Jabra BT8010 Bluetooth Headset

I love to go walking. I talk on the phone a lot. I like music. Put all of these things together and it makes sense that I want a way to listen to music and talk on the phone while walking. The Jabra BT8010 meets all of those needs and does it quite well. I have been using Bluetooth headsets for quite awhile and I have very specific opinions about what makes a good headset. This phone meets them quite well.
First, let me describe the unit. The BT8010 is very unique design. It comes in two pieces. The first unit is a standard single ear Bluetooth headset with a over the ear arm to hold it in place. It is slightly oversized compared to many other comparable headsets. The speaker sits on the ear (not in it) and the controls are a dial and button on the side as well as several tiny switches on the top of the phone. There is also a full display on this unit for providing information.
The second unit is an identical looking, but smaller ear unit with a short cord on it. This is the stereo piece that will plug into the mini-USB charging port of the main headset and turn this into a stereo headset. It had no controls or LED and does not charge separately. It's just a satellite speaker device basically.
The BT8010 works as a stand-alone mono headset for your phone and as a stereo headset when you plug in the add on unit. This gives you some flexibility, and is a very unique choice. Let's dig into some details.
Physical Form Factor
The headset sits reasonably comfortably and firmly on my ear. The over the ear arm bends and adjusts to fit how you want it to sit on your ear. If it feels like it does fit, you should probably work with the plastic a bit to get a comfortable position. It should fit nice and firmly. After wearing the headset for extended periods, the ear does tend to hurt just a bit but this takes an hour or two.
The stereo unit doesn't seem to have this problem, but I noticed that the wired connecting the two units can be a bit uncomfortable. I have a large head (not huge, but pretty big) and there wasn't much slack. It's also a loose cable so it just hangs which is not the best design.
Controls
The controls works perfectly correctly, but they aren't elegant. They are just functional (like everything about this unit). There is a physical switch to turn the headset on and off (which I really like). I dislike the press and hold method of turning on most Bluetooth headsets and this is the second best method to the Motorola flip headsets.
There is one main button for most key functions (Answer, End, Pause music, etc.) and it is easy to use. Unfortunately when you press it, you are pressing the headset right against your ear and after awhile off skipping tracks and such, this can hurt.
The volume control is controlled by a dial, which doesn't work so well. When it is on your ear, it's not so easy to turn and I NEVER remember which way is up and which is down.
Menu display, I would have never thought that having a menu on a headset would make any sense. I wear it on my ear, why would I want a menu?? But it does make sense. When I am pairing it or when I don't have it on the display is so much more useful than a couple of status lights. See my usability discussion below for more detail.
The other controls are very small and fiddly which makes them not as easy to use. But I don't need them so much. The controls work and they do what they need. No, this isn't the precision elegance of an Apple interface, but it works well and there other advantages.
Sound Quality
One of the most important details for any headset is how it sounds and this one does that quite well. I use the headset quite a bit and often in bad conditions (my car generates a lot of road noise for example). I have been told by people who hated my previous headsets that they have no problem hearing my when I talk on this headset. One of my business associates told my I sounded "too loud" which is NEVER a complaint I have gotten from him before. It's mic does reasonably well in windy conditions as well. I have not once had to turn off the headset because someone couldn't understand me in the conversation (something I have had to do with many previous headsets).
The sound quality inbound is just as good. I have very few artifacts in the mono sound and the signal seems good at all times. I can clearly hear the party I am talking too at all times either using my cell phone or when paired with my laptop for my VOIP softphone.
The stereo sound quality is even better. I am not an audiophile so I can't speak to the subtleties of the sound, but it seems to reproduce the stereo signal very well and provide a full robust sound. Unlike previous Bluetooth stero headsets, I rarely feel the need to crank the headset to max volume as a mid-range setting works quite well. There are several EQ settings built in, but I have not played with those at all.
Battery Life
I haven't done any hard and fast tests on this, but suffice it to say I charge the sucker maybe once a week and I use it all week long. Using it as a stereo headset doesn't seem to have much increased effect. Leaving it on all the time doesn't seem to be a problem either (though that does tend to drain my cellphone's battery). Battery life is outstanding so far (though I have only had it two months. Let's see what it is like in six months).
Usability
This headset combines several features together to be VERY usable in my opinion. The headset's power button and quick Bluetooth sync allows a user to get a call turn on the headset, put it on and answer the call within the ring time of their phone. This lets me conserve the battery on my cellphone by not having Bluetooth engaged at all times.
More commonly though, I do leave the headset on and paired, I'm just not wearing it. Unless you are driving in the car, wearing your Bluetooth headset just makes you a huge goofball in my opinion. So having the Bluetooth headset functional where I can use it without wearing it is extremely useful. The BT8010 enables this in a couple of ways. First, it doesn't completely redirect the ringer on the phone to the headset when it is paired. This means that your phone still rings. Brilliant compared to a lot of other headsets. Second, the headset can be set to vibrate when a call comes in. So you can leave your phone plugged in somewhere at and roam about the house with your headset and know when a call is coming in because the headset starts vibing, but you don't have to wear it.
The headset answers quickly when the answer button is pressed and the display also shows inbound callerID info. This is all very nice for using the headset off of your ear and without having to pull out your phone.
The headset does the standard pause music when a call comes in and restarts when you are done with the call as well. All in all it is highly usable.
Summary
This phone is not the most perfectly designed device, but it does the job it is meant to. I used to use the Motorola sport headset and it had better industrial design, but the sound quality wasn't as good. I also am able to use this headset for daily business use. There are more elegant devices, but the BT8010 wins in my book, because in every category it is good enough and in key categories (like sound quality, battery life, and usability) it really shines. The final kicker is price. I bought mine at Newegg for $54!! Comparable headsets are over $100 from most competitors and it's not like Jabra is a knock-off brand. This is a quality product with an original design that does what it is supposed to. I was very wary about it, but I am exceedingly happy with the results. Absolutely, buy it. At these prices you can't go wrong!