[Soapm]

Hello,

My wife bought me a BlueAnt Z9 for fathers day and it doesn't seem to do what I wanted.

I wanted a bluetooth headset that in addition to the normal phone calling capabilities I want to use it to listen to my mp3's from my 8310 when I'm out walking and to be able to dictate voice notes to the new voice recorder in OS 4.5. I also want to pair it to my laptop when I'm at work to listen to music there.

Most of all I would like it to use a standard USB connection to recharge. Not some propriatary USB connector like what is on the Z9. This would make the phone charger in my car able to charge my headset also.

What features am I looking for (what do they call the listen to music and the voice dictation features)?

Do you know of any Bluetooth headset's that have these capabilities to include a normal USB charge plug?

[Soapm]

Looks like what I'm looking for are;

A2DP = Streams Audio
Hands Free Profile = Mono 2way audio
Headset = Mono/Stereo two way audio

Does this sound right?

[Soapm]

Anyone use a Motorola S9? Did you like it? What kind of power connector does it have? Is it a regular USB jack?

[oakie]

Originally Posted by Soapm

Anyone use a Motorola S9? Did you like it? What kind of power connector does it have? Is it a regular USB jack?

it's standard mini usb.

i had one for a short while that came with my motorola RIZR Z3. i found that it sounded ok, but didnt fit my head right and looked retarded. from the back it looks like you have braces and are wearing headgear.

[MBW]

I'm running through a bunch of BT evals right now - just got word of Blue Ant sending a Z9i and a Supertooth 3 with an even newer product in the weeks ahead that will launch in late July. Almost a dozen other vendors are also sending gear. Of the bunch, my personal favorite so far is the Com One stereo headset - BT 2 - over-the-ear (not earbud) and a band behind the neck - comfortable for long-term wear, good quality and you can still hear the real world.

My favorite before that was the Moto S9, and before that the BlueSpoon.

I got the Jawbone 2 - tried it - I'll keep it around for very noisy environments.

I have another interesting piece - a Com One BT belt clip - you plug your wired head gear into it to make it BT - it has a talk button on the side & a built-in mike - I can plug in my Koss PortaPro headphones (folding but great quality, I use them to monitor field recording of audio/video) for better audio than any earbud.

Others will tell of their favorites - there are a dozen personal-preference watersheds to consider - I'm sure you'll find something you like.

[Soapm]

Originally Posted by MBW

Of the bunch, my personal favorite so far is the Com One stereo headset - BT 2 - over-the-ear (not earbud) and a band behind the neck - comfortable for long-term wear, good quality and you can still hear the real world..

This Come One may be the ticket. Can you do me a favor and see if the mic works with the voice notes recorder? Also, what type of power connector does it have? Is it a standard USB connector?

[rtst31975]

Originally Posted by oakie

it's standard mini usb.

i had one for a short while that came with my motorola RIZR Z3. i found that it sounded ok, but didnt fit my head right and looked retarded. from the back it looks like you have braces and are wearing headgear.

YehaI hated mine. I was excited to have it but it doesn't fit my head at all. If you try jogging or even walk too fast it falls around.

[MBW]

I tested the Com One with the Voice Notes Recorder and it works just fine - whispered - walked around far enough that the handset couldn't possibly pick me up - got it all.

[MBW]

One caveat - it does not have a USB charging port

[Soapm]

Originally Posted by MBW

One caveat - it does not have a USB charging port

Any of the ones you tested have a standard USB charging port?

[Soapm]

Hey MBW,

A friend came by today with his Jabra BT8010 - . Wow was it nice. It is really two headsets in one and sounded great which is just one more added plus. Maybe Jabra will send you one to test... I am leaning toward it now...

[kleake]

MBW: Have you done any testing on BT headsets for helmets? Right now I am using standard earbuds, but not happy. I want either earbuds with the BT module where I can still put the helmet on, or a regular helmet setup.

[david9962000]

I have the Jabra 8040 and it's great.

[Soapm]

Originally Posted by david9962000

I have the Jabra 8040 and it's great.

