Review: Bluetooth Headsets For Mobile ProsReview: Bluetooth Headsets For Mobile Pros

If human beings had three or four hands, perhaps accessories such as Bluetooth headsets might not be necessary. But we don't. With just two hands, that means we're limited to what we can hold and control at any one time. Need to make a call when holding a briefcase, cup of coffee, and rollerbag while striding down an airport hallway? Good luck keeping coffee off your shirt.

With Bluetooth headsets, life is much easier, safer, and less messy.

In order to help you choose from the vast selection of headsets and accessories available today, we've taken the the time to review a number of devices from headset manufacturers Aliph, BlueAnt, Mogo, Motorola, Plantronics, and Samsung. Each device was judged on five factors.

All devices were tested with either an iPhone 3GS or a BlackBerry 9530 Storm in public places such as Starbucks shops, shopping malls, or the streets of New York City. Each headset has been given a score on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5/5 being the best, and 1/5 being the worst. A total score is also given.

Before we proceed, a few words about the Bluetooth headsets we tested. These are mono devices, not stereo. They are not ideal for listening to music. Mono headsets are the mainstay of Bluetooth accessories. They are worn in one ear and are primarily used for voice calls. The high-end mono headsets available today use technologies such as bone conduction, multiple mics, multipoint and other trickery to reduce noise and improve call quality. Do they live up to these claims? Let's find out.

Jawbone Prime
Aliph
Price: $109

Battery: Aliph, which makes Jawbone headsets, claims that the Prime has a talk time of 4.5 hours and standby time of more than eight days. The Jawbone prime rocked through an entire business day with ease. At one point, it survived a two-hour call with no problems. The battery was still plenty full at the end of the day. Score: 5/5

Call Quality: The Prime uses a handful of technologies to keep noise to a minimum, including the Voice Activity Sensor, which touches your face to detect when users are speaking. Call quality was very good. When tested outdoors in a windy environment others had no problem hearing me, though I sometimes had trouble hearing them. Score: 4/5

Comfort: I found the Prime to be very comfortable out of the box. It comes with five different earbud styles and two earloops if that's your thing. This means most users should be able to find the right fit. After an eight-hour day, my ear was not sore and didn't hurt. In other words, it is comfortable. Score: 5/5

Style: The Prime is a good looking headset. It has a modern edge to it and looks professional and sophisticated. You won't be embarrassed to wear it out in public. It also comes in a wide variety of colors. Score: 5/5

Ease of Use: The Prime paired with multiple phones with no problems. There are two areas that act as buttons. Once you learn the patterns for changing call volume, answering calls or redialing numbers, it's a breeze to use. Score: 4/5

Bottom line: This is one of the best mono headsets tested in overall performance. Total Score: 23/25

BlueAnt Q1
BlueAnt
Price: $95

Battery: BlueAnt rates the Q1 with four hours of talk time and 100 hours of standby time. In tests, the longest it lasted was 3.5 hours of talk time, so it didn't quite live up to BlueAnt's claims. Score: 3/5

Call Quality: Call quality was good. The Q1 uses Voice Isolation Technology to reduce wind and other noise. It did its job, for the most part, but I found conversations to dip in and out a bit, and volume wasn't quite loud enough for my tastes. Score: 3/5

Comfort: The Q1 would not fit my ear with either of the two included ear inserts. I had to resort to using the earloop to get the Q1 to stay attached to my head. Wearing an earloop for eight hours is tiring, and my ear was sore at the end of the day. Score: 2/5

Style: The Q1 is simple and black. Business-y and sophisticated? You betcha. It isn't going to offend anyone, that's for sure. Score: 4/5

Ease of Use: The Q1 can pair with multiple devices at once. I really liked that it used voice commands for some actions, though I found myself resorting to the buttons when I was in a hurry. Score: 4/5

Bottom line: This is a decent headset, but there are better options out there. Total Score: 16/25

MoGo Talk
Newton Peripherals
Price: $129

Battery: The MoGo headset is capable of lasting through 3.5 hours of talk time and 65 hours of standby time, according to MoGo. Um, not quite. In my trials, I managed to eke out just two hours and 50 minutes of use before it died on me. I couldn't get through an entire business day on a single charge. I am giving it one extra point, however, for including a small cradle that can charge the device on-the-go without a bulky adapter. MoGo also offers a case that attaches to the back of the iPhone. Cool. Score: 3/5

Call Quality: The MoGo Talk uses what it calls SmartAudio Active Noise Compensation. Does all this fancy talk make for better conversations? Sort of. Volume of the earpiece was certainly strong enough, though I can't say wind and other noise was very effectively cancelled out. Noise didn't interrupt conversations, but it was noticeable. Score: 3/5

