This headset is the closest to perfect I've used.Features:
* Dedicated sliding on/off switch.
* Streaming of music, audio, podcasts, etc.
* Long battery life
* Noise and wind cancellation
* Voice notifications
Pros:
* Connects instantly to phone. No missed calls due to on/off delay.
* Small size.
* Light weight.
* Loud, crisp, audio.
* Battery lasts a LONG time.
* Standard micro-USB charging jack.
* Can stream music or other audio from phone to headset. Great for listening to talk radio, podcasts, etc.
* Great Bluetooth range.
Cons:
* Single volume button rather than up/down volume.
* Noise cancellation not as effective as some other headsets.
* At max volume, it can crackle at times.
Review:
I have used about a dozen different Bluetooth headsets and this one is now my favorite. It's not perfect but it is the closest to perfect I've used. I've always been torn between the Moto and Plantronics brand headsets. The reason is the Moto headsets turn on instantly when you open the boom. They are also very comfortable. The problem is that the boom hinge breaks over time or if you put the headset in your pocket. Also, the battery life is okay but not great. Last, while the early Moto headsets had great voice quality, the newer ones are muffled sounding.
The Plantronics headsets get louder then other brands and they last. I have 4 different models and I've never had one of them break. They are rugged! Some aren't very comfortable though. Their battery lasts a very long time so I don't have to carry another charger when I travel for a day or two, which is good since Plantronics uses a proprietary charger. I always wondered why they don't use a standard mini or micro USB jack like everyone else. While I always liked Plantronics best, there was lots of room for improvement.
Enter the Plantronics M50. First, it has a slide switch for power. One of the most annoying things about most Bluetooth headsets is you must press and hold the power button for several seconds to power on the headset. By the time you do this, your call may be missed. This headset powers up instantly with the slide of the power switch. No delays and no missed calls. It is so small and light, you barely notice it is on your ear. It fits securely so I don't worry about it flying off my head if I bend down, turn my head quickly or I'm running to catch my flight. It gets plenty loud, which is a big complaint with other brand headsets. And, it uses a standard micro USB charging jack so I can charge it with my phone's charger. It includes a charger as well. The unit has 3 controls: a power on/off slider, a volume button and an answer/hang up button. It also has a status LED. The LED is red when charging, blue when talking, flashing red/blue for pairing and off when streaming audio. To pair the unit, turn it on, press and hold the answer button for a few seconds until the LED toggles red/blue and then follow your phone's pairing procedure.
When in operation, the headset gives you status messages through the earpiece so you aren't wondering if you turned it on or off, etc. When you switch the headset on, it speaks, "Power On, Battery High, Connected". When you switch it off; it says, "Power Off". The unit uses a single volume button that toggles between 3 volume settings. Each push toggles to the next setting high/med/low/med/high. With each push of the button, you hear a tone that gets louder or lower with the volume setting. When you reach maximum volume, the headset says, "Maximum Volume". As the battery gets weaker, the headset will give a voice prompt of "Battery Medium" and "Battery Low". At maximum volume, the audio did crackle sometimes but it was very loud so that is to be expected. While the headset only has 3 volume levels, you have finer volume control using the phones volume buttons.
The range of this headset is excellent. Most headset crackle if I have the headset on my right ear and the phone in my left front pocket. No cracking from this headset. While this headset claims to be noise and wind canceling, I didn't find the cancellation feature to be as effective as my Voyager 520. That said, the outgoing voice quality is excellent; crisp, clear and loud. Even with background noise present, my voice punched through.
Now for the best feature of all. This headset allows you to stream audio from the phone to the headset! You can listen to music, stream radio, podcasts or GPS directions directly to the headset. I have a radio app and a police scanner app on my Android phone and it is great to be able to listen privately through the headset. Don't expect high fidelity but it is fine for voice and okay for music if you are not too picky and don't care that it is not stereo. The LED is not illuminated when using the streaming function, so you do not attract unwanted attention. If the phone rings while you are listening, you get a tune in the earpiece as well as ringer or vibration on the phone. Just press the answer button and you can answer the phone. The streaming audio is silenced. This part isn't perfect and it caused a force close on one of my Droid apps. I'm not sure if that is a headset or app problem. It was a minor nuisance but the important thing is I was able to take my call. One note about the answer button... There is no visible button. You just press the outside surface of the headset where it meets you ear. It was easier than many headsets that have a protruding button.
This headset has a feature called "Multipoint" that lets you pair it with 2 phones and allows you to answer either phone. I have no use for that feature so I did not test it.
