Ask Engadget: What's the best Bluetooth headset?

Ok, we screwed up and forgot to run Ask Engadget yesterday like we should have, but it's shaping up to be a very slow Friday so we're making amends and running it this afternoon instead. Hope nobody minds too much and we promise to fire a few interns rather than take full responsibility for the mistake. Anyway, last week reader Cody H. wanted some recommendations for a good gadget bag, this week Stephen D. wants to know:

Now that the Treo 650 release is in sight, what is the best Bluetooth headset? Small size, good sound quality, long battery life, comfort, and overall coolness are obvious traits of the best headsets.

We know that not all Bluetooth headsets are created equal, any advice for your fellow reader?

[Dick Durishin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

It depends on where you use it.
I have used the Jabra FreeSpeak 200 and 250 for a couple of years now. I love the way they fit and that they weigh very little. But they are terrible with ambient noise for the person at the other end of the call and any wind noise makes the thing unusable. My brother uses his in the house and office and it sounds fantastic, though.

For the car I have moved to the Shure corded handsfree unit to great reviews from my "listeners."

[Braincell @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

IMO the nextlink AV will be the best headset (if not their 5G) to hit the scene in Oct/Nov. Also, the Sony Ericcson hbh-660 will rock (due out in Nov.). But for now, the Motorola HS810 and nextlinks digital are the headsets to beat. I use a bluetrek G2. Great battery life, good distance, very light, but not as loud as I wish and made for small ears.

[Dan The Man @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I am looking forward to seeing the results of this. I'm looking at buying a bluetooth headset.

[Drew Page @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I have a new Logitech Bluetooth Headset and its awesome (I have a Sony Ericsson T616). Unlike the Jabra I used to have, it has excellent voice quality and actually does voice commands properly. Its also very nicely priced at Amazon. It comes with a very nice case/charger. I also got the logitech car charger for it from buy.com for 9 bucks brand new. I highly recommend this headset.

[Booker @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I agree with the Bluetrek G2. Its great. I think the range might be a little shorter than some, but I pretty much have my phone in the car or my pocket, so I 've never noticed. My boss has the Moto hs810, and the only bad thing about it is the crazy pulsing blue light on the side. If you don't mind that its good too.

[hooray4dolfins @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

the Logitech headset. It has a nice charging cradle/case, battery life is excellent, easy to put on and operate and works well against ambient noise (noise-cancelation works like a charm). I may look into something a little more discreet if this should ever break down (or if I decide to hand it down to someone else). Any ideas on a discreet headset with good sound quality and battery life?

[Jeff Eller @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I've been using the Jabra 250 now for about 10 days. Love the fit/size. I too have noticed an ambient noise issue when I'm driving with a window cracked but overall, I'm quite happy with it.

[Rob @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I have the motorola HS810 and its been excellent. Took a bit of practice to get it to go on correctly and not push the mic against my face (causing muffled sound on the other end).

5 hours talk time/ 100 hours standby (earboom open)

[StaticBeats @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I had the Moto HS820 but was disappointed with the lack of audible feedback when turning on or powering off the unit. So I went out and got a Jabra Freespeak and I think asthetically it's much more appealing. It also fits on the ear more solidly and has the audible on off sounds. In general if Im not in my car or within 10 inches of the thing the reception is pretty poor though. I found the same problem with the Motorola. (Im using these with a Motorola V710 phone)

[StaticBeats @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Cnet has a pretty useful guide here: http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6454_7-5140288-1.html

[Geoff @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I just wanted to correct braincell's comment about the nextlink, it's the AX not the AV. At the same time I need to agree with him that it looks like a good combination of form and features. Check out this Howard forums thread about it: http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=427792
I had the moto HS810 and sound qulity + range were great but it didn't answer correctly with my T637 so I'm waiting for the AX to try a new one.

