PDAs

• Ergonomic earhook with improved back housing design to form fit to your ear; reversible for comfortable wearing
• Blue LED light to notify when the headset is in use
• Provides up to 8 hours of talk time and up to 130 hours of standby time

Motorola's H500 headset is a member of Motorola's 3rd generation of Bluetooth headsets. Like the RAZR styled H3 headset that it shares many components with, the Bluetooth v1.2 compatible H500 is rated for up to 8 hours of talk time and 130 hours of standby time. However, the H500 is both smaller and lighter than the more industrial looking H3, weighing only .6oz (17.6g) and having a body length of only 2.3" (58mm). As such, it can easily fit in a shirt or pants pocket without trouble. Since it is very solidly built and has no easily breakable parts, you won't have to worry about it getting damaged, either.

Recharge your H500 with a miniUSB cable.

Ergonomically, I find the H500 to be the most comfortable and secure fitting of the current lineup of Motorola headsets. The ear-loop is thin enough for use with eyeglasses, yet has a rubber surface that is grippy enough to hold the headset's minimal heft in place for most people. While the ear-loop can be easily removed and flipped for use on either ear, it is not adjustable beyond that. However, when it is flipped, a sensor inside the headset reconfigures the two volume control buttons so that the up volume button is always on the top side, and the down volume button is always on the bottom.

The only other control on the H500 is the multi-function button on the outside face of the H500. The button does not require a lot of pressure to activate, thankfully, and handles power on and off, as well as all of the call control features - excluding volume. Those include answering and ending a call, as well as 3-way call control, hold, and mute functionality. Pairing the headset with a phone is a simple task: just hold the multi-function button for an extra few seconds when turning the H500 on, and the blue LED call indicator will turn on. This means that the headset is ready to be paired, and can be discovered with any phone, PDA, or computer that supports the headset or hands free Bluetooth profiles. As is the case for most headsets on the market, the PIN code for the H500 is "0000".

The previously mentioned blue LED status light can even be turned off if you don't wish to draw any undue attention to yourself. Normally the LED cycles on and off slowly during a call, and will flash briefly once every few seconds otherwise to indicate that it is powered on.

Click the image to see the H500 in action.

In terms of audio quality, the H500 offers great inbound sound and reasonable outbound performance as well. The only issue with the outbound sound is that it is missing some high frequency response, which makes the otherwise full audio sound a little muffled at times. It is a much more pleasant sound than that which many other handsets offer, but is not necessarily as easy to understand. But with that said, the overall audio performance is still quite good. When using the H500 with various mobile phones and PC Bluetooth adapters the connections remained completely static free.

Like most of the newer Motorola handsets that we've seen released in the past year or so, the Motorola H500 makes use of a miniUSB connection for power. As such, the headset can be recharged with a Motorola miniUSB power adapter as well as with a regular miniUSB cable connected to a desktop or laptop personal computer, which is often much more convenient.

Pros:

Cons:

The Motorola H500 Bluetooth headset is available in a multiple colors, including a bright pink version that perfectly matches the color of the pink Motorola RAZR V3c that is sold by Verizon Wireless. For as little as the H500 costs, you can hardly ask for more. You won't be disappointed with it.

--Reviewed by Michael Oryl, editor in chief of www.MobileBurn.com

• Ergonomic earhook with improved back housing design to form fit to your ear; reversible for comfortable wearing
• Blue LED light to notify when the headset is in use
• Provides up to 8 hours of talk time and up to 130 hours of standby time

• Windsmart Technology allows you to seamlessly switch between two Bluetooth® devices
• Up to 6 hours talk time and up to 100 hours standby time
• Compatible with Bluetooth devices supporting the headset or hands-free profile

• Mono Bluetooth headset for handsfree voice communication with unique body design that employs a folding microphone boom
• Multifunction call control button and volume buttons
• Talk time of up to 8 hours and standby time of up to 200 hours

The Motorola HS850 is the company's update to their HS810 headset, one of my personal favorites. The changes made to produce the new HS850 are few, but the effect is relatively substantial. But first, let's start with what is the same.

