The integrated motion sensor and “intelligent” microphone allows the user to spend more time concentrating on the call, and less time adjusting and fiddling with the headset. One example of the motion sensor at work is the auto-on feature that turns the device on when it senses that it has been picked up. Likewise, if one goes from sitting to walking, the audio will be tweaked to adjust for the change in noise that will result, ensuring that the call quality is not diminished.

Says Jabra’s CEO Mogens Elsberg, “We aim to help the mobile worker gain the full benefits from their mobile devices and UC solutions. It is our experience that one of the most important factors for users, embracing these communication platforms and devices, is the headset which bridges the gap between the users and the promise of efficiency and flexibility with sound.”

The Jabra Motion Series is optimized for Microsoft Lync 2013, with Jabra boasting that it has been a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner since 2007. There’s no word yet on when the Motion Series will be available for purchase or how much you’ll have to shell out for the headsets, with the Jabra website currently displaying availability as “Coming soon.”

NFC is used to pair the HTC Mini with the Butterfly – aka the non-US version of the DROID DNA - after which point it works as a remote terminal. In addition to calls, it can show messages on its monochrome display, calendar entries, and call logs.

However, it will also apparently work as a remote control, useful when the Butterfly is plugged in to your TV and used as a media device. Then, the Mini can navigate through menus when the Butterfly is tethered near to the screen via HDMI; it also looks like it can be used to trigger the shutter in the camera app.

Finally, there’s a handy “find my phone” feature which makes the Butterfly ring when you’ve put it down somewhere and can’t locate it. No word on how much the HTC Mini might cost, though we’re hoping the company releases it as an accessory in markets other than China.

[via Xataka; via MIC Gadget]

The headset’s most boast-able feature is its wireless connectivity, allowing gamers to eschew the shackles of wired connections. The device runs at 2.4GHz and offers the company’s Supreme Sound proprietary system, which aims to provide overall better audio clarity. The boom mic is adjustable with a mute mode that can be toggled on and off, while three different EQ modes provide an adaptable listening experience.

Skullcandy’s Vice President of Marketing and Creative Nate Morley offered this statement. “The crossover between sport and gaming has been growing for decades and has gotten to a point where the two are nearly inseparable – gamers love action sports and sportsmen love to game. This is why we’re developing new cutting-edge products, such as the SLYR, PLYR2 and PLYR1 which are both authentic to the Skullcandy ethos and can comfortably live and play in both worlds.”

You can pick up the PLYR2 now in black, white, or teal featured in the image above for $129.00 at Skullcandy.com, or via one of its retailers, including Gamestop and Besy Buy. If the PLYR2 is a bit out of your price range, you can grab the SLYR (wired) headset for $79.99. Early next year, Skullcandy will be launching the PLYR1 headset, which will offer 2.4GHz wireless audio/Dolby Surround Sound 7.1.

The new headset also supports voice over LTE calls enabling the user to talk in high-definition sound using VoLTE networks. The new headset promises an extended bass register compared to the original. The Tone+ uses a professional-grade audio codec called aptX used by broadcasters and manufacturers around the world thanks to a CD-quality sound.

The headset connects to two different smartphones or a smartphones and other Bluetooth equipped devices at the same time. Audible Pairing Assistance speaks the connection status to the wearer when the device is connected, and the headset has a Vibrating Call Alert to notify of incoming calls. The headset also has an Audible Battery Status Alert and Mic Mute feature.

A feature that might be the most interesting to people considering purchasing the Tone+ is the ability of the headset to work with LG’s Android application to monitor incoming SMS messages and read them aloud to the headset wearer. The headset has talk time of 15 hours per charge and a standby time of 500 hours per charge. The headset will be offered in Korea, the US, and China by the end of September, in blue-black or white-pearl colors. Pricing is unannounced.

Nokia is hitting the whole wireless charging deal hard with its line up of new Lumia accessories and devices, and it’s no different with the Luna. The Luna appears to function just like any other Bluetooth headset, but there kicker here is in the ability to wirelessly charge. Just plop the Luna’s cradle down on one of Nokia’s new charging pillows or charging plates, and you’re good to go (or at least you will be when your headset is done charging).

The Luna comes with Nokia’s Always Ready technology, which takes care of powering up, connecting to your phone, and answering calls automatically once you remove it from the cradle. As is typically the case with Nokia peripherals, you have a range of colors to choose from, including blue, white, red, black, and of course, bright yellow. The battery in this tiny lil’ beast provides enough power for up to 8 hours of talk time and 35 hours of standby, so the instances where you’ll be on the verge of running out of juice will likely be few and far between.

However, those moments do happen, and just to be on the safe side of things, Nokia has included a micro USB port on the cradle for regular old wired charging should the need arise. There isn’t any pricing or release date information available on the Luna Bluetooth headset yet, but we can probably expect it arrive around the same time as the Lumia 920 and 820. Stay tuned for new details, as we’ll likely be getting more soon.

[via Fone Arena]

You’ve got a single button on the boom for basic voice controls, a giant multifunction button on the facade of the unit, and two volume buttons at the back surrounding the covered micro USB port. The device is an extremely high quality piece of hardware by all outward appearances, and it is rather comfortable to wear. Be sure to check out our hands-on with the Supreme UC from earlier this year – the main man himself gives an introduction!

This device is not designed for an extremely active person. Try to do a couple of flips or go for a jog and you’ll find yourself wishing you had a bit more of a firm grip around your lobe. If you’re the type of person to sit at your desk all day long or to walk without bobbing your head uncontrollably, you’ll have a perfectly well-suited device on your head. The design of this device also allows for left or right-eared users, with a hook attachment able to work with the earpiece on either side.

Folding the boom in turns the device off, folding it back out turns it back on, and pairing with any number of devices is quite simple. The device is automatically in pairing mode the first time you turn it on, and from that point forward you’ve only to tap the multifunction button and say, “pair new device” and you’ll be ready to go.

The sound quality is certainly decent on its own with any device, but really shines when you’re using your Jabra Connect Android app where you’ll have the choice of several voice cancellation and sound profiles. Sound on the other end of the phone is superb, even in the middle of a coffee shop packed to the brim with hipsters. The person you’re calling will think you’re in an empty room when you’re chatting with them with the Jabra Supreme UC.

Wrap-Up

It’s difficult to consider spending $150 on a headset when you could just pull your phone out of your pocket instead in most situations, but here’s the killer feature: the USB dongle that comes with the device will allow you to completely skip buying a second unit. The Jabra Supreme UC replaces your in-office headset as well as your mobile headset in one swoop. With excellent sound quality for you (the best if you’re on Android) as well as great sound quality and noise cancellation for the person you’re speaking with, the Jabra Supreme UC might just be the buy for you.

Grab this device at any number of local retailers near you and online. This device is going to be available worldwide immediately if not soon, to get to it!

So, rather than the usual mess of button-mashing until your Bluetooth gadget goes into discoverable-mode, and then trying to search, find, and punch in a PIN within the usual 60 second countdown, Reaction buyers need only tap the headset against their phone. There’s also ear detection, automatically answering calls when you slot the BH-907 into your ear.

Touch controls handle manual volume adjustment – though the headset can also change volume itself based on ambient noise – and there are three microphones for active noise cancellation.

According to the video, Nokia will eventually have a product page for the Reaction headset here, though for the moment it’s leading to a 404 page. No word on pricing or availability at this stage.

[via My Nokia Blog]

This unit is an on-ear pair of headphones and feature a set of on-ear controls as well on the left cup. You’ll find a Play/Pause button, an Answer/End Call button, Volume Up/Down, and a lovely analog power switch as well. The volume button is also able to provide you with next-track and previous-track should you like to switch to the next or last item on your mobile playlist on the go. We’ve tested this function out and have not yet found a system that it does not automatically work with – so feel free to to flip!

As for adjusting the phones on your head, you’ve got simple tension rods in place with enough room for even the largest beast of a head down to the most petite, and the whole business is powered by your 1/8-inch audio port. This port combines charging via USB cable – also included in the package. Battery life will give you a full day’s listening time – 12 or more hours, or several days time if you use them sparingly.

Sound quality is essentially the same anywhere between a foot an 25 feet away from your Bluetooth-connected source. That said, the actual high to low quality is perfectly generous for nearly every sort of listener save the most hardcore of audiophiles, with only a bit of flatness in the low department sitting a bit flatly. Highs are just fine, mids and lows are certainly high above our expectations for the price point which, if you’ve forgotten, is just $39.99.

