Sound ID 510 Bluetooth Headset

Pros: Sound quality, battery life, fit

Cons: Annoying set up, much hyped Ear Print app is more hokey than useful, headset locator could be a lot better and deserves to be.

Summary: If you're considering a Sound ID 510 or any of the Jawbone headsets, avoid Jawbone (build quality and support are wretched) and buy the Sound ID - but beware of what you're getting. Starting at 5 possible stars, I had to dock them a star for the annoying set up. You'll need to download a firmware upgrade before you can use the 510, and on my 2011 top of the line iMac, that meant a reboot, auto disabling the bluetooth, which in turn meant digging for a wired mouse to continue the setup, then another reboot to return bluetooth functionality to my Magic Mouse and Wireless Keyboard. I'm docking them another star for the flexible USB charging cable - at least Jawbone's is regid and easier to access. The Ear Print app is more hokey than useful. What should be the most useful feature of the app is the headset locator. Here's a great idea made practically useless. Go ahead and try it yourself. Leave the 510 in the pocket of your jeans and toss them in a corner of the room, then tap the locator button on the app. You'll be hard pressed (or ear pressed) to hear the tones from the headset that are intended to help you locate it. As or the rest of the app's functions, it's unlikely you'll need them and more likely you'll play with them until bored - which won't take long. Sound quality seems fine so far, call button placement is nice enough, touch volume control is like the app, more of a marketing gimmick than it is useful. Stated charge time is 2.5 hours, but is actually less, and battery life comes in at 5-6 hours in use. Nonetheless, the Sound ID 510 is better than the majority of the crappy headsets on the market today, though that isn't saying much. I wanted to give it 5 stars; the minimalist design resembles the discontinued Apple headset, right down to the included foam earpiece cover, should you want to use it. 3 gels: small, medium, and large, and an ear hook are included, plus a wall charger, USB cable, and a geeky belt clip case you probably won't want to be seen wearing.