven't figured out a way to easily do this... is it part of android even? Maybe this could be a reason to upgrade my earpiece.
I seriously cant be the only one here who has attempted to voicedial from a headset??? Its not working for me on my blueant z9i, but what is everyone elses experience attempting this?
I have not been able to voice dial from either one of my headsets. Both moto, neither handsfree or stereo headphones w/ mic.
moosefist said:
I seriously cant be the only one here who has attempted to voicedial from a headset??? Its not working for me on my blueant z9i, but what is everyone elses experience attempting this?
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Well, since nobody is answering your post, best I can do is tell you what mine does, different hardware though.
When I press on the earpiece button, my phone beeps once, and the voice command is activated. You say, example, "Call HOME", and the phone beeps twice, a menu comes up on the screen where you have to touch-select what you just said out of a selection of 3 to 5 items . Then it dials the number.
The feature is useless - since if I have to dig the phone out of my pocket to touch the screen after saying the command, I may as well as just dialed it with my finger to begin with... so you're not missing much.
Plus - if you drive a standard - letting go of the wheel, or giving up shifting to futz with your phone - is simply not an option in regular city stop n go traffic. Handsfree, with finger confirmation, lol. Got to wonder sometimes.
:: Rogers Magic(saphhire) / stock firmware / Motorola H700 BT

[Q] Why can’t I place calls from a Bluetooth device when the phone is locked??

I'm hoping someone here has some *real* ideas or answers regarding this issue.
I have a handsfree Bluetooth kit in my car so that I can safely place calls while driving. This worked flawlessly with my previous Windows Mobile phones (Tilt/Tilt II). With the phone tucked in my pocket and the mobile OS “locked” I could press the voice activation button on the dashboard and easily call someone. Not so with my shiny new AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II. Now I have to dig the phone out and unlock the device before I can use my handsfree system… are we back in the smartphone dark ages?? I might as well take up texting and driving while I’m at it and forget the handsfree unit altogether.
Apparently Google in their infinite wisdom has decided already paired Bluetooth devices pose a security risk. As such, when Android is “locked” it disables any control from Bluetooth. I suppose if you work for the government or some place that you need Pentagon like security this makes sense. For the 95% of us that don’t need these draconian measures this is just plain stupid and potentially unsafe.
I've already rooted my phone. I've tried other ROMs like the latest builds of UnNamed, ICS'd Out, and CyanogenMod. None of these allow Bluetooth operation while the phone is locked (and in fact all of them introduced other issues). I've searched the forums but most similar posts go unanswered or contain nonconstructive replies (flames, unrealistic answers, etc).
I can't and won't disable ALL security. I won't give up making phone calls while driving - I'm on the road a decent amount and need to use that time productively. What are my other choices? Go buy an iPhone or a Windows Mobile unit which work "right"?? Seems like a crazy oversight by Google/Samsung/AT&T if those are my only options!
I would suggest using the official samsung Car dock, as the USB port on there has a special impedance that tells the phone to go into driving mode, which once you unlock the phone, it stays unlocked until you either lock it, or take it off the dock. It also charges your phone at the same time. However if you have a case, this will not work for you. You would need to solder up your own usb plug that has a certain impedance over some pins (theres a thread somewhere about that, its like a jig, but with different impedance) and just plug that in when you're driving, but you still have to unlock the phone at least once with it plugged in.
My clarion cz500 car stereo has no issues making or receiving calls via Bluetooth while my phone is locked.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
My biggest gripe with Android is that BT calling does not work as well as it did with WinMo's Voice Command (which works really well considering how poorly much of WinMo worked). Initiating calls via BT is my main gripe with Android. I wish Google would get it right already. That said, I have no problems answering calls via BT even when the phone is locked.
My phone is paired with the built-in BT in my car and I have no issue with making/taking calls while the phone is locked. Maybe its a compatibility issue with your particular hands-free device?
I also have no BT problem when locked, using the standard BT in my Toyota Avalon, 2011. Running rooted, UnNamed ROM, Entropy's DD 120811 kernel.
For those of you who think BT calling works just fine, I have to ask, have you ever used a WinMo phone with Voice Command? If not, then you don't know how well it's supposed to work. With VC, I could touch the call button on my BT headset or BT car stereo at ANY time, get a little chime and then say the name of the person I wanted to call and have it dial automatically. I never had to touch the phone to do this. When I try this on my Cappy or SGSII I get nothing. I have to initiate the call on the phone and using voice recognition on Android is spotty, at best, and requires more steps. At least answering a call is relatively easy. I have no love for MS, but they got this part right on their phones.
Miami_Son said:
For those of you who think BT calling works just fine, I have to ask, have you ever used a WinMo phone with Voice Command? If not, then you don't know how well it's supposed to work. With VC, I could touch the call button on my BT headset or BT car stereo at ANY time, get a little chime and then say the name of the person I wanted to call and have it dial automatically. I never had to touch the phone to do this. When I try this on my Cappy or SGSII I get nothing. I have to initiate the call on the phone and using voice recognition on Android is spotty, at best, and requires more steps. At least answering a call is relatively easy. I have no love for MS, but they got this part right on their phones.
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Sgs2 does this stock with no problems via samsung/vlingo voice command app. Seems hit or miss on some custom roms. As long as device has bt turned on and had been prior paired with a headset, just have to turn headset on then hit the button on the headset. Voice prompts over headset ensue
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA App
I'm headed into the AT&T store tomorrow to do some definitive tests but so far I'm skeptical people who say it's working for them truly have their phone locked. The Bluetooth unit in question is a Parrot CK3100 LCD - a bit dated (3 years old) but it works flawlessly with several WinMo phones, several non smartphones (mostly Nokia's), and we just tried a friend's iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. In all cases phonebook and voice dialing not only worked excellently it worked when the phones were truly locked and the screen off.
On the other hand the 3 Android devices I've tried all have the same problem - they won't dial out either by phone book entry or voice recognition unless you unlock the device first. The 3 devices are: Samsung Galaxy S II (AT&T), Samsung Galaxy S (Verizon), and EVO 3D (T-Mobile).
Unfortunately I don't have any other Bluetooth headsets to try out, hence my planned trip to AT&T. I plan on walking out of their either with a Bluetooth device that works or an iPhone Thanks for the replies.
I hear you. I have a Motorola FINITI bluetooth headset and it will not voice dial with the screen locked on my AT&T Galaxy SII.
Is there not an option to keep it from locking? :/
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
mohitrocks said:
Is there not an option to keep it from locking? :/
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
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Some roms give you a quick toggle in your status bar called secure mode, this should do it.
I'm on villain rom with jaykay mod quick toggles and i have that options.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
My stock phone is paired with the built-in BT in my car. I also have I have no problems with making or receiving calls while the phone is locked.
I can also make calls using voice dial when the phone is locked using my plantronics BT headset.
GeorgeP said:
My stock phone is paired with the built-in BT in my car. I also have I have no problems with making or receiving calls while the phone is locked.
I can also make calls using voice dial when the phone is locked using my plantronics BT headset.
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Click to collapse
Are you using a pattern/pin lock? Or just the slide to unlock.
Just slide to unlock.
It works very well and very straightforward. I just press and hold the call button on my headset (while the phone is locked), and then after the tone say, "call John Doe on mobile" and it works.
Something for OP to consider in troubleshooting why he is unable get this work:
The BT voice dial works through the older pre-installed Vlingo (version 2.x). Even though I have the newer version (3) of Vlingo installed, the phone still launches the older preinstalled version of Vlingo for BT voice dial. So it seems the BT voice dial function is in some way hardcoded to that version of Vlingo.
Perhaps OP is using a custom ROM in which the older pre-installed Vlingo is removed(?). I know that is the case with some of the custom ROMs for the Int'l SGS2.
If I were to freeze or remove the older version of Vlingo, that might impact BT voice dial. Although I wouldn't expect it to affect the use of my phone through my car's build in BT.
Try it with a pattern lock or some kind, I believe that is what the OP has and its what "locks" the phone from using BT dialing, whether its voice based, or address book based from a headunit.
OK, if OP means that type of lock, then, no you cannot make a call when locked.
Although, it is not clear to me why one would want BT to bypass the lock in this manner. It seems the PIN or pattern lock would be pointless. If the phone is stolen (or lost) the person who stole it (or found it) could have access to your phone's contents through bluetooth. Am I missing something?
Definitely missing something. He wants the phone to be able to make calls while the phone is locked which is why i suggested to keep it unlocked by enabling driving mode through the mount.
My point was that allowing bypassing the lock through BT creates a exposure many would not want. The simplest solution might be keeping it unlocked either using a mount as you suggest, or using one of the profile apps that lets you create a profile to keep the phone unlocked when plugged in. He could then plug it into the car power adapter.
I use a pattern lock, and can make calls through the built-in BT in my car when the phone is locked. I can dial on the car's touch screen (disabled when the car is in motion, except for pre-set speed dials), or tell it to call someone by pressing a button on the steering wheel and saying the name. The car BT compares the spoken name with the list of contacts from my phone that have been BT-loaded into the car's contact list. Nevertheless,the call is made though the phone, since the vehicle BT is not itself a phone. Has anyone noticed that we have not heard again from Rajah, the originator of this thread? Rajah, are you there? Were your issues resolved?

