Audex's Bluetooth Headset for landlines
By Evan Blass 
posted Jul 3rd 2006 9:52AM
posted Jul 3rd 2006 9:52AM
It's okay, we didn't know people were still using landlines either. For the last few holdouts, though, Audex (not to be confused with the Burton jacket of the same name) presents its Desk-Free Bluetooth Headset for telephones, which attaches to your fixed line phone and gives you that same great 10-feet of wireless freedom that you've come to love from your current cellphone-headset combo. We've no idea where you can pick one of these up nor how much it'll set you back, but if you're really in need of such a product, we're confident that you'll do what it takes to track one down.[Via Slashphone]
My guess is that it's actually 10 Meters, not feet as in the BT spec. I'm in need of something like this for my office phone... unfortunately all the wireless office headseats are so damn expensive... $200+
Guys, most Bluetooth headsets are class 1 Bluetooth which gives 10 METERS of wireless range not 10 FEET.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth#Introduction
Wrong. Almost all BT headsets today are class 2.
I love that about you, dear Engadget and staff. Whenever you people don't have the info, you just say something like "If you want it bad enough, go fish!".
:P
Wow, this editorial is really beginning to poopoo.
Here's more information on this:
http://www.telecom.globalsources.com/gsol/I/Telephone-headset/a/9000000074291.htm
Audex is a Chinese company, and there's another version photograph after the jump.
John
Oh, and here's some more -- beware the pop-ups and pop-unders of this Chinese site!
http://www.audextelecom.com/DSF2481.asp
John
For #1 and #2 commenters, I'd love to hear your review of standard Bluetooth headsets at a range of 10 meters.
I'm starting to feel like a masochist because I keep throwing money down the bluetooth black hole. Every headset I've tried has sucked, sucked, sucked. I'd just like to have decent reception with no static when my cell phone is less than 6 ft. away. In my experience, having it any farther away than in my pocket means zero reception. (And yeah, I've tried more than 1 headset. Returned more than a couple too.)
By the way, if you were actually looking for a Bluetooth headset for your desk phone, GN Netcom (aka Jabra) has had their gn6110 (headset based on Jabra BT100) and gn6210 (based on BT200) out there for years already.
Definitely looking nicer than the Audex thing, but of course it's bluetooth, so what has been stated above about range and sound quality is certainly true. Expect about 5m range and some crackling sounds.
I would just like to point out that this is vary high on the "Useless scale." A nice idea, but there are these things called "cordless phones" which give the same functionality and better range (I can get over 100 ft or ~ 30 m with one.) Also, they have been out for most of my life. As long as you don't get one in the 2.4ghz range then the air is less crowded too. Unless you MUST have the form factor or intend to pair it with other devices now and then, this is just silly.
It may come as a shock to you guys, but not everybody lives in an area where the power is reliable enough to ditch the landline and go with just voip.
Here in Alaska (on the outskirts of anchorage) the power is unreliable enough that we are lucky to have a month of uninturuppeted power during the winter. Then, the landline is our lifeline.
JP It amazes me how people like you think you know everything. I need something like this product not for its fantastic range or amazing styling. I spend a lot of time on my landline at home and need to find either a landline handset that accommodates hands free headphones or a bluetooth adapter for the phone. This is very HIGH on the usefulness scale for me. (please note the words 'for me')
Not so hard to find. Many business use land line, I Googled "Headset" click on the first site and there it was at the top of the list:
The Plantronics CS55 Wireless Convertible Telephone Headset
$299.95
$279.95
Plantronics CS55 headset connects to any standard desktop telephone
Sorry Peggy but I think you just missed the point. $300 or £150 in my world is at least twice the price I would pay for the actual phone! If you factor in today's mobile (cell) bluetooth headsets starting at around £20 ($40) or less then you can see why the whole landline market needs to update fast. There are cordless phones out there with headset ports, so look out for these and buy a cheap headset. then clip the headset to your belt and hey presto a wired-wireless solution! These phones seem to more readily available in the US than in the UK though.