Motorola @ CES - The HT820 Bluetooth stereo headset explained
posted Jan 8th 2005 1:45PM
Yesterday we thought the Moto Bluetooth stereo headset was interesting but we hadn't seen it and couldn't quite explain it. Today we have all the answers. (Ok, maybe not all the answers.) Here's how it really works. The HT820 supports both headset and hands-free to connect to a phone via Bluetooth. It also supports two new Bluetooth profiles for audio, one for receiving stereo broadcast and the other for controlling audio devices. If you have an audio device that supports the profiles, or you have an adapter—either one of Motorola's that we mentioned or even the naviPlay—the headset will be able to pause your music when you take an incoming call, and you can even skip tracks using buttons right on the headset. If, however you don't have a Bluetooth audio device or adapter, you can plug a player into the 'phones using a cable, in which case, the HT820 will mute the audio when you get a phone call, but won't be able to pause it. There's a few more pix below.
Throwing in noise cancellation would put this product the stratosphere ... an in-ear version of this combo and we'd be out in space. Good stuff!
Man, it's about time something like this was produced. This and the iPhone could be a killer combination. I wonder what the audio quality is like though?
and battery life. I don't see room for that big of a battery
I want Caller ID via laser display to my lenses, HUD-style. Geez, get it right the first time and make a fortune.
I want to know if there's a way I can get this to work for me at the office. Given how often I have to pause music and remove headphones when someone calls, if I could setup my desktop to support this, and somehow work with my phone, it would be ideal.
Awesome if it will really work, battery life is my main concern...
And, now all we need is a bluetooth module for the ipod I guess, although then we have a battery issue with the iPod if we haven't already...
Hmmm, no obvious microphone or boom attachment, how does it grab your voice when talking on the phone?
Okay, so this supports both the Headset and Hands-Free profiles. Where's the mic at (so we can actually use this as a headset)? Also, what are the "new" audio profiles that it supports? I'm assuming Advanced Audio Distribution (A2DP) and Audio/Video Remote Control (AVRCP), but some confirmation and even more "deets" would be much appreciated. I'm excited to finally see a Bluetooth/wired stereo headset; this just may be close enough to that perfect device I was alluding to (http://www.engadget.com/entry/5563682036957882/#c57818)!
http://www.bluetake.com/products/BT420EX.htm
here is what you are looking for, has flip out mic there are no controls to skip tracks etc.. but that would have to be made for a specific player I would think.
these are available now.
t
I've known about that since Engadget posted on it. It's the closest thing currently available to what I want, but that's a Bluetooth only headset. Unlike this Motorola one, when the battery dies you are out of luck.
will there be an adapter so i can use it was a regular 3.5mm audio player? (i despreately want these for my gmini 400, v600, and ibm t42!!)
As a Stereo Bluetooth Headset the SONORIX OBH-0100 is aleady on the market and does all of the above. With a totally wire free set of 'Sports' Bluetooth Stereo headphones it also boasts an 'on board' MP3 player too. It comes supplied with a USB Bluetooth dongle and Bluetooth Software Suite to enable the streaming of Stereo Audio from your PC too. It is also equiped with a mic and can be used as a mobile hands free kit pausing the music track you are listening to to take calls and fading it back in when you end your call .
Check out www.bluesharksystems.com for more details
Mike,
Good point but the darn thing goes for $239 US (In Canada that's like $1000 dollars, eh?)
I guess that does sound a bit steep, but I'm looking at these things from a regional pespective.
I live in the UK and if you break the Sonorix set down into its various components I think you are getting quite a bit of 'bang per buck'
eg.
The Sonorix OBH-0100 comprises of the following [ (Wireless Studio Quality Stereo Audio Headset Sennheiser RS120 RRP 70) - (Top End (Mono) Bluetooth Hands free Headset Jabra RRP 59) - (128M/Bit Totally Wireless MP3 Player - Not even commercially available Disc-O Music Player nearest RRP 60) - (128M/Bit Compact Flash Ram File storage device RRP 25) - (Full Bluetooth Software Suite with USB Dongle - Belkin 10M RRP 25)----(Total RRP 239 GBP)]
That would equate to about $448 USD at current rates. I know the cost of living is expensive in London but I guess these things are relative.
I guess that does sound a bit steep, but I'm looking at these things from a regional pespective.
