BlueAnt Wireless have introduced yet another Bluetooth product that adds to our Pocket PC, Computing and Communication experience.  They have been great to allow me to review one of the latest additions to their family of products - BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers.

BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers are a compact and slim line CD quality stereo speaker system that include a re-chargeable lithium ion battery for true portability and an inbuilt microphone.  As the name suggests, it connects to any Bluetooth computer or PDA / mobile phone wirelessly, using the latest A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) and AVRCP (Audio / Video Remote Control Profile) as well as the standard HSP (Headset Profile) and HFP (Hands Free Profile). Included on the rear of the unit are external microphone and line in sockets that allow connection to non Bluetooth devices like the iPod and other MP3 players.

Two powerful magnets mounted in the rear shell of the unit allow the speakers to be mounted easily on any ferrous surface like steel Filing Cabinets or Fridges.

FEATURES

• Stream music over A2DP and answer VoIP calls from your Windows PC or Laptop
• Stream music over A2DP and answer calls from your mobile phone or PDA
• Plug in your iPod or MP3 music player (cable included)
• Totally wireless or wired, portable and re-chargeable
• 2 Year Warranty
• In-built DSP (Digital Signal Processor) cancellation to reduce echo and background noise
• In-built microphone to allow conversation via Skype, MSN and Yahoo Messenger
• Rear microphone-in jack to connect an external microphone to collect better voice output
• Crystal clear stereo sound and powerful bass reflection
• Answer a mobile phone call automatically while playing music.  Music will be returned automatically as soon as conversation is over
• Ideal for conference calls, amplified speakers etc.  Portability from office to home, even to a car
• In-built rear magnets suitable for most metal surface, E.g. Filing Cabinet, Fridge
• Compact design, easy to carry and store
• Pairs with up to 8 Bluetooth devices

IN THE BOX

The BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers come with the following accessories:

• BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers
• AC Mains Charger
• 3.5mm Stereo to 3.5mm Stereo cable for the iPod and other MP3 players
• BlueAnt USB Bluetooth adapter, 10 meters range
• BlueSoleil Bluetooth software drivers for the USB adapter
• User Manual
• Quick Start Guide

It is important to fully charge the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers as per the BlueAnt Wireless recommendations of 3 hours for the first charge and 2 hours for each charge there after.

INSTALLATION & PAIRING

The BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers can be paired to any Windows PC or Laptop using the supplied USB adapter and BlueSoleil software.  They can also be paired to any PC or Laptop with in-built Bluetooth functionality provided the Bluetooth software supports the required profiles.  They can also be paired to any compatible Bluetooth enabled mobile phone or PDA.  The pairing sequence varies from device to device, so only the sequences used by the BlueSoleil software and the hp iPAQ  hw6515 Mobile Messenger running Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition.

I will take this opportunity to thank BlueAnt Wireless for their assistance before continuing with the pairing procedures.  As some of our readers may already know, my XDA Atom gave up the ghost the day before BlueAnt Wireless released the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers and the X5 Stereo Bluetooth Headset.  I have been testing both these products for the last month while my Atom was (and still is) in for warranty repairs at MPS in QLD.  Thanks to BlueAnt's generosity, I have their test hp iPAQ on loan to base my reviews on in the absence of my Atom.  This is the reason why the pairing sequence and test results will not include the XDA Atom.

Windows PC / Laptop Installation and Pairing:

The first step is to load the included BlueSoleil Bluetooth Software onto your PC or laptop before inserting the USB adapter.  If the adapter is inserted first, Windows loads up the generic Microsoft drivers (Windows XP SP2) and makes installation of the correct drivers rather frustrating.  On the software CD that came with the first batch of BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers came the BlueSoleil drivers version 2.1.1.  It is recommended to download the next version (2.1.2) for use with this unit.  The older version doesn't display the same pictures as seen in the user manual.  Upon writing this review, there is yet a later version available from the BlueSoleil website version 2.1.3.  I briefly tried this later version last night but quickly found significant issues regarding stuttering music and poor playback - so stick with version 2.1.2 for now.