I got the 8010 and it is pretty good, however I look like a doofus with a bluetooth in each ear. They should have made one just an earbud since all it does is play audio. Review: Jabra BT8010 - WMExperts

[MBW]

Originally Posted by Soapm

Any of the ones you tested have a standard USB charging port?

Not yet - I think there are two, but I'm waiting to see them - though one PR agency sent me a Radio Shack lighter plug Y connector with their car kit.

[MBW]

Originally Posted by kleake

MBW: Have you done any testing on BT headsets for helmets? Right now I am using standard earbuds, but not happy. I want either earbuds with the BT module where I can still put the helmet on, or a regular helmet setup.

Not directly, but that's a strength for one of the brands - I think it's Cardo Wireless.

[MBW]

Originally Posted by Soapm

Hey MBW,

A friend came by today with his Jabra BT8010 - . Wow was it nice. It is really two headsets in one and sounded great which is just one more added plus. Maybe Jabra will send you one to test... I am leaning toward it now...

We reviewed that in November:

You may have noticed that more phones are doing double duty as media players (woe though this may portend for battery life) & one way or another, the Bluetooth headset makers don’t want to force their fans to leap into wired headsets, so we’re seeing more stereo models. With the MotoRokr S9 we looked at several issues back, the design was a one-piece band, looking something like an oversize Italian designer staple, with the active electronics kept behind the neck. The Jabra BT8010 (street $75-150) takes a different approach, using a primary mono headset in one ear while a companion for the other ear is available to plug in for those times you want stereo. The only connection on the main piece is a USB mini-4, which is a charging port between wearings (it comes with both an AC wall wart & a USB cable for 2 charging options). The second earpiece has a short cable to attach to the same socket when in use, through which it gets both power (so no need to recharge it separately) & signal. The main ear incorporates a small dashboard to indicate its mode; it also has caller ID & phonebook functions which we hope nobody tries to use while driving. It does pair with 2 devices (like a phone & a separate media player) at once & toggles between phone controls (the usual tap functions, plus volume control through its jog wheel) & player controls (pause, skip track & stop); a mode button (on the side, the bottom-most of 3) toggles between modes with a beep to confirm. A menu button (center on the side) lets you control the display behavior (in case you don’t want your ear lighting up every time something new happens), opt for a vibrating alert & a few other chores. Many options, including firmware upgrades, are available through a PC utility that the manual invites you to download & install. It’s rated for about 6 hours of music listening per charge, a bit more for talk time. Did we mention that you shouldn’t wear it in the rain or let it get wet? If you decide to use this with a music player, you may rejoice in knowing that it will do as good a job on highly compressed audio as it does on lossless; in other words, it is not a listening delight for the audio purist or almost anyone else. As a BT headset for a phone, its audio quality is on a par with many we’ve heard (better than some, worse than some) while the feature set is a little nicer, though the user interface is less than wonderful. It is a somewhat better alternative for listening to 2 devices than swapping out multiple pairs of these things, though it’s strange to think of a second disconnected earpiece that either isn’t around when you need it or is when you don’t. The whole thing emanates a sense of having been designed by a committee. Bottom line: for those avid devotees of Bluetooth who have been looking for a way to let one set of headgear connect to & control multiple devices, the Jabra BT8010 may be a fit.

I always try to give them a positive quotable in the Bottom Line sentence, even if it's not something I love.

[MBW]

FYI, for stereo plus phone, I favor on-ear solutions and my favorites so far include the ComOne, IOgear GBMH211W6 and Cardo S-2

[French]

I'm very pleased with my Plantronics Voyager 855. When using in mono the bluetooth piece looks like most any other bluetooth out there (I found the Jabra to look HUGE in comparison). I like the sliding boom for better pick up of my voice when talking to others. I can skip tracks when listening to music, and I love the mute feature for conference calls. It has an earbud that can be attached for stereo listening. The earbud is connected by a cord that is cloth like (not plastic).

I'm very happy with it.

ETA: Standby and talk times are excellent, too.