You can grab these incredibly inexpensive Bluetooth headphones today from Tenqa’s online store with absolutely free shipping – pick em up!

You’ve got two simple ways to wear this earpiece, one of them being a hook which holds the piece down over your ear, another being a brand new clear ear tip which Plantronics lets us know is their newest concentration for getting this piece to stay in your ear with finesse. This little clear ear tip is extremely flexible and yet holds the earpiece in your ear securely as it fits comfortably right in the side of your head. The photo you see above shows how nice the piece looks and fits in the ear and on the head with just the ear tip in, no hook necessary.

In testing the device, I had no trouble going through the simple pairing operation required to connect to any and all Bluetooth devices I had on hand, be they the iPad, several Android handsets, or a notebook computer. To pair this device to any of your Bluetooth-capable devices, you’ve just to hold down the Call button for several seconds until the indicator light flashes red and white – you’ll be pair-ready from there.

The Call button on this device is unmistakable as it’s essentially the entire side of the hardware, it requiring just a series of taps and holds to activate any of its many numerous functions. For the most part, you’ll be using this device to make and take calls and conferences, and you will be satisfied by the quality on both ends. The little notches on the sides of the device are there for noise cancellation, and they certainly do work well – much better, in fact, than most of the budget-level Bluetooth earpieces we’ve ever laid eardrums on.

Speaking with people through the earpiece resulted in clear, nearly perfect quality on the other end, with exceptions being of course when you’re in intensely crowded areas. This sort of situation is always going to result in you not having the most fantastic voice quality unless you’re going for a much, much higher cost headset – at the price you’re paying for the M55, the quality is excellent.

This device has such fantastic battery life that you’ll more than likely not have to charge it more than once or twice a year. We’ve not gotten to hold on to the device and use it for more than a year quite yet, but according to Plantronics, this device’s new DeepSleep mode will have your headset into such a deep sleep that its using up next to no battery life at all when its not being used. This DeepSleep function is activated automatically if 90 minutes have passed since you last been in-range of a paired Bluetooth device. NOTE here that the photos we’ve got are of the pre-production model – the final model will look and function exactly the same or NEARLY exactly the same as this unit, so says Plantronics.

Another fabulous function you get with this device is voice activation in the form of being able to say “Answer” when you get a call on a paired smartphone device. This device can also pair with up to two smartphones in the same area at once, both of them then hooked up with this same voice-activated call-answering ability. The M55 comes with a free full year of Vocalyst Basic, this being a service which can give you voice email, news, weather, and reminders right to your ear, this service normally $2.49 a month or $24.99 a year with this headset. As a bit of a bonus, this service can automatically upload audio clips at your request just so long as you’re paired with an internet-connected device at the time – fun for everyone, without a doubt!

This device is certainly worth the cash you’re going to spend on it at just $50, coming to the Plantronics online store soon! Have a peek at our timeline of Plantronics reviews below to see their full line of Bluetooth-capable audio devices and let us know what you think when you’ve got them in-ear!

This headset will be coming out next month from Jabra to add to their excellent lineup of Bluetooth and USB speakers out in the states already. What you’ve got here is a Bluetooth-connected earpiece, both a speaker for your ear and a microphone, that is, complete with some next-level noise cancellation. The noise cancellation we’re told is able to work for both you and the person you’re speaking with on the other end of the phone – if you’re using this headset to speak with a friend via your Bluetooth-capable phone, that is.

There’s a talk button, an easy to use attachment bit to hold this device to your ear, and an on-off switch that couldn’t be more intuitive. To switch this device off, just fold up the microphone bar to the speaker. This will also make the device more compact and able to fit in the tiny case that comes with it. Also coming with the pack is a USB dongle that’ll fit into your device that’s not normally able to work with Bluetooth, converting the signal to work instantly for you and yours.

This device is set to be released for $149 estimated retail price very, very soon. Grab it!

In our modern world of awesomely tiny technology, we can expect a bit more from our earbuds than we did all those years ago when the technology to put a speaker that small into one’s ear was invented. What we’ve got here is certainly not the highest-class earbud in the industry (custom-made ear-molded buds still hold that distinction) but they’re certainly up near the top for the wireless pre-made sets.

These buds have DSP (Digital Signal Processing) and what’s known as full duplex echo cancellation so you’ll have great noise cancellation on the whole – rare for headphones that don’t cover the ear. You’ve also got great sound regardless of the fact that you’re not physically connected to the source of the audio transmission. Bluetooth technology has gone a long way since 1.0, and here with the BackBeat Go we’ve got near-perfect sound quality on par with the upper half of the wired industry for sound quality.

The unit has the ability to connect to whatever Bluetooth device you’ve got in a snap – just hold down the side-sitting button on the control unit between the buds for a moment until you hear an upward-ringing set of beeps in the phones themselves. The device will then be discoverable and will pair without a hitch. From there that same controller can do a variety of functions including volume up and down, skip tracks in most basic audio apps, and there’s a perfectly fine-sounding microphone in there too so you can take calls or talk in a conference.

The unit is charged with microUSB via one of the two buds – right there in the back of its head. Charge the unit up fully and you’ll have a straight 4+ hours of listening time easily. The cord is short enough that you’re never ever going to get it tangled up – it’s a sort of flat rubbery cord so it’s also not going to slip away from you any time soon. It’s just long enough to sit under your chin or around the back of your head as well, whatever you like.

These buds look and sound excellent, and it’s going to cost you what they’re worth, for sure: $99.99 from the Plantronics online store now. If you’re looking for wireless Bluetooth earbuds, know that these are the highest quality pair I’ve ever experienced. They’ll be in my backpack from now on.

Connect these mothers to your Android device for listening to the Google Music all night long – connect to your iPhone for some iCloud banging throughout the day! Then for those of you without Bluetooth devices or a need to connect directly, there’s also the option for using a 3.5 mm audio cable in the interim. Charge them up with the included USB cable and grab yourself 22.5 hours of talk time with 180 hours of standby.

That’s right, talk time – these headphones can also be used as a handsfree headset for your smartphone should you feel the need to chatter. The Signal to Noise ratio on these beasts is More than 58Db at 1kHz and they’re designed to fold up nicely for travel as well. And what’s best about these phones in black or white? They only cost $39 USD including shipping! Available in early February for all interested lovers of Bluetooth-compatible sounds.

[via Tenqa]

Both headsets feature HD Audio Plus for boosted voice quality and CrystalTalk dual-mic technology for noise cancellation. Motorola also boasts that the Class 1 Bluetooth technology used has an extended connection range of up to 300 feet.

The Elite Silver is the more discrete of the two with a wrap around design and weighs less than half an ounce. It boasts up to 15 hours of talk time when combined with its special storage case that allows the headset to be charged while stowed away. The Elite Flip is a larger headset with much of the same features and TrueComfort technology for three distinct wearing styles, but only has up to 6 hours of talk time.

The headsets will be available through Motorola’s website starting October 24 with the Elite Silver priced at $129.99 and the Elite Flip priced at $99.99.

[via Motorola]

The Marque M155 uses Bluetooth 3.0 and can pair and maintain connections with two or more devices through its Multipoint technology. It has A2DP standard stereo sound that makes it great for more than just answering calls. It promises great sound quality for listening to music, GPS directions, or even your email. With voice recognition technology, answering calls is as simple as saying “answer.”

The headset works with Vocalyst Voice and Text Services and comes with a one-year subscription of the service, which lets you send email, text messages, post to Facebook and Twitter, or even check the weather, all hands-free. You activate the voice service by pressing a button on the headset and then speaking simple commands.

Apps to help familiarize you with the Marque M155 can be found for both the iPhone and Android. Talk time for the headset is rated for up to 5 hours, while standby time is rated for up to 9 days and it takes 2 hours to charge until full via micro USB.

The Plantronics Marque M155 comes in Jet Black and Arctic White, priced at $59.99. It is available for pre-orders starting today on Amazon and will be available at Verizon, T-Mobile, Best Buy, and other retailers around mid to late October.

The noise cancellation tech helps to make your conversation clearer even if you are in the car and there is lots of wind and other noise going on around you. Along with active noise cancellation, the headset also gets Noise Blackout 3.0 and Wind-Noise Reduction technology to help make call quality even better no matter where you are.

The headset also has a patent boom arm that flips to turn the headset on or off. It uses an adjustable ear hook for comfort and it comes with an assortment of ear tips for a better fit and more comfort. The Supreme will be available in October and will cost $99.

