Do you use a Bluetooth headset while driving? A lot of us do. How would you like to do the same thing, but hands free with nothing in your ear? Now you can! The Blueant S1 stereo Bluetooth headset is awesome for the iPhone! you can get it in the TiPb accessory store for $59.95. Now, why would you want to do that? Because this hands-free headset rocks!

I have been using the Blueant S1 for a while now and I have to tell you it is great for so many reasons. First of all the speaker is really lightweight and small. It has a detachable clip that allows you to slip it on to a window visor in your car. if you don’t want the clip, it easily pops right off. There are only three buttons on the Blueant S1; Green for power on/off as well as activating the iPhone’s Voice Control. Green also answers your calls. Red ends a call and if you hold it down, it will dial the last phone number from the phone app.

Using Voice Control with the iPhone could not be simpler; press the green button and wait for the Voice Control prompt from the iPhone. this works like a charm. You can call anyone or play music all from the press of the green button.

Speaking of music, you can use the Blueant S1 as a standalone speaker in your car. You can use the Blueant S1 for making calla but plug in your iPhone to your csr stereo and enjoy the freedom of Apple’s Voice Control.

Outside of using the Blueant S1 as a car-based hands-free device, you can also just slip it in your bag and use it as a desktop Bluetooth speaker, or as I have, use it as a portable speakerphone! During the last month I have been away from my desk at work and have been working in random meeting rooms across campus. Not all of these rooms had phones and some of the rooms were quite large. As an iPhone owner we all know our speaker phones are not very loud, problem solved with the Blueant S1! This little guy came in handy in many of my meetings!

Personally I could not be happier with the Blueant S1. The only improvement I could suggest is a more robust speaker. The audio when playing music is tinty, but sounds great with spoken words. This device has come in handy on many occasions and I know it will for you too!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Blueant S1 Sun Visor Bluetooth Car Kit for iPhone 3GS- Reality Review

The BlueAnt V1 Bluetooth Headset for iPhone 3G/3GS [$68.92 - TiPb Store Link] has been a pleasant surprise as I did not think I’d find another Bluetooth headset that I would prefer over the highly regarded Jawbone PRIME.

For the full scoop follow us after the break!

The first thing you will notice is the amount of goodies that BlueAnt has given you in the package. Along with the actual headset you get a rubberized metal ear hook, translucent ear hook, small and large rubber ear gels, small and large foam tips, gooseneck USB cable, USB adapter, USB car charger, AC power adapter, and last but not least the manual/quicks start guide.

With all of that said, lets get into the fit and performance of the V1. The V1 weighs in at a light .35 oz and is 1.5-inches long. Some headsets can just be flat out annoying after a long period of use, not the V1. It is honestly the most comfortable headset I have tried to this very day. It is so comfortable you may just forget you are even wearing it! BlueAnt claims you will get 5 hours of talk time along with 200 hours of standby. I’ve found that those times are pretty accurate but If you find that 5 hours of talk time is to low for what you need, you can always take advantage of all of the charging options you are supplied with. One thing I did notice was that when my headset was running low on battery, alerted by an audible tone, the person on the other end would claim they could not hear me anywhere near as clearly. It was an odd occurrence that would only happen with the battery drained.

Minus that particular issue, the V1’s dual microphones offer superb voice clarity. While it does not have that amazing background noise cancelation feature of the Jawbone headsets, the V1 does have DSP (Digital Signal Processing) that BlueAnt calls Voice Isolation Technology and it works well. The V1 provides outstanding noise suppression, wind noise reduction and echo cancellation. There are two modes available while you are on a call – Voice Isolation Standard and Voice Isolation Max.

The feature that really makes this headset stand out from the rest is it’s voice user interface which allows you to control most of the V1’s functions with your voice. Pushing one button activates the voice recognition technology and gives you control of all the functions of the V1. If you need assistance, just say “What Can I Say?” and the headset will tell you the commands you can use. When you have an incoming call you will be alerted by the V1 telling you who is calling via telephone number. Unfortunately it can not access your phones contacts to read back names but beggars can’t be choosers.

