High-end Bluetooth headsets

Nicole Lee
Senior associate editor January 20, 2011 (updated on: September 1, 2011)

Bluetooth headsets these days are more than just earpieces that help you answer and end calls. The latest in high-end headsets do so much more; most of them have A2DP streaming for listening to music, multipoint technology for connecting to two devices, and some of them can even be used with third-party apps to extend their functionality. Here we take a look at a few of the latest high-end headsets.

First is the Jawbone Era, one of the most advanced headsets we've tested. It has a slew of technology crammed into one tiny package--multiprocessor architecture and a built-in accelerometer--to give it that much more functionality. You can shake and tap it to answer calls, and it can read out caller ID by name in an honest-to-goodness human voice. All that and you can customize it with a variety of Voice and Dial "apps" via its MyTalk service.

While it doesn't have quite the number of innovations that the Era has, the Jawbone Icon HD + The Nerd package is pretty notable, too. The Icon HD is the high-definition version of the Icon, and it's paired with a handy wire-free USB audio adapter called The Nerd. Simply plug The Nerd into any computer, and you're ready to use the Icon HD without a tedious Bluetooth setup process. Of course, the Icon HD works as a regular Bluetooth headset with a phone as well.

Another headset that works great with both a PC and a phone is the Plantronics Voyager Pro UC. It's designed to work seamlessly with a variety of VoIP applications as well as your phone, like the Icon HD and The Nerd combo. The Pro UC also has an interesting Smart Sensor technology that can detect whether it is on or off the ear. This lets you route calls automatically to the headset or phone, play or pause music automatically, and carry out other functions. It's really quite expensive because of all this technology, however. If you want a more affordable version that's not quite as high-tech, you can opt for the Plantronics Voyager Pro Plus instead.

Few other Bluetooth headsets can do voice controls like the BlueAnt Q2. Not only can you say "answer" and "ignore" to deal with incoming calls, you can also say things like "Redial," "Phone commands," and even "Call Information," which will direct you to a voice-enabled Bing 411 service. It also works with Vlingo Safereader, a third-party app that will read out incoming text messages to you.

The Motorola Finiti can do the same thing via a MotoSpeak app, but that is far from its most interesting feature. The Finiti is the only Bluetooth headset we know of that actually has a "stealth" or bone-conduction mode that will transmit your voice entirely based on the vibrations of your jaw. The resulting voice quality isn't the best--it's rather harsh and robotic--but it works if you're in an especially noisy environment.