Review of Soundfly BT Ultimate Bluetooth Car Fm Transmitter WMA/MP3 Player

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List Price: $69.99
Sale Price: $59.99
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Through the years I have used several FM modulators and I have used several Bluetooth devices, but the Soundfly BT is the first Bluetooth/FM modulator that is completely integrated. What this means is that you have one device that will allow you to play your iPod/iPhone over your car's speakers and also have the ability to make hands free calls. The Soundfly BT also comes with a handy little remote control that can help you change FM stations on the modulator, answer phone calls, and give you total control over your music.

Before we go into the review some people are not familiar with how a FM modulator works. What it does is that it transmits a signal form a device to a static-filled FM station. What this means is that you find a station that does not have anything broadcasted on it ...say... 87.9 (depending on where you live)... and you set both the FM Modulator and your radio to that station. The FM Modulator then *broadcasts* a signal to the previously static filled station.

A couple of caveats to this review. I am reviewing this exclusively as an accessory to an iPod Touch/iPhone (Gen 4). I did not try using the SD card for playing music...since I really don't have a need since we store all of our music on our iPods.

Features

+Excellent FM Modulator. While no FM modulator is *perfect* this one is the closet that I have come across.

+ The remote control offers a lot of functionality. It allows you to answer calls, change stations on the FM Modulator, change the volume (which is a neat trick), shuffle through folders, advance and skip songs. I am REALLY surprised at how often I use the remote

+ Sound quality for phone calls is very good. Much better than I expected. The person you are talking to knows that they are on speaker phone, but the interference seems to be minimal.

+ Well-designed everything seems to make sense such as the way the Soundfly BT can pivot to fit into almost every 12V power source.

+ It has a USB power source! This allows you to charge/power any device that plugs into your computers USB port.

Areas of Concerns

Don't lose the manual! I looked (briefly) and wasn't able to find a copy of the manual online... it may be there...if so could you leave me a comment?

About 25-50% of the time the Bluetooth does not seem to sync with my iPod. While my iPod shows that it is paired with the Soundfly BT I am unable to get music to play. I am able to solve the problem by powering my iPod off and back on. It is a bit of an annoyance, which is why I am taking off 1/2 star.

Not overly intuitive on how to operate (outside of the remote) or to pair the Soundfly BT with your iPod/iPhone. For reference press the *Green* phone key until you hear an audible beep over your speakers. Once the Soundfly BT is found by your device use the code "0000" to pair the devices.

I wish that the Soundfly BT had an integrated microphone. The wired microphone works well, but I prefer not having extra wires hanging around my dashboard.

Final Verdict While there are a couple of minor issues I am very happy with the Soundfly BT. There are tons of positive features with the Soundfly BT that makes it well worth the purchase price!

4 to 4 1/2 Stars

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To get a bluetooth hands free device that also plays my music through my car's sound system for only 80 bucks I think is a sweet deal! I've had it for about a week, it's been working great and I love it! The sound quality seems the same as any other radio station. That includes the fact that when people call and I hear them through my speakers, they sound like someone calling into a radio station, which is kind of cool. :) Haven't made many calls using bluetooth yet, but so far the person on the other line says they can't even tell I'm using a hands free device.

Pros:

It's a great idea that works well.

The price is reasonable.

I love being able to play music from a flash drive or an SD card.

It remembers the last song that was playing when I turned the car off and picks back up with that song when I start driving again.

The music pauses automatically when a call comes in and it shows the number of the incoming call on its screen.

You can either clip the mic on to your shirt or seat belt when you want to use it, or it comes with a different clip that attaches to your visor so it's always ready to go. They provide two adhesive clips for the wire to fit into so you can guide the wire along a non-obtrusive path.

Cons:

You need to use your phone to make a call; pressing the call button on the device redials the last number, rather than activating voice command.

When playing from USB/SD card, it only supports 1999 songs and 20 folders. The music also must be in a folder named MP3 or Soundfly. This means that if you sync with Windows Media player, you will need to select the option for it to not create a folder hierarchy (otherwise it creates a folder for each artist) and then copy the songs from the root directory on the drive to the MP3/Soundfly directory.

It can't read songs with any digital rights info (though I think this is pretty common).

The users manual and packaging have a bunch of grammatical mistakes. The English was clearly either translated with some mistakes or written by someone who is not fluent.

Most of the buttons and functionality are through the remote, which must be pointed directly at the device (I don't find it necessary to use it very often, though).

I haven't found any of these cons to be a big deal, though, just minor things that leave some room for improvement. I would say this a great product, which I am recommending to my friends and family.

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I bought this product after seeing the review over here. I had VR3 USB-SD transmitter for over 4 years and was looking for new one after it broke.

First and foremost, the Satechi Customer service is excellent, very prompt response and prompt delivery. I Could give 10 stars for their support.

Pros on this product,

i) Bluetooth and MP3 Player with stereo FM transmitter

ii) The remote works for folder froward and track forward (lagged in VR3)

iii) Quality of FM transmission, constant stereo transmission with good signal.

CONS:

i) Limited folder level, Satechi should bring some Firmware to recognise more folders (VR3 has unlimited folder level)

ii) Remote power is weak, should plan to improve on this. works only line of site, maximum 3 feet away (in car it doesnt matter, but you have to have your hand pointed towards the unit, depending on model, could be painful).

iii) Not all the functions available in the unit, if you loose remote you loose,

Save or book mark option

A-B option

Folder switch option

When I received the product, I was surprised with the quality of the sound in FM, it was near CD quality, when I used VR3, I could see a huge difference in the audio quality using SD and USB disks. When I connect external source (cd player or computer and transmit, the volume is much better and the range of reception is about 35 feet with walls in between. I plugged this unit with wall power adapter, and used portable player to transmit, then I could receive signal in basement and second floor without any problems.

After 4 days, using bluetooth in car, the receiver could not hear me clearly and the remote I received I had to hold very close to the unit (literally less than 2 inches). I was little upset due to this considering the price I paid. (may be mine was one of the unlucky one's)

Sent a mail to support in Satechi, less than two hours, received prompt response, with couple of mails, then arranged for replacement unit. for some reason it got delayed, but the Customer serveice repsentative was curteous and helpfull tracking the package and made sure it is picked up on following day. Due to their response, I even kind of forgot on the issue and cooled down. was looking forward the new unit. It arrived two days ago and testing. So far so good, the MP is working really good and remote works about 3 feet from the unit (useful when I connect this at home). On bluetooth connectivity I am still need to test fully, so far it appears to be okay, the receiver is able to hear me okay. have to try during long drive and check. will update my posting soon on this.

Over all great product, if they over come the short falls (directory recognition and increased power on remote,) I would give them 5 Stars.

Compare to Vr3, much better product, there is very low interference and static. I would recommend this product.

As promised, I am updating my experience with Bluetooth

So far so good, when I drive in city the bluetooth quality is good at the receiving end, but when I drive in Highway at 70 to 75 MPH, the receiver complained I am breaking. It appears that mic is too sensitive and picking up the vehicle vibration, I am still trying to get an optimum location for the mic to reduce outside noise. Since within city limit, the quality is good I am not worried much.

Also, the sound quality on my radio in the car is really really good. So Bluetooth works for me. I am not planning to return this product, I recommend this to any one looking for great quality of sound and a versatile product.

On FM transmitter, the power is sufficient enough to suppress a moderate radio signal (88.5 is NPR station in Dayton, I am able to suppress this thru this unit). So as far as static is concerned it is virtually null if use free or moderate station channel.

Return on Cost is good compare to options I explored like Parot and other dealer supplied Bluetooth units.

Over all I will give 4.5 for this, giving room for other improvements suggested earlier.

Satechi, Great product, looking for advanced one in future from you. Your customer service Rocks!!!!!!!! Great and thanks a ton for a good product.

Honest reviews on Soundfly BT Ultimate Bluetooth Car Fm Transmitter WMA/MP3 Player

Manual is horrible. Just says few things about basic operation.

