Even though many still think wearing a Bluetooth headset is a terrible fashion statement, they're often a necessary evil if you want a hands-free cell phone solution. Besides, many Bluetooth headsets are quite stylish and discreet these days. So if you want to get a new headset for your phone this holiday season, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
1. Sound quality: Before you start thinking about design and features, you should be looking for a headset with superior audio quality. This applies to both outgoing and incoming sound. After all, what's the point of a good-looking headset if it sounds terrible? Be sure to look for headsets with dual-microphone noise-canceling, and find out if it's possible to return a headset if it's not to your liking. Do note that you'll pay more for better quality. Some headsets, like the Plantronics Voyager Pro and the Plantronics Discovery 975, have wind-noise resistance that make them particularly helpful with wind noise, whereas the Motorola Endeavor HX1 is unique in that it blocks out extraneous sound altogether. If you want to get a stereo Bluetooth headset, music audio quality should also be a consideration.
2. Comfort: Equally important to quality is comfort. A headset must be comfortable to wear, especially if you plan on wearing it for hours a day or if you plan on keeping it on while driving. This is where design comes into play as well, as some people like wearing an ear hook for stability, but others prefer the freedom of not having one. You should make sure a headset comes with different-sized ear gels or ear buds so you can play around with the fit. Some headset manufacturers do provide additional ear buds if you ask.
3. Features: Headsets can do more than just make and answer calls these days. Some of the higher-end headsets have features that cheaper models don't. They include multipoint technology, which lets you connect up to two different devices simultaneously. This means that you can pair and connect to two phones, for example, and the headset will seamlessly switch from one to the other without having to disconnect and reconnect. This works especially well if you have to use one phone for work, and the other for personal use. If you're looking to use the headset for music as well, you need to get a headset that is compatible with A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile). All stereo Bluetooth headsets support this of course, but some mono headsets do as well, like the Jabra Stone">Jabra Stone for example.
4. Design: Though this is not quite as important as the other factors, sometimes looks do matter. For example, while we like the Plantronics Voyager Pro, it's quite a bulky headset that is reminiscent of something a telemarketer would wear. Some of our favorite stylish headsets include the Jabra Stone for its unique and discreet style, the Plantronics Discovery 975 for its one-of-a-kind pin design, and, of course, the Aliph Jawbone Prime with its luxury look and feel.
5. Price: Last but not least, price is an important consideration. Bluetooth headsets come in all different price ranges, from the very cheap to the terribly overpriced. You generally get a better headset if you pay more, but you can get decent Bluetooth headsets that are affordable as well. The Samsung WEP470, for example, is under $30, and makes for a good, basic headset. Most of the top headsets are over the $100 price range, however, but you do get what you pay for.
With these factors in mind, I've compiled a gallery of the top Bluetooth headsets of 2009 to help you make a decision if you're in the market for a headset. Take a look and feel free to agree or disagree in the comments. If you want more information, please check out our full Bluetooth headset buying guide feature.
(Credit:
Magellan)
Following the launch of its turn-by-turn navigation app for iPhone, Magellan has released its Premium Car Kit for iPhone and iPod Touch. The Premium Car Kit features an amplified speaker for spoken directions, a Bluetooth speakerphone for hands-free calling, a built-in GPS receiver that should improve positioning compared with the iPhone 3G's built-in GPS as well as adds GPS positioning to first-generation iPhones and the iPod Touches.
The mount lets you rotate the iPhone to portrait and landscape views, and has a built-in charger. Essentially, it will behave exactly like TomTom's Car Kit; however, the Magellan kit has an adjusting arm that will let it accommodate an iPhone or iPod Touch with a protective case.
The Magellan Premium Car Kit will cost $129.99. When TomTom's kit debuted for slightly less than that price, it was universally regarded as too expensive, so we can already guess what sort of reception Magellan's kit will get.
Magellan's Premium Car Kit for iPhone is available now for preorder.
The Bentley Continental Supersports is the fastest car Bentley makes.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)
OK, we are going to get something out of the way from the beginning. The 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports may be the most extreme example of sport luxury available today, putting mere BMWs to shame, but its navigation system is terrible. The maps are very low resolution and, stored on a DVD, are slow to refresh and calculate routes. This navigation system lacks all but the most basic features, with no external data feeds or text to speech. It really doesn't belong in this car.
Let that rest as our main criticism so we can get to the good stuff, which is just about everything else.
Bentley has offered several variations of its Continental coupe since its introduction in 2003, but the Supersports model exhibits the purest level of performance. Bentley tweaked the already massive engine for more power, fitted wheels with big carbon ceramic brakes, and shed 243 pounds of weight, most notably by removing the rear seat.
And you really don't want a rear seat in this car, as you would resent any passengers back there for being a drag on performance, while they would unfriend you on Facebook for being relegated to such cramped quarters.
With its coupe design, the Bentley Continental Supersports cuts a nice profile.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)We were actually a little surprised at the manageable size of this car, making it easy to maneuver through parking garages and dense urban streets. Despite its smallish size, the body is a head-turner, with external lighting nicely molded into the body and the signature wire Bentley grille. The glossy black 20-inch wheels added to this car's unique look.
Of course, the engine also announces the Continental Supersports arrival with a throaty roar. When we pushed the start button, the engine's 12 cylinders began to pump, air was forced into the manifold from twin turbos, and 6 liters of displacement hosted precisely timed explosions that turned the driveshaft with 621 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque.
