Perfection in bluetooth headsets remains elusive, but this one gets solid marks!

As anyone that has owned a number of cellular telephones enabled with bluetooth technology knows, finding the perfect wireless headset can be a daunting challenge! While bluetooth technology continues to evolve and improve, it is still far from perfect, and therein lies the problem. Over recent years numerous manufacturers have hopped on the bluetooth bandwagon to produce a rather dizzying selection of wireless headsets for the explosive cellular telephone marketplace.

I've been an advocate of bluetooth technology since before a time when you could even find bluetooth accessories, and it's very gratifying to find so many new devices flooding the marketplace today. However, quantity does not necessarily equate to quality. The simple truth is that there is no "perfect" bluetooth headset (at least not yet). There may however be a good headset choice for the phone you own and that suits your needs.

A Little Background:

Over the years I've owned not less than 10 assorted bluetooth headsets (including 2 speakerphone models), from a variety of manufacturers. From the more commonly found brands like Jabra, Plantronics, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson to the more boutique like offerings from Nextlink. no stone has gone unturned in search for the perfect mobile solution. The reason for this is really quite simple. I've owned a wide range of telephones over that same period, (and of course I'm a certifiable early adopter), and each phone works differently with different models. However, this review isn't about cell phones but about the Motorola H700 bluetooth headset. Just the same, finding the right headset is often closely related to the phone that you're trying to pair it with, so keep that in mind while we mush on.

In this particular case, I was trying to get a good headset to work with my new Palm Treo 650. I had recently traded my stand alone PDA (a Zodiac 2) for the convenience of carrying a convergent mobile phone/pda combo and settled on the Treo 650. I also own a Motorola Razr (my previous primary phone) which I sometimes use when the Treo is simply too bulky to carry. So in reality, this new headset needed to work well with both devices. The bluetooth headset I was replacing was the Jabra BT800, a very high-end digital model with an advanced caller ID feature built right into the earpiece. While the Jabra has some cutting edge advantages like digital noise reduction and the aforementioned digital display in its favor, it simply didn't play well with the Treo 650. I also wanted something a bit smaller since the BT800 was on the bulky side, and I had found that one of the features I bought it for wasn't much use to me (the LCD caller ID display) as most of the time I couldn't read it anyways.

The Search:

In doing some research I found that the bluetooth implementation of the Treo 650 left much to be desired. That seemed to be the general consensus of most people reviewing the Treo models, so clearly finding a compatible headset might prove to be a somewhat daunting task. In short, I tried a number of headsets before deciding on the Motorola H700.

The Criteria:

There are a variety of types of bluetooth headsets/earpieces available today. Some people prefer the in ear models because they block out noise and make it easier to hear the other party in loud environs. They also tend to be the smallest (and as such most expensive) of the available models. Others choose the behind-the-ear types because in-ear models feel uncomfortable to them, are less easily lost, or simply because of the large variety of choices available, and their generally lower price points. No matter which design you prefer, finding one that fits your lifestyle is the goal. Here's my short list for what I was (ideally) looking for:

1. Very small physical size
2. Ideally an in-ear model (or one with "very" good volume)
3. Easy to turn on and off (to extend battery life)
4. Good standby time (measured in days not hours)
5. Has a minimum talk time of 4+ hours
6. Auto-link feature (connects to phone without user intervention), and works with multiple phones
7. Chargeable with a USB connection (and a short charging time)

While not every feature on the list is a must have, these are the core features I desire.

The Early Contenders:

Very briefly, prior to deciding on the Motorola H700, I had tried the top of the line Plantronics Discovery 640, and the Nextlink AX2 (and of course my existing headset the Jabra BT800). While all were actually quite good in their own rights with pros and cons to each design, I decided on the Motorola for a couple of reasons which I will further outline below.

No Knockout Punch But A Winner (for me):

The Motorola H700 is the smaller cousin to the HS850. It has a rather organic oval design and a small flip out microphone that also serves as a power switch for the unit. I particularly like this feature as many headsets I've owned were rather difficult to simply turn on and off. This straightforward mechanical design just works and doesn't require you to remember which button or combination of buttons to push or hold in order to turn the blasted thing on or off. Another advantage of this feature is that with some phones (sadly not on the Treo 650), flipping the mic open also serves to answer or hang up on a call.

Other than the microphone/power switch, the H700 only has three buttons. There are two on the outside rim of the headset used for volume control, and a big lighted one on the body's face that is used to control its features (such as answer, hang-up, redial, pairing and the like). Pairing the H700 is a very straightforward affair that takes only a few seconds requiring only to push the center button, wait for the light to turn purple, and flipping open the microphone. Once that happens, all you need do is complete the process using the "find device" function on your phone and you're pretty much good to go.

