Sound quality is surprisingly good for the price – Jimi Hendrix’s All Along The Watchtower, while slightly hissy, was clear enough and had a reasonable amount of bass.

Bluetooth transmission range is around nine metres, but disappointingly cut out when a pillar came between us and our iPod. However, for broadcasting shorter distances – such as from your pocket to your ears, for instance – it’s perfectly adequate.

The design is not going to attract accolades or wolf whistles. There’s no way of tightening the ‘round-the-head’ design, which is bad news if you want to wear them while working out or walking. The Bluetooth receiver also fits oddly onto your MP3 player, sticking out instead of sitting snug. It’s more suited to the newest iPod model than previous incarnations, but it still pops out too easily, further reducing portability.

Straight from Japan, this astounding ‘bot is named Plen and he can rollerskate with incredible deftness - and that’s just one of his talents. Billed as a ‘Desktop Hobby Robot’, Plen’s frame has 18 joints, and a gyroscopic sensor for balance and movement. You control him via Bluetooth. New motions for him are designed by dragging your computers mouse - Plen will do his best to copy the motions. He can then be made to carry out the stored “hobbies” at any time by Bluetoothing them to him - either straight from the computer if it’s Bluetooth-enabled, or from your phone or other device. A pair of skates is included to get him started.

To see how plen works you can visit plens site at http://www.plen.jp

Sony Ericsson’s new ROB-1 would have to be one of the oddest releases by Sony this year. Its a remote controlled camera that can move around freely, controlled by your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone. The ROB-1 beams back streaming images so that you can see what you’re looking at. One has to wonder what the point is - and also how many ways that such a device will end up being abused when put in the hands of those wanting to exploit it. I can just see the raft of ROB-1 ‘up skirt’ and voyeur websites that will appear a few days after this device gets released.

‘The ROB-1 can rove around for a distance of up to 50 meters from the user, streaming video to the phone’s display. The device’s three wheels and spherical shape combined with clever camera technology to make it agile and flexible with a wide field of vision. Eleven centimetres in diameter, ROB-1 can move forwards, backwards, look around corners, pivot on the spot or tilt the camera 70 degrees upwards and 20 degrees downwards. An ultra bright light on the front leads the way and allows shots to be taken in dark spaces. Ample onboard memory enables you to snap away for some time before either storing pictures in your phone, or transferring them to a PC via the supplied USB cable.’
Steered wireless
ly by the joystick or keypad on a mobile phone or a touch screen (as with the P900 and P910), users can see on the phone screen exactly what ROB-1 is looking at. Consumers can then capture these images using their phone just as they would a normal photo.

With ROB-1 Sony Ericsson has produced another fun and innovative ‘first’ for Bluetooth technology pushing the boundaries and firing consumer’s imagination. The company’s Bluetooth Car CAR-100, first seen in the Sony Ericsson stand at CeBIT 2003, pioneered the concept of using mobile phone Bluetooth capability for entertainment purposes rather than practical applications. Now ROB-1, the first device to combines the CAR-100’s steering capabilities with video streaming, continues this tradition.

Specs
• Weight: 1 kg/2,2 pounds
• Diameter: 110 mm
• Runs forwards & backwards, turns “on the spot”
• Maximum speed: 0.2 m/sec. Hardware
• Processor: 200 MHz, ARM-9, Dragonball
• User memory size: 2MB
• High intensity LEDs: four LEDs à 1000 mcd Software
• Operating system: Linux OS Compatibility
• Sony Ericsson Bluetooth™ Symbian phones P900 and P910
• Any phone that has a Java platform with Bluetooth™ API JSR-82
• Most Sony Ericsson Bluetooth™ phones, but without video streaming functionality Camera
• Camera resolution: VGA
• Camera tilts 70° upwards and 20º downwards Bluetooth™/USB
• File transfer of still pictures: via Bluetooth™ or USB (incl. upload of the pre-stored controlling application to the phone).
• Supports: Bluetooth™ profiles Object Push (OPP) and File Transfer (FTP)

Bluetooth headsets have become increasingly popular over the years as the convenience of hands-free mobile phones grow. The technology is designed to allow devices to communicate at relatively short distances from one another. In this case, the headset and the mobile phone exchange encrypted data. Once the signal from the headset is received by the cell phone, it is then sent to the cell tower and vice versa. This technology prevents the strong cell signals from being located directly next the the user’s head. It should be noted that Bluetooth signal strength is orders of magnitude weaker than the cell signals, thereby greatly reducing the magnetic field exposure to the user. Leveraging from Bluetooth and advanced signal processing, Jabra’s new JX10 represents what can be accomplished with today’s cutting edge technology. The stylish JX10 was created by world-renowned Danish designer Jacob Jensen, offering users a sleek and compact solution to their headset needs. This JX10 headset weighs less than 1/3 oz (10 grams), making it feel virtually non-existent on the user’s ear. Utilizing sophisticated DSP (Digital Signal Processing) technology, the JX10 automatically adjust the volume level based on the surrounding environment and significantly reduces background noise for increased performance. The unit is simple to operate and provides the user with operational status through the multi-color LED indicator. The JX10 headset comes with an AC adapter, charging cradle, USB cable and carrying pouch.

