Choosing the Right Headset for Your Cell Phone

With laws now commonly requiring the use of a headset when using a cell phone while driving,users have a few important issues to consider in making what, for them, is the best possible choice. In preparation for this article, I reviewed two major evaluation sites (CNET.com and PCWorld.com) and personally used fourteen devices over a twelve month period.

There are two basic 'families' of cell phone headsets available. Wired and wireless (Bluetooth).

Within each family, there are choices and there is no one type or design of headset that is just right for everyone. Here is a simple breakdown of the families and types, along with some of the essential pros and cons of each, for you to consider before you leave home - or go cruising around the Internet - shopping for a cell phone headset.

The "First (oldest) Family" of cell phone headset is the wired variety. These have been around for many, many years. Essentially, this is simply an earpiece/microphone combination on the end of a wire. One end of this wire plugs into a jack receptacle on your phone and the other goes into, over or around your ear. Before the development of Bluetooth technology, the wired sets were the only type available to most consumers. They remain generally available both as OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) accessories or as, generally less expensive, AM (After Market - made by other 'generic' electronics firms) devices. For some users, they remain the best choice.

Pros:

•These are usually the least expensive type of headset to buy. ($5 -$20)

•Every cell phone manufacturer makes them for its own devices and they are often available as AM products at the corner drug or convenience store.

•The sound reception tends to be quite good as no signals have to travel from phone to earpiece through the air.

•As they do not contain any power source of their own, no charging or batteries is/are required.

Cons:

•The user is limited by the wire connection to the length of the wire - generally not longer than 18."

•The wire can get entangled in the steering column.

•Many cell phone manufacturers, most notably Nokia and Motorola, make their products so that most After Market brands simply do not work properly in their phones.

•The points of connection along the wire - to the jack plug or to the earpiece/microphone tend to wear out and break over a period of time.

The "Second Family" is the broader and more recent evolution of wireless, usually Bluetooth devices. These do not require a wired connection. Both sending and receiving signals are transmitted from the cell phone to the headset via radio signals with a range of up to around 30'.

Once a high-tech alternative to the wired family of headsets, these have become increasingly common. There are several major types, each with its own pros and cons and with a variety of prices and features.

Choosing the best wireless headset is a bit like selecting a piece of clothing. One considers both form and function. After all .... You may be wearing it!

An Initial Word-To-The-Wise About Wireless Bluetooth Compliance:

As of this writing, there are two distinct generations of Bluetooth devices. They are either derivatives of Versions 1 or 2. A Version 1 device may not work in a Version 2 phone and conversely. ALWAYS check with the phone manufacturers specs to determine 1) If it is, in the first place, Bluetooth compatible (amazingly, many phones are still being produced and sold without this increasingly ubiquitous wireless capacity,) and 2) Whether it is designed to work with Bluetooth Version 1.1 or 2.0+ or both.

Many Version 2.0+ headsets are "backwards compatible" and will work with Bluetooth Version 1.1 phones, but most Version 1.2 headsets will not function properly in Version 2.0 cell phone. Always be sure to check the manufacturer's specs before buying any accessory for your phone.

The Basic Types of Wireless Headsets:

The first, and probably still most common type of wireless Bluetooth headset, is the simple earpiece which contains both microphone and in-the-ear receiver. Features vary, but most will included the ability to answer incoming calls with a touch of a button, put calls on hold and adjust the incoming volume.

Some will also have a Voice Activation feature that will allow you to call someone by simply saying the name of someone in your cell phone's phonebook. To use such a feature, the phone itself must also be built to allow for Voice Dialing. This is yet another example of the need to check technologies of both headset and phone for compliance with each other.

Also, as with any other product you plan to use on a frequent basis, try before you buy. This includes trying it on for both comfort as well as to test its functionality. Any retailer that will not permit this is simply not deserving of your business. Trust me - you can do better elsewhere.

Some are powered by replicable batteries while others have built-in rechargeable batteries.

