Jaybird has brought out some good stuff in the last year. The last two things I checked out were the Tigereyes and Endorphin Rush wired headphones. I liked them a lot. This time, Jaybird sent me their new Bluetooth headset, the Sportsband. Is it as good as their original headset? In a word, no.
As I’ve written numerous times here on the site, I am a huge user of voice recognition software. I’m blown away by Dragon Dictation on the iPhone, use Dragon NaturallySpeaking on my Windows 7 machine, and I have MacSpeech Dictate on both my iMac and my MacBook Pro. When I upgraded to the current version of MacSpeech Dictate I discovered that it isn’t configured to allow you to use the built-in microphone for dictation. Turns out there is a reason for this for as good as the microphone is, it isn’t ideal for voice recording. Without a proper headset, there…
Jabra None of the previous Bluetooth headphones that I have had the chance to use have really felt “right”. Many of them were either just like two enormous earbuds in each ear tethered to each other with a wire behind my head, or were too large to chuck in my slender laptop bag that I carted to uni everyday. The idea of cutting the cord between my head and my pocket was a good one, but there were just too many drawbacks. That’s until I tried the Jabra Halo, which has brought me that much closer to wireless freedom. The…
In conjunction with Headsets Direct, we recently gave away a Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth Headset (reviewed here) to Gear Diary reader synapticapple. Michelle (that’s her real name) has just posted an unboxing video of the headset, and I thought it was good enough to share. Enjoy! 🙂
The other day I was having lunch with a good friend. He enjoys his gadgets as much as the rest of us and was excited to tell me about this latest acquisition. He had purchased a pair of Sennheiser MM400 Bluetooth stereo headphones and couldn’t stop raving about them. At a cost of over $260 they were bit on the pricey side but he kept talking about them so positively that I finally said I would need to go check them out. “Hold on a minute” he said and he ran out to the car. He brought them back into…
The Jabra Stone Bluetooth headset came out a few weeks ago. It is, by far, one of the most unusual Bluetooth headsets we have seen. Larry and I have been using it for a little while, and we’ve found that it has some significant pluses and minuses. Let’s take a look.
photos by Kevin It seems as if finding the perfect Bluetooth headset has become a never-ending quest for me; it’s not just about finding one that keeps me from sounding like a fish in a barrel anymore, it’s also about finding one that fits my ear without making me look like a telephone operator or worse – a borg. Just to make things really difficult, so many headsets seem to fall into one of two camps: ridiculously complicated and over-featured or utterly simplistic and featureless. Finding a headset that strikes a balance between sound, comfort, and features has become my…
Last April I reviewed the SoundID 300 Bluetooth Headset. I described it as “Comfortable; Great sound on both ends; Looks good.” Did I really like it? Well let’s just say that since April it is the headset I most regularly use. So how do you improve on at headset that already is comfortable to wear, not obvious when worn and offers great sound? The company has found a way. Here’s a look at the new SoundID 400 Bluetooth Headset…
In the time I have been writing here at Gear Diary, I have made it my mission to find the perfect Bluetooth headset. Although we have tested dozens of headsets, that quest continues. In fact, considering the rate at which new headsets are developed, I would not expect this process to reach a conclusion anytime soon. Today, we will be looking at the Motorola H790, the latest entry in Motorola’s already extensive line of Bluetooth headsets.