After the software and drivers are installed, Windows will need to be restarted.  After restarting the system, I inserted the USB adapter and let the drivers and Windows sort out everything out.  A prompt appears asking for the computers name and type (Desktop / Laptop) for identification purposes.  Another system restart was necessary to complete the installation.

To pair the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers switch the unit on via the rear power switch, and then press and hold the Play / Pause button on the front of the unit for around 6 seconds.  The blue LED will flash quickly and a melody will be heard from the speakers when it is in pairing mode.  Then, on your PC or Laptop, click on the orange sun in the centre of the  BlueSoleil application window to start the device discovery.  Once the BlueSonic Speakers appear, right click on them and select Pair.  Enter the passkey (1234) to complete pairing.

High Quality Audio Connection:

Once the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers are paired to the PC or Laptop (indicated by a red tick on the BlueSonic Speakers icon), right click on them again in the BlueSoleil application window and select Refresh Services.  At this point you should see two services highlighted in yellow at the far right of the screen.  One is a picture of a set of headphones (Bluetooth AV Service) and the other is a picture of a headset (Bluetooth Headset Service).  The Bluetooth AV Service is the connection to stream CD quality audio to the speakers, while the Bluetooth Headset Service is used for VoIP calls.  While connected to a computer, only one service can be connected at any given instant.  To listen to your favourite music, right click the BlueSonic Speakers and select Connect → Bluetooth AV Service.  After the connection is established (Bluetooth icon in task bar turns green, BlueSonic Speakers icon turns green and an animation of a red dot traveling towards the orange sun appears) right click on the BlueSonic Speakers again and ensure that Default Audio Device is ticked.  You should now hear all your computers system sounds coming from the speakers.

Open up Windows Media Player and select the playlist and enjoy!  The second feature set of the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers in AV Service mode allows you to remote control Windows Media Player.  The buttons on the front of the unit allow you to play, pause, skip to the next track or go back to the previous track.  Volume controls on the unit provide volume adjustment from nice and quiet to surprisingly loud given the size of the speakers.  When finished listening to streaming music simply right click on the BlueSonic Speakers icon and select Disconnect → Bluetooth AV Service.

While the Bluetooth AV Service is connected, you can right click on the BlueSonic Speakers again and select Save Connection As Shortcut → Bluetooth AV Service to create a desktop shortcut which provides a quick way to connect the device.

VoIP Audio Connection:

To make or receive a VoIP call, the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers must be connected to the Bluetooth Headset Service.  To do this, ensure the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers are not connected to the Bluetooth AV Service (if they are, right click and select Disconnect → Bluetooth AV Service) and then right click on the BlueSonic Speakers icon and select Connect → Bluetooth Headset Service. You will hear a melody from the speakers, indicating the connection has started.  Once you hear this melody, short press the Phone button to accept the connection.  The blue LED will flash quickly for a second or two until the connection is established.  You can verify the connection in the BlueSoleil application window as before, but this time there is also a signal strength meter attached to the BlueSonic Speakers icon.

As with the Bluetooth AV Service shortcut created above, a new shortcut can be created on the desktop for the Bluetooth Headset Service.  Please note that while these shortcuts can be used to quickly connect a service, you will still need to confirm that no service is connected prior to double clicking on the shortcuts.

Pocket PC / PDA Pairing:

To pair the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers to your Phone, Pocket PC or PDA, please check with your manufacturer to determine compatibility with A2DP and AVRCP profiles.  As a rough rule of thumb, any WM2003SE device using either the WIDCOMM or Broadcom Bluetooth stacks are compatible after an upgrade or patch.  You will need to check with your manufacturer on the availability of these upgrades if native support doesn't exist.  All WM2003SE devices using the Microsoft Bluetooth Stack are highly unlikely to be compatible.  I have verified this on the XDA IIi and indeed the device is not compatible.

For Windows Mobile 5 users, there is a good article on the::unwired website with references to the xda-developers website for including A2DP and AVRCP support if it doesn't normally exist.  This modification to the registry and the addition of a few DLL files and a CAB file isn't classed as modifying the ROM in my opinion, but may still void the manufacturers warranty if something were to go wrong - so please research this for your device first before playing around.