The Logitech Wireless Headset connects to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch via Bluetooth and features laser-tuned drivers to produce rich stereo sound while minimizing distortion. The attached microphone features noise-canceling technology so that your voice comes across clear for either voice calls or FaceTime video chats. The rechargeable battery is rated for up to 6 hours.

The Logitech Wireless Boombox also connects to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch via Bluetooth. It features two 3-inch laser-tuned neodymium drivers along with two half-inch neodymium tweeters and four 2-inch passive radiators for a rich mid-range, crisp high notes, and a deep bass. It also offers a 3.5mm jack for connecting to other media players and its rechargeable battery is rated for up to 6 hours.

The Logitech Wireless Headset and the Logitech Wireless Boombox are both available now and are priced at $69.99 and $179.99, respectively. For more information, you can visit Logitech’s product pages.

The Jabra SPORT and Jabra SPORT-Corded differ only in that one is completely cordless with Bluetooth while the other comes with cords for those who are accustomed to having them. They both feature A2DP technology, powerful bass, wind-shielded microphone, and category-first built-in FM radio along with easy-to-use controls.

They also come with a free download of Endomondo Sports Tracker that helps keep track and motivate runners with quick updates on speed, distance, and lap time using smartphone GPS tracking. The Jabra SPORT Bluetooth headset is priced at $99, while the Jabra SPORT-Corded stereo headset is priced at $69. Both will be available at Apple, Sprint, and T-Mobile stores. They will also be available on Amazon in September.

Hardware

Outwardly, there’s little to mark the difference between the 2010 ICON and the new ICON HD. It’s the same 44.1 x 18.25 x 25 mm and 8.2g chassis with textured fascia, a springy circular ear grip and a somewhat stubby aesthetic that stands a little further out from the head than we’d prefer, a look that’s over-emphasized by the short length.

Inside there’s Bluetooth 2.1+EDR with multipoint support for pairing with two devices simultaneously along with A2DP to handle stereo sound (albeit in mono). Up to eight device pairings can be stored, and the quoted range is 10m; in reality we managed considerably more before static spoiled play.

What has changed is the HD audio support, with a 25-percent larger “wideband” speaker supporting 16kHz. With compatible services – such as Skype, YouTube or Pandora – it delivers crisper, fuller sound.

The NERD, meanwhile, is Jawbone’s oddly named USB Bluetooth dongle, a 2.1+EDR peripheral. Offering the same 10m range and eight device storage – though no multipoint – and is a reasonably compact 28mm long. Plug’n'play with your PC or Mac, it automatically picks between mono sound for VoIP and microphone applications, and 44.4kHz for music and PC streaming audio.

Performance and Battery

Setup is certainly straightforward: the ICON HD automatically pairs with The NERD, so getting it running on your PC or Mac is driver-free. It’s similarly simple with a phone, and if you’re using an iPhone or iPod touch you get a slick little icon in the status bar complete with battery meter.

Music sounds solid with HD audio sources, though obviously lacks the breadth of a proper stereo headset. Receive a call and it automatically switches over and into mono mode, then resumes when the call is over. NoiseAssassin v2.5 is onboard, Jawbone’s audio enhancement system, and it does a great job of cutting through background noise and pulling out speech in conversations without then over-processing music.

The MyTALK app is also supported, with a range of voice prompts in different languages along with control from your smartphone over which speed-dials are preset. There are also various DialApps, software loaded direct to the ICON HD and which can record voice memos, send SMS and emails by voice, or post to Twitter. Whether most users will actually take advantage of the extra functionality is uncertain, but Aliph has kept things updated. The existing ICON has seen eight software updates and fifteen new apps over the past year.

Battery life is quoted at 4.5hrs, less than some larger rivals but still enough for most people’s daily cellphone and VoIP call needs. A full recharge takes 90 minutes – you can either use the bundled AC adapter or the posable USB cable – but an 80-percent recharge takes 40 minutes.

Wrap-Up

The only change we’re not so keen on is the pricing. The original Jawbone ICON came in at $99, whereas the ICON HD + The NERD pairing is $139. Right now, there don’t appear to be plans to sell the headset separately; although the Bluetooth dongle does make setup straightforward, we can see many people relying on the integrated Bluetooth in their laptop, or only intending to use the ICON HD with their phone.

We can’t fault the ICON HD’s audio quality, and as long as you aren’t looking for true stereo A2DP support it does a solid job with both voice calls and music. If you don’t have Bluetooth support in your computer, or find yourself not using a headset with it simply because of setup headaches, then the ICON HD + The NERD bundle shouldn’t disappoint. Those looking solely for a good Bluetooth headset, however, may find themselves spending extra on hardware they don’t actually need.

Inside the headset box you’ll get several different ear adapters, a microUSB cord for charging, and there are two modes on the actual mode – Bluetooth Mode and Xbox 360 Mode, each of these shown with a lovely green or blue light on the headset depending upon which one is active. This device gets over 300 hours of standby time says Hyrb, and it’ll be available around the world in November, not just in the USA, Japan, or the UK, as is sometimes the case.

Then there’s the rather fashionable Xbox Media Remote, another cool piece of technology to add to your stack of remote controls (unless you’re one of those futuristic folks who only has one universal remote, or a hardcore gamer who uses only console controllers for such things as changing channels.) This remote will allow you to control your Xbox 360 Dashboard, DVDs, CDs, and other media apps such as Sky Player, Zune, and of course Neftlix.

The Media Remote will run on 2 AAA batteries and includes your favorite A, B, X, and Y buttons amongst the usual volume, numbers, directional pad, back, select and so fourth. You’ll also be able to control Hulu Plus, ESPN, and live TV (if provided on your console b your TV service provider, of course.) The remote also comes out in November, also worldwide, and will be running you $19.99 USD.

Do these pieces of hardware solidify the idea that Microsoft Beats Apple in the Living Room to you?

You tell me!

The Bluetooth earbuds only have a wire connecting the two ear pieces but other than that, the headset is completely wireless for great freedom of movement. It comes with three sizes of ear tips and three sizes of secure fit ear cushions that also tout a unique proprietary honey comb design for an extra secure and comfortable fit. It boasts great sound performance that’s tuned to avoid listener fatigue during long workouts.

The JF3 Freedom also features a sweat-proof design along with a Lifetime Warranty Against Sweat and comes with a hard sell magnet sealed carrying case. The headset has been on sale without any announcements since April, but starting today will be offered with the new silicon sports ear cushions. The enhanced Freedom is available now through JayBird’s online store for $99 with free shipping. It will be available in retail stores by late July.

Along with the official product page comes the full details on the headset as well. The Carbon weighs 5.9g thanks to the carbon fiber boom. It has fast connectivity to your smartphone, a mechanical on/off switch, and voice alerts in three languages. The headset can connect with two mobile devices at one time.

It needs no PIN codes for most mobile phones. The headset is designed to show the battery meter automatically on the iPhone status bar so you can see how much power is left in the device at a glance. It also has a removable pen clip to connect it to a shirt pocket. The Carbon comes with four different earbuds to make for a snug fit. Talk time is up to 4.5 hours with the standby time of up to five days. You can buy the headset now for $69.99.

These days we’re used to seeing carbon fiber film being placed on lots of things for the cosmetic effect, but the Bluetrek Carbon actually uses it as the integral component for its mic stem. The stem is also designed to be super thin much like a stir stick, measuring what looks to be around 2 to 3mm in diameter.

The earpiece itself is just big enough to fit a micro USB port. However they did manage to include an on/off button, in addition to the answer call button and a touch-and-hold volume adjuster. The headset is priced at $70 with a release date yet to be confirmed.

[via Wireless Goodness]

First Impressions

When you hear the name Bose, you know it means superior quality audio. Their ultimate marketing campaign was and always will be the the display they had set up in Target stores across the USA, the one where they played the T-Rex portion of Jurrasic Park to show off the surround-sound experience you’d get if you went with Bose for your speaker system. I remember walking directly over to that area of the store just to hear that part of the movie in that environment over and over again, thus the power of both the actual sound quality and the branding going on with the display.

My brain was taught that Bose meant quality.

Now for this Bluetooth headset – it’s made by Bose. I instantly knew what I had in store for me. Not only do I trust Bose as a name in audio, I know they mean business when they release a new product. I don’t mean to be seen as a fanboy of a brand here, but Bose has literally never let me down when I decided to go with them for a speaker system in any form. Therefor, I had pretty high standards for this headset.

