[barjohn]

I find it interesting that I am seeing various users that are reporting better results with HS810 than the HS850. I was given to believe that the HS850 was an improved version of the HS810. This would seem to belie that.

[PingGuy]

Originally Posted by barjohn

I find it interesting that I am seeing various users that are reporting better results with HS810 than the HS850. I was given to believe that the HS850 was an improved version of the HS810. This would seem to belie that.

I was noticing the same thing. I wish I had an 810 to test against my 850. I did see a guy at a verizon booth at the mall with one the other day, maybe if I'm back there again and I see him I can convince him to run some tests with me.

[JPP]

Anyone try the HBH660? This headset looks to be nice had anyone tried this headset with a blackberry and if so what's the verdict?

Some assitance here please!!

[JPP]

I purchased the Motorola HS850 and Scalla 500 this weekend with the intent on testing these two out myself. Blackberry faulty so the new one should be in tomorrow. I'll test these two headsets and post my findings. I know the HS 850 has gotten rotten results on this board but I have to try it out myself since everyone has different expectations. Not sure my tests will be as conclusive as BarJohns cause I probably won't go through everything he did, as I only expect to use this mostly in the car and in the office, hopefully not in very noisy or windy environments. I'm also ordering the hbh660 to test it out. Would be nice if one of these works well I like the way the scalla500 fits it's pretty comfortable and small.

Will let you know my 2 cents....later in the week.

[barjohn]

I really look forward to seeing your results. email them to me and I will add your comments to my posts on my web site.

[JPP]

After further review, the Sony hbh660 is out. I read many reviews of thise device and it just doesn't sound to me like it would work well at all. I listened to all BarJohns test postings on his site and far and away the Plantronics m3000 sounds best. I guess I'm going to order the 3500 one and test it out instead along with the Jabbra BT800.

[takeshi]

My Motorola HS810 recently died. After reading barjohn's comments on the Plantronics M3000, I shopped around while waiting for Motorola to replace my HS810 and found it for pretty cheap so I picked one up. I still haven't received the replacement HS810 so I haven't been able to perform any good comparisons, but callers on the other end have said that sound quality is much better with the M3000. I was curious about the M3500 but it was a bit (1) pricier and (2) reviews said that while the noise cancellation on that model worked well, it consumed batteries significantly faster with it turned on.

I have never had a problem with audio quality on my end of the HS810. I was happy with the fit as well. It has a great form factor and the on/off folding boom is a plus since I carry my headset in my pocket. However, people I have talked to on the HS810 have always said that the volume seems to be low and quite often they have difficulty hearing me.

The M3000 is much larger and a bit heavier though I don't find it uncomfortable due to weight or the ear clip. As it has been pointed out in this discussion, fit is a very subjective thing and will vary greatly from person to person. Being able to replace the battery seems like it would be a plus, assuming that one keeps a headset long enough that the battery would eventually wear out.

I would love to have caller ID on the headset itself, but sound quality and comfort are the most important features to me. It doesn't seem like the BT800 really fits my needs. I don't recall seeing any reviews on the HBH660 but I would definitely be interested to hear about people's experiences with it.

Btw - I have a 7290.

[MarkHolbrook]

Wow... I wish I had found this thread before I bought my Jabra BT250. But so far the BT250 is "OK". Once it was charged it seemed ok. I still get some of what I would call "waffling" type sounds even with the BB sitting on the desk no less than 18 inches away.

It is bigger than some of the motorolas but it is comfortable and what I do like about it is the LONG battery life.

[JPP]

on the Scala500
on the Motorola HS850

Tested both these models making 10 test calls each 4 recordings with the Scala to VM and 2 with Motorola. Scala500 recordings were good overall. I could hear myself very well on the headset.

The Scala500 is a great headset so far. Plus it's less expensive than the 850. I called my VM from the car with windows open and shut to see how the noise is and it's not good when you have the drivers side window open with the ear piece in your left ear it picks up wind noise, but it's not bad with the other windows open or anywhere else. I tested it in quite environment and sound was very good as I could hear my callers very clearly without volume all the way up. I also want to add though that I have good hearing and sounds that are loud to me probably aren't to other people. I rarely have it turned all the way up.

There's a slight hum with volume turned all the way up but I can deal with that it's not loud and doesn't hurt my ears. The range is about 25 feet no line of sight and probably better with line of sight. When you get far away from the phone it starts breaking up but that's about all I didn't drop the connection.
Connection to BB very easy, takes about 5 seconds, hold down the connect button to connect to the blackberry. Honestly, I really like this headset. It's small very comfortable and does everything I need it to. If I one of the furture headsets I'll test works just as well to slightly better I'm keeping this one. All the Extra Features of the Scala500 work with my BB. Mute works well albiet with an annoying beep when you mute someone. Althought that's also nice cause then you know if the person your talking to is muted or unmuted by accident. Redial also works.

