Bluetake BT400GL Bluetooth headset (pink)

The Bluetake BT400GL has a simple rectangular design, with a slight outward curve toward the top to accommodate the curvature of the ear. It measures a very compact 1.53x0.68x0.47 inches and weighs a light 0.29 ounce. The headset's controls are laid out on the front on a vertical bar, with the volume-increase button on top, the multifunction button in the middle, and the volume-decrease button on the bottom. Underneath the multifunction button is an LED, which flashes blue when the headset is activated or blue and red when in pairing mode. The buttons are all raised above the surface, making them easy to press when you're wearing the headset.

On the back of the headset is the earpiece, and it's the kind that is placed deep in the ear, much like an earplug. The BT400GL comes with three earbud pieces in different sizes, so you can choose which one is right for your ears. Bluetake says they're made from an antibacterial material, and though we can't exactly test this claim, these earpieces remind us of the ones from the Sony MDR-EX71SL earbuds, which we liked quite a bit. The BT400GL felt quite comfortable in our ears, though we could see how this could irritate those who aren't used to earbuds. There is no need for an ear hook as the headset sits comfortably without one.

The BT400GL comes with a portable power dock, which works great for extending the headset's battery life. First you charge the headset in the dock while it's connected to an AC adapter. Once the battery life is full, you can simply remove the entire dock and carry it with you. Since the dock measures only 2x0.75x1 inches, not much bigger than the headset itself, this won't be a problem. If you keep the headset in the dock, incoming calls will cause the device to vibrate.

We paired the BT400GL with a T-Mobile Sidekick 3, and the process was smooth and easy. However, we were quite disappointed with the audio quality--while we could hear others just fine, callers repeatedly had to ask us to speak up, and they said we sounded faint even though we were speaking in a quiet room. The situation was worsened on a busy sidewalk and under windy conditions, as we struggled to hear our callers' voices. Features of the headset are fairly standard. There's answering, rejecting, and ending calls, last-call dialing, voice dialing support, and transferring calls from the headset to the cell phone and vice versa.