[GregJ]

I just got my Prius about a month ago. Last week I decided to go ahead and upgrade my cell phone to a Bluetooth phone. I was assured that the Samsung 950 would work great with the Prius. I verified this, in person, at the Verizon store and with at least 2 different telephone support people and they assured me that this technology is all industry standard now and everything works great …... Well, after messing with it for 4 hours and not achieving any success, I finally found this site. I wish I had researched it from the Toyota side instead of the Verizon side . I boxed the phone up and sent it back to them right away. They say I will get a full refund. I did finally find a Bluetooth feature support page on the Verizon website. I see that none of their phones offer phone book support for Toyota. So, this experience has left me a little amazed that two of the biggest players in the market can’t work together.

Will Prius owners ever be able to use the Bluetooth features with Verizon phones? I have posed this same question to Verizon “customer support” and you would think I was asking if they were compatible with a Yugo… The last guy I talked to couldn’t even pronounce Prius correctly. Is anybody using a Verizon phone with your Prius?

Thanks,
Greg

 

[Thomme]

Yep. Do a "Verizon" keyword search, and you'll find lots of info on this. My Moto V710 works just fine in terms of placing and receiving calls through the car. The only shortcoming is that you can't dump your phonebook to the car's memory, To some people, this matters a lot. Me, not so much.

 

[GregJ]

Thanks Thomme,
It's reassuring that you can get a Verizon phone to work... but the phone book is a real missing for me. I use my car for work and have a lot of contacts in my phone. The most dangerous time for me driving when using the cell phone isn't when I'm talking... it's when I am dialing. My 53 year old eyes have trouble seeing those little buttons and the dinky screen on my phone. I was really looking forward to using the safer, easier to use touch screen in my Prius. I have done several searches and this does seem to be a Verizon specific issue. The Samsung phone that I tried has a "pending" status on whether or not those features will ever be available. When I call customer support, they don't have a clue. Unless I figure out a workaround, I think I'll just keep using my old phone until it breaks and then upgrade. It's just disappointing to not be able to use this great feature that Toyota designed into the car.

Greg

 

[redwein]

Even if you can download the phonebook, it is only of limited use. You can only dial from your "1-touch" dialing numbers while driving. You are not allowed to go to the phone book and dial those numbes while the car is moving. For that, you need to stop.

 

[GregJ]

Redwein,
Thank you. That is good information. There is a LOT that I don't know about Bluetooth and how it interfaces with the car. So, if I could ask a couple more questions.... How do you dial and switch to hands free? Do you dial from your phone and then press a button to go hands free? Is there any way to program a one-touch button to access the voice dial feature on your phone? I use voice dial a lot right now. It sure would be nice to do that through the hands free system.

Thank you,
Greg

 

[Sanny]

I have Verizon, and NJ is a "hands free" state. It's probably going to be a primary offense soon, as it is in DC, NY, and CT. So, I just bought the V710 on ebay. Fingers crossed I can get it coordinated.

The Verizon documentation on Prius and bluetooth is worthless. And the "let's talk" information from Toyota has only the most recent offerings. The only one on that site is a super duper computer-like phone that does WAY more than I need. MRV's link to the TSB is helpful, though. Thanks to all who said that V710 works. I wish there were a Samsung Verizon phone that would work, but I've not found one yet. Oh well.

 

[Thomme]

Fingers crossed I can get it coordinated.

I wish there were a Samsung Verizon phone that would work, but I've not found one yet. Oh well.

You can do it.

And I really think you'll like the Moto. Overall, it works very well, and it has MUCH better reception than my previous LG phone. It gets reception in lots of places that were total dead zones with the LG.

And it you want to get creative, there's a pretty easy hack where you can cut .wav files of your own favorite songs and import them into the phone with a TransFlash card, then make them your ringtones. That way, you don't have to pay The Man for the ringtones, and you can use any song you like, rather than only the ones available on the ringtone sites.

 

[redwein]

Redwein,
Thank you. That is good information. There is a LOT that I don't know about Bluetooth and how it interfaces with the car. So, if I could ask a couple more questions.... How do you dial and switch to hands free? Do you dial from your phone and then press a button to go hands free? Is there any way to program a one-touch button to access the voice dial feature on your phone? I use voice dial a lot right now. It sure would be nice to do that through the hands free system.

Thank you,
Greg

1. If you dial from the phone, the system automatically switches to hands free. It's kind of weird but it works. Otherwise, you can dial from the one touch screen, if you manage to get that set up. That, of course, is entirely hands free.

2. I've never used the voice dial feature so I can't really say how that would work. I think, worst case, you just do whatever you ordinarily do to your phone to use voice dialing and the system should switch to hands free like in number 1. That's just a guess though.

Good luck

 

[GregJ]

OK... I think I am starting to get it.... Thanks to all who have replied. So, I guess this just brings up another question. From what I have read, the Motorola V710 seems to work quite well with the Prius. Of course they no longer offer that phone. The E815 has taken it's place. Does anybody have any experience with this phone and a Prius? I really appreciate hearing from real life experiences, instead of "theory" from sales people.

Thanks,
Greg

 

[Sanny]

There are LOTS of the V710 on ebay, many brand new, if you don't want to risk the others.

 

[salsawonder]

I upgraded my Verizon phone after getting my Prius as well. The LG 8100 camera phone works quite well. I have not figured out how to send the phone book to the car but it isn't really necessary in the long run. It will pick up the phone signal from several feet as well so if your phone is 15-20 feet away in the house and you have the Prius on in the garage you might be able to answer your phone from there.

 

[redwein]

I upgraded my Verizon phone after getting my Prius as well. The LG 8100 camera phone works quite well. I have not figured out how to send the phone book to the car but it isn't really necessary in the long run. It will pick up the phone signal from several feet as well so if your phone is 15-20 feet away in the house and you have the Prius on in the garage you might be able to answer your phone from there.

