- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 24 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"Simple elegance & Ease of Use - The Apple Standard"
Pros: Ease of use, clean looks, rapid deployment
Cons: Lacks last number redial - end of call sound annoying
Summary: There is no perfect headset, but if you like Apple products, you will like this headset.
Appearance
The elegant looks of this headset distinguish it from all others. It does not have the ever-so-common flashing blue LED, nor does it look like something from a kids transformer toy. I have always disliked the flashing blue LEDs on so many bluetooth headsets; they make their users like like the have been assimilated by the Borg.
The body of this headset is metal, not plastic, which means it has a solid feel, unlike most plastic headsets. It has a satin finish that is as perfect looking as a new iPod.
Human Interface
The headset charges quickly, and the iPhone display shows a visual indication of the charge level of the headset.
Pairing the headset is effortless: when you charge the headset and iPhone together, they pair automatically. If you power-down your headset to save your battery, the next time you power-up, the iPhone will recognize the headset, and you will not be required to pair.
You verify the power status (on/off) of headset by briefly pressing the button near the earpiece. If the headset is in your ear, you will hear a brief tone; you will observe a green LED flash when the unit is not in your ear. When the battery is low you will hear a distintive tone, and the LED will flash green.
One of the best features of this headset is what I call "rapid deployment". When a call comes in, you really have to scramble to get most headsets properly seated in your ear. With this headset, you'll have none of that. It goes in and comes out of your ear quickly, painlessly, nearly effortlessly.
Performance
The audio quality of this headset is as good it gets. It does not have any background noice suppression, but none of my callers have ever complained about background noise with this unit. The range of the headset is average, and in my day-to-day use, I never heard static/noise from the wireless bluetooth link to the iPhone.
Extras
The headset comes with a base that can be used to charge both the headset and the iPhone, and a travel cable that performs the same function. The bottom of the headset has a row of tiny magnets that ensure a perfect fit in the base every time. This really was a nice surprise.
The headset also comes with two tiny foam covers for the earpiece. I like these, because they let your ear breathe a little more. If the iPod earbuds are comfortable for, you will find this headset comfortable.
Lacking
I don't like the tone that is played when a call ends; it too closely resembles a busy signal and is thus confusing. My cheap Jabra headset allows last number re-dial from the headset button, and I like this feature, although it can be too easy to accidentally redial a number.
The clean looks of this headset mean that you do not have buttons for volume control, although many other headsets do not have this.
I would also have liked to seen background noice suppression, although this does not seem to be a major issue with this headset. It would also be nice if this headset allowed you to listen to music, but this would obviously impact battery life.
Conclusion
I have used low cost Jabra and high end Plantronics headsets. I don't like to use these because they, well, just look weird. I have never felt this way about the Apple bluetooth headset, The extra charging base and cable make this a good value. I am overall quite satisfied with the Apple iPhone bluetooth headset.
Where to buy
Apple iPhone Bluetooth Headset:
$179.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$179.99 | See Site |
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