Jabra & Plantronic Bluetooth Headset Roundup

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.xyzcomputing.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=642&Itemid=0&limit=1&limitstart=5' target='_blank'>http://www.xyzcomputing.com/index.p...=1&limitstart=5</a><br /><br /></div><i>"With so many Bluetooth headsets on the market it had been a real challenge to pick only 3 or 4, each had to be worth spending a week with to evaluate. I've owned some Motorola headsets in the past, such as the H700 and HS850, and was mildly impressed at most and stopped using them after about 2 weeks. So I decided it was time to leave the mobile phone manufacturer's headsets and place a call in to Jabra and Plantronics."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ekkie_xyz_bt_headset_roundup.jpg" /><br /><br />In the market for a new Bluetooth headset? If you've been let down by the Bluetooth headsets from phone manufacterers and were wondering how some of the 3rd party vendors fared, this article will definitely be of interest. The focus of this very detailed article centers around the latest offerings from both Jabra and Plantronic. Check it out!

[l_emmerdeur]

Ah, the Plantronics Voyager 510S. I tried a Motorola headset with my RAZR V3C, and the connection was terrible - static, both earphone and mic. I switched to this baby, and it worked flawlessly.

Even better than the RAZR is the BT connectivity with my new XV6700 PPC. With the RAZR, i woud leave the headset home and take the phone to work, but when I got home, I had to activate the headset from the phone before dialing (and it faied half the time, requiring a phone reboot). With the XV6700, you just switch to it via menu, and it works every time.

No more flashy Bluespoons or Moto roach-sized crap for me. This puppy just works. And it is available for a LOT less than $99 on the internets (but I think all the prices in that article are MSRP).

[Phoenix]

I was using a Nextlink AX2, but recently purchased the Jabra JX-10 (the one in the top left corner of the photo above). I have to say, I like the Jabra better than anything else out there right now.

Although I've promoted Nextlink's earpieces to a degree, the Jabra JX-10 raises the standards. It's just a bit lighter, much better looking, much better built, has better technology and sounds bettter, and even includes a matching desktop charger (which is a really nice touch).

I've seen it for as low as $100 USD.
With shipping, I bought mine for just over $125 USD.

I don't like the bulkier BT earpieces, so I love this earpiece. And as far as I can tell, nothing else out there matches it.

[oodude69]

The one question I have for all of these is, "Can I use it to have a conversation on a busy street?" I must have tried half a dozen ear pieces and I just can't hear because they sit outside on my ear instead of going in my ear.

[ricksfiona]

I have the Jabra BT800 and I was a little underwhelmed by it. I like the styling and the LCD is sorta cool. The standby time is really good and I got about 3 hours of talk time on it. They also include some neat accessories like a minature USB charger. That comes in handy during long support calls. It also works extremely well with my T-Mobile SDA.

I just don't think the audio quality is that good. It's a little better than other BT headsets I've had. You get echoes or delays. On a rating from A - F, I would give it a B. Give me a better LCD display and better audio quality, and I'd give it an A-. Give me another 1 hour talk time you it would completely rock my world!

[Phoenix]

The one question I have for all of these is, "Can I use it to have a conversation on a busy street?" I must have tried half a dozen ear pieces and I just can't hear because they sit outside on my ear instead of going in my ear.

My Jabra rests inside the ear. And the volume can get very loud, at least to me, anyway, which does help in noisy environments. Although, there are some noisy situations where no earpiece will function perfectly, and I suppose this is where jawbone technology would have to come into play. The Jabra does, however, utilize DSP which helps improve sound quality.

For me, I don't use the ear hook it comes with. I actually use one of the black soft rubber earsprings that come with the Nextlink earpieces. The funny thing is, it fits the Jabra's ear speaker just perfectly and keeps the Jabra well situated in the ear.

Everything it offers, plus a six hour battery life makes the JX-10 a pleasure to use.

[alese]

My first BT headset was first generation Bluespoon, it was small, incredibly expensive and worked fairly well with my SonyEricsson. But then I got my HTC Himalaya and I could not get it to work at all - MS had really bad BT stack implementation.
Then I got Motorola HS820, cheap, small and it worked nicely with Himalaya, but unfortunatelly I lost it.
Now I have Jabra JX-10 which works like a charm with my new HTC Wizard it's really small, much more comfortable than Bluespoon and looks beautifull.

One other thing, if you are Windows Mobile user then the Jabra 800 is not all that good, since MS BT stack can't handle stuff like full caller ID. So at the moment you are better of using headset without display and advanced features.

[TheWolfen]

I've had 4 different bluetooth headsets (Jabra BT200, Logitech Mobile Freedom, Logitech Mobile Pro, Plantronics 510), and the Plantronics 510 is by far the best. The 510 is the non-combo (office/cell) version of the 510S. Personally, I find the styling of 510 is fantastic, but its best feature is comfort. I often completely forget I have it on, and can easily wear it 12+ hours with no discomfort whatsoever. I also have a bit of a hearing problem, and I can turn it up so high it is too loud, even for me. Most headsets I've tried aren't as loud and none were as comfortable. I've not had any significant problems with the mic, except in windy conditions. I don't use the foam mic cover (didn't help much anyway) but I can still talk on it and be heard even with the moonroof open in my car at highway speeds.

My only complaint is that it isn't as easy to carry around in a pocket. Sometimes I slide the larger portion of it in a pocket and leave the rest outside folded up, and that seems to work ok, but I worry about damaging it and have dropped it carrying it that way once when I was trying out a lawn chair. Needless to say, that was a tense 5 minutes once I realized it was gone, but fortunately it was still there on the ground.

I really like the over-the-ear design for a headset, as I think the battery and greatest bulk should be behind my ear, not in front, so this one works great for me. It was a lot more comfortable than the earlier Jabras of similar design, and what little weight there is disappears when wearing it.

If you need loud and comfortable headset with plenty of battery life, you won't go wrong with the 510. And yes, it is available at a much lower price than the MSRP of $99.