I hate the idea of wearing one of these, but my new phone (Samsung A990) has a lot of dead spots at my house. I'm thinking about getting a Bluetooth headset so I can walk around my place and leave my phone in a "good" spot.

After looking online I really don't know what makes one any better than another. Can anyone share some stories about brands, models, battery life, etc.?

 

I have used several models in all price ranges and have found the following work pretty well.

Jabra BT160 is my favorite so far, 8 hours of battery and you can actually get to the 30 foot mark before static takes over. The bonus on the design is that you can actually hear with the top down when driving. BT ver 1.2

Nokia HDC3 Overall a good headset, long battery life (around 7 hours) great distance but a little heavier that the others. BT ver 1.1

Motorola H500 Ok headset, not as loud as the Jabra but also a good battery life around 8 hours. BT ver 1.1

Motorola H700 Very small and very light weight, battery life suffers because of that, around 6 hours. Also expensive for the features. This one does have noise cancelling feature, although it doesnt work that well. BT ver 2.0

Samsung WEP200 We will be receiving this headset soon and from what I have seen it is very light but will only yield about 4 hours but performes very well. BT ver 2.0


If you want any more info, just let me know

 

Kevin and Naveed are your boys to ask. They have them implanted in their head.

 

What is the difference between BT versions? Also, what features are available? I think if I had an understanding of this stuff I could probably figure out which one I want.

Thank you for all that feedback so far.

 

Well BT can be important, you want to look at the phone to find out what version of BT is supports.

1.0 was the original version and of course has inherant issue, ie distance, battery life

1.1 fixed most of those issues

1.2 supports more features, such as call waiting and enhanced service quality

2.0 also supports a faster data rate, some headset/phone combinations allow music streaming.

The big issue I have found is that a 2.0 phone, seems to drop connection with the 1.1 headsets regularly.

Most handsets now are either 1.2 or 2.0 so either headset will work fine. What I recommend also is that you go to a store and try some of the headset on as comfort is very important.

** update** your phone supports 1.1 so you can use 1.1, 1.2 or 2.0 but some headset features may not be supported.

 

You can also go to www.bluetooth.com for more research but here are some basics

Bluetooth Basics

Bluetooth wireless technology is a short-range communications technology intended to replace the cables connecting portable and/or fixed devices while maintaining high levels of security. The key features of Bluetooth technology are robustness, low power, and low cost. The Bluetooth specification defines a uniform structure for a wide range of devices to connect and communicate with each other.

Bluetooth technology has achieved global acceptance such that any Bluetooth enabled device, almost everywhere in the world, can connect to other Bluetooth enabled devices in proximity. Bluetooth enabled electronic devices connect and communicate wirelessly through short-range, ad hoc networks known as piconets. Each device can simultaneously communicate with up to seven other devices within a single piconet. Each device can also belong to several piconets simultaneously. Piconets are established dynamically and automatically as Bluetooth enabled devices enter and leave radio proximity.

A fundamental Bluetooth wireless technology strength is the ability to simultaneously handle both data and voice transmissions. This enables users to enjoy variety of innovative solutions such as a hands-free headset for voice calls, printing and fax capabilities, and synchronizing PDA, laptop, and mobile phone applications to name a few.

Core Specification Versions

* Version 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR), adopted November, 2004
* Version 1.2, adopted November, 2003

Specification Make-Up
Unlike many other wireless standards, the Bluetooth wireless specification gives product developers both link layer and application layer definitions, which supports data and voice applications.

Spectrum
Bluetooth technology operates in the unlicensed industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band at 2.4 to 2.485 GHz, using a spread spectrum, frequency hopping, full-duplex signal at a nominal rate of 1600 hops/sec. The 2.4 GHz ISM band is available and unlicensed in most countries.

Interference
Bluetooth technology

 

Thanks for all your help Chris. Looks like I may end up being the shady guy who buys and returns stuff at Best Buy until I'm happy.

 

i think i have the h500 but either way it is small but works fine. i can hear people through it fine, unless i'm in the S

 

I just picked up a Plantronics Voyager 510, and I love it.

 

but then again, not my style of headset it does work well, we have carried them for about 6 months.