My new CTS arrives today.

I spent weeks of deciding what to do about the lack of
bluetooth. Out of all the devices I have seen, I think I
most impressed with the lockpick being offered by our
friend, yourgmsolutions. You can easily reference
the device I am talking about in a recent separate thread.

The reason I didn't jump for that lockpick is because one,
I have a leased vehicle and I didn't want to consider cutting
wires to make it work the way it should. Though I am sure
it's a process that an installer could easily reverse there was
also the matter of lack of caller ID on the NAV screen. Had
that feature been implemented, the purchase of that lockpick
would have been a no-brainer.

I decided on a temporary solution for now, and I think my
choice on what to do is pretty ingenious.

Let me begin by saying that I own an iPhone.

I ordered the Blueant Supertooth light which has been rated
very high for its speakerphone and outgoing voice quality.

http://www.amazon.com/BlueAnt-Supertooth-Bluetooth-Handsfree-Speakerphone/dp/B000Q6R4MK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=wireless&qid=1206352344&sr=8-2

Next, I ordered a really cool mount that latches into the
cigarette lighter and holds the iPhone at a visible level so
that I can see the caller ID of the incoming phone call.

http://www.extremepda.com/MOUNTIPHONE-CLA.html

You can get these kind of flexi cigarette mounts for just about
any phone you have. Putting it in full view allows quick caller ID
reference, which is something I think all of us want.

The cost of these products combined came in at under $100.

As I stated, this is a temporary solution for I am very
confident that within the next few months we are going to see
better aftermarket devices for the CTS that integrates with the
NAV system and car audio. I think what yourgmsolutions is
offering right now is PERFECT for most people right now. Those
of us wanting a little more may wish to wait the storm out and
see what our friend has to offer next.

Let me conclude this post by saying how disappointed I am in
GM for not implementing a bluetooth system in this vehicle to
begin with, and for not even considering an retrofit for the
early '08 CTS purchasers. Not a very good start for a company
I am entering into a relationship with.

Thanks for the post. I might just give that a shot.

One thing I'd like to comment on. I don't know the reasons or details about why the Bluetooth was not implemented from the start, but IF it was due to the available solutions at the time being buggy or not working then I am glad GM did not implement it. How frustrated would you be if it DID have bluetooth but it did not work properly or meet your expectations?

The technology has been around for years and perfected.

Unless it has something to do with the NAV workaround (as I admit
the CTS is the most incompatible car to upgrade), I can't see what
the problem was.

Besides that, GM's initial response was that they wanted the feature
reserved for their higher models.

Like I said, i don't know the details. I must admit though, I am disappointed my CTS didn't come with bluetooth. I hate that I have to spend another dime to get something that should already be there. In fact, the dealer told me time and time again that it DID have bluetooth.

My fear is that I'll spend ~ $100.00 on a solution like the BlueAnt and be disappointed with it. It's the best solution available for the price?

There are a couple of things that are unacceptable to not be either available, or "standard"......I feel the same way about HomeLink...its crazy that its lumped in with an expensive option package that I didn't want or need.

NJRonbo,
I await your review of the Blueant unit.

I am eager to hear your review as well.

Guys,

I'll be happy to provide a review on Wednesday as I need to take the car
for a long drive so I can assess its attributes.

You don't necessarily need my review. I bought the Blueant Supertooth Light based
on rave reviews already on the Internet.

Just read the 87 Amazon reviews here: http://www.amazon.com/BlueAnt-Supertooth-Bluetooth-Handsfree-Speakerphone/dp/B000Q6R4MK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=wireless&qid=1206352344&sr=8-2

Furthermore, you can read these reviews here:

http://www.mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=3512

http://www.infosyncworld.com/reviews/n/8013.html

http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/BlueAnt-Supertooth-Light-Review-review-r_1828.html

After reading all of the above there seems to be little doubt that this is a nifty solution to our problem.

Of course, I am still salivating over what yourgmsolutions is offering, but I'm going to wait
for that technology to improve.

I've had the BlueAnt Light for a while now. It's a decent unit that performs as advertised. Good battery life. Speaker is good - but not great. Everyone seems to hear me fine and vice versa.

