Jabra BT800 Bluetooth earpiece

Jabra (makers of the popular BT250 headset which apparently a good many Engadget readers recommend) has announced the BT800, a Bluetooth-enabled earpiece with a 21x64 pixel LCD display, 5 ringtones, a vibrating mode, noise cancellation, 6 hours of talktime, charging via both USB (yes!) and AC power, and that weighs in at just three-fourths of an ounce. We would think those specs are enough, but Jabra goes all out and squeezes in two more buttons (to accept or deny the call) and a jog dial. We're counting down the days to January 2005, which is the rumored date being thrown around. Click to see another pic.

[928-680-3837 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

Hey! I'm the first one! Woo Hooo! Cool site guys.

[Tom Zimmer @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

Hey! I'm the first one! Woo Hooo! Cool site guys.

[Deviant @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

Congratulations.

[Kimi @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

I still like BT250 looks better than this BT800.

[cherub @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

If it's hooked into your ear how can you read the display to decide weather to accept or decline the call?

Or am I missing somthing

[Grendel @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

...well then your hands would be free to dig through your man purse and look at your phones screen. That's soooo 2003!!

[Marcus @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

did I win?

[Rube @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

While BT headsets are pretty cool, this one can really change the way you use your phone.

Instead of walking around with your headset in your ear (and looking like you came right from the Star Trek convention), you can keep your phone in your bag or pocket and effectively use this as your phone.

The LCD and buttons are really what make this possible. You still need to pull out the brick to call out, but it would be very convenient while driving or walking around in a busy environment.

Someday entire cellphones will be this small, but until then, this looks like a cool alternative.

[russdogg @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

Man, if you guys gave one of THOSE away I'd be hittin the refresh nonstop. I was doin that anyways for the last contest even though I dont really, you know, need it per se since i have one already. And you dont need the brick for voice dialing, which is soooo tasty. Seems like the day after i bought my v600 i saw a freakin commercial for the v710 with video cam and mp3 player. wah.

[chbm @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

You don't even have to get the phone out to dial, you can voice dial. Or, you can dial from your tungsten which is prolly handy anyway :)

[Dan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

I'm trying to figure out why this device gets everyone excited, but the SE HBH-200 gets no love. It's smaller, you can clip the phone number piece to your shirt and just put the ear plug in your ear when you need to. If you have to dig in your pocket to find this one, why the heck don't you just pull out your phone and use that?

[Ian Argent @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

Considering that I want to get the Daxian EVDO PPC when it comes out, a toy like this is a LOT easier to get out to take the call.

[nothing169 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

I really want one of these bad boys but when do they come out. Im in the UK and have had one on order for about three months now. They were meant to come out in August but nothing. Does anyone know when they will be available or what countries they are available now?

[HenryE @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

This lovely device will certainly be at the CES, and as geeks my son and I will attend for two days. I expect at least a dozen new Bluetooth headsets to pick from, to go with our new Treo 650s. To me, Jabra has an advantage as their hq is up the street.

[Felix @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

How do you see the call ID when wearing it I do not think you can. So currect me if I am wrong a call comes in and you have this headset off you look at the call id fine you get the call ok. Next call comes in what you need to take off you ear to check the call or what if this the case it is not very usefull.

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

I think this is a great item... I have the a Motorola Hs810 headset, but i like the feature that you have a caller Id now.... YES

[Joel Magoun @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

i've been waiting for this for a little while now. it was supposed to be released in january, but it's nearing the end of january and is nowhere to be seen yet. i guess that's typical of most release dates these days though.

anyone have any idea how to tell if your BT phone would support the caller ID feature of this headset

i have a nokia 3650 and a hp6315

[Alex @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

Where are you living? They are selling here in Germany since at leat mid january. While im basically happy with it others seem to not have had so much luck with the quality and tried to sell it again right away. A real menu and possible updates via USB are nice features, the cords coming with it are ridiculously though. USB with less than 30cm might be ok for laptop users, but on a typical PC it will lie around on the floor or even dangle around. I wouldnt go jogging with it either, as just waving it around causes a lot of (wind) noise and it doesnt sit tight enough for me to take that risk anyway. All tests with internal calls worked pretty great (slightly more tinny than a landline but no hiss or anything), but I'm probably lucky because of the quiet environment (using it only inside with a SX353 dect phone).

