Motorola intros T505 Bluetooth speakerphone

Motorola on Monday launched its new MOTOROKR T505 speakerphone designed both for hands-free calls and for music. The device clips to the overhead visor of a car and is designed to almost entirely avoid the need to reach for a cellphone while driving. In traditional mode, the T505 supports any handset with hands-free calling support and includes a microphone, an internal speaker, and vocalization of incoming caller ID. However, cellphones, Mac OS X Leopard systems, and other devices that support Bluetooth's A2DP profile can pair with the speakerphone to beam full stereo audio for music through to the car's built-in FM stereo; a play/pause button lets users quickly stop tracks to begin a call of their own, while music is automatically frozen for incoming calls.

The new communications piece is designed to mesh well with the existing audio environment and includes an automatic station finder that recognizes the clearest FM channel for transmitting audio and actively reduces microphone noise during conversations; the system produces "zero static," Motorola claims. The T505 should last for up to 20 hours of non-stop calling and will be available sometime in early 2008 for a price to be set closer to the actual launch.