Bluetooth headsets

   / Bluetooth headsets #1  
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Willl

Elite Member
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Jul 22, 2006
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I'm shopping/comparing for my first bluetooth headset.

Any I should stay away from ?

Can I go cheap and still get something usable ?
 
   / Bluetooth headsets #2  
I got a Motorola H500 for $45, it's ok, has a bit of static background noise, I've read that is common with that unit.
 
   / Bluetooth headsets #3  
One thing that you may want to look for is the charging connector. If it's the same as your phone or a mini-USB connector that may help reduce the number of chargers you need to carry around. I think many Motorola phones and headsets share connectors, my Jawbone is nice but has a proprietary connector. I haven't seen one with a standard USB connector in recent memory but I also haven't looked very hard for one.

If you have or intend to get a decent MP3 player and want to go wireless you can look for A2DP, but if it's just for a phone it's probably not something to worry about.

On a mostly unrelated note Lowes had a generic phone holster that had a spot for a Bluetooth headset - they called that feature a "Tooth Ferry".
 
   / Bluetooth headsets #4  
As mentioned a lot of motorolla products use the mini-usb configuration. This is real handy as you can charge phone or headset with the same charger or from a USB port on a computer using a standard USB to mini USB cable. I have tried a couple bluetooth headsets, and the best one I have found is by Plantronics. All the others had excessive background noise and didn't put out enough audio or seal to my ear well enough to be heard in a noisy environment. The Plantronics actually plugs into the ear and transfers audio very well. It is a Discovery(A 650 I think), small and cost about $80. This model plugs into a hard tube holster with a pocket clip on it. The holster vibrates when you get a call with the headset in it. When you remove the headset from the holster it answers the call, so you just pull it out and put it into your ear and start talking. It also has an on the go charger that uses a AAA battery which will recharge the headset 2-3 times setting in your pocket. The headset has a pretty good runtime between charges. The on the go charger is about the same size as the holster and when hooked together, the whole thing is about the size of a fountain pen. It is pretty durable also, I dropped the headset off a 100' tower a few days ago. I found it at the bottom later, undamaged. Put it in my ear and made a call:)

I have had this one for almost a year now, and although it works good, I am over the cool factor now, and thinking of going back to a corded headset. I can wrap the cord around the phone and drop it into my pocket as one assembly, with enough slack to lift out the headset and put it into my ear to take or make a call. Since most numbers I call are dialed with voice recognition, I might not take the phone out of my pocket all day. With the bluetooth, It gets a little annoying when you set one or the other down and walk 30' away and the phone beeps at you about a lost link, so i am always having to remember to pull both out of the pocket. With the corded headset, There is nothing to charge(or forget to charge). There is also no second charger to mess with. They don't go dead in the middle of a call. They don't consume any additional power from the phone like the bluetooth link does. They are inexpensive, and If you knock it out of your ear, it only falls the length of the cord:)

Good Luck
 
   / Bluetooth headsets #5  
THe Motorola uses the same charger as the Motorola phones, and some others, I think they are called mini usb. The wife has a Motorola H-700 that is ok, had to send it back for warranty and the replacement looked like the same one, but the charger connection wasn't the same as the original one. I had a couple of the lesser Motorolas and just threw away my money. The best sounding and most comfortable one I've had is the Plantronics Voyager 510. It stays in place and after a couple of minutes, I don't even know it's in my ear, pull it up on Amazon.com and read the reviews. Since I've got hearing aids, I don't use it with them in my ear, but I could use the H-700 Motorola so may get one for myself. You should be able to find the Plantronics for less than $40.
 
   / Bluetooth headsets #6  
I have a Nokia BH-200 that is fairly small and light. It does have its own charger but it does not look proprietary. I have had the headset for at least a year with no problems so far. The wifey bought it but I don't think it was expensive. She also bought me a holster that holds the phone and the headset. Its NiteIze which is a strange name. :) Kinda big but it works. :D

I sure hope the miniUSB connections become universal in phones and similar sized equipment. It will make things a lot easier.

Later,
Dan
 
   / Bluetooth headsets #7  
Willl said:
I'm shopping/comparing for my first bluetooth headset.

Any I should stay away from ?

Can I go cheap and still get something usable ?
Click to expand...


I bought the cheapest BT headset I could find.. it was at walmart.. it was a plantronics 220.. something like 29$..

works better than my wifes 100$ i-phone headset or the 150% jawbone headset she took back.

soundguy
 
   / Bluetooth headsets #8  
Yep, there is a reason Plantronics has been in the business for so long:)
 
   / Bluetooth headsets #9  
That's what I told her when she complained that my el-cheapo worked better than her top shelf job.. I pointed out plantronics long history.. nasa ties.. etc..

soundguy
 
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