Jason Dunn
10-20-2005, 05:00 PM
<img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/bluespoon.jpg" /><br /><br /><b>Product Category:</b> Bluetooth headset<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> <a href="http://www.nextlink.to">Nextlink</a><br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> <a href="http://www.nextlink.to/index.asp?sideid=108&top=bs">Nextlink store link</a><br /><b>Price:</b> $99.00 USD<br /><b>System Requirements:</b> Cell phone that supports a bluetooth headset<br /><b>Specifications:</b> Smallest, lightest bluetooth headset, only 60 grams<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><li>Small;<br /><li>Light;<br /><li>Easy to use.<b>Cons:</b><li>Small;<br /><li>Easy to lose;<br /><li>Not necessarily easy to put in one's ear.<b>Summary:</b><br />I first saw the Nextlink Bluespoon A|X online, when it was still just a rumour. Man o' man, it was tiny and when I saw it I knew I wanted it right away. I finally got my hands on the device a little while ago and... well, read on to find out whether it is worth the money.<br /><br />Read on for the full review!<!><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>What you get....</b></span><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/bluespoonkit.jpg" /></a> <br /><i>Figure 1: What you get in the box.</i> <br /><br />The picture here is small because there really isn't much to show. Since it is the smallest, lightest headset, it doesn't need that much of a box. :-) What you get in the box, other than the headset itself, is the battery, the USB cable to charge the headset, the instruction manual and a bunch of paperwork. Honestly, you don't need much else.<br /><br />The Bluespoon A|X, as you can see from the picture, has three buttons. The main power/on/off button, Volume up and Volume down. The headset is small and does not have a boom mike. Instead, it sits snugly in the ear and uses the vibrations in the ear canal to pick up voice. I find this to be a very cool concept because it makes it really resilient to background noise.<br /><br /><span><b>Using the Bluespoon A|X</b></span><br />Using the Bluespoon A|X is simple, whether the first time or on a regular basis. Insert the battery if not done before, and charge the device up. Charging is usually done via a USB cable. One end of the USB cable is the usual connector that you and I are used to. The other end, while it looks like a mini-USB is actually even smaller, in fact it is half the size of a mini-USB. When charging, the Bluespoon A|X had a red light. When fully charged, the LED goes off. <br /><br />In order to connect the headset to your phone, you will need to turn bluetooth on, on your phone (obviously). Holding the power button down for 10 seconds causes it to start alternate flashing blue and red. My Blackberry 7100t recognized it right away and that was pretty much it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/bluespoonax.jpg"> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/bluespoonax_thumb.jpg" /></a> <br /><i>Figure 2: The Bluespoon A|X close up. Click on the image for the full size image.</i> <br /><br />All future phone calls still ring on the phone, but the voice is immaediately handled by the headset. The volume up/down buttons work quite well. In fact, I often find that my Blackberry is not loud enough, but the amplifier in the headset is fantastic. Hanging up on a call is as easy as hitting the power/on/off button once. Transferring the call back to the phone is slightly more tricky, you can hold the power button down longer to do so, but I always find it easier to do it via the controls of my cell phone.<br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Thoughts (Pros and Cons)</b></span><br />Lets do the pros first, as there are many. Range of the device is fantastic. I was able to walk at least 50 feet away from the device before it started breaking up. And I must say that the battery life is great. The talk time is well over 3 hours in my experience. Furthermore, charging did not require that much time at all (just about 1 hour). The device is light, and very easy to carry. I use it often when I am biking to work. The headset, once in my ear, stayed there quite securely and due to the flexible nature of the headset, I believe it will fit in most sized ears. ;-) Finally, once in your ear, you do not look like the Borg. It fits there quite snugly and unlike most other bluetooth headsets, is quite inconspicuous. Now you may count this as a con since people may really think you have gone mad and started talking to yourself when walking down the street. :-)<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/wear_ax.jpg" /></a> <br /><i>Figure 3: The Bluespoon A|X in the ear of a model, off of Nextlink's site.</i> <br /><br />Regarding the downsides of this headset, well, the smallness of the headset turned out to be as much of a con as it is a pro. When putting it in my pocket, I had to be gentle because I always felt that I might end up breaking the headset. Also, because I have fairly large fingers, I often ended up hitting the wrong key with unexpected results, especially when I hung up on someone when simply trying to raise the volume on the headset. But perhaps the biggest con of getting this tiny little unit is that I didn't find it very easy to put in my ear and take out. So after hanging up on a call, I would always debate over whether I should take it out of my ear or risk fumbling with the device when trying to quickly answer the phone. Since voice from a phone call is immediately sent to the headset, no matter where you pick up the call (phone or headset), you had better have the headset in your ear in order to talk. And for me, the process of putting the headset in my ear always seems to be a two handed task. Again, this may be due to my large fingers.<br /><br /><span><b>Conclusions</b></span><br />So overall, I really like the device. It is very easy to pocket, very easy to carry, very easy to use. The only problem for me, and this would apply only to the big-fingered people like me is that because it is so small, sometimes I end up hitting more than one key at a time. In my opinion, it is definitely worth the money. If you are in the market for a bluetooth headset, I seriously think this is the top one to get right now (even though Jabra has a new headset that they claim is about as small as the Bluespoon A|X. Trust me, I have seen it and it is nowhere as small or as light or as ergonomic).<br /><br /><i>Suhit Gupta is a Program Manager with Microsoft's MSN Local Search group. He recently moved to Seattle from New York after finishing his education at Columbia University. Suhit is an avid photographer and enjoys astronomy tremendously.</i>