For what it's worth my father has terrible hearing and uses hearing aids two. He can almost never hear me and dind't hear me at all on the i600 8 out of 10 times. I used this headset and he said he could hear me fine and I was speaking in a normal even low voice sometimes to test it on him.

For me, (calling and talking to the guy I used to have to yell at for 20 years, to get him to hear me) in a normal voice is the ultimate test and if it works for him and he can hear me it will work for anyone at least in my opinion. I'll test the others on him as well and I'll post the results.

HS850 is garbage for the money. Cost is high and quality is horrible. I can say to the good the sound seems fine on my end but then again I don't like loud things in my ears nor do I need them. The person being called had many complaints. The first one being that whenever they talked it echoed in their ears very loudly and every time even when they switched phones. I dropped connection called them again same thing. I reconnected the device to the BB and same thing. So I tried to troubleshoot the thing to no avail. I just think Motorola headset's aren't good (so far) kinda like their phones but that's just my opinion.

Maybe the H500 will fix all this I surely hope so but we'll see. I also wasn't a fan of the fit or cheap plastic over the ear piece that doesn't bend very well if at all. It wasn't comfotable to me. It didn't hurt it was annoying though. Well, I tested it and now I know that the 7-10 people who used this device and hated it were right on target. Plus it was more expensive than the Scala. For it to work poorly and cost more is a sin.

[barjohn]

Thanks JPP for emailing me your review. As promiseed it is posted on my web site so that it can help others. If you have sound clips and can send them to me I will post them as well.

I will be getting the Flamingo headset tomorrow and start reviewing it as soon as I get it. I will be posting the preliminary results here and on my web site when I have completed it and a more detailed review after I have more experience and time with it.

[MWM]

Thanks for all your work BarJohn. Your reviews have been very helpful. Would you please recommend from whom I should purchase a bluetooth headset? I am interested in trying the M3000 but want to make sure I get it from someplace that accepts returns in case it is too uncomfortable. Thanks.

[Skiwhack]

I've researched everywhere and decided on a Jabra BT250 for my 7100T and it is flawless. The coolest thing to is that the volume control on the handset controls the volume on the headset so all I need to fiddle with is the telephone button to answer.

This BT250 is also recommended by RIM as the most compatible. The others look funky and weigh more so consider ear comfort too. My only complaint is that I dont have the voice dialing capability.

Ski

[SHP]

I just purchased a 7100t after having had two of the traditional form factor BB's during the past few years. I've enjoyed them all but really love the 7100t. One of the features that attracted me to the 7100 series was Bluetooth. I'm a pretty heavy phone user both in and out of the office and often use speaker phone so I can get at my computer or documents. Thus when selecting a BT headset I decided to try the Netcom GN 6210. The 6210 uses something called "GN Link" technology that allows the device to pair with both my 7100t and my office phone.

http://www.gnnetcom.com/US/EN/MainMe...ns/GN+6210.htm

I ordered the device from http://www.provantage.com/ (very good buying experience) and received it yesterday. I also ordered the GN 1000 headset lifter to go with it. As the name suggests, the lifter is a device that automatically lifts the office phone headset off the base when a call comes in.

The 6210 appears to have the same ff as the Jabra BT 200/250 (both of which are apparently made by Netcom). I'm not sure whether the electronics on the inside are the same or different. In any case, set up was easy. The 6210 came pre-paired to work with the office phone. Pairing with the 7100t was also a breeze.

Now when a call comes in on either my 7100t or my office line, a press of the button on the 6210 will answer it (and in the case of the office phone trigger the lifter to lift the headset up).

The sound seems pretty clear. There is a bit of background hiss, but very quiet and not distracting. Folks on the other end of a call confirm that they can hear me well. I haven't tried it in a noisy or windy outdoor environment, so I cannot comment on that. The 6210 is very light and comfortable even with my glasses. After a couple of days I'm beginning to forget it's on.

I haven't confirmed the battery life claims but will test that next. I can tell you that charge time is pretty quick. About 1.5 to 2 hours for full charge. The base station is also good looking and very solid.

Overall, I think the 6210 is a winner.

[barjohn]

Initial Impression of Flamingo headset

April 29, 2005

I just received the Flamingo headset from Impact Wireless to review. The unit I received was a demo pre-production unit. Production units are expected to start shipping in May. Since I did not have the original packaging and the unit did not include all of the things that will come with the production unit I will limit my review to the headset itself.

My initial impression is very good. The unit is small with a very high quality feel to it. In fact of all the headsets I have tried I would rate the build quality of this unit superior. The unit I received is black and a silver color unit will be available too. The unit is very light weight at 11 grams and is very easy to operate whether on the ear or off. The only draw back I have seen is that it is for the right ear only. Perhaps they will offer a left ear model in the future (I consider this a minor drawback but someone else may see this as a major negative. Pairing and operation are simple and easy as any good design should be. A silver button at the end where the mic is located is used to turn the unit on and off or put it into pairing mode. The unit supports rejecting a call, call muting, call transfer, voice dial and last number redial. The manufacturer specifies 8 hours talk time and 180 hours standby time for the unit. I have not verified this specification.

