Midland BT2 Bluetooth Communicator For Motorcycles |
|
|
File under Bluetooth Gadgets New Products
Author: Mike Werner
Location: Normandy, France
|
|
Midland  is one of the pioneers in wireless communications for motorcycles with their BPA products, and now they are in the next generation Bluetooth communicators/intercoms. The recently announced BT2 product is a versatile communications product for motorcycles.
The BT2 is a clip-on style product, ie, you mount it on the side of your motorcycle helmet. One interesting thing that already differentiates the BT2 from others is that you can change the color of the module to match the color of your helmet. To make matters even better, the unit is waterproof.
The Midland BT2 runs Bluetooth version 2 A2DP, giving you full stereo, the reason their kit is supplied with two loudspeakers.
The Bluetooth module can connect to other Bluetooth equipment, like music players (iPod, etc), PMR446PMR446 (Personal Mobile Radio, 446 MHz) is a radio frequency part of the UHF range that is open without licensing for personal usage in most countries of the European Union. It has roughly the same use as FRS or GMRS in the United States and Canada. Depending on surrounding terrain range can vary from a few hundred meters (in a city) to a few kilometers (flat countryside). PMR446 is primarily used in consumer-grade walkie-talkies similar to those used for FRS/GMRS in the United States and Canada. Bike-to-Bike walkie-talkies, GPS (like Garmin and TomTom) and of course the mobile phones.
If you don't have any Bluetooth gear, no worries. The BT2 also can connect to wired devices.
The BT2 works stand-alone, connecting to your music, GPS navigations and mobile phone, or it can be used to also connect to your pillion (as long as the pillion has the same BT2 device) or to a riding buddy, since the BT2 has a range of about 150 meters. But you can only connect (pair) to one other BT2 device, so if you want to talk to all your riding buddies, you'll need a PMR radio.
The BT2 battery will last you 7 hours talking time, or 24 hours in standby. It takes 4 hours to fully charge the unit, but you don't need to take it off the helmet. The weight of the BT2 module remains a mystery. So far, my emails have remained unanswered.
Cost: Around €180 per unit. Two units, pre-installed for rider-pillion, called BT2 TWIN is also available.
Click here to read more about it (including a flash presentation)
|
|
|
Click here to Show/Hide 