Make two annoying loud bell sound (through your car FM radio) when you start the car (Assuming you left this device in cigarette lighter socket while turning off your car last time). Not sure why this is needed. Manual does not seem to say anything about it.

Bluetooth connects fine with cellphones equipped with bluetooth. Microphone picks up my voice fine. It is a wired microphone(provided) There is no built in microphone on this device. Place it near your speedometer panel (or visor). Do not place it near the car fan vents. You will have to run the wire using some tiny wire clips or glue. Without the microphone you can't use cellphone bluetooth.

DO NOT COUNT ON headphone out when using SD card or USB Port to play music. Headphone out is ONLY FOR THE BLUETOOTH usage from cellphone. I wrote to Satechi/Soundfly tech support to confirm this. It would have made a great device if I could play music from SD card and connect the headphone out to my car's AUX-in port. It WOULD have given me better quality sound than FM.

Customer support: They respond (but slow). They do not understand english well (or your problem well). Simple sentences and examples will get you answer in one or two sentences.

Looks well constructed. Display is complicated and takes time to learn.

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Before I get into the review, just let me say that I am a techie guy. I love gadgets. I love computers. I love cell phones. If this isn't you, you may have a different opinion of this device than I do.

I spent quite a bit of time looking at this (and other) devices to play MP3's in my car. I recently purchased little 2 seater that doesn't have much room and only a single CD player, but was use to having a CD changer in my Cadillac. I knew that I could get more music on an SD card than I could ever have in a CD changer and didn't want to replace the factory stereo in my car. I ran across several MP3 players that plug into the cigarette lighter and began to see who all offered them and what people were saying.

I read the reviews and then ran into this little gizmo that not only played MP3's but also connected to a cell phone via bluetooth. I looked at this and several other products for about two weeks before I purchased. Therefore, I was well aware of the pluses and minuses of this device.

The Good:

It plays MP3's well. I live in a rural area and the reception of the signal on my radio is great ... even if it is walking on a weak radio station signal. The only time I have noticed any additional static is when I am driving by one of those huge radio station antennas. Other than that, the sound is very good for being in a car. But, let's be honest: How good does the sound reproduction have to be in a car? There is road and wind noise most of the time while you are driving! In my case, I don't notice any difference between the MP3 reception and playing a CD.

The bluetooth implimentation has been flawless. The sound is great and the only time I have had difficulties having the person on the other end hear me well is when the my cell phone is flaking out.

The Bad:

It has been well documented in the other reviews that this product can only access 20 directories. However, it can see up to 1999 files. OK ... who really wants to put 100 MP3's in a directory? It would be great if there were more directories available, but I knew this going in. So ... if I want to organize my music by album (as is typical), I can only put 20 albums on an SD card. What CD changer does that? And, if I want to, I can always find space somewhere for a couple more SD cards in my car ... even if it is a 2 seater.

Also ... the battery on the remote was bad when I got it even though there was a plastic protector that had to be pulled out before use. I don't know how it could have been used up at that point, but I got another battery and it works great.

Everything else:

I have yet to try to use an MP3 player of any kind because that wasn't my goal. However, I do intend to try an IPod at some point in the future.

I put a little bit of velcro on the bottom of the remote and mounted it on my center console. It "almost" looks factory and works great there. I never have to search for it. The controls on the remote are much easier to use than to try to use the controls on the SoundFly BT itself.

I used the included sun visor mount for the microphone for the bluetooth, ran the cable behind the panels etc into the center console so the cord for the microphone is not visible except just before it goes into the SoundFly. Again, the sound is great and no one even knows it is there unless I point it out.

I played around with how I had my music organized and have come to a fairly good point with what I have on the card. Overall, I am very happy with the SoundFly BT. If lost it ... I'd buy another.

Buy Cobra XRS 9970G Voice Alert 15 Band Radar and Laser Detector

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List Price: $449.71
Sale Price: $239.00
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I purchased this radar unit for my Hummer H2. I am very familiar with radar being a commercial pilot. I've owned radar detecting equipment off and on for 32 years. This is the most sophisticated highly sensitive unit I've owned and its easy to set up and operate. Its mounted on my dash since I cant reach the windshield from the drivers seat. The radar detector performs great. It has many features to reduce false alerts. I like the intellimute feature. It senses your RPMS and mutes the sound up to a preset RPM that you have entered, plus speed alerts you can preset. Mine is set at 75. It will chime and says "speed alert" if speed is exceeded, very handy and shows your speed when alerting. It has picked up state troopers in town blocks away, plenty of time to adjust your speed. The screen is visable in bright daylight, but I use the blackout feature which it goes dark after a preset time you enter but it will light back up upon a radar/gps signal. The icons can be set to different colors (green blue red orange or multi) to match your dash light colors. You can tell if its a false hit because it will only read out KA band, but a police radar hit will show the frequency he is using. The touch screen is priceless. Just a touch of an icon will change a feature and is very easy to change settings on the go, and the red-light/speed camera/speed trap detection is indispensible. As I was driving the interstate on a camp trip the Cobra 9970G alerted (caution speed trap area). Right after it alerted I looked over at the oncoming lanes and a state trooper had someone pulled over with lights flashing. This thing really works. The AURA Database is constantly updated every 12 hours and is free with the purchase of the 9970G. You can also manually set different alert locations up to 1000 of them. I usually set it up for school zones. It will alert you well ahead of them.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I can remember the last radar detector I had was a Cobra. They sure have come a long ways since the long strip of red lights that would increase in increments when a signal was detected. The Cobra XRS 9970G is all digital, full color touch screen and has an easy to read display. Gives you 360 degrees of protection. The voice alerts are a plus to let you know if you are being targeted. Measurements are approximately 5 x 3 And weighs about 7 ounces. There are so many features in this little piece of equipment. The extra features I find the most helpful is the GPS Locator, the low battery warning and the speed indicator. We have a rebuilt 1984 Mustang drag car that is street legal and the speedometer is not accurate. Using the speed indicator on the radar detector has been extremely helpful to monitor our speeds. With so many features and options, you will need to play around with it to feature out how to set the features and display to your needs. The Cobra XRS 9970G offers false recognition detection but it still goes off whenever I pass certain banks, municipalities or building with some kind of security system. It does not happen all the time but I have come accustomed of knowing which buildings and areas will give me a false detection.

At first I was confused after reading about the AURA Database feature in the manual, but after doing some searching on Cobra's website I found out that AURA stands for Advanced Universal Road Alert.

Description quote from Cobra's website:

"It warns drivers of thousands of driving threats that could cause unintended traffic violations as well as accidents. The result is that AURA-equipped drivers have heightened situational awareness--extra help to know what's around them, and what's ahead. The AURA database stores GPS coordinates of speed and red-light cameras and driving hazards. Users can access this database online and download daily updates onto various devices. One such device is a GPS locator (a USB flash drive) that connects to various AURA-compatible units and synchronizes the database to the device for the most current driving hazard warnings. Given the rate at which new photo enforcement cameras are being installed, providing daily updates is critical to providing motorists with the most reliable protection possible."

The AURA database covers all of the United States.

The AURA Database is nice feature to have at no cost since it is sold as an ad-on for older units/inexpensive models for $99.95 for 12 months plus $29.95 per year after the first year. With the Cobra XRS 9970G it is a LIFETIME subscription at no charge. It is not a very difficult procedure to do. All you need is to have a computer with internet connection. Register your product on Cobra's website.

** Make sure you input the serial number on the GPS Locator and not the serial number of the radar detector.** You will see on the menu an option to "update my data". Follow the easy to install directions. Make sure you download the program prior to connecting the GPS drive in the computer. After the first initial install, all you have to do is plug the "included" USB adapter cable to the GPS Locater Unit and insert it to a USB slot on computer, it will automatically update. It states they are constantly adding more speed traps and cameras so it would be a good idea to update on a regular basis.

NOTE it is Windows 7 compatible, which is what I use.

