Bluetooth Headset Sale: -63%, Reviews: Plantronics Voyager 510: Bluetooth Headset

2009-05-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

Bluetooth Headset: Plantronics Voyager 510, Bluetooth Headset Sale: Save63%

Ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
Save: $63.46 (63%)

Windsmart Technology allows you to seamlessly switch between two Bluetooth® devices
Noise-canceling microphone for superior sound quality
Up to 6 hours talk time and up to 100 hours standby time
One-touch call answer/end, last number redial and voice activated dialing
Compatible with Bluetooth devices supporting the headset or hands-free profile

REVIEWS:

Review By Doug (Salem, OR USA) - I use this headset with a Blackberry 7100. Overall it is a good headset. Although not louder than other headsets, having earpieces that partially insert in the ear canal makes the volume more effective. The mic picks up your voice well while screening background noise pretty effectively. However, the mic is very sensitive to wind noise...we're talking slight breeze here. The foam cover helps a little bit, but not enough. This makes it difficult to use outside. I typically have to duck into the nearest building when I'm trying to talk on the sidewalk.

The fit is good, although it is a two handed task getting it on correctly. Glasses interfere with the fit due to the over-the-ear design, so it takes a little work to get the two to cooperate...usually moving the temple arm of your glasses up out of the way, seating the headset and then putting the temple arm back on your ear in a not-so-comfortable position.
It has a descent set of controls, but unfortunately they're not always user friendly.

As other reviewers point out, the connect/disconnect button is at the center of the ear piece at the base of the mic arm. Having it up against something solid makes it easy to push with one finger...no fumbling with the mic arm trying to squeeze a button. Down side is if the headset doesn't fit snugly in your ear, you have a tendancy to push it in and sometimes hit the disconnect button. The solution is to use an ear piece that fits snug or grab the mic arm to push in on it.

On big weakness of this headset design is the multi-function power switch. As one other reviewer pointed out, you really have to remove the headset to use it. This isn't a big deal when turning the headset on or off due to its auto-standy feature (which is nice), but this switch also controls the volume and mute. Attempting to use these features when wearing the headset is usually unsuccessful because the switch is so small it's hard to find and there's little or no tactile feedback. If you do manage to find and manipulate it, the headset usually becomes dislodged from your ear and you have to refit it. I've just resorted to using the volume and mute control on my phone.

The auto-standby feature automatically puts the headset in standby mode to preserve the battery when not in use for ? minutes. When a call comes in, it activates by sounding a tone to alert you to the call which you can answer by pushing the connect button. This feature is not unique to this headset.

Last negative is I sometimes get clicking noises in the headset. I don't know if this is the phone or the headset, but it can be very irritating especially if you need the volume up loud to overcome background noise. However, I have experienced the same thing, but worse, with other BT headsets, e.g. Motorola.

Having pointed out all the negatives, I've tried both the Motorola 850 and 500 and this Plantronics peforms better for less money.

------------------

By S. B. Gould (Mid West, USA) - This is my second BlueTooth headset, after a Jabra, and is a definite improvement. Crystal clear sound, good range and is very comfortable to wear. Has quite stellar sound cancellation too.

I am not a big fan of devices which stick in your ear canal and the Voyager uses a different approach with various size foam pads that rest against the opening in your ear, but not in it.

Other reviewers have made comment about the size of the power button. Yes, it is small and odd-shaped, but who cares? It's easy enough to use unless you have very odd shaped hands and no thumb.

Now to the issue of battery life. Plantronics claim days, other users have reported hours of life. I believe I have figured out why this occurs. I use this headset with a Nokia 6600 and found that if you terminate the call with the phone instead of the headset, the headset remains connected to the phone via BlueTooth, draining the battery even when not on a call. If you terminate a call with the button on the headset, it will break the BlueTooth connection with the phone (after a couple of minutes) and you will get the days of battery life Plantronics claim. To remake the connection, you have to press the button on the side of the headset - the connection may take several seconds to hook up. Not sure if this is a bug with the BlueTooth protocol, the phone, or the headset. Personally, I have found that BlueTooth is not a very well implemented protocol by most manufacturers.

In summary, well worth buying, especially at the bargain prices it is currently being offered at.

Nokia N97 cell phone: to be released in March

2009-01-20T04:04:00.000-08:00

An online retailer has started accepting pre-orders for the upcoming Nokia N97. There's a specific release date now and a price tag to match the N97 rich feature set. We bet all Nokia fans will rejoice to find out that their dream device will hit the stores in less than three months.

The QWERTY-and-touch-enabled Nokia N97 is supposed to hit the shelves at the last day of March over at Play.com online retailer.

The price tag of 480 GBP (540 euro or 720 US dollars) for the dream-come-true phone sounds quite nice and is actually a tad lower than the officially announced suggested price of 550 euro before taxes or subsidies. We've never seen a Nokia phone introductory price go lower than the initial expectations, so it's either the world financial meltdown talking here or the seller is just pulling our leg.

The Nokia N97 is most definitely one of the most loaded N-series devices out there, but that's not it's all about. The N97 is the first high-end device powered by the latest touchscreen Symbian S60 OS. And if the 3.5-inch touchscreen display is not enough for you, you can always slide-and-tilt it up so the large full QWERTY keyboard gets revealed.

Tri-band HSDPA and quad-band GSM ensure world wide roaming, but the new Nokia N97 also boasts 32GB of internal memory, a 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, touch-enabled Nokia Maps with a digital compass, an accelerometer for auto screen rotation and a proximity sensor for auto screen turn-off during calls.

The 16M color 3.5-inch touchscreen TFT display has a resolution of 360 x 640 pixels that should meet all your handheld widescreen multimedia needs. Of course all the basics are covered too - with stereo Bluetooth, 3.5mm audio jack, TV-out and FM radio with RDS.

As you can imagine the loaded Nokia N97 is quite hefty - it weighs 150 g, but size-wise it's not bigger than say, the Apple iPhone 3G (except in thickness, that is). Via gsmarena.com

Cell phones

Bluetooth Headset Sale: -63%, Reviews: Plantronics Voyager 510: Bluetooth Headset

Bluetooth Headset: Plantronics Voyager 510, Bluetooth Headset Sale: Save63%

Nokia N97 cell phone: to be released in March