I used a bluetooth headset in the past. It was an excellent device for when driving and having to take a call or just sitting at home and not wanting to hold the phone against your head for long conversations. Given the opportunity to review this device, I can honestly say I was impressed. There are only two negatives that came to mind, which I'll get to later on in the review.
Aesthetically, the device has a sleek look. It feels nice in your hand, although the part that wraps around your ear is more rubbery, which is nice as it won't bother you when it's wrapped around your ear. The portable charger it comes with doesn't increase the size of the unit that much and will easily fit into a pocket. It also keeps the unit charged when on the go, an excellent feature. Here though is the first negative. The unit comes with a usb connector and an electrical outlet connector, both are rather limited in length, VERY limited.
In terms of set up, I have an iPhone 4 and with it the bluetooth set up took less than 5 seconds. The phone saw the bluetooth device and automatically connected to it, no pin number necessary (although instructions are provided if you need to go through the process with a pin number). Making phone calls was pleasant enough. If the earpiece is uncomfortable, the unit comes with a few other choices, which will hopefully prove a better fit. I love the fact that I can answer calls by simply saying 'answer', no buttons to press or find. The earpiece itself has a button that lets you check the battery level and if a call is incoming allows you to answer it and/or finish the call (another option aside from using the voice feature). Furthermore, pressing it twice will redial the last number. You can also adjust the volume by moving your finger along the length of the earpiece. So the unit itself carries no negatives but its price point is up there (for $60 or $75 this would be a no-brainer). Truthfully, having experienced what his unit has to offer, if I was in need of a bluetooth device, this would definitely be my pick.
Jabra STONE2 Bluetooth Headset [Retail packaging]I got this gizmo over 6 weeks ago, and i waited this time to review it so i can compose an experience-based impression about it.
here it goes:
1- Shape and Materials:
A-Headset:
Pros:
- Ergonomic shape and reflects the designer's knowledge of human outer ear configuration.
- 4 silicon gel fittings for ear piece. (i preferred the one already installed) but if you have smaller/larger than usual ear canal, you will find a fitting.
- Light weight (around 8 gm)
- No Buttons at all.
- Thin and flexible ear piece holder, it does not cause pressure on your outer ear, sometimes you forget you were wearing it! and it FITS even in the presence of glasses or sunglasses. Thats a nice thing in my experience.
- Velvety (skin-like) texture, fingerprint proof, nice to catch, never slips off your fingers or your ear.
Cons:
- Only fits right ear. Not a big problem to me, however, if you cant use your right ear, DO NOT BUY IT! its no good for you.
- dirt can easily accumulate in ear piece opening and in the little space around the end of ear piece (this can make the answer/reject button click sticky) ...This can be overcome by inspecting the headset every time you take it off your ear, and remove any earwax on the spot.
- After long usage, and if you have a Large ear curvature ,the ear loop slightly lose spring power, and when placed in Stone, it sticks out a bit, this protrusion can make it inadvertently hook to anything in pocket/purse and make it dislodge. This can be solved by slightly pressing the ear loop inward with the palm of your hand (hold the headset in your hand, close your hand gently as if you are squeezing the headset loop, hold it in that position for a minute or repeat the maneuver every 5 seconds for couple of minutes.. (it feels like tiny Stress ball training!) don't over press or you may crush it :)
B-Stone:
Pros:
- Novel design & Innovative idea. Saves much time for frequent recharge of the headset.
- Perfect storage for headset.
- Light weight.
- LED light indicating charge left in battery.
- Same outer material like headset. same feeling.
Cons:
- The belt clip is made of plastic, feels a bit cheap, i won't risk it break loose and lose my stone/headset.
- No alternative to recharge the headset of the stone was out of reach or worst case: lost. If you lose the stone, kiss the headset goodbye
- No protection for the headset ear piece from having dirt or debris from pocket/purse. always take care and have a quick look at ear piece after you take it out of the stone & before you insert it into your ear canal. I once had a tiny wooden chip stuck in it, it was sharp enough to cause skin prick. i think one can never guess whats in his pocket all time!
