How It Works: GM's Bluetooth

[ChevroletRevived]

It's nice to see Bluetooth implemented so widespread across the linuep. It's a big safety feature and very good to have espessially with the new regulations on in-car cell phone use.

[regfootball]

hmmm, but i still cant tell it what songs to play, as i can in my taurus x

[lbhkilla]

What I would really like is Audi's implimention. In Audi's system your entire phonebook, missed calls list, dialed call list, etc, are visible in the MFD (audi's version of the DIC). You don't have to say anything, you can just use your steering wheel buttons to navigate through your contacts list and dial from there. And if you don't like to navigate, you can dial using your phones voice dial tags. It also shows your caller id right on the MFD. I wish every manufacturer would do it this way.

BTW, is there any way to upgrade a 2008 onstar vehicle to the new onstar with bluetooth? I would really love this for my wifes Aura. I imagine you might need to do some coding with the tech 2, but it can't be more than a module or two that needs to change.

[Cphelps]

Originally Posted by TJ95GAGT

Its not hands off of the wheel that scare me, its people minds wandering in conversation with people NOT in the car. How the government thought this was "Safe" is beyond me. I see bluetooth as a convenience, talking to someone without my hand to my ear. I try not to use the phone in the car anyways and IF I do its short and to the point.

On speaking a number to the car, I don't know all the numbers in my phone to say them to the car but I can get to most of them within 4 clicks of buttons on the phone. So since I don't know the numbers I'm calling I'd be looking at the phone anyways. I cannot see people knowing every number in their phone, surely I'm not alone in this.

I agree with everything you said in the first paragraph. If I have to make a call I'll use my phone's voice button but again, I think the danger is more lack of attention as much as hands/vision free, so I try to keep my calls while driving to a minimum.

About the 2nd, at least for how my phone works when I use the voice button, I just say the name that the person I want to call is saved under. I don't have to know anyone's number, I just push the button and say "call home" and it will say "home calling..." and then it will make the call. I don't know 100% for sure if this is how it works with using the blue tooth connection, but I would think it would be getting the names from your phone's book, and be able to call the saved names, not having to memorize everyone's phone number.

[EllwynX]

Originally Posted by TJ95GAGT

Its not hands off of the wheel that scare me, its people minds wandering in conversation with people NOT in the car. How the government thought this was "Safe" is beyond me. I see bluetooth as a convenience, talking to someone without my hand to my ear. I try not to use the phone in the car anyways and IF I do its short and to the point.

On speaking a number to the car, I don't know all the numbers in my phone to say them to the car but I can get to most of them within 4 clicks of buttons on the phone. So since I don't know the numbers I'm calling I'd be looking at the phone anyways. I cannot see people knowing every number in their phone, surely I'm not alone in this.

On the occasions I've talked on the phone for a few minutes in my car my mind has never wandered. I don't see what people find so difficult about chatting with someone on the phone in the car. It's hardly different from having a conversation with someone IN the car imo.

You don't need to speak every number in your phone to make a call. The only time you'd have to say the numbers was if it wasn't stored in your phone.

All I have to say is "Call [Insert Name As Stored In Phone]". I never have to say a number.

For example I have my mothers number stored as "Mom Home". I'd just have to say "Call Mom Home". If I have a cell AND home number stored (like I do for my friend Dinelle) I can say "Call Dinelle Home" or "Call Dinelle Cell".

So why would you have to look through your phone for a number as long as you know the persons name??

[TJ95GAGT]

Originally Posted by EllwynX

On the occasions I've talked on the phone for a few minutes in my car my mind has never wandered. I don't see what people find so difficult about chatting with someone on the phone in the car. It's hardly different from having a conversation with someone IN the car imo.

You don't need to speak every number in your phone to make a call. The only time you'd have to say the numbers was if it wasn't stored in your phone.

All I have to say is "Call [Insert Name As Stored In Phone]". I never have to say a number.

For example I have my mothers number stored as "Mom Home". I'd just have to say "Call Mom Home". If I have a cell AND home number stored (like I do for my friend Dinelle) I can say "Call Dinelle Home" or "Call Dinelle Cell".