When I first opened the box, I was surprised by the lack of equipment that was inside. I suppose that I’m not sure what I was expecting to find, but the fact that this giant box served only to contain a few items – it was strange: the headset, a couple extra headpieces, USB cord, wall plug, instructional books, and click-open pocket carrying case. I realized than that this was still the tail end of the hardware age, the age when we still purchase tiny objects in gigantic boxes so that the store shelves can be filled and items stand less of a chance of getting stolen. Remember when computer games came in dictionary-sized boxes? Remember when dictionaries were still printed as physical books?

Making it Work

Once the box and plastic is aside, and you’ve got the instruction books put away somewhere safe incase you need them, you really ought to charge the earpiece up a bit. The Bose Bluetooth Headset comes partially charged, but if you plan on getting any use out of it before it runs out of juice, you’ll want to plug it in for a while. To do this, just plug the USB into the device, plug the other end of the USB into the coolest wall plug ever constructed by mankind, and plug that epic wallpiece into the wall. Before we continue, please check out all the printing on this plug – it’s awesome:

Once your headset is charged, flick the on switch so that it reveals green instead of red, then hold down the phone icon button until the Bluetooth light blinks blue SLOWLY. There are two different ways the Bluetooth light can be blinking, and more than likely, your device will be blinking quickly when you first turn it on. Once it’s blinking slowly, you can search for it on the device you’d like to pair it with. There is an option to pair with more than one item, but for the sake of brevity, we’ll just go into one.

Your Bose Bluetooth headset, like ours, should show up on your Bluetooth list wherever it may be. I connected this Bluetooth Headset up with the brand new HTC ThunderBolt on Verizon. Once I’d pressed the phone button long enough for the light to blink slowly, the Bose name came up on the list almost instantly, and I was able to sync up without even entering a password. Once the two items were synced, they were set to go for the entire time I was testing them.

Daily Use

I must admit that when I’d seen people wearing headsets similar to this one out in public, I found myself comparing them to the Borg, or in general to total weirdos who love big earrings. Once I placed the headset on my right ear, all that changed. Not only was it comfortable, it felt oddly satisfying to have connected to my head. Inserting the earpiece feels very similar, in a way, to putting on a pair of glasses. It gives the impression that it’s meant to be there and that it’s helping you out in your daily activities, activities such as communicating with other humans, wirelessly!

As far as sound quality goes, this is the tops. The only superior sound quality that my ears have personally experienced via a headset was a pair of Bose noise-cancellation headphones, the kind that cover your entire ear. And that’s saying a lot, especially since the sound was not only being transported to my head via Bluetooth connection, it was being blasted through space via telephone!

On the several calls I made and received with this headset, I only had to ask a couple times of the person on the other end to repeat themselves, they never having to ask me a single time. This is actually an improvement over my normal phone experience.

This device is capable to taking your voice and canceling noise around it, of turning its own volume up when you’re in a noisy area, and of basically making your life a lot easier when you’re attempting to make or receive calls and have no hands free to be holding up a phone. When you press the phone icon button, you’re prompted to make a command – you’re able to call anyone in your contacts list without taking your phone device out of your pocket. You can adjust volume via the volume dongle and switch the device on and off via the simple switch.

Wrap-Up

This headset does what it says it does, and even whilst walking through a mall containing a screaming pack of wild children creatures, a call I was on was not interrupted. Noise cancellation is at a point in our tech history where we’ve basically got it down to an art, and it’s pretty darn cool. Bose has created here a slick earpiece that allows you to connect to your handset while it’s in your pocket. It does just that, and it does just that extremely well.

As far as how you look when you’ve got one of these in your ear and you’re walking around the grocery store talking to yourself – that’s an issue you’re going to have to deal with all on your own.

The additional funding Jawbone secured will bring their total investment to date close to $100 million, making them one of the largest venture capital-backed consumer electronics companies in the world. Already distributing to over 20 countries worldwide, this new venture support will allow the company to further expand their mobile products and services portfolio.

Press release:

Jawbone Secures $49M in Funding from Andreessen Horowitz
General Partner Ben Horowitz Joins Jawbone Board of Directors

SAN FRANCISCO – March 16, 2011 – Jawbone, a leading innovator of products and services for the mobile lifestyle, today announced it has secured $49 million in funding from Andreessen Horowitz.

The funding, which brings total investment to date in Jawbone close to $100 million, will allow Jawbone to expand and innovate on its portfolio of premium mobile products and services which are available today in over 20 countries worldwide. Jawbone is one of the largest venture capital-backed consumer electronics companies in the world.

“Jawbone builds a family of products that take smartphones and tablet computers and brings them to life,” said Ben Horowitz, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz. “Hosain Rahman is the clear thought leader in his industry and makes Jawbone the easy investment choice for us in this market.”

Jawbone’s evolution into a mobile lifestyle company has resulted in unprecedented demand for its products and services on a global scale. This financing will bolster Jawbone’s ability to develop entirely new categories of products, bring existing products to market internationally, and continue to outperform competitors.

“We believe the future of consumer tech is about unlocking the full potential of the mobile lifestyle,” said Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman. “We all carry photos, movies, music, email, games and apps in our pocket every single day. Now that mobile is our new hub, our vision is to create ways for people to get the most out of those experiences. Andreessen Horowitz believes in our vision, and Ben has been a mentor to me for several years. Having him on the board will undoubtedly help us scale in entirely new ways.”

Jawbone first made its mark in the industry by creating an entirely new class of Bluetooth headsets. Its award-winning Jawbone ICON was the first to add NoiseAssasin® technology and the recently-launched Jawbone ERA is the first to include HD audio and motion sensors. The company has expanded its products for the mobile lifestyle beyond headsets as well. The JAMBOX wireless speaker was one of the best-selling speakers at Apple stores this holiday season and Jawbone recently introduced THOUGHTS – an entirely new way for people to communicate.

Andreessen Horowitz has made similarly-sized investments in companies including Facebook, Groupon, Twitter, and Skype.

About Jawbone
For more than a decade, Jawbone has developed products and services for the mobile lifestyle unparalleled in their innovation, ease-of-use and sophistication of design. The company is the creator of the award-winning and best-selling premium ICON Bluetooth headset; the inventor of NoiseAssassin® technology, the world’s first and only military-grade noise-eliminating technology; JAMBOX, the first intelligent wireless speaker and speakerphone; as well as THOUGHTS, a free mobile service that allows users to utilize their voice in a new way. A 2010 IDSA Design of the Decade winner, Jawbone is committed to delivering innovative products that improve the mobile lifestyle through ever-changing software and wearability. Jawbone is privately-held and headquartered in San Francisco.

The Modus 6450 is made for those that want a noise-canceling Bluetooth headset that can also stream stereo audio. It can be worn as a mono-style headset for calls and can be transformed into a stereo Bluetooth headset by connecting an included stereo ear bud. The device improves on its predecessor, the HM3500, with Android application support, voice command features, and EQ settings.

The HM3600 is made for those that place comfort and affordability as priorities. This headset is ultra comfortable while providing advanced features such as voice prompts, dual-mic noise and echo cancellation, and automatic volume adjustment. The HM1610 is a sleek and more fashionable headset that has enhanced audio and offers advanced multipoint connectivity and streams high fidelity media for stereo-quality sound on a mono Bluetooth headset.

Pricing and availability information are not yet confirmed.

Press Release:

SAMSUNG MOBILE EXPANDS ITS BLUETOOTH HEADSET PORTFOLIO WITH THE HM1610, HM3600 AND MODUS 6450

Elegant, affordable and comfortable Bluetooth offerings from Samsung come equipped with enhanced features for 2011 such as advanced multi-point technology, voice commands, SoundAlive stereo-audio enhancements and Android application support

DALLAS, March 7, 2011 – Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No.1 mobile phone provider in the United States1, today announced the availability of three additions to its Bluetooth® headset portfolio, the HM1610, the HM3600 and the Samsung Modus 6450 – the second device in the Modus family of Bluetooth products. The announcement of these three Bluetooth headsets further exemplifies Samsung’s commitment to the core customer satisfaction areas of comfort, sound quality and ease of use.

Modus 6450 – A Dual Headset Offering an Advanced Stereo Experience

The elegant next-generation Modus 6450 wraps the best in functionality, fun and fashion in a sleek crystal-blue form factor. The Modus is designed for consumers looking for a conventional noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset with the capability to stream stereo audio. It can be worn as a mono-style headset for placing and receiving calls and readily transforms into a stereo Bluetooth headset when connected to the included stereo ear bud headset for an enhanced audio experience. The 6450 improves on its predecessor, the HM3500, with a premium headphone set, Android application support, voice command functionality, and EQ settings. Rather than just simple voice prompts, the Modus 6450 implements voice commands and EQ settings through a separate Voice Command Button on the headset, distinguishing it from most competitors that must use a multifunction button for voice command start.

