 If you are like me, you have been drooling over these bluetooth stereo headphones that have begun to pop up. Especially the Plantronics Pulsar 590A - bluetooth stereo headphones and bluetooth headset - all in one. Unfortunately the Treos don’t have support for A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) which is required for bluetooth stereo headphones. A2DP is a bluetooth profile that gives the devices that use it the ability to send or receive stereo audio. There are not a whole lot of devices that support it, and most of the headphones rely on some type of adapter to use it with a MP3 player or computer. But now the Treo 650 joins a very short list of devices that can take advantage of these stereo headsets - without an adapter. All with the help of a new app called Softick Audio Gateway.
 Softick Audio Gateway is the first Bluetooth audio streaming solution for Palm OS handhelds which allows to connect Palm OS handheld to the Bluetooth stereo headphones and listen to digital audio played by Palm OS applications: MP3 players, audio book readers, games.
Softick Audio Gateway can operate with any Bluetooth audio device which supports Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) designed to transfer a high-quality stereo audio stream wirelessly.
Softick Audio Gateway captures digital audio from Palm OS audio subsystem and redirects it to the Bluetooth A2DP device: stereo headphones, desktop PC, car audio or A2DP speakers.
Currently we have tested our Bluetooth Audio Gateway with the Bluetake i-Phone BT420EX Bluetooth Hi-Fi Sports Headphone, iPAQ Bluetooth Stereo Headphones (made by Logitech), and Bluetake A2DP enable PC dongle . (I have got it to work well with the Plantronics Pulsar 590A)
Features:
* Advanced Audio Distribution Profile support (A2DP)
* High quality stereo streaming, up to 304Kbps audio bitrate
* Wide-range players and audio software compatibility
* Easy setup and usage
* Support for Mono and Stereo sound stream
* Automatic upsampling/downsampling depending on blueooth headset capabilities
* Built-in audio post filter to improve low bitrate audio quality
So yesterday when I noticed it was released, I quickly purchased the software and looked for the nearest store the sold the Plantronics Pulsar. Drove an hour down to Madison and picked one up at CompUSA for $179 (Ouch!  - you can pick it up from Amazon for only $119). Let it charge overnight on the awesome charging stand thats included.
This morning I installed the Audio Gateway software and was pleasantly surprised that it only takes up 158 Kb of internal memory. I fired up the app and it quickly walked me through pairing it with the Pulsar. After that I set the software to “Stream to Remote”, this connects connects the Treo to the headphones. Time to play! Fired up PocketTunes and enjoyed some Linkin Park/Jay-Z. The quality is great - absolutely fantastic. Fired up Audible - works well. TCPMP - yup! Some odd reason MobiTV doesnt work the greatest - audio quits after a few minutes. You will also find that if you are listening to “background” audio like listening to PocketTunes while working in Agendus, the audio will hiccup - possibly quite often. But this is understandable - the Treo is getting the piss beat out of it. A downside that I have found is that if you are listening to something and you make a call or receive a call, you wont be able to use a Pulsar as a headset. You have to switch the Audio Gateway to stream to “Internal” if you want to use a Pulsar as a BT headset. If you are using Audio Gateway with a set of bluetooth stereo headphones like the i-Phono Bluetooth Headphone, this doesn’t really matter.
Couple tips ->
- If you are looking to use this software to send mono audio to a regular bluetooth headset, it doesn’t seem to work. Tried with the Wireless Treo Headset. You need to use this software with a headset/headphone that supports A2DP. Hopefully in the future it can support both.
- Every now and then I noticed the bluetooth on the Treo gets mucked up, usually fixed by a soft reset.
Overall I think Softick’s Audio Gateway is a fantastic program. Simple to use and for the most part does it’s job well. Hopefully we can see this on the Treo 700w sometime soon.
treo Addicts Software Store | Softick Audio Gateway
Amazon | Plantronics Pulsar 590A
Amazon | i-Phono Bluetooth Headphone
Technorati Tags: bluetooth, Palm, Treo
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March 1st, 2006 at 7:50 pm
I’d really like this. But are you saying withthe i-Phono bluetooth Headphone you can switch back and forth from MP3 to phone call and back again?
