[kjaslow]

No disrespect for Barjohn's project - I really appreciate the information he's made available, and respect his opinion. But does anyone know of a site that does a decent job of reviewing Bluetooth headsets, keeping up with new ones that are released, and stay abreast of upcoming products?

I've been using the Motorola HS-850. I have mixed experiences with it with my 8700, and am considering a replacement. So far, the devices that have my attention are:

Plantronics Discovery 640
FlaminGo
Motorola H700
Sony-Ericsson HBH-610
Gennum Z-E-N

In this list, my understanding is that the Sony-Ericsson is the only device using Bluetooth 2.0. Has that given it any sort of performance boost? Better clarity? Faster connection?

I also am interested in whether in-the-ear headsets have proven to be louder? I'd expect so, but need some information.

And what products are on the horizon? Should I wait because there's some great device about to be released?

For all this and more, I'd like to find a website that actually keeps track of this stuff. Anyone know of such a beast?

[takeshi]

I haven't found any. Sites like C|Net are full of worthless reviews (e.g. reviews from people who have never used the product). Additionally, it seems that no one bothers to check outbound voice quality. This is a serious deficiency as units like the Motorola HS-810 and HS-850 have excellent inbound quality but tend to have very low volume on the other end.

Good luck and let us know if you find anything!

[rlibson]

all the usual suspects have decent reviews, but none are really aggregating them efficiently. Check out howard chui, mobile burn, phone scoop, infosync. Youll have to search around a little. As for Cnet never really trust their reviews.
I have both the bluespoon ax and a jabra bt-250. Jabra has far better sound quality but makes you look more like a cyborg. The bluespoon has decent enough sound, its incredibly small, they have a new version that may have addressed the sound quality issues. both headsets have sufficient battery life. I prefer the bluespoon.
As for your question about bluetooth 2.0 i am assuming you have a newer blackberry, my 7100t has old bluetooth i believe so i can't address that. I do believe that you need to have an upgraded BT radio in your phone to take advantage of the new standard in the headset.

[kjaslow]

Yeah...I have the new 8700 which supports Bluetooth 2.0

[whsbuss]

Anyone try/own the Plantronics Explorer 320?

[mcspeed]

I use the Jabra BT 350V and from a sound transmit and recieve quality it is very good. Volume does not go loud enough to hear well in a car at eway speeds (windows up). My 7130 discovered it initially and seemed to work okay. Then I leave it and come back and it will not connect with my BB. Turn it on-off numerous times and it will not connect. Not sure what the deal is but it's going back.

Bought it based on a recommendation at the store....would love to see some objective ratings/comparisons.

McSpeed

[mcspeed]

Returned the problematic Jabra BT350 V and replaced it with the Jabra BT250V which is a totally different design. The pairing issues are gone and it pairs quickly when I come into range. The 250 volume is much better but may be more related to the design than actual volume because the earpiece fits into the ear canal better. The 250 sound quality is not as good as the 350 on the recieve but the transmit seems to be good as I always ask the person I call and they say it sounds as good as a land line. The receive has some crackle to it that is annoying but not so much so that I can't live with it. The 250 form factor is a little wierd to deal with. It fits arond the back of the ear like some hearing aids and has a mic boom that protrudes from the bottom side of the ear. I'm still deciding if I like it. The 250 is an improvement over the 350 for me but I'm still not totally satisfied.

mcspeed