Bluetooth car kits were known to us as simple devices that needed professional installation for them to work flawlessly. We have one in our car, the CK-1W and the only thing we see is a small controller with a single button, next to the gear lever.

Car kits are the alternative to Bluetooth headsets, if you don't want a piece of electronics hanging from your ear, you can opt for these devices that are installed in the car, and virtually need no human interaction, besides the set-up.

The reason solar energy is getting more popular every day is due to the costs of regular energy, which actually has to be bought, such as fuel for your car, the battery for the car, or coal for a generator. Unlike the latter ones, solar energy is free (and we hope it continues that way).

LG sent us a Bluetooth solar car kit for a review, and before receiving it, we spoke to our local audio technician to prepare himself to install a Bluetooth car kit. He was excited about it, not only because it was business for him, but mostly because it was a solar car kit – something he hadn't got his hands on.

Much to our dismay, the car kit needed no installation whatsoever. It's a device that fits on our hands, something minute, simple to use, and even simpler to install.

Design

The HFB-500 has a candybar form factor, is black matt on the bottom half of the front housing, and has a sort of crocodile skin texture on the call button, which is the top half of the device. There is a red button in a silver compartment on the top right section. The bottom section houses the LG logo and the speaker.

The back side of the car kit contains the photovoltaic cells which are essential for solar light capture, while the right side has the volume-up rocker and the microphone, and the left side has the volume-down rocker, and the power port.

The back part is black in design, there is a silver line separating the back from the front, which adds style to the car kit. Car kits are usually dull bricks that have a speaker and few buttons. LG is pressing the right buttons, and we are sure the consumers will agree with our opinion.

The measurements of the 500 are 94.3x50.35x14.4mm, and it weighs 72g.

The power port allows you to charge the car kit, or transfer energy from the car kit to a compatible LG phone, which is very useful, but not for most consumers as LG mobiles phones have a relatively small footprint in the market, which will probably change thanks to the recent announcement of the LG KP500.

The car kit isn't supposed to stay on your hand, there is a support included with two suction cups that attach the car kit to your car's windshield. In case the suction cups are over-used, there are two replacement suction cups. We feel that there should be additional support for a car, such as permanent adhesive support for the windshield, for example, as suction cups can fall off, and they did quite often while we were driving, which is quite inconvenient.

Besides the device and support, a car charger, car-kit-to-phone cable, replacement suction cups, and user manual are included.

Usability

Almost every Bluetooth accessory needs a visit to the user manual for future ease-of-use, the HFB-500 was no exception. It was pretty easy pairing the car kit with our test phones. Yes you read right, test phones. The LG HFB-500 supports multi connection which allows it to be connected to various devices, which is very convenient if you have more than one phone.

The problem surfaced when we conducted two tests with normobs (normal mobile users – the opposite of mobile technology experts), as they took in average 10 minutes to finalize pairing and installation, and they needed our help in most sections. Our guinea pigs stated that it wasn't just the manual that had tiny writing, but it were their phones that were too complicated (Nokia 6680 and 7610). We hope that in future NFC (Near-field communications) can cut down the steps to getting the device ready to go. Talking about steps, manufacturers need to start including step-by-step instructions on the installation process, as these were too complicated for our test subjects.

The most important function of a car kit is the voice call. The large call button on the 500 enables a user to easily answer a call or activate voice dialling.

Installation can be a problem. The manual tells us to place the kit right in front of the driver, but most people don't like that as it obstructs visibility. We can place it on either side of the driver's windshield section, but that makes it hard to control volume, as more stretching is necessary. In some countries it is illegal to place anything near the driver's centre view.

The only real problem we've faced is auto-reconnect. Not one of the two Nokia test phones we had, reconnected to the HFB-500, but they did reconnect flawlessly to the CK-1W. Perhaps the reconnection feature works mostly with LG mobile phones, which is a great disappointment.

Before first use, a light charge is needed from the car battery. After 15 minutes, the kit is good to go and will work with solar energy. Direct sunlight isn't necessary, according to our experience. The package tells us that the HFB-500 can provide 1 hour of talk time for every 2 hours of sunlight, which is just excellent for any user.

The loudspeaker works well, the volume is appropriate and thanks to noise cancellation, which works both ways, speech is very clear, although the sound itself is of low quality, so don't expect the 500 to play music with high quality sound.

Verdict

The LG HFB-500 Solar car kit is portable, which means that you won't have an in-car system which provides high quality service, but it also means that you will save your money and the costs of a professional installation.

An FM transmitter could have been included to minimize sound problems and to allow control from the car radio. Perhaps noise cancellation should have been removed as it makes speech sound too rough.

In design terms, the HFB-500 is sleek, simple, lightweight, and almost unnoticeable. We wish there were more options to mount the car kit on your car, besides the included suction cups, as they did fall few times. The location available for placing the car kit isn't the most appropriate either.

Reconnection is one of the most important features that should be compatible with phones other LG, and the lack of compatibility makes the feature a disadvantage. Step-by-step instructions were missing, and we found out that normal users can't get going without expert help, but it wasn't just LG's fault, the test phones proved complicated as well.

Advantages: Small; easy to install; ease-of-control; loud loudspeaker; solar charging; multi connection.

Disadvantages: Small volume buttons that can be on the front; noise cancellation deteriorates sound; reconnection won't work with non-LG phones; does not become part of the car; guide not easy to follow for normal users.

Rating: 5.2/10

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