What to Look for in a Bluetooth Headset!!!
Bluetooth 1.0, 1.2, 2.0?
Class I, II, III?
Profiles supports?
Wind resistance?
Volume?
Stability?
Charger?
Vibrating Ring!
LCD Display?
Bluetooth 1.0, 1.2, etc are bluetooth revisions. Generally, the higher numbers are better and backwards compatible.
Class I, II, III define the power standards of the devices. Class 1 = 100mw, Class 2= 2.5mw, Class 3 = 1mw. Distance Class 1 = 100m, Class 2 = 10m, Class 3 = 10m. These are best case scenario distances.
Profiles for headsets generally include headset (oldest, lowest common denominator), handsfree (better with call control and generally a button to activate voice activated dialing), SAP (sim access profile so that you use the host's RF system and controls), and several others.
Wind. This is a big problem outdoors or while you're walking. I like headsets with windscreens over the microphone, either molded in (Logitech and Plantronics), or some older Plantronics which use an attached piece of foam (works well but falls off). Some such as Motorola and Jabra use DSP noise cancelling technology to remove the wind noise. While this is effective and works, I feel a combination of both or the physical wind screens work better. It's easier to mitigate the cause rather than use post processing. Most other headsets (Jabra, GN Netcom, Motorola, Plantronics, etc) don't have any kind of wind screen and pick up a lot of wind noise. Even air blowing from walking down an indoor hallway or from the vents of your car can cause extreme wind rustling to the far end person.
Volume, most don't get loud enough. The ones that sit in the ear (Jabra BT250v, Plantronics Voyager, etc) tend to do better as they channel the audio directly into the ear.
Stability - Most feel like they're going to fall off (H700 is extremely light weight, but extreme movements make it feel loose). Using in an office, in a car, or while walking at a slow pace are not a problem. The Plantronics Voyager and Jabra BT250V sit in the ear and loops over the back of the ear making it much lower profile and stable to the ear. They have the benefit of channeling sound directly into the ear as well.
Charger - I like most of the Motorola units as they use connector for charging. As such, you can use the same charger you use for the phone or laptop to charge the headset, eliminating the need to carry an extra charger. Motorola also sells a charging Y cable so that you can charge your mini-usb charging phone and headset at the same time bringing only 1 charger. The Plantronics Voyager 510s uses a proprietery charger, and the Jabra BT250v is worse requiring a special charger AND a charging doc to be carried. However, the charging doc also doubles as a belt clip to carry and transport the headset when not in use.
The Vibrating Ringer is an often overlooked item. I like them very much. That way if I am not wearing a headset and can't hear it ring, I can still feel it ring. Or sometimes it's noise outside and you don't feel or hear the phone ring in your pocket on vibrate and ring, and so noise you don't hear the ring on your ear, you can still it vibrate on your ear.
LCD Display - Generally a gimmick. Most of the time, the headset is on my hear and I'd have to take it off it's sweet spot to look at the caller ID. HOWEVER, a battery life indicator IS nice, whether this is with LED, color, or the best, an LCD power level remaining indicator.
Class I, II, III?
Profiles supports?
Wind resistance?
Volume?
Stability?
Charger?
Vibrating Ring!
LCD Display?
Bluetooth 1.0, 1.2, etc are bluetooth revisions. Generally, the higher numbers are better and backwards compatible.
Class I, II, III define the power standards of the devices. Class 1 = 100mw, Class 2= 2.5mw, Class 3 = 1mw. Distance Class 1 = 100m, Class 2 = 10m, Class 3 = 10m. These are best case scenario distances.
Profiles for headsets generally include headset (oldest, lowest common denominator), handsfree (better with call control and generally a button to activate voice activated dialing), SAP (sim access profile so that you use the host's RF system and controls), and several others.
Wind. This is a big problem outdoors or while you're walking. I like headsets with windscreens over the microphone, either molded in (Logitech and Plantronics), or some older Plantronics which use an attached piece of foam (works well but falls off). Some such as Motorola and Jabra use DSP noise cancelling technology to remove the wind noise. While this is effective and works, I feel a combination of both or the physical wind screens work better. It's easier to mitigate the cause rather than use post processing. Most other headsets (Jabra, GN Netcom, Motorola, Plantronics, etc) don't have any kind of wind screen and pick up a lot of wind noise. Even air blowing from walking down an indoor hallway or from the vents of your car can cause extreme wind rustling to the far end person.
Volume, most don't get loud enough. The ones that sit in the ear (Jabra BT250v, Plantronics Voyager, etc) tend to do better as they channel the audio directly into the ear.
Stability - Most feel like they're going to fall off (H700 is extremely light weight, but extreme movements make it feel loose). Using in an office, in a car, or while walking at a slow pace are not a problem. The Plantronics Voyager and Jabra BT250V sit in the ear and loops over the back of the ear making it much lower profile and stable to the ear. They have the benefit of channeling sound directly into the ear as well.
Charger - I like most of the Motorola units as they use connector for charging. As such, you can use the same charger you use for the phone or laptop to charge the headset, eliminating the need to carry an extra charger. Motorola also sells a charging Y cable so that you can charge your mini-usb charging phone and headset at the same time bringing only 1 charger. The Plantronics Voyager 510s uses a proprietery charger, and the Jabra BT250v is worse requiring a special charger AND a charging doc to be carried. However, the charging doc also doubles as a belt clip to carry and transport the headset when not in use.
The Vibrating Ringer is an often overlooked item. I like them very much. That way if I am not wearing a headset and can't hear it ring, I can still feel it ring. Or sometimes it's noise outside and you don't feel or hear the phone ring in your pocket on vibrate and ring, and so noise you don't hear the ring on your ear, you can still it vibrate on your ear.
LCD Display - Generally a gimmick. Most of the time, the headset is on my hear and I'd have to take it off it's sweet spot to look at the caller ID. HOWEVER, a battery life indicator IS nice, whether this is with LED, color, or the best, an LCD power level remaining indicator.
posted by vmok00 at 12:03 PM
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