The only negative things I can say about this unit is that the 12V DC power plug could be a tad bit longer and that I wish it came with an optional longer tilt/adjustable mounting bracket. I would of preferred to place the unit in the middle of the dash by placing the windshield suction cups on a mounting disc plate (like the ones used with navigation systems). However, you can adhere the unit on your dashboard with the enclosed double-sided tape. Since the lip of the display screen overhangs, you will have to mount it with the display hanging off the edge of the dash. If you prefer to mount the unit to your windshield, it comes with two small suctions cups attached to a small bendable bracket. When I tested to see how the unit would sit on my windshield of my SUV I found that the weight of the unit caused it to droop downward even after I adjusted the bracket's angle. I believe it was because the windshield in my SUV (Dodge Durango) is very slanted. Also since the suctions cups are small, they kept coming "unstuck". If it offered one big suction cup, I think the hold would be much stronger.

Some states do not allow items to be adhered to the windshield, verify what your state's regulations are. It is banned from using radar detectors in the state of Virginia and it's even illegal to have them in your vehicle. In New York State it is prohibited in motor vehicles weighing over 18,000 pounds or commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds.

UPDATE: I found the perfect dash mount to use with the Cobra XRS 9970G the Radar Detector Car Dash and Windshield Mount. This offers more flexibility in how you want to mount the unit. The large suction cup keeps it securely in place and it even comes with a double-sided tape dash mount plate.

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touch screen is surprisingly spacious and the ease of configurability is a real advantage over comparable detectors.

I got this more for the fixed location camera alerts than for the radar, and so far it has scored 100pct on that. I checked it against all the known locations the first night it came in, and on the way I picked up a few more I didn't know about.

The software (once you find it on the site not the easiest thing in the world to do) works very well. It runs itself as a background utility which I recommend you remove from your startup if you need the ram, altho it's small and not a huge deal. The pro to keeping it in startup is that u can update the gps just by plugging in and it autosenses the con is the little bit of ram, but to get around that you'd just have to run it from your programs menu then plug in (dunno if youd have to remove it from startup again; probably).

The radar functions have been good thus far it kept me out of one potential ticket in the last week. I have not really learned how to work with the intellimute function yet, but I haven't had time to really read the details in the manual either.

All in all, if you can find this for just over $200, it's a very good product. I experimented with a device before it for just under a hundred that did nothing but find the speed and red light cameras, and it was pretty junky. It was a no-name brand that I was hoping would be an up and comer, but it turned out their software was so bad it rendered the device nearly unusable. That is not the case with the Aura dbase equipped Cobra. Right out of the box the fit and finish is excellent, and the functionality has been nothing short of superb thus far.

Highly recommend.

Honest reviews on Cobra XRS 9970G Voice Alert 15 Band Radar and Laser Detector

The Cobra XRS 9970G arrived as I was heading out the door for a two hour trip. I opened the box removed the device from its packaging got in the vehicle and powered it up. I did not attach the windshield mount which actually appears to be a coated metal with a couple of rubber stops that I believe are to keep the unit from "tapping" the windshield, it looks well designed and fits snuggly in the unit. I ordered a bean bag holder and it was being shipped seperate, if that does not suffice I feel the windshield mount may work although as others have mentioned the power cord will be maxed.

Three miles down the road in highway mode I entered my own small home town and was alerted with a "speed trap" warning! I felt it was slow in this warning for I was already upon the spot the local officer sits in waiting. I was however amazed that this location was even in the data base! Maybe on city mode it would have been ample time but I don't intend to be toggling back and forth as I drive. My sole purpose for the purchase was to remind me of this type of location, and all the new fixed locations that seem to be appearing as our cities and states try to find additional sources of revenue.

Further into my journey I did receive a "POP" warning which was generated by State Patrol and also a traffic alert as all oncoming traffic was being rerouted off I-80. I am not an excessive speeder, but I don't want to be caught napping.

After arriving at my destination I decided it was time to register the GPS and download the most current data from Aura. My laptop has a Vista operating system and this update was done without a hitch. No chance of entering the wrong SN either the site shows you a picture of the unit and asks again if your SN you entered is correct. Pretty fool proof.

The best feature I believe is the touch screen, yes its a little small, but how many screens is too many on your dash? The icons are clear and the alerts are as loud as you care to make them. For my purpose this is a great unit at a great price, the Cobra site lists the unit currently about $200 more than Amazon.

2/24 After having the cobra for two months I don't know how I ever got by without one. At twice the price I would say it has added value. The alerts are timely, even had it alert that an emergency vehicle was approaching... and then one turned in the intersection in front of me! Truly more than a radar detector, this thing is better than a spouse in the passenger seat! That being said...and in all honesty, it's incredible.

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Let me save you the 10 hours I spent researching radar detectors in articles, expert tests, expert reviews, and user reviews from cnet, amazon, etc.

In summary: Tested this unit extensively myself in two long trips. Great camera detector/GPS function, so a 5 rating on all other bells and whistles, BUT did not have much of a range to detect radar, period. Thats a fact recorded in test after test from the independent pros you can look up on the internet.

THE MAIN PURPOSE: TO DETECT RADAR IS WEAKscientific actual test by so many in comparison TESTS!!!! Tried to ignore that and love this unit, but I, a week later had to face the reality. This level of protection is avail for about $150. (yes, with GPS camera,etcothers have given the models, and are avail. on Amazon.com.

(ALL indep. test show this is a 1 miler, and the next group is 4 and the best is 9 !!! I explain below, its not the miles point, its that more miles equals more detection strength period You often wont get 2 miles in on rating 9 miles due to variables, but that one rated 1 mile, this one, gave me 200 ft repeated !!! So, strength is what counts (and it so happens they can only do the road tests using miles and over the hill... etc. see below.

Additional (GOOD) information:

For this price, many others have the same range/performance (many standardized comparison TESTS by independents say ONE mile) and for the best rated in everything (like the escort 9500ix (paid $427 yesterday at At Amazon fulfilment-a used but NEW return, avail. reg. 487. to 499. (ret.), have 9 mile detection ranges! There are many variables. EVEN the one with the 9 mile may only give a 1.5 mile warning over a hill or if ...(many other reasons), SO, imagine this unit or the fancy Rad .... (which uses your cell phone as a display-nice idea, but again, no range, and has GPS red-light/speed camera/ locations too, for about $150, (SAME 1 mile range), when their are hills/obstacles/or the police car is BEHIND you (which in my TUNDRA with topper) may only alert when it is less than a block behind you within sight (with one signal bar) and within seconds (several times I was only doing about 30 mph, and he was doing 35 mph) jumps to 5 signal bars. WHAT if I was going OVER the speed limit, perhaps 80 in a 70? Too late, completely ineffective. So that HIGH range 9 mile tested radar may give me 1 mile (not a visual for the ofc. to be necc. (legally/policy) to write the citation) notice here, perfect! So, dont be fooled and think 1 mi range in those test is good when ALL others have a min. of 4 miles (in the next upward category). Over the hill, its not a 9 mile notice for none of them! Test show less than 70% detection at 1/4 mile on this unit for that! Others 97% of the time at 1/4 mile! Get the point. The numbers dont mean much (or do they?) , EXCEPT more range is your best chance at not getting a ticket!!!!

NEED GPS/RED-LIGHT/SPEED CAMERA? Now, my dilemma was that I wanted the BEST range that included GPS for red light camera detection. IF you can do without that need, the Bel str driver (SAME PRICE) rates marginally higher than the escort/passport 9500 XI (same price toosame company, and the same as BEL too I readwhat a monopolyand sneaky marketing strategy, most you buy will be owned by same co?)

BUT, most importantly, without gps/right light camera... ALSO, for mere $150. you can get one of the best detection rated (comparable to the BEST out there, with 9 mile detection too!) The Bel 995! or the Bel RX65 (a bit lower (marginal) detection range). Note the GX95 (has gps and is much more money)

So, if you have a budget and just want the best DETECTION, dont spend it on this unit, others that show a NINE mile detection range (remember its not really the stated miles, the test were under IDEAL straight-away, in-line conditions BUT IT DID COMPARE DETECTION STRENGTH AND A 9 MILE VS. A 1 MILE (like this one, means somethingas I noted in MY experience this week)

Google it for yourself: "RADAR DETECTOR TESTS" or "comparisons" , and many other terms, most will land you in the same four indep. testing sites, with all the brands model numbers! Interesting too, all those test, have similar RESULTS. Beware of the ones that have an interest in selling you a detector, they may be biased, check for documented specs on the results, most give you the comparison charts, explain the testing, etc.