Comfort: The MoGo Talk has five different ear inserts in the box. I needed to swap them out a few times to get a good fit. Because of the way the MoGo Talk is designed, you have to insert the earpiece pretty far into your ear canal to get it to stay. There is no ear loop. My ear was very sore by the end of the day. Score: 2/5

Style: The MoGo Talk looks great. It's very thin and might make you feel like you're living in a science fiction movie. It definitely looks high-tech. Score: 5/5

Ease of Use: Pairing the MoGo Talk with other devices was a cinch. Never had any problems there. The MoGo Talk has just one button, and figuring out the patterns to use it is easy. It also supports some voice commands. Score: 4/5

Bottom line: This headset is more bark than bite, but looks good while doing it. Total Score: 17/25

Motorola MOTOPURE H15
Motorola
Price: ~$55

Battery: According to Motorola, the H15 should last through 4.5 hours of talk time and between five to seven days of standby time. It did that, and more. I managed to get 4.75 hours of talk time out of it, and it definitely lasted through an entire business day. Score: 5/5

Call Quality: Call quality was superb. The H15 uses two microphones to reduce background noise and CrystalTalk to enhance it. I stood directly next to a running locomotive engine and was able to hear my callers with no problem. Score: 5/5

Comfort: This is one of the few weak points of the H15. I had to fiddle with the ear inserts to find the right fit, and in the end had to resort to the earloop. The earloop wasn't as ill-fitting as on other headsets, but my ear still hurt a little bit at the end of the day. Score: 3/5

Style: I think the H15 looks good. It's a simple black headset with a silver flip out boom. It's a little bit on the chunky side, but I am sure that won't bother too many people. Score: 4/5

Ease of Use: The H15 is one of Motorola's flip designs. That means the H15 is paired, but not connected, with the boom closed (this increases battery life). Opening the boom simultaneously connects the H15 and answers a call. The problem is, it's kind of hard to open the boom with the H15 on your ear. Other than that, the controls work well. Score: 3/5

Bottom line: This H15 takes a bit of getting used to, but the performance is worth the finnicky-ness. Total Score: 20/25

Plantronics Discovery 975
Plantronics
Price: $130

Battery: The Discovery 975 has killer battery life. Rated talk time is five hours and standby time up to seven days. The battery performs well on its own, but the 975 comes with a carrying case that doubles as a portable charger. Light users will make if through two or three days easily. Heavy users should see more than one day's use. It gets an extra point for the charging case. Score: 6/5

Call Quality: Call quality was superb. Plantronics calls its noise-surpression technology AudioIQ2 dual-mic noise cancellation and WindSmart noise protection. Techie lingo aside, it just works. Wind, taxi horns, screaming kids, it's all blocked out. Score: 5/5

Comfort: The 975 was one of the more comfortable headsets I used. The gel ear insert is flexible, strong and fit well into my ear. The 975 comes with three ear inserts but no earloop. At the end of the day, my ear wasn't sore. The one thing I'd point out is that if you're running to catch a plane, be careful, it might pop out. Score: 4/5

Style: The 975 will likely appeal to most users, though some will be thrown off by the long, thin mic boom that extends towards the mouth. It's not bad looking at all, but the boom makes it the longest of all the headsets tested and some people are simply averse to longer booms. Score: 3/5

Ease of Use: The 975 works very well. Voice prompts let you know what's going on when the battery is low and the way the two buttons are used to control the 975 makes sense. Score: 5/5

Bottom line: With killer battery performance and voice quality, it's hard not to recommend the Discovery 975. Total Score: 23/25

Samsung WEP850
Samsung
Price: ~$45

Battery: Samsung says the WEP850 has a whopping eight hours of talk time and 250 hours of standby time. I'll be darned, it sure does. Just for kicks, I used this one for two days straight. This one knocks it out of the park with respect to battery life. Two days on a single charge is a success in my book. Score: 5/5

Call Quality: The WEP850 uses two microphones and digital signal processing technology to filter out background noise. It is mostly successful. I thought call quality was very good and outside noise was barely noticeable. Score: 4/5

Comfort: The WEP850 is a total failure here. There are no extra ear inserts included, and the earloop doesn't help the headset fit snugly at all. In fact, if you turn your head too fast, the WEP850 is likely to go flying across the room. That's not good. I have large ears. This problem will be amplified for those with smaller ears. Score: 1/5

Style: The WEP850 has that reflective chrome look, which makes it look more like jewelry than a piece of technology. It's about the same size as its peers in this review, though, and is what I'd call "average." Score: 3/5

Ease of Use: Well, the buttons and controls work just fine. Pairing isn't an issue, either. But a headphone that doesn't stay on your ear isn't easy to use in my book. Score: 3/5

Bottom line: Battery life may be stellar and call quality solid, but the form factor gets in the way. Total Score: 16/25

For Further Reading:

CES Cool Gadget: Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth Headset

CES: BlueAnt Bluetooth Headsets Get Voice Controls

Bluetooth Headsets Get Better