Iqua Snake 2: Hands-Free Bluetooth Weirdness


While I’m on the subject of companies at the Sands during CES, check out this device from mobile-communications manufacturer Iqua (the company’ll be at the Sands if you’re Vegas bound). With an MSRP of $179, the Snake 2 hands-free Bluetooth headset attaches to the headrest of a car seat (almost all car makes and models according to Iqua) and lets you talk for up to eight hours on your Bluetooth-enabled device.



Speakers are located on each side of your head and the neck is flexible, so you can adjust it according to the height of the user. However, if you were to use it in a convertible as the photo suggests, I doubt you could hear a damn thing. Looks like call-answer and -end buttons are on top of the mouthpiece making them easy to acccess without taking your eyes off the road.

What would be fun is pretending no one else is in the car with you and getting the person on the other end of the call to say something completely horrible. But maybe that’s just me.

Iqua Snake 2 [product page]

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12 Comments so far

 
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Mike (Who am I?)

This is no way knock on the article itself, but I can’t help but feel that the design of this product is terrible… How in the world is she going to lean over to kiss my face with that obtrusive bar jutting out like that?

 
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Josh Goldman (Who am I?)

Well Mike, for that I suggest the Iqua miniUFO

 
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NW Guy (Who am I?)

TY Josh for the afternoon eye-candy; great day all around! I’d need a personal demo of the model (hehe) but believe that Mike has a point. The design should have some hinge or flexible bar so that it could be moved out of the way. You shouldn’t have to remove the entire device to move the bar!

And once again; awful pricey for a wireless headset - $175??

 
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Jon Lee (Who am I?)

Is that model even driving? Maybe with her knees?

I feel like the market for bluetooth and phone items is so flooded that manufacturers are putting out any original product that they can conceive of. Come up with something really innovative or at least not out on the market yet.

In addition, I really am bugged by how many people continue to demand wireless phone products. I know all you people think you can drive while on the phone, especially when it’s “handsfree”, but you can’t. I’ve been in two accidents at the fault of the other driver who was talking on the phone. One driver was nice enough to change lanes into my car, and the other t-boned me; both were on the phone.

 
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Paul G (Who am I?)

I’m guessing this device is really made for convertibles and only to be used by smoking hotties - so either way, I’m out. Doesn’t look to safe either; looks like it would decapitate you on a side collision or impale you on a frontal.

 
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Sascha (Who am I?)

Paul G, I couldn’t agree more. Put some razor blades on that thing and you have a DIY-decapitation device. If death is your style, by one now! I would never ever put this thing in my car, who came up with such an idiotic idea?

Thinking about it, I’m calling this one an early April’s fools joke. I drive a convertible, and even using a headset where I have the earplug in my ear is not a nice experience when the top AND the windows are down. The wind and driving noise is way too loud, this thing would have to be on an insane volume setting to work while driving, otherwise you wouldn’t hear anything.

Any if you’re not in a convertible, then why not have a much nicer solution like some cars have built-in already, such as a microphone mounted somewhere on the ceiling (the inside of the roof) and audio through your car-speakers? Yeah, I say the one person that will by this thing will end up killing himself.

 
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NW Guy (Who am I?)

It’s a consensus; this will probably be a “CrunchGear giveaway” this week? My sympathies JonLee on your bad luck with other drivers; it is crazy how wrapped up people get in conversations (maybe that’ why my wife goes crazy when I turn towards her to talk??).

Sascha, with top and windows down, how loud are you rocking out in your car now? I assume it’s with an iPod attachment? And…do you drive with your knees like JonLee pointed out from the pic??

 
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Jon Lee (Who am I?)

Sascha:

I’m guessing it’s for those who own cars that didn’t already have a bluetooth speaker system built in. Or for those who are driving with others in the car and don’t want them to hear the conversation.

I also don’t know about April Fool’s joke, but how about a joke? At least if you were to use it in a convertible, you’d have so much interference like you mentioned. Unless it had some built in noise-clarification/cancellation software. But then again, I really don’t think the model pictures and product promo pictures are the best examples of how actually use the item…

 
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mathew (Who am I?)

I’ve got another snake she can check out…

 
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Greg (Who am I?)

Already been done by Nokia a few years ago: http://www.nokia.co.nz/nokia/0,,62563,00.html

 
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dbGeezer (Who am I?)

Looks like a automatic decapitation device in event of an accident

 
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Blue Geek (Who am I?)

I visited Iqua booth at the Sands, and can tell you now that this is one great device! the turtleneck turns ninety degrees up and down and I was told in case of accident it breaks at hinge and has been tested to be safe. And it’s wireless, unlike the Nokia device referred above!! I tried it and at least at Sands the sound level and quality were really good, doubt though also that in convertible top down it would not be so great…

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