Learn the features and decide what is most important to you.  I am lucky in that I get to try out lots of headsets and pick out my favorite.  And I actually switch it around a little depending on my mood.  Previously, I have used the Plantronics Voyager 510.  It sounds great and it was comfortable.  The over the ear part stayed on my ear very well.  Then my favorite for a long time (and I still go back to this one frequently) was the Nokia BH-900.  That one sounds soo good even in the wind and it is probably the most secure headset I have ever worn.  Lately though, I have been using the Plantronics Discovery 925.  I got the pink one and not only do I love the way it looks, but I love the little carrying case that comes with it and it’s super easy to use.  Just pop it in your ear.

So I used the 510 for comfort and sound quality, the BH-900 for even better sound quality and security and the 925 for looks and ease of use.

“$18″, he says.

“What!?”, I reply.

He goes on to tell me that it was on the upper end of what he was willing to pay for a headset.

I’ve worn ‘cheap’ headsets that are in the $40 range, and they were terrible.  Uncomfortable, terrible sound quality, and they broke within a month.  These $20 pairs must have all the above, plus they were made from recycled Chernobyl metals.

Like most things in life, you get what you pay for with headsets.  I personally don’t recommend buying a $20.  And it’s not because we’re going to make more money if you buy a more expensive one – in fact often the high $ headsets have some of the lowest margins.  But do yourself a favor and pay the extra $20-30 to buy a Bluetooth headset that will be comfortable, that will be clear sounding, that will look good on you, and that won’t damage your hearing.

No, a “Bluetooth” is not a little black device that people wear in their ear and talk on their cell phone.  That device is called a headset.  That headset, however, is using Bluetooth technology.

Bluetooth is a wireless protocol to send and receive data.  It uses radio technology to send data in chunks on different frequencies.   For anyone that wants the full technology scoop, check out the Wikipedia Bluetooth page.

Bluetooth comes in different classes (Class 1,2 and 3).

• Class 1 – Good for about 3 feet
• Class 2 – Good for about 30 feet
• Class 3 – Good for about 100 feet (sexy!)

Bluetooth also comes in different versions

• Bluetooth v1.0
• Bluetooth v2.0
• Bluetooth v3.0

What are the differences?  For most people, the differences aren’t that big a deal.  Just know that the bigger the number, the better the quality of wireless you’re getting from your Bluetooth device.

Bluetooth specifications are developed and licensed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG).  Those guys are probably bringing in some good $$.

And that’s it for this cobalt fang!

Well, it’s actually pretty cool.  Your GPS unit is already mounted to your window and easy to see.  So the face of the GPS unit can control the phone.  You can answer and end calls, you can dial numbers, go through your address book, and even send text messages (apparently this is not recommended, go figure).

Check out the Garmin Nuvi series to explore the sweetness of GPS/Bluetooth fusion.

Read more about the product line
Garmin Bluetooth

Headphones are used to listen to audio stuff … like music or audio books.

Headsets are like a telephone handset, and are used to both hear and speak to someone over the phone.

When you start looking a little closer, there are other details that are different between headphones and headsets:

• Headphones almost always have 2 speakers, one for each ear, to maximize the quality of the audio.  Headsets usually only have 1 speaker (although there are some with 2)
• Headsets, especially wireless headsets, have a button to turn the headset on and off.  Headphones typically are ‘on’ whenever they’re plugged in to an audio device
• The quality of audio is generally higher with headphones

Here’s are examples of headsets and headphones:

Example of a headset

Example of headphones

This next one is confusing because it’s a headset that looks like headphones because it’s so big (Plantronics GameCom 777):

This headset looks like headphones

But the key takeaway is that headphones don’t have a microphone and are used for listening, whereas headsets have a microphone and are used for talking.

Gadget Guide for Bluetooth

There are more Bluetooth products in this guide than you’d think.  There are the obvious ones (cell phones and headsets), but there also a host of other products.  There are car speakerphones, headphones, motorcycle helmets, computer mice, keyboards, printers, desktop speakers, computers, digital cameras, tablet PCs, and MP3 players.  Who would have thought that so many different devices currently use Bluetooth!

We keep seeing this movement in technology away from cords, and over to wireless.  The quality of the signal over wireless channels hasn’t traditionally been up to par, but with the introduction of Bluetooth v3.0, we might start to see things change.

They started out with the Original Jawbone in 2007, which had great noise cancelling from their innovative Noise Activity Sensor that uses contact with your skin to activate the NoiseSheild.  People loved it, but it was one of the bulkier headsets out there.

Then about a year ago they came out with the Jawbone 2.  Much smaller and sleeker then the Original Jawbone, with sutrdier leather covered earloops.  It still used the same voice activity sensor, but upgraded the noise cancelling to NoiseAssassin: from technology developed for the military.

Yesterday, Aliph introduced the Jawbone PRIME Bluetooth headsets, even sleeker than the Jawbone 2s in some funky colors like “Lilac Mean It” aka purple.

So, there are some pretty cool new features on the Jawbone PRIME.

1. NoiseAssassin 2.0 – supposedly even better than the old NoiseAssassin.
2. AVAD – One compaint with the two previous incarnations was that some people had trouble keeping the voise activity sensor touching their face (the little white button in the underside of the headset). The ne AVAD technology will let the headset work as a regular noise cancelling headset even if the VAS is not touching your face.
3. It works in the wind.  New DSP (digital signal processing) allows the Jawbone PRIME to handle winds up to 10MPH.

Jawbone claims on their website that the Jawbone PRIME  is the Best Headset Ever Made.

Look for our audio reviews soon!

• Generic Alternate MAC/PHY (AMP)
• Generic Test Methodology for AMP
• 802.11 Protocol Adaptation Layer
• Enhanced Power Control
• HCI Read Encryption Key Size command
• Unicast Connectionless Data

You’re reading this list, like I did, and you’re thinking to yourself, “what the hell does that mean.”  Essentially the big news is that Bluetooth will now be fast enough to transfer data intensive information like images, music and video.  For example, you’ll be able to easily send pictures from your phone to your computer without any cords.  You can bring your iPod with you and play music in your car or on your computer, completely wireless.  Or even transfer video from your video camera straight to your TV or computer without cords.

All this is accomplished by using 802.11 specifications for wireless data transmissions.

Supposedly, Bluetooth 3.0 will switch between standard Bluetooth radio and 802.11 automatically, since 802.11 transfers will be battery intensive.  We’ll have to see how that actually plays out.

Lastly, it appears Bluetooth is still being classified as a short-range wireless standard, so sorry headset users, you’ll still need to keep your phone nearby!

I will update this with more information as it becomes available.