I live in the UK and if you break the Sonorix set down into its various components I think you are getting quite a bit of 'bang per buck'
eg.
The Sonorix OBH-0100 comprises of the following [ (Wireless Studio Quality Stereo Audio Headset Sennheiser RS120 RRP 70) - (Top End (Mono) Bluetooth Hands free Headset Jabra RRP 59) - (128M/Bit Totally Wireless MP3 Player - Not even commercially available Disc-O Music Player nearest RRP 60) - (128M/Bit Compact Flash Ram File storage device RRP 25) - (Full Bluetooth Software Suite with USB Dongle - Belkin 10M RRP 25)----(Total RRP 239 GBP)]
That would equate to about $448 USD at current rates. I know the cost of living is expensive in London but I guess these things are relative.
The thing is HUGE!! Can somebody please come out with a Bluetooth earpiece (not headset) that can listen to your mp3 files on your phone.
The Sonorix OBH-0100 Audio Player is available in Canada from BrainsChild Systems for $299. plus S&H. It is an awesome headset.
http://www.brainschild.ca
16 hours for phone, 12 hours for music, and a fast 2 hour charge time, like the HS820 the microphone consists of a hard to find small hole on the front of the unit, sound pickup is clear and quality high, surprisingly little background noise from a mono directional microphone.
So can I use this HT-820 headphone on my laptop that has internal 1.2 bt module with A2DP support? Thanks!
I bought the HT-820 bluetooth headphones. I paired them with my laptop and they work great. I am disappointed that when I paired them with my Audiovox SMT-5600 phone it does not transmit music thats in my phones Mp3 player. It works great as a handsfree headset on the phone but i was hoping to use them with my Mp3 player in the phone. DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THERE IS A SOFTWARE UPGRADE FOR THE PHONE SO I CAN USE THE HEADPHONES TO LISTEN TO MUSIC FROM MY PHONES Mp3 PLAYER?
Thanks,
Cliff
I am curently wearing a pair of these that i borrowed from work, i had to download a patch for my ipaq rx3715 (available on hp's site) to support bluetooth stereo headsets. The only prob i have so far is the occasional drop out's and the 'not so excellent' sound quality. It has troubles connecting with XP as well (no prob supposedly as long as there's no SP2) but i couldn't be bothered trying to remove SP2 from this pc. They work perfectly with my work pc that is currently running 2000, i will check them with my 2nd work pc (running XP SP2) and make sure my home comp isn't just in need of a complete do-over. I will post any more findings.
I tried to pair this with a navipod bluetooth and it was a no go. Both try for a while then give up. When paired with a Motorola V635 phone, the java based MP3 player audio does not play on the phone speaker or headset when the headset is active. Paired with an Apple Mac the system preferences panel hangs when choosing the HT820 for audio input, and the audio quality is not great (not stereo yet?)
I have them and am going crazy I have tried for three days for a successful pair to my laptop and it sees it as everything but a music adapter, I have tried mulitple bluetooth audio devices and still no luck. I called motorola and they didn't even have a helpfile on it because you can plug it in to your computer USB which would make me assume that motorola would able to upgrade the firmware, as of now I'm so annoyed I'm about to through them into traffic, great headset clarity though. But that's the last reason I bought them.
I have them and am going crazy I have tried for three days for a successful pair to my laptop and it sees it as everything but a music adapter, I have tried mulitple bluetooth audio devices and still no luck. I called motorola and they didn't even have a helpfile on it because you can plug it in to your computer USB which would make me assume that motorola would able to upgrade the firmware, as of now I'm so annoyed I'm about to through them into traffic, great headset clarity though. But that's the last reason I bought them.
I am also trying to use the ht820 for listening to music on my Audiovox SMT 5600 - this is the whole reason i bought the 820.
Cliff, let me know if you get any answers - dgsinclair at yahoo dot com.
I have going nuts looking for the HT820 - where did those of you own a pair purchase them? Only place I can find them is ebay, and I don't trust none of those fools.
I bought these in August. For the $82 I spent on them they were definitely worth it AND they blow away anything else that I have tried... encluding the Sonorix (which cost much more). I have an Audiovox XV6600 which does support all the above BT protocols. It works great with both my phone AND my desktop computer. I can listen to music and movies from my phone both of which pause when a call comes through. I can also control the pause forward and back and volume functions of my phone from the headset. The only thing that does not work properly is I am not able to initiate voice dial from the headset I have to push the voicedial button on the phone... not a biggie though.