[Q] Using NFC and Bluetooth to voice-activate MP3s in the car

Hi, sorry if this is in the wrong category.
What I want to achieve is:
1. To stream audio (MP3s, calls) from my phone to my car stereo
2. To do this, and other functions of my phone, without taking the phone out of my pocket at all.
I'm going to be buying a Galaxy S5 in the very near future, and also my car stereo is knackered, so I thought now is a good time to shake things up. What I was thinking of was to get a new car stereo that has Bluetooth, and then use an NFC tag stuck on to the seat of my car, and the Trigger app, that when connected will turn on Bluetooth on my phone, and turn on voice commands.
First of all, what can one do with voice commands these days? I currently have a Galaxy S2, and with that one, it's not very much. What I'll want to do is call people, amswer the phone when people call me, write SMS/Whatsapp messages, and have them read out to me, set calendar entries and reminders, play music by going through my music library and reading it out to me.
Is this all possible in Android, or will I need a 3rd party app? To complicate things further, is it possible to replace current commands with other ones, where I would record them into the phone? The reason I ask is because my first language is Welsh. This also means that most my text messages will be in Welsh, so I will need to be able to write them in letter-by-letter, and also have them read out to me letter-by-letter. Possible?
Secondly, what sort of car stereo should I get for this? One with Bluetooth of course, but what other features should I look out for that I might need? Or should I go for a Parrot system?
Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanks.

[Q] Good voice-command app for me?

Hey all. I'm having trouble finding a voice command app that works for me.
The primary problem I'm having is bluetooth use: I need something for use in the car, where my phone is connected to my bluetooth stereo system, and many such programs have trouble talking out the bluetooth speaker (utter has this problem, but only at random) or picking up from the bluetooth mic (at least one other I've tried, can't remember which).
It would be particularly excellent if the app would only be on when bluetooth connected.
I don't mind paying money.
As for the actual voice commands I want:
1. launch app (I only have like 2 apps I ever launch in the car)
2. call person from contact book
A super-bonus awesome thing that nothing I've found will even attempt:
3. Send myself emails *that are more than one sentence long*, so I can dictate notes to myself in the car.
Ideas?

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