The H700 uses an over the ear style (part soft silicon/rubber) clip that holds the unit comfortably, yet close to either ear without placing undue pressure or becoming uncomfortable after extended use. While I generally prefer an in-ear style like that found on the Plantronics Discovery 640, due to the very loud and clear speaker on the H700, I was more than pleased with this system. An advantage of not using an in-ear style is also that it doesn't require constant cleaning as do in-ear designs do (even with good ear grooming habits) or have a soft tip to come off in-pocket or get lost which can render in-ear models useless until a new tip can be put on. While many clip style models seem to dangle off of my ear and feel loose fitting, happily this one did not!

The audio quality is generaly clear both from the callers side and on mine with just a bit of occasional static common to many bluetooth headsets caused by either interference or too much distance between devices. On one occasion, the person I was speaking to did complain that they had trouble hearing me due to background noise (on my end). I was driving on an interstate highway in my truck at the time, so clearly digital noise reduction would have helped, but this model doesn't have it.

Feature Set:

Does the H700 meet my basic criteria as listed above? For the most part happily, YES, with some notable exceptions.

1. Very small physical size - This is a very small (and lightweight (.35 oz/10 gm ) headset to be sure, YES!
2. Ideally an in-ear model (or one with very good volume) - While not an in-ear model, it holds well to the ear and has better than average volume (something I've found lacking in a great many headsets) so, YES!
3. Easy to turn on and off (to extend battery life) - One of the best in this area, YES!
4. Good standby time (measured in days not hours) - Rated at 5 days, YES!
5. Has a minimum talk time of 4+ hours - Rated at 6 hours, YES!
6. Auto-link feature (connects to phone without user intervention) and works with multiple phones - On this I'm going to take points off (which I'll explain in greater detail below), NO!
7. Chargeable with a USB connection (and a short charging time) - While it does have a very brief charge cycle of about an hour and does use a USB connector, it doesn't include a USB charging cable (only a wall charger) in the box. So points come off, but still it gets a YES!

WIth respect to feature #6, the auto-link ability, this set falls quite short. While turning it on (flipping out the microphone) does link it to the phone after a rather long delay as compared to many other headsets I've used, the H700 also looses points with its inability to automatically switch between different devices that it has previously paired with. In order to switch between several devices that you might wish to link the H700 with (such as changing between two different phones), you are either forced to re-pair, or use the phone's search function to find the H700. Many bluetooth headsets do this automatically when turned on and the previously paired device is not available. As a side note: In order to use bluetooth devices, you must go through a generally simple process called pairing, which creates a (semi) secure link between the two devices allowing them to communicate with one another. Put more simply, if you want to use this headset with more than one phone, you'll have to take extra steps, and while simple to do, can be a real pain depending on your phone and should be unnecessary. Most bluetooth devices today carry multiple profile links (the H700 does have this feature) allowing them to automatically switch between several of your devices (however the H700 doesn't do this) easily.

In Summary:

One primary reason I sought out the Motorola H700 in the first place was that I have and enjoy another Motorola bluetooth device (the HF800) speakerphone. It works very well in my car and easily pairs with every device I throw at it, has good volume, charges quickly and generally just works. Sadly the H700 doesn't quite equal its speakerphone cousin in all areas, but I figured if one Motorola bluetooth device worked well (with my Treo 650), why shouldn't another.

The H700 does have a lot of positives, but in use with the Treo, there were some solid failings as well. It's light, small, has good battery life and very solid audio volume, but it did disconnect from the Treo on occasion such as when I adjusted audio volume on the phone. It's audio quality is a bit above average when in close range, but does tend to break up quickly when space between the phone and headset gets much more than a few feet apart (very common on small bluetooth devices). While the Treo limits some of the bluetooth abilities when using the H700 (like auto answer when extending the mic.), it does allow others to work (such as last number redial and hang up using just the big lighted button). All this just proves my point about finding the right headset for "your" specific phone!

Simply put, it's not a perfect solution by a long shot for Treo users, but it's a damn fine headset overall! There are other headsets that work as well or perhaps even a bit better with the Treo 650 (albeit not a ton of them), like the Plantronics that I tried (but that's for another review), and even Palm's own branded bluetooth headset. However, for me this one works well enough and has a mix of the features that I prefer. As such it comes with my recommendation (albeit with a grain of salt, especially if you're swapping it between different phones). If you happen to have a Motorola phone like the Razr, it's should be an even better fit as the connection seems more solid, and the flip microphone works perfectly as it should to answer calls.

Judging this one was a bit tough, it straddles the border between 3 and 4 stars when used with the Treo 650. I'm giving it the nod to 4 due to its overall strengths (when used with most phones) clearly outweighing it's weaknesses (especially with the Treo 650) as many of those shortcomings are due in large measure to the Treo's rather poor and limited bluetooth implementation and not to the H700's design. Also while I bought this headset to be primarily used with the Treo, it easily fairs better than average when used with non-Treo's which most of the readers here will be considering it for.