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- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 51 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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15 out of 25 people found this review helpful
1.0 stars
"JABRA MAKES GIGANTIC MISTAKE IN THIS PRODUCT!"
Pros: Lligh, good battery life
Cons: USES NON-STANDARD USB CONNCTION
Summary: I previously have been using a BT250 headset, and have been happy with it EXCEPT for the funky charging situation. So I was pleased when I heard that the BT500 would offer USB charging (I currently own a Motorola V3, which charges using a standard USB cable).
Jabra however, instead of using a mini USB connection on the headset has substituted a non-standard connection that only connects to Jabra's SPECIAL cable.
For those road warriors expecting to eliminate gear from their travel case with this headset, THINK AGAIN. Jabra has again made a gigantic mistake with their continued use of non-standard charging regimes.
The headset is just as comfortable as the previous BT250, however doesn't seem to play as loud.
Please note the non-standard USB charging before buying this item. I was very diappointed with this BAD engineering decision.
- 5 replies to this review
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Come on. This is nitpicking on the charging options. Most hardware only has two ways to charge a device, AC and Car adapter. This has three and not only that the third is off the USB!!
I find this unit to be better than satisfactory and way better than the two Motorola headsets I have had in past years. -
if you are going to take the time to make a review, at least give one that gives a general feel for the product.
a "2" because of the cable?
they give you a free cable in the box!
are you too lazy to pack the cable in your laptop case, it is only about 5 inches long.
i'm tired of people trashing products because they have a narrow version of what is "good".
it's like reviewing a car and saying "they don't have a standard gas cap" and the cap is permanantly affixed to the vehicle via a plastic strap.
who cares!
you get a gas cap with the car and if you don't break it off and lose it, you will have it for the life of the car.
does the headset work, is it easy to pair, can you hear clearly...etc.
that is a review in my opinion. -
Actually the mini usb connector on the Jabra is perfectly standard. It's not the most common one but not uncommon at all. I got a totally generic after market ziplinq cable with the same connector at Radio Shack and it works fine on the Jabra. Look up Radio Shack catalog number 26-707. Works perfectly. The reason they make and sell that is because there are lots of cameras and mp3 players and other things that use it.
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I can understand how you can see the included USB port as "non-standard;" I mean every new component using USB is using one particular kind of cable (USB Mini B 5-pin). So why would Jabra choose to buck the current and use a "non-standard" cable like this? The short answer: form factor. The connecter they chose to use (USB Mini A 4-pin) is much smaller and thinner than its 5-pin brother, and since it only is needed for the power, there was no need for the larger form factor or the extra pin.
I'm on the road a lot, so I always need some kind of funky cable which is not readily available where I am. So I got one of those retractable cable kits that allows you to change the ends on it. It happens to have a mini A 4pin adapter, so I'm all set. I know it's not the same one that your cell phone or your MP3 player probably uses, but it is still a USB cable. They also include in the package a 1-ft USB A male to USB mini A 4pin cable. I know it's an extra component to carry, but 1) it's just a cable, and 2) at least it's not a power converter... -
It's an outstanding design and very comfortable to wear. The charging option via usb works fine and is protected against inserting a classic mini usb connector. But the poor volume level (even at highest) makes it unusable in noisy environments like a car. So it sits on my desk being beautiful and sadly stays there. Don't.
Jabra BT500 Bluetooth headset:
