Monday, December 08, 2008

Headset Wars - Bluetooth Noise Cancelling

Ok, so I thought I'd found one of the most ideal headsets to date, the Motorola H15.  Why the Moto H15?  Well, on paper, it has all the right specs:
* noise cancelling with CrystalTalk dual microphone technology
* multi connect allows pairing with 2 different bluetooth phones, with both simultaneously ready to take a call
* microUSB charging, ok, it wasn't mini-USB like I had hoped, but micro-USB is the next best standard
* active flip headset... only Moto headsets have this, and it's an AWESOME feature...
* multifunction button works as it should

The device comes with 4 additional ear inserts, a micro-USB charger and instructions.  It's small, unobtrusive, relatively easy to put on the ear, etc...  

Now why didn't I like it?
* people often can't hear me, or I sound robotic to them (maybe the CrystalTalk is working -too- well.)
* the headset hurts my ear over time (this is a personal thing, ymmv)
* the headset gets loud, but not as loud as say a Moto H700 or Plantronics 510
* mute difficult to press

In praticality, I love the fact you can use it with two phones.  I use it with my work phone and my personal phone.  The buttons operate as it should, with a single press of the multifunction/answer button when not on a call activating the voice activated dialing on the last phone I paired (btw, I only like to carry phones that use the VoiceSignal / Nuance voice activation... they don't require training, are accurate, and work wonderfully by saying names or numbers).  Using a micro-USB charger, I can't use my BlackBerry Bold, TMO G1 chargers, but I can use my BlackBerry Storm, Moto V9m RAZR2, Nextel i776, and my Moto Zine ZN5 charger.

The active flip with the microphone on the end works as it should.  Flip open to either transfer audio from handset to headset if already on a call, or flip open to answer a call when either phone connected to it is ringing.  The rapidconnect really works, and connects the headset quickly to either phone.

I could not find an ear insert that would fit my ear without either fitting too loose, or creating a hotspot/pain over time.  The hook doesn't fit as well as the H12.  It is nice that the H15 does not require additional hardware to charge like the H12.  The H710 though would be the champ at this time even without the CrystalTalk noise cancelling.  The Plantronics Discovery also works well.  The Sennheiser VMX100 fits better ,but always turns on as the on/off mechanics isn't too good, and the battery life is too short.  The Jawbone2 sucks, everytime you try to adjust the volume, it hangs up the call (the way the case is, when you press on the volume, it also presses on the answer/end call buttoon most of the time).