Satechi Bluetooth Media Button Review ( Model SP-01M )

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.

I recently received a Satechi Bluetooth Media Button ( Model SP-01M ) for a product review. The package included the following:

• Bluetooth button
• Button mount for steering wheel
• Keychain attachment
• 3M sticker
• CR2016 battery (it may be installed already as it was on mine)

3M sticker, Bluetooth button and keychain attachment

Size comparison with business card

The button itself looks nice, and is very light and a good size ( small but still usable ).  Pairing to my Nexus 7 tablet was very simple, you just need something small to press the button on the back.

Front

Back

Another picture - it is a nice looking button

As for mounting/using the device you have a few options:

• Use the keychain attachment to carry it around.  If you are going to use the steering wheel mount, having the little keychain loop could be an issue if it catches your hand as you are steering - I wouldn’t use it personally.  If you are going to just hold it and use it, there isn’t really anything on the surface that lets you know which way is “up” so you would have to look down which isn’t safe while driving.
• Use the steering wheel mount.  You will bump it by accident from time to time, but I never felt like it was in an unsafe position.
• Use the 3M sticker to mount it.  I don’t know if I would use this option -- in theory you have to remove it to change battery or pair with a different device.

Keychain attachment

My setup ( Bluetooth button on the steering wheel, Nexus 7 mounted )

Button on the steering wheel

I would recommend using the steering wheel mount.  If you aren’t going to ever use it, and are willing to damage it, you can cut off the little parts that grip around the steering wheel and just stick the mount (using the 3M sticker) to your dash that way you can still remove the button if needed.

The button worked great with Google Play Music, all the functions work as expected.  I tried it with Pandora, but when I would hit controls they would seem to go to the Google Play Music instead.  I think this because it uses a Bluetooth Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) instead of just emulating a keyboard.  So Android seems to send the commands to the default music player instead of the one up front.  I only use Google Play Music so this wasn’t an issue for me.

There is no power button on the device, I am assuming it goes into a low power mode automatically.  After being away from it, when I use it again I just have to press a button once or twice and the Nexus 7 connects quickly.

One other thing to consider -- when you are connected to the button, at least during my tests, I wasn’t able to use the software keyboard on the screen.  This is probably because Android considers this a hardware keyboard.  In theory, while driving you shouldn’t be typing, but I figured I would mention that fact.

If you need to know if a specific program works, I would suggest using the Amazon feature to ask questions to existing owners that way someone can give you a response or check with Satechi support.

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Easy to Setup and Use: Pairing was super simple, and after that you just press the button for the function you want.

Versatile Mount Options: The package includes various mounting options so you can pick the option that works best for your setup.

Drive Safer: A device like this helps keep your eyes on the road, and off your tablet / smartphone.  Of course doing anything while driving is technically a distraction, this is similar to fiddling with the volume/controls of your car radio.

Bottom line: If you are looking for a way to control music on your device, especially while in a vehicle, this is a great option to consider.

Satechi Product Page: http://www.satechi.net/index.php/satechi-bluetooth-button-series-media-button
Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B00RM75NL0