March 1st, 2006 at 7:52 pm
Are you saying with the i-Phono you can switch from MP3 to Phone call and back again?
March 1st, 2006 at 8:16 pm
Well u can switch from mp3 to phone call, but I’m not sure if Audio Gateway can pick up the audio again after the call. When I tried, it didn’t seem to work right. I did recently notice that an update was released that helps with one of my issues - that you cant use a bluetooth headset while using this. I have tested it out and it does seem to work. Problem is that after the call the audio starts up again, but using the internal speaker instead. I haven’t done a whole lot of testing since the new release, once I get a chance to I’ll give an update.
March 2nd, 2006 at 9:16 am
Thank you. I’ll look forward to reading about it.
March 6th, 2006 at 9:58 pm
[…] Via Treoaddicts.com […]
March 15th, 2006 at 2:12 am
I got a plantronic discovery 640 and i cant get it to work. It says it does support protocol service. Is there anything I can do about that??
March 15th, 2006 at 2:22 am
The Plantronics Discovery 640 is not a stereo bluetooth headset and does not support A2DP. Like I mentioned in the story -
“If you are looking to use this software to send mono audio to a regular bluetooth headset, it doesn’t seem to work. Tried with the Wireless Treo Headset. You need to use this software with a headset/headphone that supports A2DP.”
March 15th, 2006 at 2:12 pm
Is there any talks about other software allowing mono audio to regular headsets?
March 20th, 2006 at 4:13 pm
Sounds exciting! I can’t wait till the bugs are worked out. This is exactly what I want to use my treo bluetooth capabilities for. Keep me updated!
March 24th, 2006 at 3:50 am
I went out and got the Plantronics pulsar and download today. I got it to work just like it was said above. I also got stuck on the part where if you use the phone it goes over to internal and then won’t re-detect and connect back to the headset without a lot of resetting and maneuvering. I don’t know yet if it will let you know if a call is coming in or not….I can’t use my hardline since I am d/loading.
THE SOUND is WONDERFUL for the music, as well as music on the computer as it comes with a plug in. I don’t have bluetooth computer adapting. It’s so multidimensional in the sound!!
I was ready to take it back based on call voice quality which I recorded to my home voicemail, but once I heard the music on it….wow…
At this point, I don’t think it’s going to work as a call device. I will check into it further. BTW I started this hours ago and it’s now almost 3. I have to work in the morning!
I am not sure about the use of it for the phone, I am thinking it’s not going to work out well. It’s a lot of money retail for just music listening. I will take it back and get it online for half what I paid if I decide to keep it.
March 24th, 2006 at 6:07 am
Well, I am still playing with the Pulsar. I find that it works well as the music headset and at least it does let you get a call if you have the phone on. I don’t know if you have to have the phone on to use bluetooth. I haven’t opened my manual yet for the Treo. However, it does put a call through and put the music away until it’s over. The only problem is that it puts the music on the internal speaker after the call, and the call does NOT come through the headset. I guess the program takes over the headset. It may be the Treo can’t run more than one bluetooth device also, I didn’t look it up. I think the program is splitting the phone designated bluetooth into 2 separate apps and it’s not sharing. Maybe someone can explain this to me better, but all I know is that
1. The phone call does stop the music so you can take a call.
2. The headset does not accept the call.
3. The headset does not regain the music after the call, even if you go into the program and select stream externally.
4. It’s hit or miss how to get the headphones back to the music. I tried many ways and none were consistent. A soft reset and turning the bluetooth off then going back to the program app and refinding the device seems to work, although it rejects the headset up to 4 times sometimes before claiming ownership.
I hope the programmer will move along with his/her project and fine tune it.
Right now it seems to be an either/or device to use the bluetooth Pulsar on the Treo 650. You can get EXCELLENT sound quality on the music that makes it worth it. Hearing on the phone is great for the headset as well, especially since you get volume in both ears. For us older folks, that can be good. It would probably help in a car, if you want those big headphones on. They do almost nothing at all to mask room noise to your ears, unless you crank the volume. This is something you definitely can do. They go up very high, too high for the music even for someone hard of hearing like me. I never used full volume, even on a call.