So I guess if it comes to sound quality better don't expect it to knock your socks off and for outside use it seems (from various reviews) that for example a Logitech Mobile Freedom might be the better choice.

[Frank Montoya @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

I thought of a good idea to enhance the functionality and ease of use for this caller id ear peace. I think it would be a good idea to have the caller id portion of the head set be able to break away from the part that stays attached to your ear. and you can clip it back. better yet the caller Id portion would have a retracting line that pulls it back into the stationary part that sits over your ear. Kind of like a retracting dog leash. that way when you have an incoming call you can simply pull the Id part out view tha caller and decide to take it or not and once you do it just retracts back into the socket. Obviously youd have to guide it back with your hand but it would retract snug back into the ear socket It would be a lot easier then trying to reposition it back over your earlobe etc? Just my crazy thoughts

[Steve Kennelly @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

better yet, the headset could simultaneously display the incoming phone number AND give an audible declaration of the number into the headset, just like the caller ID systems now available for home use. that way you wouldn't have to take the headset off to view an incoming number. if you're on a call the headset could lower the volume and declare the incoming number simultaneously. my car does this now: my radio lowers (not completely) when a call comes in, declares the number on the dashboard and audibly, and I choose to recieve it or not by pressing a button on the steering wheel. finally, if the headset is in your pocket you could pull it out and read the display as you normally would.

[Peter Christie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

The BT80 is rubbish. Dont even think about buying one. I cant dial out form it and it wont pick up incoming calls. Jabra have zero technical support on thei rweb site and they dont respond to any of my logged support calls. Mine is going on ebay today so look for it there and youll get it brand new for $10.

[Peter Christie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

So Jabra emailed me and said that I have to call them between 8am and 8pm Eastern Standard Time. Two problems: none of the support numbers work, 8am EST in the US is about midnight here. Good work Jabra. Let me know when you enter the rest of the world.

[Derek Mullen @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

I've just got one of these as an upgrade from my old BT200. It sits differently on the ear so as with any earpeice it takes some time getting used to. As for the caller ID display, I have the unit on my dash and when a call comes in I find it quite easy just to slip in on my ear and take the call or just refuse it. When I get the car holder for the P910i fitted I won't even have to do that. It's lighweight and well designed IMO and definetly a huge step forward. Only thing I'd like to see/hear are the voice tags asigned to my contacts when they call me. My old Samasung T100 had that for handsfree so why not the new generation of smartphones and BT headsets?

[Hammer @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

How about some ideas on how to pair with Tablet PC (Fujitsu T4010). would be nice for Outlook commands, you know openmail read delete.
It starts to pair then gaks after entering pin says bt mot ready. Toshiba BT settings V3.01.03F

[Lo @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

What Smartpones or Pocket PC's is te BT800 compatible with? According to Jabra's website basically nothing is compatible with the headset. I'm thinking of buying a PPC-6600 with Sprint service. Will this PPC work with BT800? The PPC uses Microsoft� Windows Mobile� 2003 Software for Pocket PC.

[mwanzie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

Wanna find out, has any one used the BT800 with iPaq 6340?? will it work??

[Zerokewl @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

BT800, bottom line : very comfortable.
Battery life is not as par as advertised, vibrate feature takes more away from the battery.

Good noise cancelation, I have a beat up F350 with exhaust out, and trust me I can hear everything on this device.

Clever device, definately worth checking out.
A little bit too pricy in my opinion.

[ham @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

I am number 28 Woo Hooo

Cool Site

[dablue @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

Not a bad piece of kit, but a bit fragile. I've had two of these where the back has come off if your a bit heavy handed using the scroll/volume control on the back of it.
Nice and clear reception on it and the callers at the other end say that I come through loud and clear. Easy to use as well, one read of the instructions and I was off and running changing ring tones etc.
Can get a bit heavy on the ear as well if worn for long periods.
Overall though 8/10