Loading ...First of all, I’m blown away by how small Apple’s Bluetooth Headset is compared to all the images published by Apple. So how does it feel, and does it remain firmly in my ear? It feels amazingly lightweight and yes, another shocker is that it stays put!
I didn't have any problems pairing the headset to the iPhone because they simply paired up on their own. It was that simple.
Unboxing Video of the Apple Bluetooth Headset
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I’m often on the road so the included iPhone Travel Cable will come in handy to charge both the iPhone and the Bluetooth Headset – yah!
The instruction manual recommended at least an hour to charge when you initially plug the headset into the cradle, and that you should wait for the amber light to turn green. I was shocked to see the light turn green after just five minutes.
Finally, all I can hope for is decent to superior sound quality — why? Because nowhere does Apple state that this headset features noise cancellation and/or wind guard.
The Apple iPhone Bluetooth Headset retails for $129 + tax. It seems like Apple is shipping out limited quantities. Check with your local Apple store for availability.
I got Judie of GearDiary.com to help me test out the new headset, and here's what she has to say about it:
Vincent just called me to test the sound quality of the headset, and I must say that it was better than I expected - especially after reading that it had no noise cancellation and/or wind guard. His voice came through clearly, and other than a little bit of wavering which I could detect while he was talking to me outside in the wind, there was no real outside noise. There was a little bit of a lag (similar to a walkie-talkie effect), and some faint "white noise" that neither of us could identify. I’ll leave him to tell what things sounded like on his end…
But here is the weird thing - whether Vincent was wearing the headset or not, I kept hearing what I can best describe as a low "white noise" (very low level static, kind of hard to explain). It wasn't a constant thing, and it wasn't totally obnoxious, but I could definitely hear it. It was worse when he was wearing the headset, and it still existed when he wore his nX6000, but it wasn't as severe. We tried calls between his iPhone with and without both headsets, while making calls to both my Mogul (showing 4 bars) and my land line; I could definitely hear it with each different pairing but it was worst with the iPhone headset. Is this something that anyone else has noticed?
On the receiving end, Judie gave the Apple iPhone Bluetooth Headset a rating of 3 out of 5.
After Judie’s feedback on the mysterious "low level white noise" when we were first trying Apple's Bluetooth Headset, I wanted a second person’s opinion of what it sounds like on their end. So I called up Ewdison Then and, without telling him my plan, waited to see if he mentioned anything about the audio. He immediately noticed the lower sound quality and asked if I was on speakerphone. Ewdi commented that my voice sounded as if I was inside a barrow. This is alarming news. I then switched over to the handset and all I could hear was a huge sigh of relief. In his opinion, “the sound quality between the Apple Bluetooth Headset and the iPhone is night and day!”
On a scale of 0 to 5, Ewdi gave the Apple Bluetooth Headset 2 ½, versus 4 out of 5 for the iPhone on its own. Then, just for fun, we tested the sound quality of Gennum's nX6000 Bluetooth Headset; he said the quality was as good as, or better than, the iPhone, bordering 4 to 4 ½ out of 5.
So what do I think? Well it’s both simple and complex. I’ll break it down into three categories. First is style and design, second is comfort and lastly sound quality. Once again, I’m utterly amazed at the simplicity of the design. The headset looks good, is extremely lightweight and feels great. You can probably wear it for hours and forget it’s even there – how’s that for a new level of comfort? I give it 4 out of 5 for style and design, while for comfort it also earned 4 out of 5. That leaves us with sound quality. This rating is only for what I hear on my side of the conversation. There are occasional crackles here and there but other than that I don’t have a lot of issues hearing the other person in a normal environment. Due to the lack of wind guard, however, my voice can become muffled and garbled and making it extremely difficult to understand. With that in mind, I give the sound quality a rating of 3 out of 5. I’ll need to perform more tests under different conditions and update this review over the next few days.
If you must purchase a Bluetooth headset, I suggest you think hard about in which order you place style, comfort and sound quality. If comfort or style are your number one, while sound quality is number three – then the Apple iPhone Bluetooth Headset is perfect for you. On the other hand, if you don’t mind a larger design and need something reasonably comfortable but with higher quality audio, might I suggest the Jawbone. Finally, if you won't settle for anything but a sleek looking headset combined with superior quality sound and high levels of comfort, get the NX6000 by Gennum. It is the only Bluetooth headset I’m aware of that offers both noise cancellation and wind guard. Also, did you know we’re giving three away? Click for more info.