The Modus supports a multitude of advanced noise cancellation features and a dual microphone design to separate the user’s voice from the surrounding background noise. When enjoying rich, full-fidelity Bluetooth stereo while also connected to a phone, the Modus will gently mute the stereo audio, allowing the user to answer or initiate phone calls and seamlessly restores its settings when the call is complete. The user can also stream full fidelity audio and enjoy the rich sound through the single earpiece of the Bluetooth headset.

The Modus 6450 is compatible with its own specially-designed Android application, Samsung FreeSync – equipped with several features that set it apart from other applications, including EQ settings for stereo mode, LED settings, and language selection.

The FreeSync application allows for text-to-speech messaging and caller ID services and the ability to enable or disable Bluetooth headset functions through the application. Via the FreeSync application, owners of the Modus 6450 can receive incoming phone calls, SMS messages, email, and appointment notifications through a friendly text to speech interface that personally reads information to you. Additionally, the headset and the app work together to allow for voice command, pairing assist, multiple language support and control of various headset and stereo EQ settings.

Together, the Samsung Modus 6450 and the Samsung FreeSync Android application allow for a truly customizable headset experience.

Key Modus 6450 Product Features

- Samsung FreeSync Android App-compatible & Android application support
- Voice Command & Voice Prompt
- Voice command and EQ setting implementation through a separate Voice Command Button on the headset
- Mono & Stereo convertible
- SoundAlive stereo audio enhancements
- Dual-mic noise/Echo cancellation
- Simple, LED display shows battery/call status
- Advanced Multipoint and Multiconnection Technology
- Active Pairing
- Up to 6 hours of talk time/180 hours of standby time
- Bluetooth version 2.1+EDR

HM3600 – Designed with Comfort in Mind

With its on-ear design and advanced pairing options, the Samsung HM3600 is designed for consumers that place comfort and affordability as top priorities when choosing a Bluetooth headset, without having to sacrifice an advanced feature set. Its unique, ultra-comfortable on-ear design minimizes ear fatigue during long duration and active lifestyle usage.

In addition to its design, the HM3600 provides users with several advanced features, such as voice prompts to keep the user informed, dual-mic noise and echo cancellation and automatic volume adjust. With easy pairing and proximity pairing, the HM3600 pairs automatically with the nearest handset the first time, and with advanced multipoint technology, users can pair the HM3600 to two devices at once. Compared to other on-ear Bluetooth headsets in its class, the HM3600 is a more lightweight and affordable option.

Key HM3600 Product Features

- Comfortable on the ear speaker design
- Dual mic Noise Reduction & Echo Cancellation
- Voice Prompts
- Advanced multipoint technology
- Up to 9 hours of talk time/300 hours of standby time
- Bluetooth version 3.0
- Lightweight, 13g design

HM1610 – Competitive features at a Competitive Price

A sleek, stylish mix of communication and fashion makes the HM1610 stand apart from other mono entry tier headsets. Near end enhanced audio technology ensures that HM1610 users experience significantly improved sound quality and speech intelligibility on their end of the headset. Receive side audio noise cancelling offers in-channel noise reduction and tonal voice quality enhancement, improving intelligibility of incoming voice even in high background noise environments. Additionally, wind noise reduction and noise cancelling for the microphone allows for significant improvement in audio quality in the presence of wind speeds up to “jogging speed” (6mph). The active wind noise reduction algorithm improves signal to noise ratio of microphone audio in the presence of wind by up to 20dB.

In addition to sound quality, the HM1610 offers advanced multipoint technology that allows seamless connectivity between two Bluetooth-enabled audio-streaming devices, including mobile phones, computers and MP3 players. The HM1610 also features high fidelity media streaming, ensuring stereo-quality sound from a traditional mono Bluetooth headset. This advanced feature-set in an elegant blue-trimmed form factor positions the HM1610 as an upper tier headset at an entry tier price.

Key HM1610 Product Features

- Near End Enhanced Audio Technology
- Single-Mic Noise Reduction and Echo Cancellation
- CSR CVC v6 Receive Side Audio Enhancements with Receive Side Noise Cancellation, PLC, BEC
- Wind Noise Reduction
- Speech Intelligibility EQ
- Active pairing
- Advanced Multipoint technology
- A2DP Mono Music Streaming
- Automatic Volume Control
- Bluetooth version 3.0+EDR
- Up to 6 Hours of Talk Time/250 Hours of Standby Time

1Number one mobile phone provider in the U.S. claim for Samsung Mobile based upon reported shipment data, according to Strategy Analytics Q4 2010 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Reports.

About Samsung Telecommunications America

Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

About Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2008 consolidated sales of US$96 billion. Employing approximately 164,600 people in 179 offices across 61 countries, the company consists of seven independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

The company has not yet released specific details or images.

Mad Catz expects the headsets to be available for the 2011 holiday shopping season.

Press Release:

MAD CATZ AND MICROSOFT CORPORATION ENTER INTO EXCLUSIVE AGREEMENT TO PRODUCE LICENSED, CO-BRANDED WIRELESS HEADPHONES FOR XBOX 360®

San Diego – February 2, 2011 – Mad Catz® Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz”) (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Microsoft® Corporation (“Microsoft”) to produce a range of licensed, co-branded audio headphones under Mad Catz’s Tritton brand and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 brand. Under the agreement, Mad Catz has the worldwide rights to manufacture, market and sell licensed, co-branded wired stereo headphones and exclusive rights to produce licensed, co-branded wireless stereo and Dolby 5.1 headphones for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system.

Through this agreement, Mad Catz and Microsoft will work closely together to jointly design and brand wired and wireless headphones, resulting in a range of headphones that will bear the Tritton and Xbox logos on both the packaging and the headphones. This will also mark the first time that wireless, licensed and co-branded headphones will be available for Xbox 360.

Commenting on the agreement, Darren Richardson, Mad Catz’s President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are delighted to be working so closely with Microsoft to design and brand a range of high performance headphones. The headphone category is the fastest growing category in the video game space – and this agreement assists Mad Catz’s Tritton brand in furthering its leadership to provide high-quality, innovative headphones that allow gamers and audio enthusiasts alike to enjoy a superior gaming and listening experience.”

Zulfi Alam Microsoft Senior Director, Xbox 360 Accessories, added, “We are pleased to be working in close collaboration with Mad Catz to design and brand products that we believe will deliver a high quality audio experience to Xbox 360 fans. Whether playing games or enjoying music, movies or sports available on the Xbox 360, we are confident that gamers everywhere will react enthusiastically to this new range of wired and wireless headphones.”

Mad Catz expects that the range of licensed, co-branded headphones will be available for the 2011 holiday shopping season.

[via HotHardware]

The Voyager PRO UC Bluetooth headset will ring in at $199.95, and features a revolution in mobile phone and PC communications via some excellent smart sensor technology. Using advanced technology to make your whole entire experience completely simple this headset appears to be one that you just slide in and use.

The Calisto 800 Series, in particular the 825 (ringing up at $259.95) enables you to use multi-device hands-free connectivity with visual call management with a user interface they say is totally intuitive. Made specifically well for working with Microsoft Office Communicator and Lync, this device and it’s 800 family were made for private and home office workers who’ve just gotta have multiple communication devices (me! us!) to work and collaborate effectively. The Calisto 825 also manages calls between a PC and a mobile phone, and features a unique wireless mic that’s got unparalleled speakerphone audio quality and freedom of movement.

Check out the full press release below:

Plantronics Celebrates 50 Years of Innovation and Unveils New Unified Communications Products and Services
The Award Winning Voyager PRO UC, the New Calisto 825 and New UC Toolkit Accelerate Unified Communications Adoption and Deployments

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Jan. 26, 2011 – Plantronics (NYSE: PLT) today announced new additions to its Unified Communications portfolio that span communication devices, software, and services. Plantronics is delivering a vision of smarter, more intuitive communications and pioneering the next generation of mobile communications devices and technologies to help people stay connected regardless of location or device. Plantronics celebrates its 50 year milestone with a look to the future by offering the new Plantronics UC Toolkit, the industry’s first complete set of tools, training and documentation for expanding the growth of unified communications solutions and two new flagship products for the UC market, VoyagerTM PRO UC and Calisto® 825, also announced today.

