Most of us drive. Most of us have cell phones. With this said, a very large portion of people don’t have headsets, and in turn, are not practicing safe driving. I will confess that I have been known to text while driving, my phone will beep and I will see if it’s that email I have been waiting for, or a specific tone will ding at me and I know that I just received a text message. Technology is around us everywhere, no matter where we turn. With this said, I am so very excited to share with you all a product that has turned my driving, texting, calling, reading, phone habits around 100%.

June is National Safe Driving Month, and Motorola’s “Get Smarter”™ cars will be making stops in markets with new hands-free laws, including New York, Chicago, Minneapolis and San Francisco to make sure consumers are driving responsibly and staying legal this summer.

I was invited by Motorola to take a test drive with their H17txt Motospeak headset.

Just last week, I went on a venture for errands and groceries, so I thought I would put the H17txt headset on and leave it on the entire time I was out. Another confession: I used to be one of those people giggling at people that kept their headsets attached to them at all times, but if you have the H17txt, I can totally see why people would leave this on while they were out and about.

Motorola’s latest hands-free device, H17txt with Motospeak™, read my texts to me over Bluetooth and (I haven’t gotten to this part yet, but am still learning it) it lets you customize automated responses, so you can put your cell down and stay focused on the road, or if you are out shopping, you can put your phone down and when you get a new message, it will read it to you. How cool is that?

Want to learn more about your state laws? You would be surprised as to what is legal and what is not tolerated. Go to Motorola’s safe driving mobile app, Smart Hands-Free, and type in the state you are traveling to and the local hands-free laws are at your fingertips.

I went to my BlackBerry app world and downloaded MotoSpeak in my App World. There is a free version and there is a paid version. The free version allows up to 50 words spoken and at one pace. The paid version is about $14 a year, which I am about to buy and check out.

Motorola, Inc., the world leader in Bluetooth headsets, today announced H17txt with MotoSpeak™, a Bluetooth® headset designed to keep you connected and responsible – on and off the road. The new headset was created to optimize the text-to-speech technology and experience, which, when paired with an application, reads text messages (SMS) into the headset, in real time. Plus, you have the added ability to customize an automated response and automatically enable text-to-speech when the headset is powered on. H17txt with MotoSpeak™ will be available starting April 1 through Verizon Wireless.

“Motorola continues to promote responsible driving, by helping users keep their hands on the wheels and eyes on the road, no matter what comes in on their mobile phone,” said Wayne White, corporate vice president, Companion Products, Motorola Mobile Devices. “H17txt with MotoSpeak™ reflects an enhancement in Bluetooth® connectivity where consumers are able to stay connected in a more responsible way.”

Customers can download the text-to-speech application to their smartphone from multiple application stores, including Android Market™, by simply searching for “MotoSpeak.” Users can enable the application on their cell phone and, when paired with H17txt with MotoSpeak™, automatically hear their text messages through their headset. In addition to quickly and clearly converting text-to-speech, additional features include:

• Easy on: Text messages will automatically be played over your H17txt with MotoSpeak™ every time your headset is activated.
• Incoming text message sender ID: Always be in the know about who in your phonebook is trying to text you without having to take your hands off the wheel with sender ID announcements.
• Auto-response message: Determine if you want to send an automated text message to callers informing them that you are driving and will call back when available or pick a more personalized message to send.
• Translates 150 text acronyms: Acronyms such as lol, btw and l8r are translated when the text message is read aloud, so you will never miss the meaning of a message.

When paired with any Bluetooth-compatible phone, such as DROID by Motorola, H17txt with MotoSpeak™ also allows for turn-by-turn directions to be heard only by the driver, not everyone else in the car. Plus, voice prompts audibly update you on battery level, mute status, how to connect for the first time and more. With this enhanced headset, you can even listen to streaming media, music, videos and games – all hands-free.

The Motorola H17txt is charged with a wall charger. I got it all and ready to use. The initial charge didn’t take very long at all. First of all, the headset is tiny. I love the size of it. When it is not in use, I simply put the ear piece over the inside pocket of my purse so it won’t get lost. When I set it up, it was so easy. I installed MotoSpeak app on my BlackBerry (again, this is a free app, but you can get a paid version for about $14.00 a year that has more voices and more options with it.) The free app is great for trying it out and for learning more about the H17txt. I was able to drive and not pick up my phone for the entire trip I was out, unless I needed the phone. While driving, I was able to put the headset on, flip out the mic (this is what turns it on) and right away, it spoke to me, telling me that my headset was now ready to use. I waited and waited for a bit and when I got my first email, I literally laughed out loud! It came in and it was from Jenna. I laughed because she had replied to an email from the night before and she had put somewhere in the email ‘lol’. When the H17txt and MotoSpeak read the email, my female voice over the Bluetooth read to me:

New email from Jenna. Reply No subject. ‘Laughing out loud’.

The H19txt literally spelled out lol in to laughing out loud.

If you click here, it will take you to an online sample voice of what I hear in my H17txt. I love LOVE this headset and app and applaud Motorola for this amazing product!

Here are some size pictures to show you what it looks like in the palm of my hand. Pretty small headset!

OUTSIDE:

INSIDE: With mic (silver part) folded in:

It was easy to set up, easy to use, easy to store, easy to charge, keeps a fabulous hold of charge and the price tag is just shy of $100. I would highly recommend this headset to anyone that travels, or even to that stay at home mom or dad that doesn’t want to be glued to looking at their phone when they are on the go at home. Example: I used this headset and put my BlackBerry in my pocket last weekend while I was putting laundry away so that I could keep my hands free, wouldn’t have to look at my phone when an email came in and I was still able to hear my emails being read to me since I was waiting on a reply on one specific email. Amazing headset!

Now, when I am getting ready for a road trip, going out to get groceries, or about to head off on a bloggy trip.. the Motorola H17txt is the one of the first things that I make sure is charged and ready to go.

I am still learning more and more about the H17txt and will be posting more information about it, my use, my experiences and more, so be sure to keep checking back!

You can purchase the Motorola H17txt with MotoSpeak for just shy of $100. When you visit the Motorola website, they will let you know what retailers you can buy from, or you can buy online.

Mommy Goggles gives this product:
Rating:
Why this rating? This is a star rating (1-5) that is based off our opinion on the product itself, use, wear & tear, price and how it fits in to our family’s lives (at home or on the go).

All opinions in this posting are 100% my own.

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