A Bluetooth Headset I Can Live With.

The Jabra BT3030 is a bluetooth stereo headset adapter that's easy to like. It looks a lot like military dog tags, but the tag is about a quarter of an inch thick and is rimmed in a black plastic case. Six metal and rubber buttons let you control the headset and any bluetooth enabled device you pair with it. The "dog tag" has a standard 3.5 millimeter stereo headphone jack on the side, a tiny hole on the top edge that contains the microphone, and a miniature USB charging port on the bottom edge. To complete the "dog tag" look, the BT3030 comes with a high quality beaded neck chain, or for versatility, you can remove the chain and attach a small plastic clip to the back of the pendant to attach the BT3030 to your collar or sleeve.

There are two things that I especially like about the Jabra BT3030. First, you can use any standard headphones with the Jabra BT3030. You probably already have a set of headphones that you like and that feel comfortable in your ears. It they have a standard 3.5mm jack, you can use them with the BT3030. Second, because the BT3030 has its control buttons on the dog tag pendant, the buttons are within easy reach, and you don't need to fumble around trying to press tiny buttons located on or around your ears as with other bluetooth headphones.

Pairing the Jabra BT3030 is easy. I had no trouble pairing it with my Palm Treo 755p cell phone or the Sony Bluetooth adapter for my iPod Classic. The Jabra also lets you pair it with two devices at the same time. I can be listening to the iPod, but if a call comes into my Treo, the Jabra BT3030 pauses the iPod and answers the phone. When the call ends, the music resumes on the iPod. Neat.

The BT3030 is able to produce good sounding stereo, but the included ear buds are not very good. They sound high pitched and tinny, but you can easily replace them with better quality headphones. Even a ten or fifteen dollar set of earphones will probably sound better than those included with the BT3030.

One other minor problem with the BT3030, at least the one I got, is the chain. It's a very good chain, but the ends of the chain are permanently attached together with a little clasp that looks like a capsule. I couldn't figure out how to detach the chain without breaking the chain. Even the Jabra technical support line was no help. The only way I could remove the chain was to bend the metal catch ring on the pendant itself. It's not too hard to replace if you want, but it requires having a small pair of pliers.