I’m not giving up hope on Apple's offering just yet, though. I’ll be field testing over the next few days to check battery life and audio quality in different environments so, if you want to hear what the headset sounds like, feel free to email tipline@gmail.com with your phone number and I’ll do my best to give you a buzz.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
woah… what is that wallpaper you have? and where can i get it? :)
Does it fall out of your ear easily. I none of apple earbuds fit snuggly in my ear. Like I place it in my ear but as soon as I turn my head it falls out. And also would you say that the jawbone is better than the apple?
Give me another hour and I’ll have the final piece of the review. I’m working late into the wee-hours in order to complete this review, in case everyone is storming out to buy the headset (I just want to make sure that you have your expectations in check). But to quickly answer your questions, it doesn’t wiggle or fall out of your ear. As far as is it better than the Jawbone, sound quality - no. Comfort, style and design - yes.
[quote comment="6109"]woah… what is that wallpaper you have? and where can i get it? :)[/quote]
It’s a picture I took in Kona, Hawaii. Shoot me an email to tipline@gmail.com. I’ll be more than happy to send a copy.
Yah that was a great unboxing, i lvoe apples design sills so much. I think i might get this, but i wanna try one out first. I guess if it odnt like it i can jsut return it the next day or whatever, but thanks for the mini review.
Vincent you seem to be gaining a cult following over a the Boy Genius Report. Folks are saying your a deadringer for Rufio from Hook.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um8mMa5w41A
Vincent,
You did a post a while back about the iPhone continuing to “search” for the bluetooth device, even after it was paired. I was hoping that my Apple headset would eliminate the nonstop search. It has not (however, I am very pleased with the size and sound of it). Did you ever find more info on that, or did it stop when you replaced your phone? I agree that it does seem to tax the battery more than bluetooth should. Let us know if you know more.
The way it was explained to me is this:
iPhone will only search for additional Bluetooth devices if this setting is brought up. So yes even if you already have a device paired up, it will continue to search and search for more devices.
[quote comment="6144"]Vincent you seem to be gaining a cult following over a the Boy Genius Report. Folks are saying your a deadringer for Rufio from Hook.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um8mMa5w41A/quote
crap, that kinda suck because Rufio challenged Hook to a duel, where he is killed — right???
Vincent,
Can you post another video of the headset, please. There aren’t that many vids of it on the web. And I want to make sure it looks good and actually see a video of it close up.
Thanks,
Jon
p.s. - who won the Jawbone headset.
I am packing mine up as we speak. I bought it about a week and a half ago. I was immediately impressed by the build and design. From a gadget perspective it has a coolness factor of 10. I too experienced issues when I tried to leave it in my car and walk around to the other side to get my son out of his car seat. It does not seem to want to stay in sync at all. Often phone calls come in and I am unable to answer as it seems to have lost sync. I now have that same noise issue. I am a supporter of apple and love my iphone even know that battery life is going to be my next issue. My Mac Book Pro 17″ is a wonderful tool, and please don’t get me wrong, I know there may be a firmware update coming to fix the headset issue. But, at this point it is a big let-down. I understand why they where not available on day the iPhone launched. From what I can see, it is still not ready for prime time yet. Maybee version 2…
Very good heads up. We need more of this quality of reviews and research
Hi
Is the iphone able to automatically able to store more than one bluetooth device at a time? The reason I’m asking is because when I get in my car that’s equipped with bluetooth capability it seems that the iphone is not able to fid it. It works fine with my regular heaset, I also turn it off before I get in the car. Do you know why it’s not picking up the bluetooth in the car, or what I could do to take care of that. Any help would be appreciated. BTW, it’s not the iphone bluetooth it’s a Samsung WEP200
Thanks in advance, Leroy
hi everyone,
Today i am facing an strange problem with IPhone since morning i am not able to hear sound from normal iphone i can only hear ring tone but including keypad sound i am not able to hear if i use head set the voice and sound is very clear and as normal i have been using this phone almost an Year this is the first time i faced this problem. Is any one have phased this problem do please provide me with solution.
Thanks
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