See for yourself, bottom line this one and the Bel Rad for Android or I phone (great concept for a screen and app.) ALL show this one with a ONE mile detection range (again its only FEET under many conditions), while the next group shows a min. of FOUR mile detection, and the best group shows 9 mile detection! Again, dont get hung up on miles, what you need to note is the STRENGTH is weaker in this one and...

THE BEST rated by all is a BEL for about something like $1200 to 2k, that goes in the grill with a remote, BUT ALMOST SAME RESULTS AS THE 9500 XI, redline, and 955.

Also, I read that the BEL 995 (159. on ebay is EXACTLY (made by same co that owns both) as the Passport 8500 (identical results in tests).

Oh, I must mention, YES one of the bells and whistles on this unit gx65 is lifetime camera updates free. Passport 9500 will give me 90 days, and then 19.95 a year, but an expert told me to simply update it when received, then on the 85th day. Then a year later buy the subscription and update it immediately and then make sure to do it again 11.5 months later, skip about a year in purchasing it (cameras are NOT updated that oftenbut for $20?maybe worth doing, I will just skip 6 months to be safe) and do this cycle again, and always be almost up to date?

So, price and gps (red light camera data bank, etc. will determine decision , but get the best DETECTION ABILITY you can, not bells and whistles is my recommendation!

USER RATINGS? One last thing, as with ALL products, BUY the ones where the vast majority of the ratings are 4 and 5, ignore the 2% that give it a one, read them for entertainment, or to read that they are in another country and they are pissed that it was not written in the sales ads,or it arrived not working or they didnt like the instructions provided.

People will give the BEST radar detectors out there a ONE rating? THEY ARE CLUELESS and have false expectations contrary to testing and scientific evidence and reality and limitations! GO check all this out, and you will see its true. IF They simply write that they suddenly got a warning too late, once they saw the police vehicle and poss. got a ticket, so the expensive detector is useless and sent it back. ITS not a POLICE CAR detector, RADAR needs to be in the process of being emitted, duh! Cops do flick on and off the radarlikely what happened!!

LASER (cop standing over the hill, standing there pointing it directly at YOUR vehicle (very narrow beam) and nails you, as you get the alertnothing works for this, except expensive jammers on the market!

Again ref. ratings: So, don't let those reviews with a few percent giving it a ONE rating ( I know when you see 20 or 30 ratings on ONE you become concerned, BUT dont if you see 350 with a rating of 4 or 5, (20 is insignificantsee my comment on clueless and .... above) don't let that throw you off. But, I have noted most cops in the City drive around with the RADAR ON, and I see them shortly after detection! IT WORKS!

Oh, Pet PEEVE now: Amazon LIED, they said buy it in x hours if I paid additional 1 day deliv fee .. which I did, and it will be delivered tomorrow. Said it even AFTER I purchased it, went to bed, woke up today and checked and its not being delivered until another DAY.

Calling to get my next day B.S. deliv day fee back !!! Why say it Amazon, "Buy within the next xxxx and receive it .... (paying extra) NOT TRUE they lied? Calling in 5 min. to hear the excuse, but they should not make the claim and fool people and state it as a FACT that IT WILL be received by (unusual, rare exception and perhaps a plane crash? or common intentional misleading marketing/sale gimmick to entice buyers (as they did me !!

BUT, Amazon is taking the Cobra back and has taken other items back (they do keep some of the payment made to make you pay for shipping back though, but, OK!

Enjoy the review and if you think... mark it as HELPFUL, so others will go right to it !! Thanks.

Battery Tender Carrying Pouch - Large 500-0140 Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $8.95
Sale Price: $8.52
Today's Bonus: 5% Off

I bought this bag because I wanted to keep my tender and everything together. When I received this bag I was taken away by how big it was. It was bigger than I thought it would be. I can fit my tender, 25 foot extension cable and all the accessories that normally come with the tender. The bag has a mesh feel but sturdy enough to keep everything together. On the top lid in the inside, it has pockets to keep things in. Great product and plenty of room.

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This may be a little over-kill for some, but personally I like the extra room.

Five of the Battery Tender small bags will fit inside this one.

Note that none of the measurements stated in the product description

for this large bag are correct, as of Oct 10, 2012.

Actual measurements of bag ~ 7" x 9" wide, and 6 1/2" tall, and has two carrying straps.

(For comparison the battery in my car is 6 1/2" x 10" and 6 3/4 " tall)

I suggest this Battery Tender Carrying Pouch Large 500Large-0140.

This case will hold all that comes with the Battery Tender Plus ~

also the Battery Tender 25 ft extension cable ~

AND have an inside empty space of approximately 4" x 5" x 9" for other stuff ~

an electric ex cord ~ flashlight etc.

I had first ordered the Battery Tender 500-0017 utility bag pouch.

The UPC tag marks the size as 'Small". It measures 6" x 7 1/4" x 2".

The Battery Tender Plus and the cables that come with it will fit inside the small size,

but only a certain way with ease, and only before the cables are used.

After using the cables it's much harder to get those things back in the bag.

And it certainly wouldn't hold anything else.

When I order a Battery Tender 25 ft. extension cable,

knowing the small wasn't adequate, I order this large size bag.

I'm very pleased with it's quality and the extra amount it will hold,

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I have too many cars.. buying WAY too many batteries to keep them all running. This is just what I needed. Great seller. Shipped as stated.

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I like the Battery Tender Carrying Pouch.

It's large, protects the Battery Tender from scratches, keeps dust out and can hold accessories so you don't loose them.

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Great little carrier when you order the multiple packages of Battery Tenders. Provides good protection from spiders etc while sitting out in the garage!

Cheap PulseTech PP-12-L 12-Volt PowerPulse Battery Conditioner

Customer Ratings:

I've had extensive experience with PulseTech products through the military. This particular item is ideal for vehicles/batteries in pretty much daily use, but is not for batteries that sit extended periods without charging. I put on my 97 Ford Explorer last year so I wouldn't have to periodically hook up my PulseTech Extreme 100X822 charger. I installed the PulseTech Solarpulse 2 watt on my 09 Silverado since it was not my daily commuter vehicle. My first PulseTech solargizer I installed on 90 Toyota with new 48 month battery in 2003. Same battery was still testing 75% with their MBT1 tester in 2011. I could park it for a week in below zero temps at the airport and it always had plenty of juice to crank when I got back. I recovered the solargizer when truck was totaled and put it on my lawn tractor, still going strong. When coupled with proper maintenance of battery terminals and fluid levels, my experience is you will get return on your PulseTech investment with one battery. For me, I know and trust PulseTech so I don't even consider other brands.

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This is in the mid range as far as battery conditioner prices. This product is designed to desulfate your batteries which is crucial when it comes to battery life. Works on all types of batteries. I have 3 solar generators built, all using AGM. I rotate the power pulse on all 3. I cut the ring terminals off and use alligator clips instead. During a month's period each generator has a one week dose of the power pulse. Does it work, yes. I first tested it on an old car battery. Could only charge it to 12,5. Put the power pulse on it for 3 days with a small trickle charge and the old famous saying of "It's Alive" rang true. The battery now takes a full charge and is reliable....

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My husband had done a great deal of research on this item. He had received info from other boaters concerning the difference this item made for them. He has not had it long enough to determine its real value.

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Awesome.hooked to weak batteries to a 144watt solar panel with a charge controller and this pulse conditioner and it brought them both back to full capacity. Something interesting is whether power in or going out of battery it gets pulsed just as long as your using it

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If you own an RV or a classic car that is only driven seasonally, then you must have one of these attached to your battery!!!

