Plantronics K100 Bluetooth Speakerphone - Review

Plantronics latest addition to the Bluetooth speakerphone market is the K100. The K100 is a slim, low profile speaker that slides on to your auto's sun visor to let easily complimentary operation of your Windows Phone.

Not everyone is comfortable with a Bluetooth headset and the K100 gives drivers a easily-free culling. Additionally, the K100 provides an FM transmitter that allows yous to stream audio files from your Windows Phone through your car stereo.

To see if the K100 is worth the investment, make the jump past the break.

Design

Plantronics K100 Overhead

The K100 has a simple pattern, measuring 4.8 x 9 x 2.3 inches and weighing merely 92 grams. Information technology has iii buttons on the surface (FM Transmitter, Multi-function and Mute) and a rotary dial that controls the volume. Twin microphones are placed at the top of the K100 with a salubrious speaker taking upward the bottom half of the speakerphone's surface.

Plantronics K100 right

A indicator light is positioned to a higher place the volume cycle to confirm actions and to alert users of various features. To the side is the micro-USB port to charge the K100'due south battery. The speakerphone is packaged with a user'due south guide and car charger.The K100 fits nicely on the sunday visor, taking upward very piddling real estate.

Features

Plantronics K100 left

The K100 is basically an introductory level speakerphone with the basic characteristic prepare. About all are controlled with the center multi-part button through a series of touches, taps and holds. To ability up the speakerphone, you press and agree the mult-function button. To redial, y'all double tap the multi-function button.

Other features include: Phone call Mute, FM transmission, vocalism dialing (phone dependent). You can put the device into Night Mode by pressing and holding the Mute Button and the indicator light will exist disabled.

The FM Button, once pushed, will prompt an audio command every bit to which FM Station the transmission volition play through. The K100 is programmed to feed through 5 FM channels. Y'all can stream audio files and calls through your car stereo. This featured worked well with audio files playing nicely through your stereo. I'1000 not sure of the need to stream calls through your car stereo with such a potent speaker on the K100.

The K100 is als programmed with various vocalisation prompts that will confirm various features such every bit ability on/off, pairing, battery low alerts, and call terminated. The K100 lacks any Caller ID functionality.

Performance

Plantronics K100 in car

The K100's functioning is a mixed handbag. The speaker book is outstanding. Microphone operation is also outstanding. The noise reduction software and dual microphones cancel a meaning amount of groundwork noise. Everything from automobile dissonance to your car stereo becomes merely a whisper in the background.

The K100's operation suffers in 2 areas; audio alerts and the multi-function button. The ringer for incoming calls is but a chirp, barely noticeable. While your phone ringer may be enough for some, I similar a potent ringer on the speakerphone also.

The K100, like other Bluetooth devices, really needs a independent power button. The K100 isn't designed for speed. To power the K100 you have to press and concord the multi-part button for about iii seconds. Then to power off the K100, you have to press and hold the button for about v seconds (2 tones volition audio as you hold the button down).

On the bright side, yous don't have to ability down and upwardly the K100 to reconnect your Windows Telephone. If y'all leave the K100's range, merely tap the multi-function button one time to reconnect things.

Battery life is respectable. It takes nigh ii.v hours to fully charge the K100 and Plantronics rates the battery life at 17 hours of talk time and 15 days of standby fourth dimension. In using the K100 over the past two weeks, I found battery life to be a little better than what Plantronics rates it.

Overall Impression

The K100 is a nice Bluetooth Speakerphone. Volume and microphone functioning is exceptional simply the weak ringer and the lack of an independent power button actually takes abroad from a nice speakerphone.

If Plantronics could update the K100 to have a more ambitious ringer, you could larn to live with the electric current push layout. As is, while the racket cancellation works peachy with the microphones, the groundwork dissonance often muffles the ringer.

If yous can rely on your phone's ringer and don't mind waiting a few seconds to power on/off the K100 and are looking for a basic speakerphone, the Plantronics it volition do nicely. Withal, I would be inclined to recommend the Jabra Cruiser II before I would the K100.

You lot can find the Plantronics K100 over at the WPCentral Accompaniment Store for $77.95.