The company’s celebration will be held at an event filled with customers, partners, industry influencers and employees at company headquarters in Santa Cruz, Calif. The guest of honor is world famous astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin who was wearing a Plantronics headset when he managed the Apollo mission that heralded the first moonwalk nearly 42 years ago. Aldrin will be joined on stage with Plantronics CEO Ken Kannappan to honor the heritage of the industry pioneer and celebrate continued innovation. The event will be streamed live online and replays can be seen here:http://www.plantronics.com/launch/

“This is a pivotal time in Plantronics history as we celebrate the half century mark and embark upon an exciting time of innovation and industry leadership. It’s an ideal time to introduce the world to our vision of Simply Smarter CommunicationsTM,” said Ken Kannappan, president and chief executive officer at Plantronics.  “We want to end the pain-points that people experience when trying to stay connected at work or home. We think everyone – from consumers to mobile professionals to the business world- should be able to simply communicate regardless of device or location. We want to deliver innovative products with uncompromising quality, an ideal experience and extraordinary service so everyone can simply communicate.”
Simply Smarter CommunicationsTM

Behind the Vision

The “office” has transformed from four walls, a desk and a computer, to something much more fluid, mobile and familiar. No matter the location – home, airport, coffee shop or café – today’s distributed workforce requires instant access to information and people. People want solutions that save time, so they can conduct their business with more productivity and efficiency. Plantronics is uniquely positioned to understand the needs of this new world and create the “hub” for communications, whether users want to communicate via PC or mobile phones, deskphones or softphones.
Industry Supports the Vision

Today’s event will be filled with Plantronics executives, customers, partners, industry influencers and employees. Industry leaders Avaya®, Cisco® and Microsoft® will be speaking on the importance of unified communications in the enterprise and how Plantronics and they are working together to  offer customers solution to simply communicate.
Plantronics UC Toolkit

Available today, the new Plantronics UC Toolkit is a portfolio of IT best practices, guidelines, recommendations, and training tools that encompass the entire lifecycle of a unified communications implementation. The Plantronics UC Toolkit empowers IT organizations so they can have the best UC audio device experience and adoption rates – and ultimately optimize their companies UC investment.

“Now, more than ever, enterprises are embracing the move to unified communications, said Bill Loewenthal, vice president of unified communications at Plantronics. “We created the Plantronics UC Toolkit by leveraging best practices learned through helping our customers deploy UC solutions. The only resource of its kind, the UC Toolkit is designed to arm and empower IT professionals with the best information to meet the demands of today’s business world. With the introduction of the Plantronics UC Toolkit, we are extending our legacy of 50 years of innovation to help our customers embrace our vision of Simply Smarter Communications.”

Plantronics Expands Product Portfolio for Unified Communications
The next generation award-winning Voyager PRO UC Bluetooth headset, announced today, revolutionizes mobile phone and PC communications through smart sensor technology.  It uses advanced hardware and software that seamlessly eliminate communication complexity by detecting presence, integrating with your PC applications, and dramatically enhancing the headset experience.

The Calisto 800 Series, also announced today, are the first speakerphones in Plantronics’ unified communications product portfolio that combine multi-device hands-free connectivity with intuitive visual call management. Optimized for use with Microsoft® Office Communicator and LyncTM, these products were designed for private and home office workers who depend on multiple communication devices to collaborate effectively. The Calisto 800 Series also includes the Calisto 825, which manages calls between a PC and a mobile phone.  The Calisto 825 features a unique wireless microphone that provides unparalleled speakerphone audio quality and freedom of movement.
Please visit www.plantronics.com/calisto to learn more.

Safe Harbor

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements relating to Unified Communications (”UC”) and our Voyager Pro UC and Calisto 800 series. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such statements.  Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated are: (i) UC solutions may not be adopted with the breadth and speed in the marketplace that we currently anticipate and (ii)  our plans are dependent upon adoption of our UC solution by major platform providers such as Microsoft, Cisco, Avaya, Alcatel, and IBM, and we have a limited ability to influence such providers with respect to the functionality of their platforms, their rate of deployment, and their willingness to integrate their platforms with our solutions.  For more information concerning these and other possible risks, please refer to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 1, 2010, quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q, particularly the sections entitled “Risk Factors,” “Certain Forward-Looking Information” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”,  and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as recent press releases.   Plantronics undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date they were made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Hardware

The Jawbone ERA is longer than the ICON, which shifts the microphone closer to your mouth, but the physical controls have been streamlined thanks to the addition of an accelerometer. Jawbone call it Motion-X, but it’s basically a way to kick the headset easily into pairing mode – “ShakeShake” – or answer/end calls – “TapTap” – by shaking or tapping the body of the ERA. Power on and shake ERA four or so times and it will automatically go into pairing mode; then, when you’re wearing the headset, a brisk double-tap will answer incoming calls.

Inside there’s Bluetooth 2.1+EDR with headset and hands-free profile support, as well as (mono) A2DP, and Jawbone reckon up to 33 feet range. Multipoint support means the ERA will remember up to eight paired devices, of which two can be simultaneously connected at any one time; that means you can have your cellphone and your laptop paired, and handle voice and VoIP calls with the same headset.

In the box there’s the ERA, four round earbuds for use with the easily-detached ear hook, four different earbuds with integrated rubber hoops for when you don’t want to use the ear hook, a short microUSB cable, carry pouch and a USB AC adapter. Unlike previous Jawbone ear hooks, the loop supplied with ERA is far more flexible which makes for more comfort together with a better fit for those wearing glasses or sunglasses.

Jawbone ERA unboxing and hands-on:

As with ICON, ERA will work with Jawbone’s MyTALK online suite of services to extend the headset beyond merely answering calls. Basically, it’s an app store for your Bluetooth headset, and with ERA Jawbone has boosted the connectivity speed so that updates take seconds rather than minutes. That’s useful, because you can now upload your address book to the headset’s onboard flash storage: whereas on the ICON the caller ID was read out as a number by a synthetic voice, with the ERA you hear the caller’s name (Jawbone ERA’s CallerID Function works with ten contacts that you’ve programmed using MyTALK). read out by a proper voice artist. Jawbone tells us it will be adding further voice artist recordings throughout the life of the headset, so names not initially covered – and which will get the robotic voice – will eventually get the premium treatment. There’s also the usual voice-control, the ability to dictate an SMS or Twitter update by voice, and the ability to send a short voice memo to Jawbone’s Jawbone THOUGHTS app.

Performance

Audio quality lives up to the solid construction of the ERA itself, putting the headset among the best we’ve tested. Jawbone has used a new wideband speaker – supposedly 25-percent larger – for what it calls HD Audio, along with the latest version of its noise-cancelation tech, NoiseAssassin 3.0. The latter adds automatic volume adjustment and intelligent DSP; with normal voice calls and Skype there was little in the way of obvious processing and simply clear, bright sound. When we tested in more noisy environments, however, such as while driving, the processing shifted into gear and was more ruthless at cutting out background sounds. We prefer the ERA’s performance to that of our previous favorite, Plantronics’ Voyager PRO+, and the Jawbone is more discrete in its design as well.

While the ShakeShake pairing system is slick, it’s the tap-to-answer that really makes the ERA straightforward to use. Rather than hunting for a button – or having to press so hard that it hurts your ear or even dislodges the headset – it’s intuitive to gently tap the ERA a couple of times and then start talking. Jawbone tells us that the Motion-X tech on the ERA is simply the first step in how it expects to develop the technology, and the upgrade potential via the MyTALK system means there’s a good chance new motions will be introduced at a later point.

We haven’t had a chance to put battery life to the test properly yet, but will do so over the next week or so. Jawbone claims up to 5.5hrs of talktime or 10 days of standby time.

Wrap-Up

It’s tough not to be impressed by the Jawbone ERA: the HD audio and effective noise-reduction technology take care of the core functionality, around which the solid build quality, innovative use of an accelerometer, and comfortable fit add up to an all-round winner. Jawbone definitely seems to be listening to feedback, and given the upgradable nature of the ERA we’re hopeful the MyTALK platform will mean future software modifications aren’t solely preserved for new headsets.

At $129.99 – available in Shadowbox, Smokescreen, Midnight and Silver Lining finishes – it’s in the premium price range, but the functionality means you’re getting one of the best performing devices for your money. We’d opt for the ERA over the $99.99 Jawbone ICON (which will remain on sale alongside the new flagship) for its boosted HD Audio performance and easier control.