Even from the box it’s clear that the JX10 is a design focused product. The box features a cut out circle with the headset dramatically enclosed. With its blacks and greys, curves and angles, at first glance I could immediately tell that the designers of the JX-10 had taken their design cues from Bang and Olufson, the well know Danish AV manufacturer. I was proved right as on the box is states, ‘Design by Jacob Jenson’, who actually designs B&O gear and Gaggenau kitchen appliances in case you’re interested.

Wider at one end and tapering at the other, to my mind the JX10 looks like an angular fish with the microphone giving the appearance of a mouth. The distinguishing feature is a stripe running down the middle featuring the Jabra logo. Whether the headset actually looked good split opinion in the office. Personally I like the delicate, stylised look, but it does look like it’s going after say, the BMW or Porsche driver – I can’t see it really suiting white-van man.

At one end is a small light that glows red when charging, blue when in pairing mode. It flashes blue slowly when connected to a phone via Bluetooth and fast when in conversation. It also flashes red when it needs charging, which is the one feature I wish my own Motorola HS-850 has. At the rear of the device when you’re wearing it are the volume buttons, labelled plus and minus. Right next to this is a small charging port. This is quite delicate and the supplied charging cable has a large yellow label attached warning users to take care when hooking it up otherwise damage could occur.

The Jabra comes with multiple options for charging the JX10. Most bluetooth headsets come with a standard AC Adapter, but the inclusion of a USB Charging Cradle was a nice addition. The cable length was very short. Some will find this a good thing as it’s one less long cable hooked up to your PC or Mac. This cable would be useful for road warriors - allowing them to charge the JX10 from their laptop during flights, on the train and so forth. It also makes it easy to pack into a laptop case. If you have USB ports on the back of your home computer, it renders the dock useless without some type of USB extension cable. I have options to plug-in to my monitor and keyboard, so it’s a non-issue for me. Those without this type of USB access should take notice.

The Jabra JX10 also comes with a pouch case. I don’t see this as being very useful. If you did use the pouch, it would be difficult to have quick access to your Bluetooth headset when a call comes in.
 

Exclusive and stylish, Akono Headset HBH-662 is the perfect Bluetooth headset for people with high demands on design, but who don’t want to compromise comfort.

The ear loop is flexible enough to fit most ears and sturdy enough to make the headset stay in place even when you’re in motion. You can leave your phone in a pocket or a bag and handle all your calls through the easy-to-use buttons on the headset.

Or you can use the strap that’s included in the kit to carry your headset around your neck. But best of all – the HBH-662 has an Info Display for easier call handling. When the phone rings, you just check the Info Display to see who is calling, and decide whether you want to take or reject the call.

Exclusive Bluetooth solution with an Info Display for easier call handling.
A headset with a slender shape and discreet design for people who want a stylish appearance.
Convenience of Bluetooth wireless technology
Uses your Sony Ericsson mobile phone charger or the UK charger included in the box

Like Bluetake, the HBH-662 plants the speaker wedge above the ear canal, but Sony Ericsson’s softer design took more time to become annoyingly uncomfortable. The HBH-662 is only a pinch larger and heavier than the Plantronics, but opts for a Volume rocker on the bottom. We found it hard to tell + from - during use. There is a Multifunction button and an eight-character LCD display on the side that shows Caller ID notifications and battery status.

The LCD is what differentiates this unit from its competitors. Functionally, the voice dialing, call transferring, and other features are practically identical.

The HBH-662 easily delivered the finest sound out of the five headsets tested. Even at maximum range, we observed almost no increase in noise or decrease in voice quality. Maximum volume is a bit weak, and the noise cancelation in our wind and music tests was average at best. Talk time was a comparatively disappointing 3 hours and 25 mintues, and the unit issued a single warning beep before starting to drop connections.

The Sony Ericsson Akono HBH-662 has a street price for around ~$70 USD which places it ideally in the upper-middle class of Bluetooth headsets.  We reviewed this set with two mobile phones, the Treo 650 and the Motorola RAZR V3.  In the past the Motorola ? which is Bluetooth 1.2 enabled has been the easiest to match with any of the headsets reviewed here at Legit.  The Treo 650 (Bluetooth 1.1) on the other hand is one that is very selective and doesn?t play well with all BT enabled headsets.

Product Highlights:
Info Display/Caller ID for easier call handling
Bluetooth 1.2 wireless technology
Voice Dialing (selected phones)
5 Hours Talk-time, 150 Hours Standby Time
Battery status indicator
Neck loop
Travel/Wall Charger