As someone who is a gamer but also has a busy family and work schedule, I often find my video game time late at night when the house is quiet and most everyone else is asleep. This gives me two options – mute the sound or use headphones. Sometimes it is a hybrid of these, as I leave my headphones sitting my desk as low-volume speakers. For the past several years I have used fairly cheap headphones, starting with a pair from an older Sony portable CD player, moving on to a pair of cheap headphones I bought for my…
A couple of days ago I reviewed the Jaybird Tiger Eyes earbuds, which include a microphone and are designed primarily for mobile phone users. But what if you aren’t looking for earbuds to use with a mobile phone? Enter the Endorphin Rush earbuds from Jaybird. These earbuds have the same titanium drivers that the Tiger Eyes, which promise similar true to life sound. The Endorphin Rush sound exactly the same as the Tiger Eyes. They sounded a little tinny, but were more than adequate for use when working out. The thing that the Jaybird line of products is known for is…
I’ve used a Plantronics 510 series for about 2 years now. It’s been a nice, steady workhorse for me. It isn’t the flashiest, or the loudest, but it has always been rock solid. Now along comes the new Voyager Pro. It offers a host of new features and technologies – a whole host of improvements. Let’s see if it lives up to the “Pro” moniker…
Can you hear me now? Of course you can. And now…now…and now. why? Because I am using the Griffin SmartTalk Bluetooth Headset. This one uses a dual microphone design to ensure that you can be heard by every caller, in any environment. Want to know more? hit the jump for a closer look.
One of the benefits of writing for both Gear Diary and whatsoniphone.com is that when I find a truly outstanding product, one about which which I am totally enthusiastic, I’m able to share that enthusiasm with a larger audience of both iPhone AND general tech enthusiasts. That’s certainly the case with the Sound ID 300 Bluetooth headset I have been using since last week and the reason I am posting this review on both sites. Bluetooth headsets are commonplace these days. They come in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. When evaluating them there are, to my mind, four criteria…
I’m always on the quest to find new headphones to use with my phones and as we all know the headphone set that comes with the iPhone are most inadequate to the task. In my own case, I couldn’t keep them in my ear!
Bluetooth headsets are commonplace these days — especially since most states have now made it illegal to drive while holding a cell phone. Bluetooth headsets that are both comfortable and sound great, however, are anything but commonplace. More often than not I get a new headset that looks promising, use it for a couple of days, and then discover that there’s something problematic. Perhaps it’s not as comfortable as I’d like, or it doesn’t sit securely enough in my ear when wearing it. Or it may sound great to me, but sound like I’m in a tunnel to the person…
Wi-Gear has upgraded the iMuffs for compatibility and optimization with the iPhone. Previously reviewed October 2007 here at GearDiary, the wireless headphone consistently delivers good performance and comfort for extended wearing periods whether sitting on your duff, driving, walking or exercising. Last year’s model had some initial compatibility issues with the 1st edition of the iPhone, but has been resolved with both iPhone models (3G) with an improved range and less susceptiblily to radio interference The iMuffs use Bluetooth 2.0 and Advance Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) via the dongle that plugs into the base of your iPod or iPhone. iMuffs work…
Since I abhor wires, when the opportunity to check out the next version of the venerable Motorola S9 headset line, I jumped at the chance. Is it as good as the original?
You know how there can be certain products that you see people using all of the time, or that maybe you’ve even used yourself for a while, but you just don’t really “get” them? Well, that’s been my relationship with Bluetooth headsets, or “ear roaches” as Kerry calls them. Sure, I have used and reviewed many of the best models available, and some of them worked so well, fit so comfortably, filtered out background noise so wondrously, or looked so tiny that I thought I might have actually found one I could live with. But in the end, I have…
Ever since Kerry introduced me to the wonderfully descriptive and perfect term “ear roach”, used to describe those obnoxious Bluetooth headsets that so many people wear, I have been hard-pressed to think of them as anything but. However, the Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Earpiece I am writing about today is one earpiece that does not deserve my usual mockery. This earpiece is elegant, light, and dare I say pretty? It is one of the few headsets that looks like jewelry for your ear. But can it handle calls comfortably and with clarity? Read on to see…
USB Fever also sent me a Bluetooth headset. Is it as good as my Insignia headset? How does it stand up to the Jaybird? We’ll find out! The USB Fever Stereo headset is a simple affair; it wraps around the back of your head like a lot of Bluetooth headsets do. Initially, I had to struggle to get these on. It’s a bit weird, as the cable which connects the two buds is springy: it kept springing out of my hand all of the time when I tried to put them on. The upside is once they are on, this…