So why would you have to look through your phone for a number as long as you know the persons name??

Is that how GM's system works? Thats not how it was described earlier in the post. If thats how this works than that sounds good to me and I apologize. People were saying you had say the number, which to me means you have to say "dial 568...."

[EllwynX]

Originally Posted by TJ95GAGT

Is that how GM's system works? Thats not how it was described earlier in the post. If thats how this works than that sounds good to me and I apologize. People were saying you had say the number, which to me means you have to say "dial 568...."

I'd assume that's how it's going to work. What I described is how the system in my phone works. And Bluetooth just connects to your phone's system. Here's the statement from the original post that leads me to believe you'll just be using the cars microphone/speakers with your phone's system-

""Once you are in the Bluetooth menu, you can access your phone’s voice commands by saying “Voice” and make a call using the phone’s phonebook and voice-dialing system.""

So once you've connected the bluetooth to your phone, it should work exactly as I described. Assuming your phone uses this same system that is. My last 2 or 3 have had it, so I'd assume they all do.

And, as I said before, you DO have to speak the full number if it's not stored in your phone.

[allenk2]

There are multiple ways too use the bluetooth after you have established a phone to use in the system, which by the way is very easy. After pairing the phone with bluetooth you can use the system in the following ways:
1) Dial a number by saying Dial then the number
2) Use your voice rec. in your phone by saying Voice then using your phones voice prompts.
3) Store numbers in the bluetooth system then use the Call command and say "Call Home" or whatever you left for a voice tag.
4) You can dial your phone just as you would on a regular call.
5) If you have Nav. you can pull up the Info Page on a Point of Interest and call the number displayed on the Nav.

I really like the Bluetooth in our Acadia, the only thing I wish you could see is your Contacts on your phone in the DIC or Nav.

[njtex]

Originally Posted by coaster.n3rd

The Bluetooth is damn near flawless... However...

Say I want to check my voicemail. I have to enter a password and prompts to check the voicemail. To do this, you have to hit the mute button at the appropriate time to enter the prompt. So you hit the Mute button and the system responds with "ready" you say "dial X the system responds with "OK, dialing X", then enters the prompts. this is time consuming and in some cases you have to do it all over again because the system took too long.

The solution is easy, check your phone's handbook for instructions on programming pauses. Then insert pauses as needed between the string of your voicemail number and password digits and save into your phone's memory.

That way, you just initiate the call to your voicemail and your phone automatically sends the password along with it.

(or you can just call your carrier and ask them to help you do it)

[esr378]

This is great except for the stupid idea of having to press and hold the "mute" and "seek" keys. How many people actually renew their expensive onstar subscriptions after the first free year. They should look at that versus the amount of people who already have cell phones that are usable after you stop and leave the car. If GM wants to do something cool with integration why not go all the way. Integrate OnStar into bluetooth and allow the use of your current cell number with Onstar. Then set it up so when you leave your vehicle you can press a button and then the current call reverts back to the handset so you can continue your conversation. They can also set a user preference so you can choose the OnStar send and end keys for onstar or bluetooth.

[SteveWallace]

Originally Posted by lbhkilla

BTW, is there any way to upgrade a 2008 onstar vehicle to the new onstar with bluetooth? I would really love this for my wifes Aura. I imagine you might need to do some coding with the tech 2, but it can't be more than a module or two that needs to change.

I was hoping to find out the same thing in this thread. I just bought an 08 Silverado and would love to have Bluetooth capability. All of the other solutions are a bit expensive and no at all integrated. It can't be a lot to change. For example, OnStar 8 was one of the only changes to the Trailblazer for 09 which is set to die later this year. So, they wouldn't be putting a lot of effort into an extinct product like that.

Someone else has to be thinking the same thing, come on GM it can't be a difficult accessory to make!

[clay2107]

I own a 07 Saab 9-3. Is there a way to enable the Bluetooth? I understand it is factory fitted however it is disabled to allow for On Star.