The Sunrise isn’t your typical bar style headset, it’s a headset that is a round disc that reminds me more than a little of a hockey puck. The device comes in black or maroon colors and is designed for comfort and style. The headset has a soft and flexible molded rubber ear clip and it ships with ear clips for the right and left side of the head.

The outer pad that sits against the ear is made out of a soft material as well. The round design is supposed to balance well on the ear making for more comfortable wear. The device comes with a desk dock for charging and a DC adapter for the car power port that can charge the headset while you drive is available. The Sunrise is on Amazon right now for $79.99 and the car charger dock is a $29.99 option.

The new headset, interestingly enough, doesn’t pack in the new features as many might expect. Instead, it features the same elements as the previous version: dual-microphones, automatic pairing with the PS3 thanks to the USB cable, a charging cradle, and an easily accessible mute button. There’s also the in-game headset status indicator, too. The new official headset also features High Quality (HQ) mode, which will deliver crystal clear voice chat over the PS3.

But, there are some differences. Mainly, it comes in the redesign of the body. Sony says that the new headset is now 30% smaller than the previous iteration, and now features a far more sleek look. And, when you use the device with your PS3 or mobile phone, it now features noise cancellation. The new headset also features three-way calling support for mobile phones, as well as call waiting. You’ll need PlayStation 3 software version 3.50 or higher to make the Bluetooth headset work, though. The new official Bluetooth headset will be made available in the coming weeks, and should retail for $49.99.

[via PlayStation Blog]

The Zikmu design has been around for a while now – Parrot first unveiled them at the end of 2008, in fact – but the most recent update added a choice of colors and made their software smarter. Each speaker stands almost 30-inches high and weighs 17lbs; in addition to the original black there’s now pearl grey, white and the optically searing lime sorbet of our review units. A matching remote control offers the basics – power, volume, play/pause, and track skipping and source selection – and uses RF not infrared for non-line-of-sight operation.

Although they’re billed as perfect partners for your iPod, there are actually quite a few ways to play music through the Zikmu. One of the speakers has an iPod/iPhone dock on top, for direct connection (and recharging) of an Apple PMP, but there’s also an RCA analog input for other sources. However there’s also WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR with A2DP and AVRCP profile support.

The left and right speakers are connected wirelessly, so there’s no cable joining the two (each gets its own power supply), and you can pair your iPod touch, iPhone, or any other Bluetooth smartphone and stream audio through the speakers. Alternatively, using the free PC and Mac software, you can stream audio via WiFi (or, indeed, via Bluetooth) to the Zikmu. With that software you can also manage the audio profile, with a multi-band equalizer, various presets, room compensation and dynamic loudness, which adjusts settings according to whatever audio, is currently playing. You can also flip the left and right channels around, should you move the Zikmu.

Parrot has used a combination of NXT flat panel speakers, a down-facing woofer and a bass-reflex system in each Zikmu unit, which they claim adds up to 360-degree sound. In fact, they recommend you place them near the middle of the room rather than banish them to the corners. There’s certainly a broader sound-stage than you get with regular speakers, and they can crank up to loud levels, but there’s an unfortunate lack of precision along with it.

Partly that seems down to patchy balance between the NXT speakers, which can overemphasize the top end of tracks, and the sometimes-boomy woofer. Some careful tweaking of the equalizer levels things out, but we do wonder if a wireless subwoofer – turning the Zikmu into a 2.1 system – would allow the woofer to do better work in the mid-range. Obviously the quality of your digital audio makes a big difference too: feed the Parrots with low-bitrate files and you’ll end up with a crunchy, underwhelming mess.

Parrot’s main problem is that, for the $1,600 of the Zikmu pair, you can pick up a very strong – but less visually distinctive – amp, iPod dock and speakers that will certainly best them on audio performance. That setup will probably lack the wireless connectivity, however, and it certainly won’t be the talking point that the Zikmu so obviously is. If you can justify a fair chunk of your budget going on aesthetics, and you like the Starck style, the Parrot Zikmu speakers are unusually appealing. [Parrot Zikmu homepage]

To be fair, that’s what a lot of other Bluetooth headset manufacturers have been doing over the past couple of years, but Bose reckons their system is even better at it; “unrivaled in the vast marketplace of Bluetooth mobile headsets,” in fact.  The magic is in the proprietary microphone housing, which apparently makes it easier for the headset to differentiate between speech and everything else.

Soft silicone ear-buds, a sliding power switch and straightforward buttons – together with LEDs that face inwards so your ear doesn’t look like a Christmas tree – round out the package.  As you’d expect given the Bose name, the price is neither shy nor retiring; the headset will land in late November, priced at $149.95.

[via Engadget]

The headset connects to both a mobile phone and to Cisco Unified IP phones at the same time to allow the user to move around the office and remain connected. The office phone or mobile can be answered without needing a different headset for each and the headset will move between endpoints as the user changes location.

The headset is also upgradable with new features as the features are released. The headset has noise cancellation features with NoiseAssassin 2.5 and it shops with different ear tips for a better fit. The headset uses Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR and will work with PC and Mac computers as well.

That’s not to say it’s lacking in technical specs, however. The only glaring omission is A2DP; otherwise you get MultiPoint for dual simultaneous connections, DSP that can supposedly cut through twice as much noise as rivals, and a battery good for six hours of talktime.

First impressions are that it’s certainly comfortable, and while it might look on the delicate side the build quality is high. Sound quality is also particularly strong; we need to spend more time testing, but our initial take is that it will be good competition for the Plantronics Savor M1100 we reviewed earlier in the week. It remains to be seen whether fit and performance match up to the leaders in the Bluetooth headset space, of course. We’ll be putting the Oasis through its paces – particularly in terms of battery life and wind resistance – over the next few days for the full SlashGear review.

The specifications are just as Samsung explained to us: the stylus has a capacitive nib, for writing and drawing on the Galaxy Tab’s capacitive touchscreen, but also includes a Bluetooth module.  That supports MultiPoint – so it can be paired with both the Galaxy Tab and a second Bluetooth device, such as your regular cellphone – and allows you to answer or reject calls remotely.

Play’s description makes no mention of it, but Samsung told us – and the tiny grill you can see near the top in the image above – that the Bluetooth Stylus would also work as a hands-free kit, held to your ear as you would an old-fashioned phone handset.

[via Engadget]

Meanwhile the Oasis is rated for up to six hours of talktime or a full week of standby, and Motorola has shifted around the hardware controls to apparently make them easier to locate while you’re wearing the headset.  The short microphone boom swivels and there are three differently sized ear gels in the box.

The Motorola Oasis will land on October 3rd 2010, priced at $79.99 and initially as an AT&T exclusive.

Plantronics believe the key to the premium market is enabling straightforward multitasking with solid audio performance, hence the Savor M1100′s triple-microphone array and the bundled one year subscription to the new Vocalyst service. Bearing the company’s A-frame design, the Savor is a reasonably short and – at 9g – lightweight headset, though it’s surprisingly thick; Plantronics tells us that’s to accommodate the larger battery required for the three microphones, though the M1100 still tops out at 4hrs talktime.

Controls include a physical power switch, which we always approve of, together with a volume rocker, a call answer/end button and a dedicated voice command button. The three omnidirectional microphones are equally spaced along the fascia, and there’s a microUSB port for power (you can also use the headset while it’s recharging). We remain unconvinced by Plantronics’ gel ear-tips, though many people have no problems with them.

In general use, we can’t much fault the Savor M1100′s performance. Plantronics have implemented their latest AudioIQ3 system, and it does a brilliant job of cutting out background noise while leaving your voice not only audible but natural as well. It falls slightly short of the Voyager Pro+ (more on which later) for overcoming ambient sound – then again it’s also a significantly smaller headset – but the DSP is kinder to the tone of your voice. Although it’s a mono headset, Plantronics has added A2DP stereo connectivity so you can hear both channels of music in the same ear.

Paired with an iPhone, you also get a second battery gauge in the status bar of the phone to show the Savor M1100′s current charge. However we did have an issue keeping the Savor connected with a Motorola DROID X; the headset would sporadically disconnect, forcing either a manual reconnect or, at times, that we delete the pairing altogether and then repair them.

The M1100 has ten pre-programmed voice alerts, covering everything from power and battery status, connectivity and even an estimate of how much talktime you have left. Meanwhile there are also ten user voice commands it can recognize, from the basics – “answer”, “ignore” and “check battery” – to “redial”, “Call Information” (which dials Bing 411) and “Call Vocalyst”. The latter two are US-only at present.