[Belle @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

The GN Netcom 6100 rocks inside the office and out. In the office I have it hooked up to an NEC Dterm E phone and outside the office it is connected to my Sony Ericsson T637. Double duty! Nice and light - forget it's even there! I highly recommend it. I purchased mine from HelloDirect.com.

[CrazA @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I personally use the Sony Ericsson HBH-65. it's small, light, easy for the listener on the other end and for me to listen. the only gripe is that i wish the battery life was even longer than it was. I use it with my Sony Ericsson T637 and it's great b/c they both use the same charger.

[Richard @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Been using this for over a month - flawless as long as you are indoors. The bluespoon doesn't fit in my ear right and the logitech was kind of heavy. I can wear the Jabra all day and it's not a problem. Oh I've only used it qith an Ipaq 6315 if that's of any use to anyone

[chinaman @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

at mobileburn.com they reviewed the sony ericsson headset hbh 600 a couple of weeks ago. They were pretty happy with the headset, so i guess this is a good alternative too

[ShortDog @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I have had a Motorola HS810 for over six months right now, and I have to say it really rocks.

The on-off boom swtich is awesome - no worries about leaving it on by accident. Also, mike quality is very high. Do look like something of an idiot walking down the street with a flashing blue thing on your ear, though.

Only slight annoyance I have with it is that when you turn it on (open the boom - nice feature versus a switch) my phone (Sony Ericsson T616) automatically turns on voice recognition dialing. Don't think this is the headset's fault however, probably SE's.

[Z @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I own a Nextlink Digital Bluespoon Gold and it's great!

1) Currently, it's the smallest of the BT headsets out there.

2) It's the only one out there that's Digital. It has noise cancellation (2 microphones built in) features and great sound quality.

3) It's the only one that will allow you to wear sunglasses/glasses while you're using the headset, because it doesn't wrap around your ear. That's an important thing to consider.

4) It's the smallest and lightest of all the BT headsets out there.

5) It has the best battery life of all the BT headsets out there.

6) It's also one of the best looking headsets out there, IMO, because it's very small and doesn't cover up your whole ear or run down the side of your face like some of the dorky, ugly, huge and heavy headsets you see out there.

7) Now the hard part: it's the most expensive headset out there. But for the smallest, lightest, highest sound quality unit out there with the best battery life, along with it being one of nicest looking headsets, you're going to pay more.

8) But yet another great part, is that the guys at Nextlink are FANTASTIC. If you ever need any help with one of their products, they're there to help. Really great service. And THAT can make such a big difference. One of the best ways to get in touch with them is at www.howardforums.com. Just do a search for Nextlink and you'll see their (Lars's, Jan's, and Jon's) posts.


All of those issues were important to me, so the cost of Digital Bluespoon was worth it. I bought it at www.pilcon.com. Pilcon is an authorized Nextlink distributor. (Nextlink doesn't sell direct). Go there to see what it looks like along with its cost.

Good luck!

[Macstibs @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I have the HS810 and use it with my V710. It's nothing short of AWESOME. The voice recognition is voice-independant and works almost flawlessly. With the boom folded up, the whole thing is roughly the size of 5 casino chips stacked up. (poker much lately?) Battery time is also great - I can use the headset on and off for two days without running out of juice. Two thumbs up here, but I'm very curious to know how it plays with the Treo 650. Sad that after all this time the BT implementations still aren't standardized.

[Jackson @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I wish this had been done a few weeks ago. I just bought the Bluespoon Chameleon. It's outgoing audio quality is unbeatable, but it does get uncomfortable to wear, and the incoming audio is often choppy or distorted. It is very short range.

[Chuck @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

The Plantronics M3000 has 8 hours talk time! Very few have that kind of talk time and that kind of voice quality.