Pros:

•This type has been around the longest and is well tested.

•It is the most portable and least conspicuous of the wireless options.

•Good quality simple ear-mounted wireless sets are available for as little as $20, (Check my review of the Samsung WEP200) and can cost up to around $100. For devices claiming better sound filtering and quality reception. The Aliph Jawbone (also reviewed by me here on AC) is at the high-end of this common Bluetooth design.

•They are commonly available in both 1.1 and 2.0+ Versions.

•They are small, light and generally comfortable except, of course, for people who don't like the feeling of having an ear bud in their ear all the time.

Cons:

•People tend to forget they have them on and walk into stores, etc., with a small blue light flashing on the side of their head. (That small flashing blue light is the accepted signal for a Bluetooth device in the "On" setting).

•There are literally hundreds of these available from every major and many minor electronics manufacturers. Price does not necessarily directly correlate with either comfort or technical quality.

•Their abilities to filter out ambient sound, like the noise of a car on the road, vary considerably, as do their costs, designs, comfort and features.

•The two 'time' capacities of a wireless device, Talk Time and Stand By Time (yes, the same two time approximations given by the manufacturers for the cell phones themselves) tend to be significantly shorter on these devices than on either the wireless speakerphones or mega-charged headsets described later.

•Generally, the microphone is within an inch or two of the user's ear, working against clear transmission at 4-5 inches from the average user's mouth.

The second basic design-type of wireless device is the usually visor-mounted Speakerphone.

Currently available from several major manufacturers, one of the best known and well regarded is the Blue Ant SP3 (also reviewed here on AC by yours truly); this device does not require the user to put anything in, on or around the ear. The microphone and audible speaker are in a unit that clips to the car's visor.

Sound quality, noise filtering and voice recognition capacities vary from brand to brand and from model to model. Several have some really nice features like automatically reconnecting to your phone after you have been out of range. It responds to the closing of the car door to reconnect you.

Pros:

•No earpiece is required.

•Talk and Stand By times are measured in days and weeks, not in hours.

•Group conversations are easy because the person at the other end can hear everyone in your car!

Cons:

•No portability: This is a purely vehicle-based device, but is easily moved from one vehicle to another.

•Positioning the device so that the speaker is clearly audible and the speaker is placed for maximum clarity of transmission can be quite a challenge.

The third and most recently popularized innovation is a complete over-the-head headset which looks like a wireless telephone set. A padded spring holds it in place on your head and the microphone is on a boom, placing it only an inch or so from your mouth. The earpiece is a padded earphone so nothing is inserted into the user's ear. The best known of this variety is currently the Motor Trend BT09.

Pros:

•The clearest transmission and reception of any device-type tested.

•Talk and Stand By time equal to the multiple days of the speakerphones.

•Comfortable to wear on the head.

•Ideal for solo driving, even in noisy conditions.

Cons:

•There is nothing subtle about this type of headset. If you're wearing one, everyone will know it.

Both the Speakerphones and the over-the-head sets are appreciably more expensive than the lower priced traditional earpieces. They can run into the $70. - $100. range. Bargains on types two and three are few and far between. Type ones have become near giveaways in stores and are often routinely included with the purchase and plan from many major cellular providers.

Over time, prices will probably come down on all varieties as electronics remains one of the few commodities in our culture that become less expensive over time.

To reiterate a point from the beginning: The headset is about both form and function. About appearance and utility. Neither aspect should be avoided or ignored. It is also important to note that one size does not fit all. That is, many people will wind up having more than one type for different times and different circumstances. Bluetooth enabled phones can usually handle 'pairing' with six or more devices.

I never used wired headsets any more. Bluetooth has won me over. I tend to use an earpiece when using the phone at home so I am free to move around the house, a speakerphone when I am out with my wife so we can both hear and respond to calls and an over-the-head set for the time I spend alone in the car commuting. One phone with three types of headsets. Call me extreme. But, I also have more than one pair of shoes.