Couple of issues:

1) It is bigger and heavier than I thought it would be.

2) It attaches to the sun visor clip with magnets that work OK most of the time, but there's been a couple of times when I went to turn it on (you basically push the spring loaded microphone in and it pops out to turn the unit on) and it flew off the clip. You have to make sure you're careful if you don't want it to land on your center console and do some damage - did I mention its pretty big and heavy?

Overall I give it a 9 out of 10 for function, but only 6.5 out of 10 for design.

The technology has been around for years and perfected.

Unless it has something to do with the NAV workaround (as I admit
the CTS is the most incompatible car to upgrade), I can't see what
the problem was.

Besides that, GM's initial response was that they wanted the feature
reserved for their higher models.

I'm sure it's because BlueTooth obviates the need for OnStar handsfree calling. More BlueTooth users means less OnStar subscribers. In retrospect, it was not a smart decision, but I'm guessing the car's feature set was hammered out a long time ago, when BT wasn't ubiquitous.

Bender,

That makes a lot of sense.

BTW, I should mention that it was a tough choice between the Blueant Supertooth Light
and the MotoRokr T505 which you can see here: http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-T505-MOTOROKR/dp/B000WTM552/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=wireless&qid=1206378552&sr=8-1

On the Motorola unit the speakerphone looks to be better. However, I didn't need the music streaming
option and I thought it would be cumbersome having to switch to an FM station every time a call came
in if I wanted to use the car audio speakers.

The unit does get the same rave reviews as the Blueant. Tough decision, but I felt the Blueant suited
my needs the best.

Read up on the Motorola T505. Looks pretty interesting. You could make the FM station one of your easy buttons on your display. Would like to heat from anyone who has this unit. I have a Motorola B-8970N. It works almost flawlessly. I have one person that always tells me to get off of it( she's an old school teacher). Everyone else says I sound great. I don't know why I want to replace it with the T505, but I do find the FM transmission interesting. Anyone have one? Guess I'll just sell the B-89170 on Ebay.

Thanks for the post. I might just give that a shot.

One thing I'd like to comment on. I don't know the reasons or details about why the Bluetooth was not implemented from the start, but IF it was due to the available solutions at the time being buggy or not working then I am glad GM did not implement it. How frustrated would you be if it DID have bluetooth but it did not work properly or meet your expectations?

Considering that bluetooth has been available on many cars for at least four years now (it was standard on my 04 Acura TL), I don't think this excuses GM. If they couldn't figure out how to make it work by now, shame on them.

I personally think that it's typical GM - they thought they could force their own technology (OnStar) on us instead.

greyghost,

I just ordered the Motorola T505 in addition to the Blueant.

One of my friends just bought the T505 and really enjoys it. I also
took into consideration the comments here that the Blueant has visor
clip weakness. The T505 clip looks much more powerful.

Finally, after setting up my radio presets I realized how easy it
would be to switch to a designated FM channel on the "fly" should
a call come in and I want to use the car's audio for the call.

Most likely I'll return the Blueant in favor of the T505. I'll post
my comments on this device in a few days, but the reviews on
Amazon plus that of a friend are pretty damn positive.

Considering that bluetooth has been available on many cars for at least four years now (it was standard on my 04 Acura TL), I don't think this excuses GM. If they couldn't figure out how to make it work by now, shame on them.

I personally think that it's typical GM - they thought they could force their own technology (OnStar) on us instead.

FWIW I asked the salesman about BT and he said it was a legal issue having to do with On*.
If that is true then any GM with On* should not have BT, and vice versa - is that the case?
rg

There's no need to mess around with archaic FM transceivers. The wiring for installing an aftermarket BT system is there in the car already. The radio has a phone mute, audio input designated for a BT handsfree kit, and possibly a noise cancelling microphone. It's just the wiring harness provisions that's missing and won't be available until April 7 (RPO: WXS). If you are inclined and able to read schematics and harness diagrams, PM me and I can send you a file with all the necessary information to figure out where to splice. I'm going to be installing mine in June. I'll also be doing a write up if you want to wait for it.