Conclusion:
This is a great little headset that combines all the features I want and need. It is small, light, loud and comfortable. It charges with my phone's charger and it streams audio. What's not to love?
This headset syncs easily on my Samsung Gravity Touch or PS3 if you happen to play video games online. The sound quality is good for an average priced headset. I don't have any problems with disconnects or voice transmission.
I have also owned other headsets that tend to want to move or feel like they are going to fall off. Not a problem with this one, it's held securely in place and is fairly comfortable.
I love the battery life on this headset and it will last me at least 8 hours of constant use. I usually stick with a Motorola headset because most of them also have good battery life. I have had many headsets that only last for about 4 hours and I didn't like that at all. You can get a lot of use out of this headset without constantly recharging it.
This headset will come with a wall charger and it's covered by a 1 year limited warranty. For the price I think this is one of the better headset options at the present time.
Buy Plantronics M50 - Bluetooth Headset (Black) Now
This is a cute BT headset that is very lightweight. It pairs very easily with Skype (as long as you have a BT adapter). The standby time is about 16 hr, and I've had a conversation lasting +5 hours straight on this thing with no problems. I've paired it with my computer and phone, and there have been no problems at all. The pairing is very easy.One of the best features of the headset for me is that fact that it has a switch to turn off/on, and a voice will tell you when you've turned it off/on. This is waaaaay better than other BT where you have to double/triple press a button not knowing if you've turned it on or off.
I knocked off 1 star because the ear loop is made of thin plastic and it could very easily break. Once that loop breaks, there won't be a way for me to keep it secure to my ear. There are NO additional ear buds that come with it. What you receive is what you get. The ear buds fit me fine, but others might not feel that way.
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Over the years I have used numerous Bluetooth headsets. As I write this review, this product is not yet available at the retail Amazon site but I was sent this for free to review. That's why I cannot comment about its price and compare its value with other headsets that I have used.Pros:
One of the most important features that I want in a Bluetooth headset is noise cancellation. Almost 90% of the times when I am using a Bluetooth, I am also driving. So the first test for this headset was using it in extremely noisy and windy environment. I have to say I was extremely impressed by its performance. The only other Bluetooth headset that performed this good was my old (original) Jawbone. Between this and the Jawbone, I have gone through at least four different headsets but I kept going back to the Jawbone because of its performance in windy/noisy environment. After using this headset, I can finally retire my old Jawbone.
The second best feature that I liked about this headset is its ease of use. It is easy enough to put on and take off that I don't have to use two hands (especially for putting it on). It fits very well and its very comfortable for extended use.
Some of the other features I like are:
Long Battery: It's been running on standby for days on a single charge.
Slim design: I like the fact that it's not too bulky and I can easily put it in my pockets.
Bluetooth 3.0: Though I used it with my Motorola Atrix which only has Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, I like the fact that this has the latest Bluetooth standard which will be supported by newer devices. It paired with my phone within seconds. I also tried to pair it with my Windows 7 but my computer could not load the drivers for it. Though it detected the headset, my Windows PC kept prompting me to download the drivers for it. I couldn't locate any drivers manually. It also couldn't download the drivers automatically. This is perhaps because the product is not released so Windows 7 is unable to download its drivers. Ironically, my MacBook Air was able to pair with it as quickly as did my Motorola phone (i.e. within seconds).
Cons:
I do not like the fact that its earloop is made of plastic. I fear that, because it looks too fragile, it will eventually break. I have been putting it in my jeans front pockets and so far it's been okay. But I am not sure if the earloop is going to last long.
Even though, it fit my ear very well, I found it surprising that it didn't include any additional earbuds. Not all ears are the same, so some people may find the earbuds included to be too small for them.
Conclusion:
Overall, I really love this headset because of its superior noise-cancellation feature and its long battery life.
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The Goods this is a very intuitive product. easy operation. easy set up. it fits well and stays put. battery life is excellent.The Bads really just one. the range. if i have the headset on my right ear, i can't put the phone in my left front pocket. it has to go in my right front pocket and I can't hold my arm next to it. no kidding. i live in AZ, so maybe the heat is an issue? that said 90 degrees isn't really that bad yet.
I am not going to return it. I will keep it as my backup for heavy use days. I'll find another product with better range as my main unit. If you are using this product in your car it will be great for you.
Update: (Dec 11,2012)
To clarify my review. My comments were based on my outdoor use. Indoors the earpiece works well with a range of 30-40'. The phone is a Galaxy2s and I have not tried it on other phones. I still use the earpiece daily in the car and at my desk.
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