Reviews of GTMax Black Rapid Retractable Car Charger for AT&T Samsung Flight

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $11.99
Sale Price: $3.91
Today's Bonus: 67% Off

Really . . . why pay $25.00 for a car charger at the Cell phone store when this little beauty works so well. The retractable cord means no tangling with anything else. Love it!!

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Good Product! Works Great! Got here fast! What more can u ask for? Love the retractable cord, stores easy without getting tangled.

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The charger works great. I was worried about that. The only flaw in the design is that the retractable cord is too short to allow you to use the phone while it is charging. What up with that? When I really need to use the phone, I need to either pull over and park, or try to drive like a little old lady and peer through the steering wheel.

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I ordered this because I got a new cell phone and needed a car charger, but didn't want the curly cord taking up a bunch of space. This retractable one works perfectly! The only part that is weird is when I plug it in my phone asks what kind of memory I want to use? Almost like my phone thinks it is being plugged into a computer. It still charges just fine, so I don't really care about that.

I wanted to add something else now that I've had the charger for a few months. The cords seems to be just a tad bit short if you plan on making a call in your car while the phone is plugged in. I know this depends on the car and the height of the person using it, but for me, I have to lean over quite a bit to even make a call. It is a minor detail but can be awkward.

Battery Charger Adapter for Samsung Galaxy Nexus i9250 Black Review

Customer Ratings:

I'm not sure if it's just my model or if it's like this for all models of this phone but the battery doesn't fit snug in the charger so I have to put a shim in it to hold good.

Other then that it works perfect. Very convenient.

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Cheap Premium Vehicle Power Charger for Samsung VGA1000, A680, A740, A760

Customer Ratings:

This items was shipped 20 days after the order was placed.

This item is advertised as compatible with LG PM325 however as packaged, the connecter does not insert all the way into the phone. There are no instructions included with the device. Fortunately, I figured out that there was a small plastic sleeve that could easily be removed from the part that fits into the phone to allow the connector to go all the way in.

So far the device works fine.

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I bought this with the slim travel charger, and both have the same problem. Previous reviewer didn't indicate that they had problems with it, so maybe I'm the problem. I'm a fairly savvy electronics user, and I don't see how I could be screwing up the process of -plug the charger into working DC jack, plug charger into phone-.

Yes, as noted in previous review, I slipped the piece of plastic off, the charger plugs all the way into the phone.

When the charger is only plugged into the DC jack in my car, the LED shows a steady green, but when the other end is plugged into my phone to charge it, the LED blinks red. I'm assuming that's a power issue.

Discount Gomadic Intelligent Compact Car / Auto DC Charger suitable for

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.95
Sale Price: $19.92
Today's Bonus: 33% Off

We bought this charger after debating whether we should or not because of some of the mixed reviews. We decided to give it a try and are so disappointed we did.

Initially the charger worked, and just recently while on a trip it broke. The little green light does not work when we plug it into the car, and it does not seem to be a fuse with our car since the cell phone chargers are working fine in the car lighter. The super bummer is that it only lasted 45 days...long enough to pass the 30 day return window and yet not long enough to get us through our family vacation.

That said, I am emailing the company because the charger has a lifetime warranty and so far they have responded to my email stating that I should check he fuse in the car. It's not a issue with the car, so I am hoping to either get the charger replaced or refunded. A replacement or refund does not change the fact that we were on vacation with our family and lost because we couldn't use our GPS. Save yourself some trouble and buy another charger.

UPDATE:

The company has very promptly answered my emails and concerns and has shipped me a replacement charger. I misunderstood the original email they sent thinking their customer service was asking me to check the fuse in my car, but they were asking me to check the fuse in the charger. Even before I could check the charger fuse they company sent me a new charger. They were easy to contact and willing to send a replacement charger. I have changed my original rating from one star to 4 since they are honoring the warranty and keeping things simple. Things break so for me, customer service is key in purchasing products.

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Shorai Inc Lithium Power Sports Iron Battery 21AH 12V EQ "L"6 Review

Customer Ratings:

This batter performs well, never needs water, is about 10 pounds lighter than the stock battery, and was a breeze to install. I replaced the lead/acid battery on my BMW R1100RSL with this one. The install was about 20min. all the electrical connections were easy to make. This battery is smaller than the lead/acid type and most of the install time was spent cutting some of the supplied foam spacers to provide a custom fit in the battery holder. I have had no issues starting even down to temperatures in the teens. I also don't have to keep it on a battery tender all the time.

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Very light, unit comes with post adapters and foam to make battery match the original size wise. Crank the BMW 1200 rt fast

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Saved me over 10lbs from stock battery and can feel the difference not having that extra weight up high on the bike. No longer need to use a trickle charger. The bike has sat for 2+ weeks and it turned over with a very strong start. Better than the OEM did even when new.

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I've had this on my '04' R1150RT for 6 months now. I had purchased the suggested replacement that so many swear by, the Odyssey PC 680 battery but once delivered I was surprised how incredibly heavy it was in comparison to the BMW branded Exide gel battery.

With the additional bodywork, front fairing and huge fuel tank the RT series Oilheads are top heavy to begin with. Adding a few more pounds up high would only make this worse. That's when I decided I'm going to try the Shorai.

As another reviewer said, it's as if this is little more than an empty plastic box. It's size and weight is amazing. How will this ever start the mighty Boxer I don't know???

Here's the specs:

OdysseyShipping weight 19 Lbs, 12.87 volt charge as delivered

Shorai-Shipping weight 4 Lbs, 13.38 volt charge as delivered

Well, 6 months now and never a problem. I have found if not on the Deltron/BMW "Smart charger" that it has a problem starting after 4-5 days, same as with the tired Exide battery but....keep in mind the battery has to keep the volatile memory settings in the Motronic engine controller, the clock on the Rider Info Display and I have my Garmin Quest GPS hot wired constantly to keep it charged. If it weren't for that, I think like others have said it would always start the bike.

My Garmin Quest GPS is an older unit with little choice available for a replacement internal battery. I learned if it is allowed to drop to a very low charge, it will not boot or work at all. The only way to resolve this is to keep it on the charger when not riding, hence the need to keep the bike on a charger. Off the charger for 3 days it will start, 4 days is 'iffy', 5 days it will not start.

The main advantage on the BMW's with the Shorai is you'll find the reduction in so much weight up high makes riding dramatically easier, a real plus in my mind.

Will it outlive conventional batteries?? We'll see. So far I'm quite pleased with it.

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This think is awesome. The battery weighs nothing compared to the battery it replaced and cranks the bike much better. Would recommend this to anybody that is looking for a great battery.

Discount Motorola MR350R 35-Mile Range 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $79.99
Sale Price: $54.15
Today's Bonus: 32% Off

First of all, all the distances advertised on any walkie talkie like this is based on mountain top to mountain top communication, where the valley increases the range, and no obstruction. That is where they based the 35 miles. For city use, in malls, house to house and areas with trees will be between .5 to 1 mile at most. Since I have been using Motorola Walkie talkies all my life so I knew what I was buying.

I experimented with 3 different models of Walkie talkies in the mall with my wife. First we tried the 5 mile Motorola. I was on one end of the mall inside Macy's and she was on the other side in Nordstrom. She could not even hear me.

We tried the 10 mile Motorola. This time she could hear me press the talk button and a few garbled words, but that was it. We could not communicate.

We tried these 35 mile ones last. We were able to hear each other just fine. Not bad considering the distance and the number of obstructions.

I have also tried this on the open road for car to car communication and it can reach the horizon. If you want more power, you will need to get a license and buy a 5 watt radio.

This Radio has many nice features you would normally find in Professional Radios 5 times the price of this.

UPDATE SEPT 25, 2009-

This radio has a really nice feature I just discovered. It has the hands free iVOX capability. It will broadcast when it hears a sound. There are 3 levels of sensitivity. I tried it as a baby monitor. I left my wife and baby while they were asleep and turned on the radio to High power on one of the GMRS channels(I have an FCC license by the way, so I can use this channel). I drove about 1 mile to my brother-in-laws house. The Radio worked as a long range baby monitor! It was impressive considering that the radio was indoors and I was not line-of-site, and it reached a mile. Very amusing.