The headset uses a new way of wearing it that is similar (in some ways) to the Nextlink system, but I think better. They call it the ear click system and it uses rubber pads that come in 6 different sizes. These pads mount on the unit on little ears designed to hold the pads in place. The pads then fit into the ear. You will need to experiment to find the size that works best for you and it is a little tricky at first to get the hang of it. However, once you do you will find this to be the most comfortable headset you have tried. It REALLY DOES fit so comfortably that you can forget it's there. I have REALLY sensitive ears that can not tolerate much discomfort and I can truly say this headset is comfortable! The Bluespoon AX doesn't even come close to the comfort of this unit. The key is to find the size that slips in and locks in the ear without being too small or too large. With 6 sizes to chose from it should work for anyone. The speaker is such that you get excellent volume without blocking the hearing in the ear wearing the unit. This is another big plus because you don't walk around feeling like you are deaf in one ear.

The sound quality on the headset end is very good with absolute silence until the phone volume goes to max and this is more likely caused by my handset the Blackberry 7100t than the headset. When I test with another phone I will verify. People I spoke with were loud and clear and easy to hear without being at full volume. I haven't yet tested it in a noisy environment but I suspect that I will still be able to hear my caller very clearly. The party I called said that the sound was the best they had heard so far with my voice sounding clear and distinct. I was in my home office where the background computer noise (fans and hard disk are constantly there) and I was actually speaking softly because my wife was in the other room trying to take a nap and she has hearing like a hawk and anything wakes her up (she is not a happy camper when that happens ). My initial impression is very good but I haven't put it to the hard tests yet. I will be traveling next week so I will see how it does in airports and other noisy environments. I hope to add some initial sound clips tomorrow if time permits.

Here are my first 2 sound recordings (05-01-05):


Flamingo using BT Dongle on PC


Flamingo Using BT Dongle in PC & Loud TV

[mrogers]

Originally Posted by Skiwhack

I've researched everywhere and decided on a Jabra BT250 for my 7100T and it is flawless. The coolest thing to is that the volume control on the handset controls the volume on the headset so all I need to fiddle with is the telephone button to answer.

All the Motorola headsets I've used work this way too.

Originally Posted by Skiwhack

The others look funky and weigh more so consider ear comfort too.

Personally, I found the Jabra to be somewhat heavy and definitely funky-looking. I borrowed my friend's for a few days and I couldn't stand its form factor compared to my HS810.

Originally Posted by Skiwhack

My only complaint is that I dont have the voice dialing capability.

Ski

Yeah, but in our case that's a limitation of the phone, not the headset.

[popasq]

Excellent thread, thanks to barjohn for his extensive work.

I have been using bluetooth headsets for over 6 years now and, as you can imagine, I went through quiet a lot of them. I settle a few years back for the Bluespoons, analogue at the time and now digital, because of their small size and long battery life.

I have used them with many different cellphones until I switched to the Blackberry 7100t last week. Overall, I am extremely happy with the sound quality and the fact that the 7100t and the Digital Bluespoon don't seem to have any issues (garbling noises) when there is no "line of sight" between them.

One major issue though, when connected to the Bluespoon, I can't pick up any phone calls directly in the 7100t... Even when I press the "Send" key on the Blackberry, the sound goes directly to the Bluespoon...Not very practical when I don't know where I left my Bluespoon!
As I don't have this issue with my other devices and that I am a Blackberry novice, is this functionality issue usual to Blackberry devices or is there anything I can do to modify the bluetooth settings in order to have the sound in the Blackberry when I pick up the phone call from the Blackberry and in the bluethooth headset when I pick up from the bluetooth headset?
In advance, thank you for your help and suggestions!

[barjohn]

If you click the wheel on the 7100t after you answer the call you have the option to transfer the call to the handset. That will transfer the call back so you can use the handset.

[popasq]

Easy enough! Thanks for the prompt answer barjohn!

[barjohn]

MWM, I purchased the M3000 from www.eCost.com. They were very good to deal with and gave me no problem on the return.

[msingewald]

I have the HBH-660 and it is the only one I have tried. I am very happy with it for it's received audio level, speed at picking up a call (<1 sec), and talk time. Caller ID seems silly but someone may find it useful.

With my 7520, I cannot initiate a call from the headset, only answer and hang up. No other functions work from my experience (call waiting, mute).

I have not done any outgoing audio recording, but I don't ever have to repeat myself while driving with the windows up. I am sure once the windows come down, there will be problems though.

My question is this: why are all the BTooth headsets coming without boom mics? There is just no way you can get the same sound from a mic that is located on the side of your cheek. With the mic close to your mouth, the sound will be more natural and the overall level can be reduced which, in turn, will lower the background noise.