Motorola H500 Bluetooth Headset

I recently received a new cell phone at work; the Motorola e815. This phone will be reviewed at a later date, but the important feature to this review is the fact that it comes with Bluetooth capability. That means that I now have the ability to use a wireless headset with my cell phone, which is a big plus for me. You see, I am one of those people who you see on the side of the road talking on their cell phone simply because I am not comfortable talking and driving at the same time. (It is not illegal where I live, yet) I refused to get a wired headset, as I think they look less than optimal (read: uncool) and the one time I tried to use a wired set it kept slipping out of my ear, making for a very broken up conversation. I now had the means to use a cell with a wireless (BT) headset, and all I needed was the headset…

About the same time that I received this phone, I started using Skype in conjunction with my family and friends to call over the internet for free. I also bought into SkypeOut, a by-the-minute method for calling any phone in the world from your PC. The per-minute pricing was good, and soon I was making most of my calls via the internet. The only problem with this setup was once again wires. The wired headset I was using kept me tethered to the laptop, and my wife refused to use it most of the time. Where is that wireless headset?

Motorola to the rescue! I was perusing a computer store circular when I spotted the Motorola Wireless Internet Calling Kit, featuring the H500 headset and the PC850 PC adapter. It was on sale and included everything I needed for a wireless experience using my new cell phone as well as Skype. Additionally, this wireless headset is the first Skype Certified solution using Bluetooth access via your PC. If the truth be told other headsets and adapters will do the trick but this one is certified/guaranteed to work, and it was priced right. I picked it up and waited somewhat impatiently for it to arrive. This review will focus on the use and styling of the H500, the wireless headset portion of the package.

In the Box

The H500 is a small wireless headset which weighs just a little but performs like a full-size champ. The package comes with the following for your wireless headset needs:

The Bluetooth Headset H500 (obviously)
AC travel charger
Quick Start Guide
User Manual

The size of the H500 is only 1.1" by 2.3" by 0.8" when closed up, and the whole thing only weighs 0.55 ounces or 15.5 grams. The H500 comes in four color schemes with the skin of the earpiece changing between Pink, Magenta, Ice Blue and Nickel. My personal unit is the Nickel scheme, and it is an attractive piece of plastic. The call button is a shiny cobalt-looking plastic with a nickel skin surrounding it. The Motorola stylized M is surrounded by the blue LED light on the outside of the unit and is also used as the speaker grille on the inside. The speaker is surrounded by a soft, pliable rubbery substance and the earhook is soft enough to be comfortable yet strong enough to ensure the headset stays attached to your ear.

The unit itself has the main body which contains the three user-control buttons, the microphone and the small speaker as well as an adjustable soft earhook which can be flipped for either right or left ear use. The main call button is used for a variety of reasons explained below while the other two buttons are volume up and down; again user-adjustable to indicate which you prefer to raise the volume.

Also present is a blue LED which can be left on to indicate activity and connection or shut down to conserve on battery. If left on, the blue LED will remain lit constantly while in use, alerting those around you to the fact that you should not be disturbed. Yeah right, so long as they see the doohickey sticking out of your ear, and further that they know that with the Motorola H500 the blue light means 'busy'… For the user, a quick flash every so often indicates that you are indeed still paired with your phone, and when the initial pairing is accomplished the LED will rapidly flash 10 times. I disable this feature to turn the LED off simply because I wish to save the battery. Besides, if I have it on my ear, I can't see the damn flashing LED unless I look in a mirror and that would seem to be more distracting while driving than simply putting the phone to my ear!

In the small package is a 140mAh battery that will fuel your wireless talking for up to 8 hours continuous use or 200 hours of standby, whichever comes first. Once you have wasted the battery with your masterful conversational skills (AKA, wasting time on the cell) simply plug the headset into the travel charger and recharge the battery. I don't really know why they call it a travel charger, unless it is because the blades fold inside the transformer, keeping them out of the way in the drawer or in your carry-on. In most cases the battery will be recharged in under an hour, but sometimes it may take longer.

One feature that is not publicized but is nevertheless available is that you can charge the headset from your PC if you have the right cable. A USB A-to-mini-B will accomplish this, as the power connection to the headset is a mini B USB 5-pin connection at five volts. This connection is one you have probably seen used to connect digital cameras and video cameras to your PC before, so take advantage of that wire if you can.

The quick start guide will walk you through connecting your H500 with a compatible phone, and any phone with either 1.1 or 1.2 BT onboard should work. I had absolutely no problem connecting my headset to my e815, and I must admit that I didn't read the directions prior to attempting. Just keep in mind that this uses the PIN 0000 (just like all Motorola BT products; sheesh) and you are off the races with your new headset firmly stuck to your ear.