For all other Phone, Pocket PC and PDA users, BlueAnt supplied me with a link to a site that lists A2DP and AVRCP compatible devices, with a few interesting links toward the bottom of the page.  BlueAnt have also informed me that it isn't entirely accurate, but is a good starting point for those considering purchasing accessories using these profiles.  You can view the list here.

Pairing:

Turn on the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers and press and hold the Play / Pause button as in the pairing procedures above.  Once pairing mode has been entered, turn on the Bluetooth radio in your compatible Phone / Pocket PC / PDA and start searching for devices (consult your instruction booklet if you are unsure how to do this).  When the BlueSonic Speakers appear, pair with them using the passkey 1234.  At this point you should have paired the device as a Headset.  Once paired, click and hold on the BlueSonic Speakers icon to refresh services, explore services or add a new service.  The option for High Quality Audio on BlueSonic Speakers should then be visible.  Adding this service will create another shortcut in your Bluetooth Manager.  There may or may not be an option to use a secure connection (requiring the passkey) and if you have the hp iPAQ hw6515 don't select a secure connection for high quality audio.  I could only get this connection working without encryption.

Once paired successfully with both profiles, it's just a matter of connecting the BlueSonic as a High Quality audio connection to enjoy CD quality stereo streaming audio. While listening to your music, when a phone call comes in, the BlueSonic and Phone automatically switch to Headset mode and pause music playback.  Both the Phone and BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers start ringing.  Pressing the Phone button on the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers confirms the Headset connection and answers the call.  Once the call has ended, music playback automatically begins again from where it left off using the High Quality audio connection.

TEST DRIVE

Although my XDA Atom has been in hospital longer than I have had the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers, I have spent the past month using this neat device nearly every day.  At work I can play my music from my Laptop through these good quality speakers.  My Laptop has stereo speakers with ample volume, but when my music is played through the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers it just sounds so much better.  I tested the bass response compared to wired speakers and although there was a slight difference between the two, this unit really does have a good response for a wireless connection and the size of its speakers.  Audio sounds crisp and clear, with very minimal background hiss between tracks.

While at work I have become accustomed to having the speakers mounted on my overhead book shelf using the magnets.  All controls are easily within reach which is very handy when the phone rings as it is effortless to pause music playback.

I have also used the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers for a number of Skype and SkypeOut conversations, where both the called party and myself sound clear to each other.  One person I had a conversation with didn't even realise I was using a hands free device as it sounded so clear.  The DSP really works when the background environment is noisy - People on the other end reported hearing only slight background noise instead of a very noisy environment.  The echo cancellation feature of the DSP is also very good as I have made a few calls with the BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers set at nearly full volume.  The called parties never once commented on hearing themselves or any echo's.

While at home, playing music from the Pocket PC through these speakers while working in the yard or cooking on the BBQ is a pleasure.  No power outlets or extension leads are necessary with this unit being fully self contained.

The battery life on this device is equally as impressive.  BlueAnt report that the battery lasts 10 hours at 60dB and 5 hours at 95dB.  Exactly how this corresponds to where the volume is set I am unsure.  In practice I have found the battery to last somewhere between 6 and 8 hours at about 1/3 to 1/2 volume, and lost patience trying to determine how long it lasts at full volume (too much loud noise for too long). I guess it would be between 2 and 5 hours as I turned it back down after an hour.

CONCLUSION

The BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers deliver exactly what BlueAnt say they do.  With good volume and audio response, re-chargeable battery and completely self contained, this speaker set is an ideal accessory for anyone owning a PC / Laptop, Phone or Pocket PC and like to listen to very clear CD quality audio without wearing a quality headphone.  They are ideal for conference calls, BBQ's, gardening, VoIP calls and the like.

The BlueSonic Bluetooth Portable Speakers are available from the global BlueAnt Wireless website or any authorised reseller.  The recommended retail price for these units are $189.00 AUD.  Please visit BlueAnt Wireless for further details

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