Outgoing sound seems to be highly related to room noise and quality of receiving phone, as well as battery power on the Treo and the headset.
It seems like if you can afford it, this headset would be the way to go for music. Just don’t count on it to be a seamless back and forth deal from the phone to the music like we all wish we had on a top-notch headset with superior audio. It’s also very large like a regular ol’ fashioned headset with the two big pads. It has a one year warranty, and from the plastic, I would say keep your receipt in case you need to use it!
I saw some new surround sound headphones that were noted as coming out soon, they were posted on a gadget site. This Pulsar is the closest thing I ever heard to surround sound headphones yet.
If you plan to listen and switch back and forth between music and phone, this isn’t for you. This, for now, should be taken as what it is: a chance to hear all the mp3’s you’ve been stashing on your 2 gig memory card (on sale all over now for 100-109) in the quality rendering you’ve been longing for.
I also tried the Rokr Motorola with the Oakley sunglasses for a few days. I LOVe the sunglasses, but the headset isn’t loud enough in a noisy car with windows down, and I had a terrible time understanding Sprint customer care on the phone with it. I love the look, though, and the Oakleys are very, very comfortable, stylin, and stable enough to firmly support the headset. The earpiece is on an articulating arm so you can cram it in where you want it. It does help to be suspended on the frame.
The frame is not standard for using the attachment easily or identically on other glasses! It has a triagular shape to grip the headset attacher. I tried it on my reading glasses and it slid back and forth. It was too tight a grip for my other glasses. Since it’s a snap on device ( a closing circle type), it won’t fit on a whole lot of other frames. Pretty expensive for a chance to look cool and somewhat hear your calls. If you can afford it, it’s definitely a conversation starter. Very cool. The headset does it’s job with Treo 650, it has call mute, hold, transfer, reject, redial, and can do voice. If you have good hearing, it’s probably loud enough. It is louder than the Scala, which is not loud enough for me. I like that it’s attached to something, but it limits the use since the front end is very top-heavy. Maybe those Jabra gels people talk about could work to hold it in better. If you could do that it would justify more the 300 dollar price tag for the glasses/headset combo. The frames can have replacement lenses put into it by Oakely, surely for a good price, in other colors, polarization, prescription, etc. The quality of the lens material is FAR superior than I expected and the lighter gray can be worn indoors without hesitation.
This Treo is like a Barbie doll. Every time you turn around there is some other cool accessory that you feel you just MUST have. It’s getting very expensive, but fun. And of course, everything I tried is on approval, so I probably will have to pry it out of my hands and ears soon once I look at the heating bill!
March 24th, 2006 at 9:59 am
Judging the time between your posts, I’m guessing you didn’t make it to bed… Did you make it to work?
Now thats my kind of Treo addict! he he he
With the updates that the company released after this article was published, I was able to get the headset to pick up a call after music was playing. It however doesnt seem to transfer the music back to the headset after the call.
Make sure you have recently paired the Pulsar with the Treo through the Phone/Bluetooth app, before initiating the Audio Gateway. This should allow the Pulsar to pick up the call even while listening to music… at least it seemed to work for me.
March 24th, 2006 at 11:08 am
Hi My name is Laura and I am a Treo addict….
Yep I made it to work on time. I have to make money to buy more gadgets! Go go gadget….Pulsar.
Where did you get the updates? I downloaded what is linked above.
March 24th, 2006 at 11:28 am
Hi Laura, welcome to treo Addicts!
Thanks for pointing that out. The developer has been a little slow on updating the product listing…
I made sure it was done now… you can go back there and download v 1.0.4 which includes a bunch of fixes for the Treo 650. Hope this helps you get your “fix”
March 24th, 2006 at 12:52 pm
Oh I am so psyched. I was on v. 1.00! That means in 10 min I can go home for lunch and try it again with the fixes! Wahoo!!! Thank you SO much!!
Also, what is your Favorite handsfree bluetooth for regular phone calls?
March 24th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
Although I have been a big fan of the Scala, owning a couple of them, I would have to say my favorite is the Palm Compact Wireless Headset (http://store.treoaddicts.com/content/accessories/9-32–241.htm). I just works well.