Vocalyst is Plantronics’ branded voice-control service, built on top of Dial2Do recognition technology, and the Savor M1100 comes with a year’s subscription. It requires some setup online first – to register various email and other accounts, for instance – but once that’s done it’s designed to be solely operated by voice. You can tap the voice command button and say “send an email” or “listen to email” and either dictate a message or hear your inbox read out, say “Reminder” and dictate a memo that’s automatically transcribed and emailed to you, or even hear and post Twitter messages. News, sports, weather and finance headlines can be read out, you can send new notes to Evernote, and if you have a BlackBerry or an Android device there’s a free app that will read your SMS messages too.

It all works surprisingly well, and we found the emailed reminders to be particularly useful. Voice-to-text transcription accuracy is, as ever, dependent on how clearly you speak and how common the words are; we wouldn’t want to dictate a review and have it publish as-is, but for general use and shooting out email replies it’s reasonably effective. Plantronics hasn’t yet confirmed how much ongoing Vocalyst subscriptions will be once the included twelve months expire. On the downside, we found it was reasonably easy to run down the Savor M1100′s battery by taking advantage of Vocalyst’s capabilities.

As for the updated Plantronics Voyager Pro+, there are only relatively minor changes in comparison to the model we tested all the way back in April 2009. The company has added in the same enhanced voice alerts and voice prompts from the Savor M1100, together with bundling the Vocalyst service. They’ve also slightly changed the microphone grill, which apparently some users found could catch on their beard or mustache.

Nonetheless, it’s tough to improve on a near-perfect product when it comes to comfort, quality and design, and we remain significantly impressed by the Voyager Pro+. It too gets the iPhone battery gauge, and we didn’t have any issue keeping it paired and connected with the DROID X. Battery life is also stronger than the Savor, at up to six hours (a figure we’ve found to be accurate).

Both new models are priced at $99, and as ever it comes down to fashion and usability as to which should get your credit card details. The Voyager Pro+ remains our choice for battery life and overall performance in difficult environments; we also prefer the fit of its over-the-ear design. It’s hardly discrete, however, and the Savor M1100 is smaller, weighs half as much and – unless you’re in a particularly noisy place – can keep up with the Pro+’s audio quality. On the downside, it requires more frequent charging. Generally speaking, everyday users would probably be better served with the smaller Savor M1100, saving the Voyager Pro+ for those making more hands-free calls. Either, though, is a safe and flexible choice.

Style-wise, there’s not a huge amount of difference between the 903+ and the model it replaces. Plantronics says the casing is more rugged, and we do reckon you could throw the BackBeat into your bag without the included carry pouch and not worry too much about damaging it. The two earpieces are connected by a tough, rubber-coated cord, with the battery sections hooking over the back of your ears and the earbuds themselves mounted on flexible loops.

It’s a comfortable arrangement, as long as you haven’t got particularly large or small ears; there’s minimal adjustment beyond the rubber sections, although Plantronics do throw three different sized sets of earbuds into the box. In terms of controls, there’s a play/pause button on the right earpiece and a call answer/end button on the left; running down the back are power, volume-up/skip-forward and volume-down/skip-back keys.

Of course, different presses can do different tasks, and so long-holding the call button can redial the last number (phone permitting) or reject an incoming call, and other presses mute, trigger re-pairing, transfer ongoing conversations between headset and handset, and turn Bass Boost on or off. If your phone allows, you can do voice-activated dialing, too.

Like Plantronics’ recent monaural headsets, the BackBeat 9303+ gets AudioIQ2 and twin microphones for background noise reduction. It’s a system that works well, though unsurprisingly better with constant background sounds like road noise. Unfortunately there’s no MultiPoint, for hooking up two devices simultaneously; that seems a big omission when you consider how many people might want to pair their phone and their Bluetooth-enabled PMP at the same time.

It’s a shame, because musical performance is strong. The optional Bass Boost does a decent job of adding some thump – handy, since neither MP3s nor Bluetooth are generally known for having a great effect on audio quality – and while you’ll still get better sound from a wired headset, the convenience of the 903+’s is arguably worth the compromise.

Bluetooth A2DP obviously works with most recent devices that support the wireless standard, but if you’ve got an iPhone the experience is a little slicker. As we’ve seen on some other headsets, once paired with the Apple smartphone (or, indeed, an iPod touch) you get a separate battery meter in the status bar, that shows the charge left in your BackBeat. Plantronics reckon you’ll see up to 7hrs talktime or 7 days standby from a full charge, though obviously that depends on whether you’re using the headset for music or conversations. We managed to get through a day of heavy calling and some extended music sessions before the low-battery voice prompt piped up, and there’s a Listening Time announcement option, which will periodically tell you roughly how long you have left.

Considering the improvements in build, audio performance and usability over the headset it replaces, and the fact that Plantronics have kept the price at $99.99, we’re finding it tough to criticize the BackBeat 903+. Yes, if you’re a glasses wearer it can be a little trickier balancing the earpieces, and the absence of MultiPoint technology is a frustrating omission, but strong audio and flexible controls keep the Plantronics running with the front of the pack.

The Bluetooth headset itself folds flat then not in use and stores in a cut out on the back of the case so it is always within reach and accessible when you need it. The cool thing about the MoGo Talk XD is that it does so many things with one product by protecting the phone from drops and scratches as well as keeping your headset with you at all times rather than having that headset sitting in the car when you need it.

The headset uses MoGo SmartAudio technology for clear conversations and more. The headset also has SoundMonitor in-ear audio to provide a rich audio experience. The case will ship on September 1 at a price of $99.99 on the Mogo Store.

If they’re going to be suitable for daily wear, we expect our Bluetooth headsets to be discrete. Happily the M100 fits the bill, with a slimline design in matte black and blue plastics. As with other Plantronics models, the ear-loop is optional (and hinges to suit left or right ear wearing); if you prefer you can use one of the three different sizes of gel ear tips to hold the M100 in place. It’s certainly lightweight enough for that, though we had a little trouble picking the right ear tip: we felt we needed something in-between the standard sizes.

Still, even if it were to drop out of your ear, we’re reasonable confident the M100 would stand the tumble. Build quality is high, and the multifunction button is solid. Plantronics has also made use of various voice alerts, which speak the M100′s status to you rather than expect you to decode a blinking LED. These include low battery, mute and connection status; however, if you pair the M100 with your iPhone, the headset’s battery levels are also shown on-screen on the Apple smartphone.

The M100 supports Multi-Point connections – i.e. you can pair it with more than one Bluetooth device simultaneously – we had trouble when actually tried connecting it to a second device until we discovered Multi-Point is turned OFF by default. To activate, press and hold the Call button and slide the power button to on until LED flashes blue twice; repeat the process to deactivate Multi-Point.

Audio quality, meanwhile, proved strong. With Plantronics positioning the M100 as a mid-range headset we weren’t too surprised to see the absence of user-tweakable EQ, but there’s still echo cancellation, wind reduction and DSP (though not the company’s premium AudioIQ system) to balance the input from the dual microphones. Altogether it adds up to decent background noise reduction – especially when faced with repetitive droning such as wind or road noise – and clear audio for whomever you’ve called. We would’ve liked a little extra sparkle in the higher frequencies, which could be over-squashed by the DSP, but we’d put up with that in return for the absence of hiss.

Battery life is estimated at up to 6hrs talktime or up to 10 days in standby. In actual use, the M100 showed decent stamina, easily getting through a couple of days with a balance of multiple calls and time in standby. The iPhone battery gauge makes for far easier monitoring of power status, too, as does the audio low-battery warning, combining to take some of the guesstimate element out of knowing when exactly your headset is on its last legs.

Overall, we can’t fault the M100′s balance of price and performance, and the lengthy battery life lives up to expectations too. We’re still not 100-percent convinced by Plantronics’ choice of gel ear tips, but that’s down to personal preference. Where the decision gets trickier is when you consider what you can get – from Plantronics themselves – for roughly the same money. The Discovery 975, which we reviewed (and loved) twelve months ago, launched with a $129.99 MRSP but has settled to a street price on a par with (or even below) the new M100′s $79.99 tag. The Discovery 975 is the stronger audio performer, but the M100 is smaller, more discrete and offers longer battery life. For a mid-range headset to comfortably take on yesterday’s flagship is impressive stuff, and the Plantronics M100 comes recommended. Visit Plantronics M100 for more details.