In my opinion these are the contenders:
Plantronics M3000 (good for any handset)
Moto HS810 (works particularly well with Moto handsets, but play nice with the rest)
Bluetrek G2

[Mark Eichin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

While the bluespoon seems pretty cool, point 3 is simply false - I've had no trouble wearing the Jabra BT250 or the Logitech Mobile with glasses. (As a "cheap" headset, the logitech is surprisingly good, so far, and it is much easier/faster to put on than the Jabra - the Jabra is an acceptable "wear all day" set, if ugly.)

[Finno Furre @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I have been using the analog (older) version of BlueSpoon for more than two years. It still is unbeatable by any other brand (BlueSpoon digital is better though).

I confirm the other post about Bluespoon Digital, and add this:

Sound quality/noise cancellation:
As it sits inside your ear, the sound quality is so good that you no longer need a separate in-car handsfree.

Of course, the best usually is more expensive.

[FastSpider @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Are there any decent stereo headsets for using a Treo 650 as a bluetooth mp3 player?

[addi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

i was thinking can you use your bluetooth headset with your bluetooth pc? with skype or teamspeak?

[Michiel @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

It's got decent sound quality, good battery life, and it's one of the few headsets that don't make you look like a Star Trek reject.

[Ken Wind @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Yes, you can use bluetooth headsets with your PC. You'll need the proper software and usb adapter or card though.
As far as bluetooth headsets go I've only owned one, the HS-810 and I like it. It looks cool and because of the folding mic it is very small. I have a Sony Ericsson (SE) phone though so I've been thinking about switching to one of their headsets to cut down on the number of chargers I use. Recently the SE HBH-300 came out. This is a boom style piece with very long talk and standy times (I've heard 10 hours talk time), great sound quality w/ background noise cancelling, and it comes with a nifty stand that you can plug chargers into. On the other hand it is larger than most. The Nextlinks are supposedly great (with the exception of the chameleon). They are also very expensive. I'm a bit skeptical of something in your ear picking up your voice as well as something by your mouth too. It's a choice between style, size, price, and performance. If you can I recommend trying the different headsets you're thinking about getting. If there are no stores near you that sell them try your cellphone carrier. Oftentimes reps will own the latest and greatest headsets so they can get people to order them.

[Dylan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

OK here's a gadget that I'm surprised doesn't exist: a celluar handset with a built in (deteachable, of course) Bluetooth headset. Who really wants to carry around another charger and another device? The Bluetooth headset should just slide right into the phone, detached only when needed, and charge along with the phone.

[Bobby @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

The Bluetrek G2 is the way to go. Very small and light at 12g. The mic and speaker are both very clear. The battery also usually lasts me about 3 days per charge with heavy use. It is rated at 9Hrs talk time. You can also find it for $50.00 at pcmall.com

[NEMESIS @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I own the Motorola V600 and have been using the HS810. The headset is great. There is great battery life and voice reconition, so long as it is initally set up with the headset is also good. The only problem I did have was that the boom mic used to rub against my face and caused distortion. I took off the skirt around the ear piece and the fixed up the problem quickly. Some of you have been complaining about the flashing blue light while you talk. There is a solution to this. If you push both volume buttons on the side of the headset it will stop. It also has call waiting and automatic redial functions on it along with the standard voice dialing, answering and hanging up. These functions however may varry with your phone's model. Good bluetooth shopping.

-M.

[Z @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Above, I mentioned several things about the Nextlink Digital Bluespoon, but I need to add a few things to what I said...

1) I said that the Bluespoon is the only one you can buy that's digital. Well I may have made a mistake in stating this because there may be one by Plantronics that is digital as well, called the M3500. I'm not sure if it is, but it has some noise cancellation technology similar to what you'd find in the Bluespoon, so it may indeed have digital technology. Roughly every other single headset you find out there is analog. If there are any others that are digital, I'm not aware of them, but they are very far and few in between, and the Bluespoon Digital is the only one I am sure of that has Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology.