Overall, I found the BlueAnt V1 to be a high quality headset that is worth every penny of it’s low price. Sure you can spend $100 plus on other headsets such as the V1’s younger brother, the BlueAnt Q1, but why bother when they share almost the exact same features?

My Jawbone is now collecting dust as the BlueAnt V1 is now my new daily driver.

Learn more and purchase @TiPb’s Store >>>

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

BlueAnt V1 Bluetooth Headset for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS

The Motorola MOTOROKR S305 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones [$49.95 - TiPb Store link] for iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G are great for enjoying your music on the go. Whether you’re on your daily jog or spending some time in the gym, these headphones are the perfect fit that will not hurt your wallet.

Read more after the break!

I’ll be honest and say I have never been a fan of Bluetooth stereo headphones but Motorola’s S305 has recently made me a fan. All of you active people out there can put these headphones to good use. Heck, with what these headphones actually bring to the table, you can take full advantage of them while lounging around your home.

In the box you get the S305 wireless stereo headphones, microUSB travel charger, and getting started guide. Syncing to your iPhone is a breeze and once you are all set up you can enjoy your music and phone calls with high performance and remarkable wireless sound up to 33 feet – priceless.

For those of you who are not a fan of in-ear earbuds, you are in luck with the S305’s very comfy setup. These headphones are extremely lightweight and fit comfortably with the out of ear 1.2-inch pods. On the outside of one of the pod’s housing you get some controls – audio track navigation, volume, and call controls. Along with the comfortable fit you also get a excellent battery life. Expect a talk time of up 6.5 hours, music time of 6 hours, and standby time of up to 4 days.

The Motorola MOTOROKR S305 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones are not too shabby. With their very low price point of $49.95, you can’t go wrong.

Learn More and Purchase via TiPb’s iPhone Store >>

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Motorola MOTOROKR S305 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones for iPhone 3GS & iPhone 3G

The Jabra SP200 Speakerphone for iPhone 3G/3GS [$59-95 - TiPb Store link] is a great Bluetooth headset alternative that you really have to try yourself to fully appreciate. I can not recommend it enough.

I’ve been using the Jabra SP200 for about a month now and I can honestly say that I’ve stopped using every single Bluetooth headset I own while driving my car. Simply connect the SP200 to your cars visor, flip the power switch and you are good to go. And go you will – Jabra claims the battery life comes in at 10 hours of talk time and 23 days of standby time. I am happy to report that these claims are dead on accurate.

Now to get to the most important part of a Bluetooth device, sound quality. I was pleasantly surprised on how well not only the person I would speak to sounded, but how well I came across to them as well. Volume is definitely not an issue with the SP200 as not once have I had to turn it up to it’s full capability.

As for controls it’s pretty simple. You have a volume dial, power switch, and a answer/hang up button that also doubles as an redial button. A great feature that I enjoyed greatly was the ability to leave my car without turning the device off. If I was gone for less than 15 minutes, as soon as I got into my car the device would automatically detect my iPhone and connect instantly. After the 15 minutes if you do not get back into your car, it will automatically power itself down. A simple touch of the answer button will make the re-connection. Need more specs?

• In-car speakerphone for hands-free calls
• Easy to use with no installation
• Noise reduction and echo cancellation (DSP)

The Jabra SP200 Bluetooth Speakerphone can be purchased for $59.95 from the TiPb iPhone Store.

• Learn More, See More Images, and Purchase @ TiPb iPhone Store >>

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Jabra SP200 Bluetooth Speakerphone for Hands-Free iPhone 3G/3GS Action

Early word from TiPb commenters and the Twitter show some new iPhone 3.1 features found already:

• Non-destructive video editing means trimming a clip no longer saves over the original video but gives you the option to “Save as copy…”
• Voice Control now works over Bluetooth
• iPhone vibrates when moving icons
• Updated AT&T profile to 4.2
• Updated modem firmware to 5.08.01

Behind the scenes changes abound as well:

• Improvements to OpenGL and Quartz.
• APIs to allow third party apps to access videos and edit them.