Personal Use

I have had this for about a month, and I must say it works great for both Skype and cell phone use. I will give my impressions of the set with each use below.

Cell Phone

Considering both the H500 and the e815 are produced by Motorola, I expected them to work great together. I wasn't disappointed. The initial connection was simply, and re-pairing the set and phone takes but a few seconds each time. You wouldn't want to try and connect the phone at the point that you are receiving a call however, as you could definitely miss the call in the time it takes to connect. (Typically 8-10 seconds or so) Once the set is paired, you are ready to call or be called!

Assuming that you are using a voice-recognition enhanced phone such as the e815, calling someone is simple, regardless of whether they are in your phone book or not. Simply push the call button once and speak the command "Call Heather". The phone will confirm which Heather in your phone book you want to call and then dial the number. If the person is not in the phone book, simply speak the command "Call 555-1212". Once again the phone will confirm your selection, and if it is correct say "yes". Your call will be placed immediately. I have found that the voice recognition function works very good for me, and not so good for my wife. I am uncertain whether this is a male-female thing or if she simply speaks softer than I do, but for whatever reason it usually takes her at least two "No's" for the phone to get her voice commands right.

If you are on a call when someone else dials in, you can jump back and forth between the two calls using the call button. It is also possible to connect both calls at the same time and do a conference call, but I have never used this feature. I never have been a three-way kind of a guy…. The volume control buttons can be used in conversation to increase or decrease the volume, and pushing them both at the same time will mute/unmute the mic. This comes in handy if you have to cough or swear at the idiot driver who just cut you off and you don't want the other party to hear. The user can also redial and send an incoming call to voicemail with a simple click-and-hold of a button!

With my e815 in hand and H500 in ear, I am ready to talk while driving, walking or sitting. I try to avoid using it too awful much in public, as I personally think that it reeks of arrogance when the plane has barely hit the ground and twenty people on the plane are already trying to talk over each other into their cell phones. Would the world really collapse if you didn't wait five minutes to flip open that phone? I didn't think so… When I do use it (which is mostly in the car) I have found that so long as the phone and headset are close the sound reproduction is great and the transmission is clear. If the H500 strays more than about 8-10 feet from the e815 the other party will begin to have difficulties hearing me, and further than 15 feet I begin to hear static and jumbled sound as well. This is a much smaller range than available with my notebook PC, but in any case it is sufficient for my needs. I can throw the phone on the passenger seat and drive with the H500 in my ear with no problems whatsoever! The unit is comfortable enough to wear without noticing it for long periods of time, and when you need to place a call it is simple and safe to do.

PC Use

As I said before, I also use this for Skype calls on my Inspiron 9300. Skype is a relatively new internet telephony service that is becoming very popular, and happens to be owned by EBay along with Epinions. It can be freely used for Skype to Skype calls or used for SkypeOut and SkypeIn, all at reasonable rates. The H500 is the first Skype approved headset, which means that it is guaranteed to work, and it works well. You will need a Bluetooth adapter for your PC, either built-in or aftermarket such as the Motorola PC850 adapter I use. Once BT is setup on the PC, connecting the headset is a breeze. Skype will now have the option under "sounds" to use BT audio and the connection to your phone is made. None of the fancy button combo's or voice recognition stuff works with Skype, so this is truly just a headset in regards to internet telephony. That being said, I use this in conjunction with Skype to make most of my personal phone calls and I am very happy with the results. BT technology touts a range of 30 feet and I have found that in my wood construction house I can be anywhere in the house and still have great coverage with little to no interference. This is much better than the range when paired with the e815, and this is a good thing.

Cons?

In almost all regards I am extremely happy with the H500 wireless headset from Motorola. The only thing I think should be added is a low-battery alarm or beep to allow you to end your call prior to dropping it. You see, when you have drained the battery sufficiently, the unit simply dies. No warning, no beeps, nada. This is quite disconcerting as I have had two dropped Skype calls and one cell phone call already in the short time I have owned the unit, and while it is easily remedied it is also quite annoying. It seems as though it would be easy to set a battery level of 5% and an alarm, but perhaps that would add significant weight to the unit, etc.

Overall

Other than the one minor complaint, the H500 has lived up to my expectations and then some. Paired with my Motorola e815 this headset offers a truly hands-free experience for the mobile professional. Paired with the Motorola PC850 BT adapter and you now have a cheap, simple wireless Skype solution. Overall I am very pleased with the H500 and recommend this highly for anyone looking for a wireless solution for the phone and PC.