Posts Tagged bluetooth stereo
Nu-Force Bluetooth Headphones
I’m on my third pair of Sennheiser earbuds. I really like them, at least I want to like them, but they keep breaking at the mini-jack. The first pair gave out when they were so very new that I was convinced there was something wrong with my phone. The warranty has proven good, and this third pair seems to be less willing to fail. It’s the connection wire that’s failing so the clear solution? Try wireless.
The husband really likes the BT-860 headset that came from Nu-Force. His new laptop has built in Bluetooth, so the wireless headset (with a built in mic) is great for things like watching back episodes of Eureka or doing Skype calls with the far away in-laws. Pairing the headphones with your device is simple — I tried it with my phone and my iPad, no problems there. The range is pretty good, I left my phone on a chair in the backyard and wandered around on the lawn, the signal started to get a little muddy at about 20 feet away from the source, but it was still connected.
The controls for the headphones are on the ear piece — skip forward and back, the volume controls, and the call overrides. I didn’t find them particularly intuitive and I wish the little relief buttons were a bit more prominent, making it easier to know what’s what. This probably becomes second nature with more use. Don’t be trying these things for the first time while driving, okay, hands free or no.
As for comfort, I’d say they’re okay. The headband is adjustable for fit, the ear pads are your classic foam pads. Weirdly, they’re square, a design choice, but they do cover my ears. These aren’t isolation or noise blocking, they’re more for use at your hotel room desk than they are for making the noise of the airplane or bus go away. The sound quality was totally acceptable and I appreciate the fact that they’re rechargeable.
In fact, I’m not convinced that they’re for travel use. They don’t have a carrying case and they don’t collapse to a particularly small size. If I’m going to sacrifice luggage space, I want active noise cancellation. I’m going to pass on including these in my carry-on. though if you’re looking for day and/or office use, they’re totally fine.
I’m still on the hunt for those affordable, compact, active noise cancelling headphones, but if you’re looking for an affordable set to pair with your laptop, these aren’t a bad choice. Like I said, the husband rather likes them, but he’s using them on the couch.They’re 79.00 on Amazon.
More headphone reviews? Try these:
Posted by Pam in Business Gear, General Gear on September 9th, 2011
Keeping in Touch: Sony Ericsson Walkman Phone and Bluetooth Stereo Headphones
After owning the portable music market for years with Walkman cassette and CD players, along came the Apple iPod to topple Sony’s domination. Now, Sony Ericsson tries to regain some of its mojo with a media-friendly cell phone and wireless stereo headphones.
The Sony Ericsson W760i is billed as a Walkman phone, positioned somewhere between barebones cellular sets and feature-packed smartphones. If you don’t need all the capabilities of a Blackberry or iPhone or HTC device to stay in touch while you’re on the road, this phone offers features that deserve a serious look.
The W760i handles the basics extremely well. In my hands-on testing, call quality was excellent. The slim, lightweight slider design hides the keypad when not in use. Battery life is respectable, easily lasting two or three days of normal use.
Diving into the features, built-in applications let travelers track appointments and keep up with contacts. Mobile e-mail setup is easy for accounts such as Yahoo!, AOL, Windows Live and major Internet service providers. Some models of the phone allow instant (push) e-mail from Exchange servers. But curiously, the Exchange application is left out of AT&T’s version of mobile e-mail.
You can play your favorite MP3 tunes from an optional memory card (up to 4 GB is supported) and the phone also has a built-in FM radio. For an added cost, more music is available from subscription services such as Napster and eMusic. And MusicID will help identify the title and artist of tunes you don’t know.
With high-speed 3G data, the built-in web browser handles mobile sites and cellular video surprisingly well. The browser even does a credible job on websites not optimized for mobile devices. The screen is not a touch screen, but I found it easy to navigate through the menus with the keys, even when clicking on links and filling in forms.
A built-in camera will record video and 3.2-megapixel still images for sending back those vacation pictures. The unlocked version of the phone will operate with GSM carriers worldwide, which should also be of interest to travelers.
This phone was one of the first to include a shake control, letting you shake or tilt it to advance to the next music track or control some games. The screen auto rotates when the phone is turned sideways. Travelers will also appreciate the flight mode, so applications can be used on airplanes with the phone radio turned off.
There’s also a built-in GPS. But if you want to use it for guided navigation, you’ll pay a monthly fee. My preference is for other GPS apps that are free or involve a one-time cost, such as Garmin Mobile XT which I recently reviewed.
That brings up one of the limitations of this Walkman phone. The operating system means doing without the wide range of applications available for other phones running Windows Mobile, Apple or Android.
A useful companion to the Walkman phone is Sony Ericsson’s HBH-IS800 Wireless Stereo Headphones. Since they are stereo, the two earbuds help block out the roar in crowded airports and other noisy locations. Conversations were understandable on both ends. Several people I called heard a faint static noise in the background.
For listening to music, the bluetooth headphones were not as crisp and clear as wired earbud and microphone combinations such as the V-Moda Vibe II. But the bluetooth headset would be convenient for music listening if you’re moving around a room or taking a jog.
The list price for the wireless stereo headphones is $179.99. The street price for the unlocked phone (if you don’t want to be tied to a specific carrier or contract) is around $250. Currently, AT&T is almost giving it away with a rebate and two-year contract.
Some of the more-demanding, hardcore business travelers—or music lovers who need more than 4 GB of storage—will want more than what this phone has to offer. But overall, the Sony Ericsson W760i Walkman phone has a lot of built-in features that should meet the needs of many road warriors.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on October 5th, 2009