2) I said that the Bluespoon is the only one you can wear sunglasses/glasses with. However, the newest headset by Jabra, called the Jabra 250, was designed with this in mind as well. But this one, along with the Bluespoons, are the only ones that are truly designed for use while wearing glasses. I suppose you might be able to manage with other headsets out there, but it won't be as comfortable as these and especially the Bluespoons, because with those, no part of it goes behind your ear.

3) I said the Digital Bluespoon has the best battery life of any headset. The Digital has a talk-time battery life of between 4-6 hours, which is realistic and is more than what most headsets offer. There are a few headsets, though, that claim a talk-time battery life of up to 8 or 9 hours, and I'm not sure how realistic these estimates are, as companies often like to inflate their products' battery life ratings. But if they are true, it may be due to larger batteries due to those headsets being larger in overall size than the Bluespoons. Other than that reason, I couldn't say how they could achieve such long battery life. But regardless, anything with an average battery life of 4-6 hours and more is what you're going to want to look at.

Hope that helps.

[Tunin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

This little thing (10 grams) is great.
Super slim design / Lightweight
Excellent sound quality
Future proof Bluetooth technology
10 meters range
5 hours talk time
Rechargeable battery (Travel charger included)
Voice dialing
Digital volume control
Blue LED indication

I LOVE IT. and I paid about 50 EUR for it. NEW.

REGARDS,

tunin

[SideSwipe @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I absolutely love my Jabra.

The battery life is insane on it - the fit is great (very little ear fatigue after wearing it for 12 hours) and it looks pretty damned sweet.

My only complaints - it can be noisy on the other end and for some reason it seems to register that you've pressed the "activate" button when you turn it on.

All in all, worthwhile.

[Mark @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I just switched from the Jabra 250 to the ZEN and couldn't be happier. It does take somet getting used to but otherwise a real nice product.

[Jim In Holland @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I'm using a HBH-65 from SonyEricsson and I'm very happy with it. It's incredibly light, works perfectly well with my P800 and my girlfriend's Z600, and isn't so big as to make me look like some kind of Borg dweeb. I perhaps recharge it once every 2 weeks(?), so while I'm a casual user it does last a fairly long time with a charge in it...

There's a newer model with a LCD display, but I'm very happy with the 65. Don't take the HBH-60 if you can help it...it's still very good, nearly the same looks and all but has half the battery life for nearly the same money nowadays...

[thomas @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I would not recommend the HBH-65. I use it with a Nokia 3650 and it people on the other end frequently complain about me beeing inaudible. Battery life is poor with 1hrs talk time and about 20hrs standby. It starts to loose connection when the battery goes low. It has no noise cancellation which introduces ambient noise considering the distance between MIC and mouth. When used in conjunction with a computer (Widcomm stack) its sound quality leaves much to be desired.

[tmchow @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Which headset is optimal for in-car use where the car may have ambient noise lik enegine or wind? I'm okay with sacrificng and beign forced to close teh window when i'm talking. Heard the Jabra BT250 is excellent indoors, but as soon as you add ambient noise, it blows chunks. I was interested in the Bluespoon digital since it has active noise cancellation, but no way i'm spenidng $200+ US on a headset!

I've also heard about the new motorola HF800 which is a bluetooth speakerphone (not a headset) that you can clip to your visor. howardchui.com gave it good marks, but i haven't seen many reviews of it yet.

I will not consider a solution that requires hardwiring since it needs to be portable between cars.

Someone out that must have something insightful to say about bluetooth headsets/speakerphones for exclusive in-car use?

[Henry @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I tried a Jabra and had some discomfort from the gel thing in my ear canal. It worked well but I ended up returning it due to the discomfort.

I next got the Motorola HS810 direct from Motorola. It dropped the connection after about a minute into the call. Actually, the connection remained open and I could hear the caller but they couldn't hear me. I returned it and got a replacement. Same thing. I tried it on my wifes phone...both have a Motorola V600. Same thing. Sent it back and the service at Motorola was nothing short of the WORST experience I have ever had. It took over 4 weeks to complete this disaster.