April 14th, 2006 at 4:00 pm
The new version 1.05 is out! It is MUCH BETTER!!!
Now control PocketTunes with headsets/headphones if they use AVRCP…
April 19th, 2006 at 10:58 am
Just found this great piece of software! I have a Cingular Treo 650 with updated firmware 1.17 and a Plantronics Pulsar 690A. Using Real Player to play MP3s, it works great. Calls come in while the music is on and I am able to switch to answer, but it does not start playback after a phone call. FF and RR does not work. Do I need to step up to Pocket Tunes to get this capability?
Just wanted to report on my results. Great software!!
May 8th, 2006 at 7:06 am
I have a Treo 650 and bought the Jabra bt620s based on the jabra compatibility page. Well, as is (and no surprise) the Jabra could not receive bt mp3 and I did not need a stereo headset for cell conversation. But, enter SAG by Softick (http://www.softick.com/bluetooth-audio/). Their program nearly did it. I can listen to mp3 from the phones SD card then connect to an incoming call and complete it throught the headset (includes mike). Now the problem (And I have the most recent version 1.06.657), the phone freezes after disconnecting the cell call. A soft reboot is required. Even with that problem this is an exciting product. I am surprised other software shops are not doing it. Even with the freeze, I can enjoy 1G of music on a plane and get one call when landing where I then hook up my traditional 1 ear earpiece. I would like to know if any other programs are out there that do this successfully. Thanks IndyBob
May 17th, 2006 at 7:48 am
I have the Motorola stereo headset HT820 and I also purchased the Softick Audio Gateway ver1.06. I have the exact same problem with the Treo having to be rest after a call, I’m torn between keeping the Softick Gateway or finding something else. As you say the music is great but the hassle of resetting the phone everytime is getting old. I glad to here its not just the Motorola incompatiblity and I hope they fix it soon.
John
May 22nd, 2006 at 5:52 pm
Question for John on the Motorola HT820. With the software, were you able to get yours to work with a Treo 650? I’m debating between the HT820 and the Plantronics one.
Jon
June 19th, 2006 at 10:48 am
I have the motorola HT820 - It works with the Treo 650 - however, I need to 1. restart the realplayer each time I received a phone call and 2. I need to re-pair my motorola Bluetooth ear bud after using the Motorola headset. It is a pain, but it is better then carrying ANOTHER device like an IPOD with the chargers and the rest of the stuff. If someone has figured out how to fix 1 and 2 above, please let me know
thanks
July 14th, 2006 at 7:05 am
Downloaded the demo version last night and set this up on my Treo 650. I does exactly what it claims to… I now jog with my Treo as an MP3 player, no more little wires to get snagged. If it was this simple to achieve, it makes you wonder why Palm didnt include this in the OS to begin with… seems kind of lazy.
I am using this with the Anycom BSH100 headset (a GREAT BT headset, 100% satisfied, of course it had a $100 price tag) and playing my MP3s through Pocket Tunes, which is a great Palm OS player.
As an aside, I couldnt tolerate using RealPlayer for the Treo for anymore than 5 minutes, it is incredibly annoying and unfriendly to use. Pocket Tunes follows the iPod model reasonably well.
October 5th, 2006 at 7:48 am
Hi everybody, I’m new and -yes - treoaddict…
I have a treo 650 and I was wondering if buying a software is better than a hardware to play A2DP.
There are bluetooth headsets sold with a stereo dongle to be connected to the audio output of a device. This way the hardware makes the job and no software (= system resources) is used, moreover you’re sure about compatibility as the transmitter/receiver come together.
write your opinion, thanks!
bye from Italy
December 16th, 2006 at 11:51 pm
So can someone comment on the which headset works the most seamlessly for switching between music and phone calls with Softick Audio Gateway? Is it the Plantronics Pulsar 590A or the Bluetake i-Phone BT420?
Thanks,
- Matt
December 17th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
Can the pulsar act as a teamspeak/skype headset for the computer as well? I’m currently looking at this baby:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1834364&CatId=0
I want it all. And I want it now.
September 25th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Will Softick Audio Gateway work with the Jabra BT8010. It is an awesome product from the look of it. I really want to purchase it if it’s compatable.