I just finished downloading the phone book from my Sony Ericson T616 into the LS. The whole process was pretty straight forward and went well. The entire phone book was transferrred together. I've made a few calls and it seems to work pretty well. Still too small a sampling to be certain that the reception is good, but it is promising. The biggest pain was manually transferring my phone book from my Nextel phone to the T616 so I could transfer it.

Just out of curiosity, of those of you out there with Bluetooth phones, what do you think about the reception in the car? Do people you call have any problems hearing you through the microphone?

Thanks.

 

No problems at all, although I was a little surprised that they use only the driver's side speaker. I also haven't checked regarding volume control - it'd be nice to have some adjustability in noisy conditions. I'm also using the Sony Ericsson T616, but am greatly interested in swapping it out for the Motorola V600 when it becomes available in March (much more user-friendly than the T616).

2004 LS 430 Black Onyx/Cashmere
Modern Luxury
Smart Access
Preferred Accessory Package

 

I would make sure that the Motorola V600 is compatible with the LS Bluetooth system before you buy it. I contacted Lexus to get a list of compatible phones and the only ones on the list were Sony Ericsson and Nokia. You could get them only from Cingular, AT&T or T-Mobile. I had read in other posts that everyone using the Nokia had to transfer the phone book one contact at a time but that the T617 transferred all at once. Thats why I bought the T617

 

I, too, am on the verge of buying the Sony T616. My main concerns are that it is bluetooth compatible and that I can see the screen (turning 40 is hellish). I was told by a T Mobile dealer that "any" bluetooth phone will work with our cars, though. Maybe that was just a sales tactic, I don't know. But, all said, I will probably be buying the Sony today. If I have any problems, you know I'll be posting with questions.

 

I think any Bluetooth phone will work as long it supports the "handsfree profile". Some just support the "headset profile". I bought the T608 for the Sprint network. I don't know if it will work as my LS is still on order.

 

Fortunately, a friend of the family is with Cingular management here in Atlanta - that's why we'll do a live test of the V600 before purchase. The T616 will do just fine for now, and yes, it did transfer my entire phonebook at one try. BTW, I adjusted the adaptive volume level - while it says it adjusts the volume level of the guidance voice, hopefully it will also adjust the Bluetooth transmission volume, as well.

FWIW, I've had no problem with people understanding me when I'm using Bluetooth in the car. As I mentioned previously, I would like to be able to increase the volume of the voice transmissions I receive, especially if there's a lot of background noise. Hopefully the adaptive volume control will accomplish that.

As far as reception goes, I've only had one dropped call so far. Coincidentally, it was a person with a new LS whom the dealer referred to me, since the customer wanted to speak to someone currently using the Bluetooth connection! LOL! No problems since then!

2004 LS 430 Black Onyx/Cashmere
Modern Luxury
Smart Access
Preferred Accessory Package

 

Stanatl,
I had no problems with my Sony/Ericsson T610. I am so far satisfied with it. At this time, reception is not a problem.

Joe
2004 Lexus LS430 Euro-Tuned Susp., Modern Luxury Package, SmartAccess
Mercury Metallic/Ash

 

Beowulf, I believe you can access volume control on the screen that appears when you actually make a call. You can control the incoming volume by touching the "+" or "-" tabs and the level of the volume control appears in the scale between the tabs.

Thanks to all for the input. I've had no problem with reception to date.

 

Many thanks, stanatl, I'll look for those volume controls . When I've needed them, I've been too busy driving to pay much attention.