Tekkeon ET6000 ezSpeak Bluetooth speakerphone review: Tekkeon ET6000 ezSpeak Bluetooth speakerphone

The fact that most cell phones have a built-in speakerphone has not stopped the proliferation of add-on Bluetooth speakerphones. The reason, of course, is that dedicated speakerphones usually have better sound quality, plus they're better suited for hands-free driving if you don't have a Bluetooth headset handy. The Tekkeon ezSpeak Bluetooth speakerphone is no exception, and in a pinch you could also use it as a conference call device in the home or the office. Unlike other Bluetooth speakerphones such as the Spracht Aura Mobile BT, the Tekkeon ET6000 ezSpeak also has a nice, 1.5-inch, backlit LCD that displays information including caller ID. Though we didn't quite like that it doesn't come with an AC adapter, you can still charge it via a handy in-car charger. The Tekkeon ET6000 ezSpeak currently retails for $80.

One of the things we like the most about the ezSpeak is how compact and portable it is. Measuring at 4.6x2.5x1.0 inches and weighing in at 3.3 ounces, the ezSpeak can be easily pocketed in a bag or a purse. It has an oval shape and is decked out in a modern, silver-and-black design. A large speaker grille lies just to the left of the ezSpeak's center, with the LCD to the right. The 14-digit LCD displays caller ID, call status, indication of device connection, and the volume level, plus a battery indicator. Above the grille and the LED are the volume buttons, while the Talk/Answer button is below. The Power/End button lies to the bottom right of the LED. The microphone is to the right of the LCD and a charging lamp sits to the right of the volume buttons. The buttons are all pretty big and slightly raised above the surface, making them very easy to press.

We paired the Tekkeon ET6000 ezSpeak Bluetooth speakerphone with the T-Mobile Sidekick 3 easily and successfully. Call quality was actually fairly decent, thanks to the full-duplex speaker as well as the echo cancellation and noise reduction in the ezSpeak. You can answer and end calls with the device, and you can also use the backlit LCD to scroll through the last nine received numbers if you wish to make a call quickly. Other features include support for voice dialing, call waiting, and conference calling, as well as last number redial, the ability to pair it with as many as seven devices, call transfer from the speakerphone to its paired cell phone (and vice versa), and call muting. The Tekkeon ET6000 ezSpeak comes with a visor clip and a swivel for attaching it to your car's visor, plus a car charger. It does not come with an AC adapter however, so you'll have to buy that separately.

The Tekkeon ET6000 ezSpeak Bluetooth speakerphone has a rated talk time of 10 hours and a rated standby time of nine days.