The BlueAnt S4 Listens and Responds

BlueAnt today introduced the S4, a hands-free, voice-controlled Bluetooth car speakerphone that incorporates BlueGenie Voice Interface software from Sensory.

For the first time, drivers can communicate on the road without ever needing to touch their phone or car speakerphone, making and receiving calls and accessing information using only their voice. All a user has to do is say the hands-free trigger phrase: "BlueAnt, speak to me," and the S4 will be ready for voice commands. The device hooks onto the car's sun visor.

The device supports dialing by name, and on incoming calls, text-to-speech can read out the caller's name and give the user the option to answer or ignore the call. The S4 can store up to 2,000 phonebook entries from each paired mobile phone.

To reduce distracted driving, BlueAnt and Vlingo have partnered to provide drivers a safer, easier way to consume text messages and email by including the SafeReader application on the S4 for use with BlackBerry smartphones and Android 2.0+ devices. Users can simply press one button on the phone and say "Start SafeReader" and the feature is activated so all incoming messages will be delivered audibly through the S4.

The BlueAnt S4 also acts as a hands-free gateway to the world, providing access to stock quotes, movie times, weather, sports, news, and traffic updates just by saying the words. Using A2DP, S4 users can also take advantage of navigation software on their mobile phones and listen to turn-by-turn directions over the speakerphone. 

The S4 is the first car speakerphone in BlueAnt’s product line to include its Simply Connect technology. When the user switches it on, the S4’s embedded audio quick start guide talks him through the setup and pairing process without the need to read the manual. Once he is set up, he can use his voice to control other features and functionality, such as checking the battery level, adjusting the voice recognition sensitivity, finding out if the phone is connected, entering pairing mode, turning off the LED light, or controlling calls and phone functions.

The S4 is also the first BlueAnt car speakerphone to support firmware upgrades to add new features down the road. Updates and feature enhancements are made available for download on the BlueAnt Web site free of charge, and users can update their own devices by following a simple update process that takes a matter of minutes.

BlueAnt brings all this together in the S4 to provide a powerful hands-free experience. In addition to the most advanced hands-free features on the market, the S4 offers users:

• True multipoint to connect and conduct calls on two mobile phones simultaneously. Both phones remain connected even during a call, so you can switch between multiple simultaneous calls on both phones without disconnecting from the S4;
• Voice isolation technology that is constantly monitoring and removing background noise during a call to ensure excellent voice quality;
• Optimized for Bing: hear movie times, stock quotes, weather and more and the go;
• Simply Connect technology and embedded audio guides talk you through setup and pairing;
• A2DP streaming for playback of music, podcasts, and turn-by-turn direction information from a phone GPS application; and
• Up to 20 hours talk time; 700 hours standby.