This kind of power means you can lightly tap the gas pedal and find yourself far ahead of the pack of traffic sitting back there at the light, the drivers just putting their cell phones down so they can get back to the business of driving. Put the gas down a little harder and you push up to freeway speeds, the car showing very little effort. Introduce the pedal to the floor and you've begun a career in amateur rocketry.
... Read moreOn Sale Now: $273,295.00
View the latest prices for 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports
BMW's X6 is a bit difficult to digest, a coupelike body with the proportions and stance of an SUV, managing to lose the virtues of both types of vehicles. And now BMW has given it the M treatment, putting a massively powerful engine under the hood and fitting the suspension with all sorts of ingenious gear to make this vehicle handle like a sports car. Its greatest asset may be that it defies easy categorization.
Cabin tech is good, with really beautiful maps in the navigation system, but we do think that a $90,000 car should have an iPod connection as standard. The X5 M offers the same tech as the X6 M, yet has practical interior space, making it the more obvious choice. But then again, BMW's M cars have never been about practicality.
In addition to letting loose a string of expletives, those who have lost a phone or been a victim of phone thievery have probably reacted with the following: "Nooooo! My contacts!"
(Credit:
Tenbu Technologies)
Mobile innovator Tenbu Technologies has come up with Nio, a Bluetooth security tag that links to any of your belongings. If your laptop, phone, keys, or even child move out of range, an alarm sounds.
The gadget has the potential to save your items and the valuable information they carry, like contacts.
How exactly does it work? Attach Nio to your keys, laptop bag, or other belonging you need to secure. The tag is linked to your Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone running the Nio software. Once you step out of the predefined security zone, an alarm is triggered.
The lowest security zone setting will let you wander about 65 feet before the alarm goes off. High security restricts movement to only a few feet away. This could be useful if you're traveling by plane and are worried that you might doze ... Read more
Driving enthusiasts and long-time city dwellers scoff at automatic parallel parking systems, but when it works as well as the one in the Lincoln MKS, well, you just have to marvel at the technology. This new MKS not only has the excellent cabin tech and luxury appointments of the previous year's model, but Lincoln added new tech features, such as the parking system, to really put this car over the top. Couple all that with the new Ecoboost engine, and it's a near technological masterpiece.
Lincoln's new MK naming convention may seem a little austere, but the luxury and tech in the new MKT is anything but. When you spend some time driving a car, and find you don't want to get out of it at the end of the journey, that speaks well for the car's comfort. We could hardly get enough of the MKT's THX audio system, the automatic high beams, and the adaptive cruise control. It is a little thirsty for our tastes, but 355 horsepower from the Ecoboost engine makes this cruiser get up and go.
HP's "lunchbox" photo printer churns out borderless glossies as large as 5x7 inches.
(Credit: HP)At this time of year, when the parties are nonstop and the shutterbugs are out in full force, nothing beats a photo printer. I've used one for years; they're great for churning out snapshots wherever and whenever you want.
A high-end model that normally sells for $150, HP's Photosmart A646, is on sale for $79.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code SVMY478761 once you get it into your shopping cart.
Also, that's two-day shipping, not the usual pokey 5-15 business days. Something to consider if you're scrambling for holiday gifts.
The A646 accepts SD, XD, and Memory Stick media, though you can also connect any PictBridge-compatible camera or even a USB flash drive. (It works with PCs, too, natch.)
Got Bluetooth? The A646 does, meaning you can wirelessly print photos from your phone. Sweet!
The printer sports a 3.5-inch touch screen for previewing your pix and adding creative ... Read more
On Sale Now: $98.49 - $149.98
View the latest prices for HP PhotoSmart A646
On Sale Now: $45.95 - $91.95
View the latest prices for Norton Internet Security 2010 (1 User, 3 PCs)
(Credit:
Perfect Third)
Please forgive me if I take the easy humor route and inject a few "Twilight: New Moon" jokes into my posts over the next few days. I haven't been sleeping well and when that happens I get groggy and tend to go for the easy laugh. The problem is that some nights I just don't get enough sleep (no, not a vampire). I go to bed at different times and always try to wake up at 8.
That being said, I'd like to try the WakeMate sometime to see how it can help me be more rested so I can make better jokes for all of you. It's a cell phone accessory that monitors and analyzes your sleep and then uses the data to wake you up at the optimal point in your sleep cycle.
Sleep analytics like this have been around for a while, but WakeMate appears to be the first system that uses off-the-shelf components (Bluetooth, iPhones, etc.) to bring the method to the masses.
Sleepers ... Read more
Is that a printer in your pocket, or are you just happy to see the $29 price tag?
Happy Black Friday, everyone! As promised, I spent the morning avoiding retail stores, though I did see a few advertised items that were mighty tempting. Anybody brave the cold, the crowds, the 4 a.m. alarm clock?
Anyway, remember the Dell Wasabi pocket printer from a couple months back? It was a killer deal at $29 shipped, but it sold out quickly.
Amazon is offering the Wasabi's kissing cousin, the Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer, for $29.99 shipped.
This is one of those zero-ink (a.k.a. ZINK) printers that made headlines last year. That means it uses, duh, zero ink, instead heating the crystals embedded in special photo paper (like this $8.67 30-pack, which is worth tossing in the cart).
Consequently, the printer itself is tiny, measuring just 0.9 inch thick by 4.7 inches long by 2.8 inches wide and weighing a mere 8 ounces (with its rechargeable battery installed).... Read more
On Sale Now: $41.95 - $239.99
View the latest prices for Polaroid PoGo Mobile Printer (black)
On Sale Now: $49.99 - $69.99
View the latest prices for Polaroid PoGo Mobile Printer (pink)
