The GE VoIP All-in-One Headset - a Product Review

At $19.99 retail, the GE VoIP All-in-One is the cheapest VoIP headset and microphone combo you're going to find on retail shelves, short of a closeout sale or something. You can expect to get what you pay for - basically, a set of headphones not much better than what you'd find at the dollar store, with an attached microphone that is similarly cheap and flimsy, and the plugs needed to get it working with the computer.

If you're seriously considering purchasing one of these, however, you're probably a cheapo like I am and just looking for something to make free/cheap Skype calls with. So you basically just want something that functions at a level of mutual intelligibility for both parties. I'm happy to report that it does at least accomplish this humble task. The volume tends to be on the low side, and you'll likely have to adjust your computer volume levels up above what they are normally set at for the duration of calls, but the sound quality is perfectly acceptable. I might not advise it for business users who could miss an important call, or seniors who have hearing problems, but outside of that I think it works perfectly fine.

The boom mic is adjustable and "clicks" into position at a number of different angles, and holds steady once fixed to a position. As mentioned before, the earphones are pretty much dollar store quality, so expect noise leakage and somewhat tinny sound. Aside from the computer adapters for the mic-in and audio-out, there's a 2.5mm adapter for phones, and a 3.5mm adapter for iPhones and mp3 players.

From what I've been reading on other sites, this doesn't work well when connected to cell phones, or as an extension for phone handsets. That really wasn't what it was intended for, though, to be fair - I mean it says "VoIP" right in the product title, it's assumed it's being connected directly to a computer for use with Skype or online gaming. It's also definitely on the cheap and flimsy side, and if you're prone to dropping or sitting on these things, I'd definitely invest in a more expensive and durable model. But for most people who don't have a high demand for sound quality, this is going to work just fine for their basic needs.