I would advice getting an FCC license so that you can use the High power GMRS channels legally. With these radios, it is about 1.5 to 2 watts. If you use the FRS channels 8 to 14, all walkie talkies including this will only use 0.5 watts. Channels 1 to 7 are GMRS/FRS channels. You cannot legally use the high power PTT button if you do not have an FCC license. Channels 15 to 22 are GMRS channels where you can use the High power mode exclusive to GMRS radios. Go to the FCC website and pay the fee for a GMRS radio license, it is good for your immediate family for 5 years. It is worth it if you use it all the time.

****Update October 26, 2009****

I will now detail what I have found out about my Motorola:

Pros:

1. In door range This is the mall slayer. Go to any mall and give your kids one and you will be able to talke to them pretty much anywhere they are.

2. Audio Quality Very clear and very loud.

3. Outdoor Range It has almost the same range as my Icom professional radio which has 3 times the power. That is basically because outdoor range is more about antenna height rather than power.

4. Flashlight Very useful when you go camping. You dont have to bring an extra flashlight. It is bright. Excellent for emergencies.

5. iVox Hands free operation. Very useful as a 1 mile baby monitor.

6. Call button I can call the other radio so that they know I am trying to call them so they can pick up the radio.

7. Emergency button It will send an alert so that the other person knows you are in trouble.

8. Weather channels I use it to find out the weather, specially before going Kayaking.

9. Privacy Codes it has so many Privacy codes so you will never be disturbed by other radios.

10. QT You can restrict the radios that you hear to only Motorolas.

11. Scan well most other radios have this too.

12. 2 power settings You can either transmit on .5 watts or 1.5 watts, depending on the button you press. Unless you are using FRS channels 8 to 14 which are hardcoded to use .5 watts.

13. Vibrate feature In case you are in a noisy place, this is useful.

14. Ease of use It does not get easier. Instructions are clear and it is intuitive.

CONS:

1. I am still trying to find one.

********UPDATE December 27,2009*********

I conducted another Distance and clarity test:

Equipment:

1. My Icom F21 UHF 4 watt Professional Handheld Radio(same one Police/Sheriff use. $380 for a pair)

2. My Motorola MR350($59 a pair)

Parameters of the Test:

I have a 40 Watt GMRS Base Station at home. My Home is by the Beach Blvd. I will drive North on beach Blvd and at every quarter mile, I will get down from the car, and transmit. I will transmit first with the Icom, then the Motorola. I will also note down if I can hear a reply back and how clear the reply was.

Result of the test:

Distance

1. Icomwas able to transmit and receive clearly up till 3 1/4 miles. It then started to become choppy from that point.

2. Motorola was able to transmit and receive clearly till 2 3/4 miles. It then started to become choppy from that point.

Clarity

1. Icom There were times I had to ask my wife to repeat herself because it sounded a little muffled.

2. Motorola Just like listening to an FM radio. Loud and crystal clear.

Conclusion

Although the extra power of the Icom gave it a slight advantage in range, about 20%, you can buy 8 pairs of these Motorolas for the price of the Icom. Let the result speak for itself.

Note: This test was meant to show that the Professional Radios only have a slight advantage over the Motorola. The distances were that far because I have a base station with a 10 foot mast and an external J-pole GMRS tuned antenna. Hand held to hand held still follows the laws of physics so it is the same as I mentioned at the beginning of the review, .5 to 1 mile in the city. Completely different story if you are on an elevated position. Distance in miles = Square root of the Height(in feet) x 1.4.

*****UPDATE FEB. 04,2010******

I would like to now discuss the Cost savings of this MR350 over Professional Radios.

My Motorola MR350 is still going strong. I have since bought more Professional Icoms and have had to go through the hassle of tweaking them and programming them manually to get them to function the way this Motorola does when you first take it out of the packaging. I had to buy these Icoms because I am a member of a GMRS Radio Group here in Orange County and Los Angeles and I need the repeater functionality and external antenna.

If you buy a professional radio, you will have to pay to have it programmed. It can cost from between $20 to $80 each time you need to have something programmed. I bought the software and equipment to program my Icoms and they were very expensive. Again, this is something you will never have to do with the MR350.

Batteries on my Icoms cost about $60. That is even more than the cost of this MOTOROLA!!! Not to mention that I had to buy an external battery pack for my Icoms costing $45 so that I can use Energizer AA batteries. The Motorola can use the included rechargeable battery, or you can use Energizer.

I have my Motorolas fully charged all the time so if ever the big earthquake hits LA, this will be my primary survival gear together with my Swiss Army Knife.

Conclusion:

In a cost perspective, the Motorola MR350 wins hands down. You will easily spend about $650-700(hardware and software) to equip a pair(2) of Professional Radios to have some(not all) of the features of this Motorola MR350. At the end of the day, cost will always be a factor when we purchase anything.

Hope to talk to you on the air.

******UPDATE APRIL 19,2010*******

I just bought another set of Motorola MR350 radios. I leave a pair in my car for emergencies where I cannot use my car mounted Mobile UHF radio. I still think these are the best deal on any UHF radio.

******UPDATE OCTOBER 26,2010*******

I just wanted to update all of you since it has been 1 year since my original post. The 4 Radios and the batteries are still working great. That being said, one of the nice people to comment, mentioned that one or both of his new units were defective. Unfortunately, that is not unique with Consumer radios. Once you receive your radio, whatever you buy, please test it right away. If you find that something is not right, tell Amazon that the unit is defective, then exchange it for a new set. That is the nice thing about Amazon. And if you have more issues, drop me a comment, and I can point you to other radios that you may like. I collect radios and I have tried most of them already so I can save you the trouble of deciding.

Also, he mentioned that there is a site that you can get a free replacement faceplate for the MR355 which has the Repeater capability and all of the features of the MR350. The catch is the original faceplate of the MR355 is camo. The free replacement faceplate will make the MR355 look much more discreet. Look into that radio as well. From what I hear, they are almost the same price. Oh, and I also have that MR355 radio, but never take it out because I have not replaced the faceplate yet. I will eventually.

******UPDATE FEBRUARY 2, 2012*******

I am so happy to announce that all 4 Motorola MR350 radios are still working. I still take them with me everywhere and have not had any problems with them. I have accidentally dropped them a couple of times so they have some scratches here and there, but they still work fine. I am really happy all 4 radios have lasted this long, almost 3 years for the original pair.

If there are any situations you would like me to test, please let me know and I will do my best to document a proper test for it. Let me know.

******UPDATE AUGUST 27, 2012*******

Again, I am happy to report all 4 radios still work. Now I would like to talk about the best new radio I have seen from Motorola, the MT352R. It is basically very similar to the MR350 except that it has a better rechargeable NiMH battery. It has double the battery life of the MR350. It also has a new method of charging. It does not use a charging station anymore. You just plug a mini USB cable to the bottom.

That is great, except that it is a much larger radio, so you have to consider the bulk of this before buying it. I have only seen it but I am about to buy a pair and see if this provides. I was really hesitant to buy it because it did not look as sleek as the MR350 which has served me well.

Once I get it, I will let you know if it is even worth paying the extra money, for what appears to be the same radio.

Another thing I wanted to discuss is the repair of these consumer radios. If the radio is still under warranty and Motorola will replace your radio as long as it was not due to user error. Once the warranty is over and your radios break, you have to buy a new radio as they do not repair radios out of warranty. Motorola used to do repairs, but no one really availed of it because it costs $50 or more to repair a radio. People just bought new ones. That goes for all handhelds available. So, the moral of the story is, if your radio is still under warranty, bring it to Motorola(or whatever radio you buy) and they will give you a new radio. Do not wait as the warranty could lapse.

I hope that helps you guys.