2- Operation:
A- Headset:
Pros:
- Pairing with 1st phone is a no brainer, just enable BT on phone, make it discoverable, switch on headset (after Fully charging it) and hear audio instruction/comments which confirms connection.
- Works with iPhone 4 smoothly, no troubles in pairing /reception!
- Very Good battery life (it worked upon first charge for a whole 50 min call, flawlessly, at the end of call, battery level was medium. then it worked next day for around 30 min before recharge was needed. Apprx bat life is 60 hrs Stdby, 1.5-2 hrs talk time.
- Verbal commands is a Big plus!
- Fast Connection time. When headset is taken out of the stone, takes less than 4 secs to successfully hook with phone sending/ receiving a call.
- Reasonable range of BT connection (7-8 meters from phone) no walls. if from room-to-room range is around 3-4m. with 1-2 walls in between. then signal is lost.
- Volume level can be changed by touch,, thats pretty cool and practical. but before you try raising the volume level, make sure that the ear piece is pointing toward your ear canal, sometime a little movement can dramatically improve the volume. also beware to check the volume level on your phone. Its better to set volume level to high @ phone than on the headset. Make a trail call to check that before first use. you will hear "scrolling/clicks" as u move ur finger up/ down the headset. then when u reach top level, the little clicks stops and you hear a Longer than usual click.
- Sound quality for both sides is Good, some complained of broken words, but i never had problem in receiving as long as the network signal was OK.
- Perfect reception and clear audio when you are in a noisy background (Mall/ Market/ driving), however, you may experience "static clicks" or "beeps" if you pass by strong electromagnetic field (near power transformers/ high voltage electrical mains or the 300kV towers. Also if there are many bluetooth trying to connect to your device (specially in malls), you can hear beeps sometimes, its mainly from the phone not headset.
CONS:
- Static can be annoying, but as i said its not all time, it depends on where you are.
- Some networks cause Battery life to drop dramatically, (around 50% of power is drained by the cellular network) as they scan your phone status more frequently and this makes phone refresh the BT connection more. Jabra should find a solution for that problem i guess by making the BT go online only when there is an activity done by user or incoming /outgoing call.
- Streaming media via BT makes it hot, depletes charge. but not phone calls. Been told its the volume of data transmitted that causes to use more energy. 25 min of music drained the battery to near zero.
- Pairing with 2nd device needs instruction manual. not straight forward.
B- Stone:
PROS:
- Keeps a charge for 3-4 time. or for 14 days (max time tested by me without need to charge stone)
- Quite fast charging time.
CONS:
Stone worked well so far, no problems, and regarding complaints about the charger wire length being too short, Well, its not a problem to leave it hanging from wall; its light weight, and you dont need to charge it everyday,, in average if you talk around 30 min/day with BT, you need to charge stone every 5-7 days.
One VERY important charging note:
Like all rechargeable devices/batteries, Upon unpacking device for FIRST use, PLEASE RESIST the TEMPTATION to switch it on and use it right away.. DO NOT USE DEVICE out of the package,
This is the best way to charge it:
charge the Stone with the headset OUT. once the red light is off, unplug stone, then plug it again, the red light goes on again, but for a shorter time (around 5 min) then goes off again. Now you unplug the stone, insert the headset and leave it for around 20-30 min. take it out and press it once, sound will indicate the charge level, if says Battery level is High, then you are done with headset and can use it fully. Now plug the stone back again, the red light will go on for longer time (15-20 min) as this compensates the initial charge given to the headset.. this way you will have a longer battery life for both headset and stone.
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Updated 1 :
21/5/2011
This Video review was most helpful in making up my mind about Jabra 2
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This review is to be updated if any issue comes along..
Your questions/notes are always welcome :) - Iphone - Bluetooth - Headset - Ear Piece'
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