Bluetooth headsets are in need of innovation, but this isn't the type of innovation they need. Wireless headsets are a thing that is popular because of a perception of convenience, but based on all the phones and headsets I have tried, they are anything but.
The headset I am using now uses a single button on the side to perform all functions by holding it down for different lengths of time under different situations. That sounds fine at first, until you consider that I'm trying to set it up and connect it while I'm driving. To turn the thing on, you have to hold down the button for five seconds. To put it into pairing mode, which effectively renders it useless until you have a chance to wade through 20 menus on your phone to repair it, you hold down the same button for ten seconds. I've got a five second window to release that button in order to end up with a usable headset.
If I do manage to turn it on successfully without destroying its pairing memory, it's never exactly clear how to convince it to connect to the phone. The first problem stems from the need to enable Bluetooth on the phone. I have a single click icon to do that, so it's not too bad, but it still involves leaving the call screen and returning to the desktop to find the icon. After that, the headset sometimes connects instantly and sometimes waits until I click the omnibutton on the headset once or twice before kicking in.
What I really need before I consider Bluetooth Headsets to be convenient isn't some kind of attachment to hold it to my phone, but a headset with a physical On/Off switch that will just start working when I flip it on. As it is, there are way too many steps involved in the connection and I find it to be easier to just turn the speakerphone on than to try to connect the headset while driving.
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Bluetooth headsets are in need of innovation, but this isn't the type of innovation they need. Wireless headsets are a thing that is popular because of a perception of convenience, but based on all the phones and headsets I have tried, they are anything but.
The headset I am using now uses a single button on the side to perform all functions by holding it down for different lengths of time under different situations. That sounds fine at first, until you consider that I'm trying to set it up and connect it while I'm driving. To turn the thing on, you have to hold down the button for five seconds. To put it into pairing mode, which effectively renders it useless until you have a chance to wade through 20 menus on your phone to repair it, you hold down the same button for ten seconds. I've got a five second window to release that button in order to end up with a usable headset.
If I do manage to turn it on successfully without destroying its pairing memory, it's never exactly clear how to convince it to connect to the phone. The first problem stems from the need to enable Bluetooth on the phone. I have a single click icon to do that, so it's not too bad, but it still involves leaving the call screen and returning to the desktop to find the icon. After that, the headset sometimes connects instantly and sometimes waits until I click the omnibutton on the headset once or twice before kicking in.
What I really need before I consider Bluetooth Headsets to be convenient isn't some kind of attachment to hold it to my phone, but a headset with a physical On/Off switch that will just start working when I flip it on. As it is, there are way too many steps involved in the connection and I find it to be easier to just turn the speakerphone on than to try to connect the headset while driving.