No booms
If looking like a telemarketer isn't your thing, consider these unique boomless headsets, where the microphone is located on the earpiece. Sitting just on the ear or even wrapping behind it, the models may look a little odd when they're on. All headsets paired with each of the phones we used in our tests.
1: Introduction
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1. | Sony Ericsson HBH-65
The good: Featherweight; comfortable fit; large buttons; uses same charger as Sony Ericsson phones.
The bad: Weak signal; inflexible ear loop.
The bottom line: Clad in blue and silver, the rectangular Sony Ericsson is so light we hardly felt it at all. That said, the ear loop is mostly plastic and snaps off easily. Sound quality was mixed as well. While we could hear callers easily, the signal cut out a few times.
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2. | Nokia Clip-On HS-3W
The good: Easy to use; good outgoing sound; uses same charger as Nokia cell phones.
The bad: Buttons hard to press; uses wires; tinny incoming sound.
The bottom line: The bizarrely designed Nokia uses a wire to connect a normal earbud with a radio pod, which made us wonder: what's the point of a wired headset if you have Bluetooth? Not only does the wire get tangled easily, but the comfort level is no different from a standard cell phone headset's. Call quality was generally fine, but callers sounded a bit metallic.
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3. | Jabra BT110
The good: Excellent sound quality.
The bad: Uninspired design; controls take some getting used to.
The bottom line: As a lower-range alternative to Jabra's FreeSpeak BT250, the Jabra BT110 has the power to bring Bluetooth to the masses. To keep the headset affordable, Jabra uses a standard AA battery, but the resulting design isn't the best. The bulbous battery compartment makes the BT110 seem somewhat lopsided, and while the BT110 is comfortable, we don't particularly care for how it looks on the ear. The controls also take some acclimation. Fortunately, Jabra doesn't compromise sound quality for economy. Pairing takes a few seconds, and conversations are clear.
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4. | Jabra BT800
CNETAsia rating: 8 out of 10 The good: LCD screen shows caller ID; solid call quality; comfortable fit; vibrate mode.
The bad: Cumbersome pairing process.
The bottom line: While all Bluetooth headsets offer basic hands-free operation, the Jabra BT800 takes it a step further. Through a tiny rectangular LCD screen, BT800 users can view caller ID information and browse through a Recent Calls list using only the headset. It's an outstanding and useful addition that works as advertised, and we also appreciate the vibrate mode and the choice of ring tones. With a design different than most Jabra models, the BT800 is nonetheless comfortable. Call quality is admirable as well, but the pairing process for cell phones could be improved.
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