It is a major issue if you ever want caller id to work or do any dialing at all while driving. Without phonebook entries, all you get is an "incoming call" message when you are moving. The number only becomes visible if you stop. Also, the 1 touch buttons don't show anything without phone book entries. They also only show the number if stopped. With phone book entries, it will show the name in both of those cases.

 

[GregJ]

A quick update... I did go ahead and purchase the Motorola E815 this last week. I haven't really had time to evaluate it completely, but overall I am impressed with the phone itself. I have had a cell phone since 1986 and live in a rural area. I have used 4 different services in that time and there have always been 2 distinct dead spots that have never worked. So far, with the new phone, I have yet to find a dead spot. It works everywhere. So, from that perspective it's great.

The phone book issue and caller ID are valid concerns. Voice dialing only works through the phone. Outgoing calls can only be placed through the phone itself. Right now I am trying to figure out a way to quickly override the bluetooth connection for when I have passengers in the car. I'll never forget the time I was riding with my boss and he was using his speakerphone. A woman called him and ripped him a new one about some issue. It was very embarassing for him. I don't want to find myself in that situation.

I still have a lot to learn about both the phone and the Prius features. Overall at this point, I feel like the system "kinda" works. It is a bit frustrating to not be able to use all the features, but at least I am able to use the hands free system that came with the car. If I have any further revelations about this I'll update.

Greg

 

[prius6725]

verizon looses lawsuit for false advertising

Dear Prius enthusiasts,

Verizon, in their quest for more profits, has rendered many of the standard bluetooth functionality inoperable to try and get customers to only use airtime to access certain functionality. Buyer beware and research before you purchase. Other handsets have greater functionality (IR and Bluetooth) to transfer phone book data and the like but there are no guarantees. Verizon lost the lawsuit as described below for false advertising.

"Preliminary approval has been granted to a settlement in the Californian class action lawsuit against Verizon for failing to accurately disclose the Bluetooth features and capabilities of the Motorola v710 phone. Namely, they failed to mention you can't wirelessly sync contacts or transfer photos and other files, while indicating that it worked with a PC. It's all in the details apparently."

"Sadly, the lawsuit does not mean better Bluetooth options from Verizon - just more disclaimers in their marketing materials."


Please see below link for more details
http://www.blueserker.com/html/modules. ... =0&thold=0

Hope this helps to not give up the quest to get the best product. Toyota
has given the user a great product and we need to hold Verizon and
all companies responsible to provide goods and services that we need.

Thank you,
Good Luck and Good Night.

 

[redwein]

Re: verizon looses lawsuit for false advertising

"Sadly, the lawsuit does not mean better Bluetooth options from Verizon - just more disclaimers in their marketing materials."

Maybe if they are forced to disclose it, people will complain and choose not to buy it. They might care more about that than the people who already gave them their money.

 

[GregJ]

For what it's worth, I got on the Verizon website and gave them some feedback. Perhaps if they continue to get feedback about this issue, there is hope. This is the response I received:

Thank you for contacting our Verizon Wireless website. We are eager to assist you with information regarding Bluetooth capabilities for your Motorola E815.

The ability to transfer files, MP3 or otherwise, via Bluetooth was disabled not because it physically damages our network but to protect against piracy, in the form of illegal digital files containing music, ring tones, Get It Now Applications, and Wallpaper being distributed illegally. Due to customer feedback such as yours, Verizon Wireless is re-assessing certain Bluetooth capabilities on the Motorola E815. We are reviewing the possibility of providing software updates for this handset. The intent of Verizon Wireless is to provide the best equipment and services. We do understand that it can be frustrating if your handset does not operate to the extent that you desire. We would ask for your patience during this evaluation review period. Thank you.

Greg

 

[Sanny]

I feel so righteous! I connected my V710 and Prius! They talk! But I'm not certain if I have a "recent enough" firmware. I suspect not. So, off I go to the Verizon weenies to have them re-firm it. Always something.

 

[DanMan32]

It is a shame too that Verizon has to use smokescreens to avoid saying the truth. I believe they do have the best network, but if they cripple the bluetooth while other carriers don't, that makes my purchase decision very difficult. Reliablility versus functionality.

 

[GregJ]

As I use my new phone, I am finding more things that have been disabled by Verizon. This REALLY doesn't make sense. I have been using voice dialing for years when driving. I just figured out yesterday that when my phone is in the car, voice dialing is disabled. It works fine out of the car when I have both hands free. But in the car when I really need it....... :x

Dang this is frustrating. I think I'll send a little more "feedback" to Verizon.

Greg

 

[jwygal]

I recently ordered a Motorola E815 through Verizon. I agree with DanMan that it can be a difficult decision given the lack of functionality from Verizon. I finally decided to go with Verizon because of what I expect to be a workable solution to the phone book. I did a fair amount of research, and I can't remember exactly where I got all my info, some of it probably from this board.

Anyway, I ordered the Motorola Mobile Phone Tools kit. That should allow me to transfer my phone book between the phone, and my laptop.

I also purchased a bluetooth dongle for my laptop, and that should allow me to transfer my phone book between my laptop and my Prius.

Its an extra step, but I'm OK with that. I should be getting my phone in another day or two, and my Tools kit next week sometime. I'll post once I get it working (or don't).

Also, I found some info on hacking into the phones to fully enable the bluetooth functionality. For those technically inclined, it sounds like this is an option. Of course doing this will likely void your warranty, so do it at your own risk. I doubt if I'll go there, as I will probably want to maintain my phone book on the computer anyway, so it wouldn't gain me much.