Hey Dominic where did u get the ht820 for that price? and plus for all those other guys who are trying to figure out y it won't connect to ur fones is because the only fones that can be use is the moto e680i which supports bt 1.2 and the stereo headphone profile.
I have one of these and the headset itself seems great, but only my Audiovox 5600 will talk to it properly! I have serious issues getting it to work on my XP machine, sometimes it does... when it does, it sounds great! A little bummed out that I can't use the Mic when it's paired to the PC :( so much for online gaming with the headset! Seems like 5 years later, bluetooth is still not ready for prime time...
has anyone found any firmware/software updates for the Audiovox 5600 so that the music will work with them?
I am trying to get a Bluetooth USb Dongle to work with my Motorola HS820. It is not finding it, any thoughts?
Does anyone know if the is a BT 1.2 patch for the Treo 650? I bought my headset on Mobileplanet.com for $96.95 with shipping. So far I love them as a bt headset/mic for my phone but am bummed that I can't listen to my MP3's on my phone. Anyone know if Treo 650 can be upgraded to BT 1.2? Drop me a note at sruffer at channeltechsolutions dot com. Thanks.
Hi necr0 i have an ipaq rx3715 and the HT820 but i dont seem to be able to pair. My ipaq keeps saying that the device does not have any services usable?! i tried the patch but my ipaq can not instal it! can you help please or anyone, email dadrb113@yahoo.com.au
Hi necr0 i have an ipaq rx3715 and the HT820 but i dont seem to be able to pair. My ipaq keeps saying that the device does not have any services usable?! i tried the patch but my ipaq can not instal it! can you help please or anyone, email dadrb113@yahoo.com.au
The headphones are supposed to come with a charger right? Also can you connect the headphones to the moto E815 and listen to mp3 files from them ?
I bought a pair of these yesterday because I wanted a cordless Skype headset that would double as a decent set of stereo headphones.
I also bought a Sitecom CN-521 (100 meter) Bluetooth 2.0 USB adapter to connect them to my desktop (Win XP Pro SP2).
This Bluetooth dongle uses Toshiba drivers and I had no trouble pairing the headset with the dongle as an 'audio sink' device. With this driver running in 'high quality' mode the sound can only be described as spectacular. When listening to 320kbps mp3s through 'Winamp' they sound clean, crisp, smooth and detailed with plenty of 'punchy' bass response (almost as good as my wired Sennheisers!).
However, when running them as an audio sink device the microphone doesn't work. So I tried pairing them with the dongle a second time as a headset device. This worked like a charm and using this driver they function perfectly as a cordless Skype headset. So now when a Skype call comes in I can either continue using the audio sink driver and my webcam's mike or if I want to wander away from my PC I can disconnect from the audio sink driver and connect to the headset driver (which only takes a few seconds). I have also paired them with my mobile phone (Nokia 6230i) and this allows me to take calls and listen to mp3's while I am out.
I did consider buying the Sonorix OBH-0100s until I noticed that their battery life is only about 2.5 to 3 hours (which definitely does not meet my requirements).
So far I have been using my HT820s for about 10 hours and the batteries have not run out yet. It has to be said that they were not as easy to install as a plug and play device, and required a bit of experimentation to persuade them to work in the way that I wanted. However, I can also say that so far I am extremely happy with them and would recommend them to anyone who has enough technical skill to set them up.
I have a Nokia 6255i and I was considering buying it to listen to my MP3 player on my phone. I am wondering if it will work with it. Does anyone know if it will
i wanna know if this HT820 will work with the Razor phone...anybody knows? and where can I get this headset if it doe's work? I'm at....PenatrationTime@aol.com
To Justice, no it won't work with Razr V3 because V3 doesn't support A2DP, but it should work with the soon-to-be-released L7.
ok...great pair of headphones, bought for 92 euro from expansys. BUT i cant get them to work with skype....grr...anyone got any ideas on how to fix this??? otherwise pretty darn good.
Brilliant headset quality with my imate Jam (PocketPC phone) can't get to hear my mp3's though, which is really why I bought the HT820. If anyone's got any ideas please contact me brian.finch@unilever.com