Like the HS810, the HS850 makes use of a body design that employs a folding microphone boom. The folding microphone boom acts as the on and off switch, as well as just providing a convenient way to make the headset smaller and more pocketable when not in use. When a call comes into your phone, you can turn on and answer the phone at the same time just by unfolding the microphone boom. You can end the call and turn it off by removing the headset and re-folding it. Using the headset in this way conserves battery power, since no battery juice is wasted on standby time - time where the headset sits around waiting to be contacted by a mobile phone or other compatible device. The physical design of the HS850 and the battery savings it imparts is my favorite aspect of the Motorola HS850.

The HS850 folds neatly and fits easily in your pocket.

Of course you don't have to remove and turn off the headset between calls. If the headset is already on when an inbound call comes, you will hear the ringing come through on the headset and can answer it by pressing on the main multi-function call control button. You can end the call with this same button, and adjust volume levels with the two volume buttons. If you are using a phone that supports the Hands Free Bluetooth profile, then you can also use the call control button to reject an inbound call or redial the last number.

The HS850's audio properties are also like those of the HS810 before it. The audio quality in both directions is very clear and understandable, but sounds a bit thin. You and the party on the other end of the call will both be able to understand each other easily, it just doesn't sound as full and natural as it might with some other headsets. The HS850 makes up for this small lacking by having great resistance to wind noise, though. That makes the headset perfect for people that enjoy driving with their windows down, or those that work outside. Most headsets are very susceptible to wind noise, the HS850 bucks that trend.

Two softly pulsating blue LEDs signal when the headset is in use.

And now for the new stuff. First up, a more powerful battery. The HS850 I tested managed an amazing 7 hours and 50 minutes of talk time. That is a full two thirds improvement over the older model. The truly amazing part is that this new battery life didn't come at the expense of added weight. Like the HS810 before it, the HS850 weighs only .7oz (19.9g).

The next major change perhaps sounds more important than it worked out to be in reality. The HS850 supports the newer Bluetooth v1.2 spec, whereas most headsets support v1.1 only. Motorola claims that when used with a v1.2 compatible phone (there are still relatively few available at the time I write this), the HS850 will be able to connect faster, use less battery power, and offer improved audio quality. While I can see what appears to be a slight improvement in connection speed, I haven't really noticed much of a change in battery life or audio quality.

The last major change is purely cosmetic. The new headset is sold in this very nice black color and is also available in blue-gray, like a darker version of the HS810's color. I find both colors more attractive than the light silver found on the HS810.

But regardless of the color, you can't go wrong with Motorola's HS850, which I consider to be perhaps the best value on the market.

Pros:

• Small, light
• Comfortable
• Nearly 8 hours of talk time
• No wind noise
• Can be worn on both ears

Cons:

• A bit unusual looking
• Audio lacks bass

What's in the box:
Motorola HS850 Bluetooth Headset, User Manual, and Quick Start Guide.

--Reviewed by Michael Oryl, editor in chief of www.MobileBurn.com

• LCD screen displays standard mobile phone information: incoming calls, recent calls, missed calls, voice mail, directory, ect
• Browser button allows users to scroll through menus and control the volume
• Quality audio (Digital Signal Processing)

• Advanced, military-grade noise-canceling system continuously adapts adapts to your environment
• Can be worn on either ear; includes four earloops and five earbuds for custom fit
• Jawbone's ergonomic design enhances the acoustic performance and keeps the device lightweight, stable and comfortable

• Advanced, military-grade noise-canceling system continuously adapts adapts to your environment
• Charges via proprietary USB cable

• Affordable Bluetooth headset in Silver with classic, comfortable earloop that fits over either ear
• QuickPair technology lets you easily pair your headset with your Bluetooth cell phone
• Freedom to roam up to 10 meters from your Bluetooth device

• Works with the Bluetooth option in your Mac to provide a cable-free way to interact with your system at a distance of up to 33 feet
• Features 16-function keys, full numeric keypad, document navigation keys, and an inverted-T
• Requires a Bluetooth enabled Macintosh

• Palm-sized Bluetooth handsfree speaker for using in the car
• Effortless controls--press a button for power, another for calls, and 2 more for volume
• Up to 14 hours of talk time, up to 200 hours of standby time