********UPDATE December 3, 2012*******

All 4 MR350 radios are still ticking. I am happy to report though that I have purchased a pair of Motorola MT352R radios. It will be arriving soon, and I will do a very comprehensive side by side test between my favorite, the MR350 vs the contender, the MT352R. Please give me about a week to get the radios, perform the tests and analyze the results. I should be able to post the findings by December 14, 2012. It should give you enough time to decide whether to buy this for xmas.

********IMPORTANT UPDATE December 4,2012*********

I received the Motorola MT352R this morning and proceeded to perform the comparison testing between the MR350 and the MT352R. Please go to my review of the MT352R so you will be able to see the results of my testing. Motorola MT352R Giant FRS Weatherproof Two-Way 35 Mile Radio Pack Silver

In a nutshell, they have the same features except for the IP-54 weather resistance. The main difference between them is size, distance, battery life and most important of all, price. Is 20-30% more distance worth paying 40-50% more(depending how much the current price is of course)? That is your choice. I still prefer the MR350 because of the very slim form and proven reliability. The MT352R is as big as an ICOM handheld. The MT352R has a better battery, but the MR350 has great battery life to begin with.

Please read my review of the MT352R so you have a better idea. I hope that helps.

********UPDATE April 29, 2013*********

I have had these radios for 4 years now and they still work just fine. I still highly recommend them.

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Motorola MR350R vs Midland GXT1050--both products received good reviews on Amazon and I had a hard time initially deciding which one to buy since I could not find detailed comparison between the two. So, I will try to be more comprehensive in comparison here hoping to help you make a decision suitable for your purpose.

I bought MR350R two months ago from Costco at $55 (tax included) to monitor my baby sleeping upstairs and to use during road trips. A month later I also bought Midland GXT1050 from Amazon upon good reviews and my dissatisfaction with some silly design issue associated with the MR350 VOX feature (which is critical for monitoring purpose).

Size and weight: MR350 is lighter (6.2oz vs 7.3oz for each handset including rechargeable battery pack and belt clips) and has a noticeably more agronomical grip, especially for kids or someone with smaller hands.

Setup and Change Settings: MR350 has more intuitive LCD display and signs/symbols whereas GXT1050 took me a couple of hours to set up and memorize what each symbol/letter means (It would be tremendously helpful if Midland can add a full list of all symbols/letters and their meanings in a simple table instead of diving this information into chunks and burying it into each individual function/feature section). I think a 10 year old can be taught to change settings on MR350 without a manual but that most likely won't happen with GXT1050 (with or without the manual).

Features: These two share many useful key features like Weather Scan and Alert. GXT1050 has more channels (50 vs 22 for MR350R) which may be useful for using in populated areas although I never run into issues with MR350 on this one. MR350 has a built-in LED light for emergency use, which is nice. GXT1050 can produce a loud SOS siren which maybe useful in certain situations (although I never used it for any real purposes). Overall GXT1050 seems a bit more versatile with features such as direct call.

Range: GXT claimed 36 miles range and MR350 claimed 35 miles--both claims are meaningless since nobody would ever achieve the advertised range unless standing on two mountain peaks with perfect conditions. In actual use, the effective range is more like 1-2 miles in a flat suburban environment and a bit more in open field. Some reviewers here found a slightly better range with GXT1050 although my test twice showed MR350R lasted a slightly longer range while me driving away from home with each model broadcasting from my living room.

PPT Button is the one needing to be pressed down when transmitting. MR350R has the button designed in such way you can press the upper part for high power and lower part for low power--made switch power a much easier task. Using GXT1050's mechanism you will have to pre-configure power level in the settings and is not very easy to change in a hurry. The shape of MR350 PPT button is made in such a way though, you would end up using the high power most of the time since the upper part of the button protrudes further out. Nonetheless, I like the MR350R design on this one.

VOX: This is one of the most critical features if you want to monitor baby sleeping in a different room or just want to talk hand-free. I agree with C. Hayes' review here that MR350R's three sensitivity levels are not sensitive enough (Hayes's wording made me smile, though a bit exaggerated.). GXT1050 has 9 level of sensitivities and the most sensitive setting (level 1) is indeed more sensitive than that of MR350R (level 3), however, the difference it is not day and night--both detected my baby crying after waking up when placed about 1-2 feet away and both failed to detect my normal talk volume from 1-2 feet away unless I yell loudly or put the radio within 2-3 inches to my mouth. When put in front of a PC speaker, I did notice that GXT1050 started getting into the transmitting mode a bit earlier than MR305R as I turned up the volume knob of my speaker. However, if you want to talk to you handset placed on your shoulder (like policeman does) with your normal voice volume without bending your head to get close to the ratio--good luck no matter which set you use. I really think both companies should increase the sensitive level here.

The biggest turn-off of MR350R is that its VOX feature would be automatically cancelled if you press PPT button, intentionally or accidentally, even if when all settings are "locked"--my baby likes to play with radio and sometime the VOX setting is accidentally cancelled because he squeezed the PPT button. I found this a ridiculous under-thinking (or over-thinking) by Motorola's engineers--I understand the need to preserve power if pressing PPT means VOX may no longer be necessary, but auto-cancel even though settings are locked? Does the word "lock" mean anything? GXT has no problem on this one--kudos to their engineers. I would have returned MR350R for this reason alone (thanks to the great Costco return policy.) if not because my GXT1050 set had a quality issue.

The Wishper feature of GXT1050 does give much loud volume which is very useful for baby monitoring if you don't carry your ratio set on you or right next to you.

Battery life: Both are pretty good (for the good unit I have). I followed exact instructions to do the initial charge (important to battery life) and subsequent charges. However, one of my MR350R unit would run out juicy twice faster than the other handset would--this may be due to difference in batteries or the radio circuit parts. Even worse luck with GXT1050 I had-sometimes one unit would lose power during use even though it was newly charged and it would not even charge after being placed on the charger. Swapping batteries solves the problem temporarily but this issue reappears later. This caused me to return the GXT1050 to Amazon (thanks to Amazon's 30 day return policy) after on two occasions my baby woke up and fell off bed but GXT1050 failed to give me any warning in advance because of this very issue.. I don't know whether this was caused by a faulty battery or circuit component but I do think this is probably an isolated quality issue since most reviewers here seems to be quite happy with their purchase. One small thing to comment on the rechargeable battery installation and removal--MR350 got this one right with a ribbon under the battery to help you remove the pack easily. The GXT1050 rechargeable battery pack fit in so tightly and there is no ribbon there to help--it would take a few minutes and possibly a fingernail or two (and believe me, I am not exaggerating here) to remove it, especially if you are in a hurry to put in some alkaline batteries in the field. Midland--please spend a nickel or a dime and put in a removal ribbon here.

Charger: Both models do NOT have smart charger--which means the charge light is still red even when fully charged. IBoth companies should make an improvement on this for better battery power and life.

Compatibility: I checked their frequency charts and found that first 22 channels are on exact frequencies so they are compatible. However, I found this to be true only when privacy code is not used. When both models are set on the same channel using the same privacy code--they were able to scan and found each other SOMETIMES, but not always. What a bummer since I would be happy to have both sets (if without quality issues mentioned earlier) and use them in a group to suit different needs.

Waterproof: GXT1050 is splash-proof (JIS4 as the fine print specified), not really waterproof in the sense you can submerge it in water but this is still better than MR350R.

Price: GXT1050 package costs about $20 more but it also includes two headsets and a car charger adaptor--I would call a tie on this one.

Overall, each model has its own strengths--buy what suits your purpose. I had experience in building electronics and know for a fact that individual difference in parts/components sometime impact significantly in power consumption and transmit/receiving sensitivity. So, each unit may vary somewhat from one another --your mileage may vary when coming down to range, sensitivity, etc. So, celebrate if you get a good pair but don't get too hung up if someone else claims a bit better range or clarity or whatsoever.

I would have given 4 stars to both models given their solid performance before noticing quality issues mentioned above but 3 stars here due to quality/reliability issues happened to the set I received in addition to some much desired improvement in design--I hope the manufacturers read my reviews and take some actions--those are not expensive changes at all but would be much more user friendly. I would buy the improved version of either brand in a heartbeat.

