Bluetooth headsets for mobile devices have been around for a while but the most recent innovations come in noise canceling technology. The idea is that persons on the other end of a call should be able to hear you without the distraction of excessive ambient noise.
While at the Mobile World Congress, the Blue Ant folk gave me a new Z9 bluetooth headset to try. I have a Jawbone which I would like if it wasn’t for the fact it’s so poorly contructed. For reasons known best to the Jawbone designers, the back section is locked onto the main body by means of a pair of tiny pins. The power cord attachment gets easily stuck to the back section meaning it is possible to tear off the pins as you attempt to detach the two. That’s what I managed to do. Back to the Z9.
Much smaller than the Jawbone, the Z9 comes with a proprietary USB cable plus a proprietary power cord that connects to end of the device. You can use one or other to charge the unit holds its charge for some 200 hours when in idle mode. Pairing the device to my N95 was a simple matter of turning on the Z9 until the LED flashed blue and then assigning it to the phone. The Z9 has up and down volume controls and to use its ‘voice isolation’ technology merely requires me to press a silver button on the device body.
In action it does what it says on the tin and is unobtrusive. One of the neat things about these devices is you can answer a call while away from the phone. Provided you’re within Bluetooth range (around 8 metres in our house) it works well enough. In any case, the Z9 warns the user when you’re going out of range through a series of audible beeps. You can also redial an outbound call without touching the phone by holding the + volume button for three seconds or so. If you’ve activated voice commands, the Z9 will allow you to make outbound calls without touching the phone.
My only nit is with the plastic hook provided which secures the device to your ear. It’s a tad flimsy and not as comfortable to wear as the one provided with the Jawbone. If they made a slight design change to incorporate the more sturdy yet flexible Jawbone ear hook then it would be close to perfection.
The Z9 should be available through retail outlets in the next couple of months.
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