I am now considering another headset but am concerned about the discomfort I get from using an earbud. I am leaning toward the Logitech for that reason but really like the specs on the digital Bluespoon except for its earbud type construction.

[Andrew @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Good comparison table for all BT headsets at:- www.headsetbluetooth.com

[Andrew @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Good comparison table for all BT headsets at:- www.headsetbluetooth.com

[Bill Arsenault @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I have (had) a Sony Ericsson HBH-30. Good unit for 3 weeks. Then it died. Call handling and sound quality were good. A bit uncomfortable after an hour or two though. Looking for a new model. Tried the Jabra BT-250 it died an hour after I finished recharging it. Couldn't get audio out of the earpiece. Getting alot of conflicting reports. Will keep looking.

[vic robles @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I have a IPAQ 6315 and a HBH 660. People say they cant hear me and when they do it sounds like I'm in a hallway. What can be the cause of this and are the two compatable?

[Brian Hall @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I bought a Belkin. The ear hook fell off as i took it out of the box...

Just to test it I charged it up and held it to my ear. It's too quiet to use. I did a google and found a review that complained about it being quiet.

[Jason @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I used the Plantronics M3000 with a Bluetooth tablet PC (on a VoIP softphone) and it was great. The only reason I don't have it anymore is because I had to give it back to the boys in I.T. I tried a Belkin (liked the charging stand and size) and it had hardware problems. After reading some of these articles, I think I may stay away from them. The digital Bluespoon may be the way to go.

[Sjoerd @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I use Mr. Handsfree's Blue Butterfly and can really recommend it. It did not work properly with my Nokia 6310i: bad sound quality, loss of connection, even at short distance and high battery level. I now use it with a Siemens S55 and it works just fine. It seems the Nokia phone has a weaker Bluetooth sender/receiver.

[amazingkitkat @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

i used Motorola HS810 and i found it annoying coz the headset is too heavy n it dropped out from my ears easily. Then i returned it and got HS820, i used it few days and it's quite impessive, but the only problem i had is when i turn on the device, i wouldn't know whether i did turn on or off??!!! i guess i'll return it today and try other headset

[Insaa @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Has anyone tested a bluetooth headset with computer speech recognition programs?

[carlos a. ruink @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

As far I know SE HBH-300 for his noise cancelation and 1.2 BT feature , under the name "x communicator 3". In UK say works well with dragon naturally speaking 8.0, but never tried in america, over there it comes with a dedicated(special?) USB dongle for the computer; what I do not know if it will work in a PC with BT integrated. does anyone tried this set up?

[Nathan Smith @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I use a BT Headset with my computer for VoIP on a daily basis. It's a WNI H1010 and works well except the battery life sucks (getting 1 hour as opposed to 3-4 of talk-time advertised). The volume of the Headset can be set very loud and I love the fact that it's v. light-weight.

If anyone is interested in pairing a BT Headset with their computers, I basically 'screenshot' my installation and the details can be found at the following URL:

http://www.bluetoothpcheadsets.com

I haven't tried voice recognition with it yet however I can't see why it wouldn't be good. As far as VoIP goes, it works very well.

[charlie @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

NOT the NOKIA HS-4W

i wish i would have found out about this site, i saw the nokia hs-4w and was amazed by its look, comfort and weight so i bought it...bad mistake, i can HARDLY even hear the person speak on the phone when i'm in the house and its bad enough when i'm driving or outdoors...low speaker

[Prometheus @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I've personally used 2 BT headsets.
Logitech mobile freedon headset
Sony Ericsson hbh-602

I returned the SE hbh 602 after 2 weeks use.. Very poor range. Couldn't even connect to my SE t630 phone in my pants pocket.

The Logitech is really good, but I've had Charging problem with it. (i'm using my 4th Logitech headset)
Great Clarity on the logitech, but battery life is poor (only about 20 mins continously)
Charging problems (never seem to be able to charge) (hence so many returns on my part)