Best Deals for Motorola MR350R 35-Mile Range 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio

After purchasisng the Motorola MR-350 via Amazon, radios were tested in a residential area in my city.

To my surprise and amazement the MR-350 units were able to clearly communicate over a distance of one and one half miles, having to punch the signal clearly through homes, trees, steel, wood and many line of site obstructions.

Clearly, this is an amazing pair of radios, and the claim of an unobstructed range of many miles is highly likely.

Delighted with the Amazon purchase and this is an excellent value, demonstrating a lot of radio muscle power in a tiny package.

Richard Denver.

Honest reviews on Motorola MR350R 35-Mile Range 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio

I would URGE you to read WILFREDO M VIRAY'S ("Wally") EXCELLENT, THOROUGH and THOUGHTFUL review. There's not much more I can say.

However, a few friends have asked "why would anyone use a two-way radio when cell phones do the 'same' thing?" I live direcly under a bluff in the midwest. Cross country ski, walking and bike trails, and one of our country clubs are there as well. Cell phones don't work very well in these areas.

This can also be true when you're traveling. A two-way radio can put you in touch with a LOT of sources you cannot reach with a cell phone... truckers, for example. Forget the stereotype these guys can be lifesavers on the open road. Two way radios are free of roaming charges, and they'll work ANYWHERE NO cell phone network can make that claim.

We also use these radios (and their "predecessor," the Motorola T9500XLR) EXTENSIVELY at work. (We now have TEN pair.) The building is concrete and steel, and no matter where you are, you can communicate CLEARLY with these radios. (Incidentally, we're talking about a 200,000+ square foot... that's a fairly large building.) Using two-way radios is a VAST time saver compared to paging someone on the intercom, then waiting for the "callee" to find a phone and get back to you!

Another NICE feature: Although these radios are supplied with a comparatively expensive 3.6 volt rechargeable battery, YOU CAN USE (3) AA's INSTEAD.

Again, I refer you to Wilfredo "Wally" Viray's excellent review for some non-biased technical data.

Good job, Motorola!

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We bought these because of the detailed reviews. I read almost all the pages of reviews because we really wanted well working walkie talkies for a cruise. Only one review mentioned a cruise and didn't report back if they really worked on a ship or not. Well I want to report that we were on one of the larger ships that Norwegian Cruise Line has and they worked incredibly. With all that metal we didn't know how they would work from floor to floor and front to back. We had two sets (went with the whole family) and we were completely satisfied that they worked anywhere on the ship. We also used the monitor function with sleeping babies in our cabins at night. That worked well too. There was about a 10 second laps in the time the babies starting fussing, but at home they fuss for that long too so we didn't find a problem with that. Hope this helps someone else that is looking for some good walkie talkies for a cruise.

Review of Retractable Car Charger for HTC Desire (Includes OrionGadgets

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $16.80
Sale Price: $3.99
Today's Bonus: 76% Off

Works exactly as it look a cheap piece of plastic,

even though the blue light seems to indicate the charger is functioning,

it does not charge the phone

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We have two HTC Desire phones so I ordered two of these. They do not charge the phone. At best if you plug it in, it will maintain the level of charge the phone had. So even if only $2 and free shipping, they are not worth the money. Based on the quality of this product, I would avoid anything made by this company. We are going to the phone store and buy one that works....even if it is $20. I buy a lot....really a lot of stuff off Amazon and can not think of anything I was unhappy with....except this junk charger.

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Got this for my HTC Desire. Before using it, I strengthened the charger with some clear packaging tape as it almost split down the center (manufacturing seam) when I first tried to plug it in. The advantage of this style is the compact style that has cord retractor... we'll see how it lasts. Probably OK for light usage, but the old reliable (but more bulky)spiral cord type charger will no doubt win the durability test.

Honest reviews on Retractable Car Charger for HTC Desire (Includes OrionGadgets

When I first received it I thought it was so neat because it was retractable, but it will not charge your phone. The only way it does charge is if you hold it tightly right at the plug in site. It does not work and I did not receive the cleaning cloth.

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Great product for those who travel or work. Easy to plug in and remove as needed. Good quality and decent price.

Reviews of Motorola On-Site RDU4160d 16-Channel UHF Water-Resistant Two-Way

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $380.00
Sale Price: $306.94
Today's Bonus: 19% Off

This radio has the solid quality that you expect when you buy a Motorola Business Radio with more flexibility at the user level than Mot has offered in the past. I ordered the radio with GMRS and Amateur frequencies programmed into it. With the FREE software from Motorola's website, I can select which 16 of 99 frequencies I want to use, I can change the CTCSS codes, and save different configurations. Since it can be programmed to work with repeaters, it is perfect for the 'ham' and GMRS repeaters while offering MUCH more reliable radio operation than the typical consumer radios offer. You get what you pay for...no excuses.

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I use this at a club (I'm a DJ) it is really loud and clear! Really good durable quality. I recommend If you are planning to use a two way radio outside in the rain or snow get one without a lcd screen.

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GREAT RADIO BUILT TO LAST, I WAS VERY PLEASED THIS RADIO WAS BUILT WITH THE END USER IN MIND, FUNCTIONED WELL AND PRICE WAS FAIR AND WORTH IT

Honest reviews on Motorola On-Site RDU4160d 16-Channel UHF Water-Resistant Two-Way

This is a great radio for GMRS. All you have to do is contact Motorola and send them your frequency list and your license and they will send you the code plug. Buy the programming cable and download the free software from their website. You can set this radio up to use GMRS repeaters. Once you load the radio with your frequencies you can change the PL Codes from the front radio just like a bubblepack radio so you can use differnt repeaters that use the same frequency pair. Or you can just do it all from the software. The speaker is supper loud and clear for its size. Even if you turn it up all the way it's still clear. I was very impressed with its clarity. The mic is clear also and can be adjusted to three differnt mic gain levels. You can switch from repeater to direct easily by programming one of the buttons on the radio to do that. You can switch it from high to low power to conserve power. You can also set a scramle mode so that only other radios set to that same scramble code will here you. This radio comes with a high capacity Lithium Ion battery 2400 milliamps. I bought the rapid rate charger because it only comes with the slow charger.

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I ordered this product for emergency purposes for our family.

Unfortunately, after multiple calls with Motorola and the FCC, the FCC says that this radio can only be used with a business license, and for business purposes. That means it's a complete no go for personal use (even if you are a business).

The FCC also noted that the information in the Motorola manual was incorrect wrt licensing: You cannot apply directly for a license, but instead need to work through an aggregator to purchase a license.

Reviews of USB Car Charger and Portable Flashlight In-One - Auto Charger

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Light weight, readily charges in 12v (cigarette lighter) plug in the car and allows you to also charge 2 other USB powered devices. I've tried it on an iPhone and iPad simultaneously and it worked well. No need to buy a special charger for your car for each device. This one provides power to any USB device. It includes as a bonus a flashlight, which although not extremely powerful is more than adequate to provide light to change a tire or perform any other similar function in the dark.and its always with you in the car and normally would be charged all the time.

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I bought this for my husband for Christmas. He loves it. It's very handy and lasts a long time before having to recharge.

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Great flashlight for the price. Reasonably good brightness.

We took it camping and it was usefull to have a non-battery powered light that can be charged in the car.

Very cool little item

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I'd wanted a quick and easy to use flashlight for the car to find dropped items etc and this fits the bill. It has a rim light that shows when it is plugged in and charging, making it easy to find, and seems to keep it's charge OK, without draining the car battery when the car isn't running. Reasonably bright and a nice little light, with a charging USB port.

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I have had this lite/USB charger for a month or so now. What isn't great about a multi-purpose product in our world. It isn't a MagLite but it works great for those times you have misplaced something/lost something in the car. Be it day or night. It works well as a lite for close-range purposes and does dual duty charging my phone. It performs that task as any USB charger does. I bought 5 for Christmas stocking items. I would buy more just for that occasion when they are necessary when riding with someone else just so you could say, "Just keep it".