Update: Yes, MMS buttons appear to be back for AT&T users, but as with early iphone 3.0 Betas, they’re non-functional on standard devices. Whether they survive to the official release this time (they were removed in 3.0 Beta 5), who knows?

[Thanks to Chris, Muero and WhenWillApple]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone 3.1: Non-Destructive Video Editing, Bluetooth Voice Control, Vibrating Icon Moves, and More!

Come this “summer”, iPhone 3.0 — see our walkthrough — will allow iPhone 3G (and perhaps next-generation iPhone users) to enjoy new Bluetooth functionality including stereo headsets, both the A2DP audio and ARCP control protocols. For consumers, the Motorola HT820 Stereo Bluetooth headset (available from our sibling store, WMExperts) may be an option you want to consider come release day. For developers testing using the A2DP/ARCP profiles on the iPhone 3.0 Beta, they might even be something you want to consider now.

Note: This pre-review will not be focusing on iPhone 3.0 functionality, which is currently in closed beta. It will concentrate only on the headset itself. However, for those developers needing an A2DP headset for testing 3.0, it’s our understanding this one works well on multiple units, over multiple carriers.

Form Factor

Controls

There is the “M” logo that blinks blue when the headset is on and each earpiece has a unique function. The left earpiece is used for making calls and has the volume control buttons (up and down). The right side is for music, skipping tracks, charging USB port and attaching an extra 3.5mm headset.

Functionality

This headset boasts some really nice functionality; 17 hours of talk, 15 hours of music, 500 hours of standby. This is more than enough to get you through a couple of days of use. In my testing, I was very pleased with the battery life. I am not an audiophile (heck, I listen to everything in 128kbps) so these things sound awesome. I can’t attest to this if you are huge audio-junkie. Regardless, they sound better the the headphones that come with the iPhone.

Conclusion

I have never used a stereo  Bluetooth headset before and I have to admit I was very impressed. Not only from the wireless freedom they give, but the sound was rather good. The added value of making phone calls was a really nice bonus. The only real issue I have with this headset is the weight. I wear glasses and these headphones rest directly on the top of your ear. The “resting piece” is a solid rubber, but still, after 20 minutes of use, I would notice ear fatigue. I don’t attribute this to the headset, but if you wear glasses, this type of headset may not work since it adds more pressure on the top of your ear since it is also competing for space with your glasses’ frame. If you don’t wear glasses, this headset might work for you. If you do, I recommend the Motorola S9 Stereo Bluetooth headset; check Rene’s review for more info.

This headset is great, and I will “suffer” through the minor ear fatigue just to use them. They provide a great value in functionality and sound great.

Pros

• Stereo bluetooth and headset in one!
• Sound is great
• Very comfortable, padded earpiece
• Additional 3.5mm jack for headphones
• Built in volume controls and skip tracks functionality
• Awesome battery life

Cons

• Heavier than your average headset
• If you wear glasses, can cause fatigue on your ears
• Not best for laying done

TiPb Accessory Pre-Review Rating:

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Pre-Review: Motorola HT820 Stereo Bluetooth Headset for iPhone 3.0

With WWDC 2009 right around the corner, there is excitement in the air. The iPhone OS 3.0 software and a highly possible next generation iPhone are right around the corner. Now what does this have to with the Plantronics Voyager 855 Bluetooth Headset? The answer to that question is simple – A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile). Finally A2DP is coming to an iPhone near you… unless you still plan on keeping that first generation iPhone. (Sadly, for A2DP, you guys will need to upgrade to a current 3G model or the soon-to-be-announced next generation hardware.)

So, iPhone 3G owners, what better way to get a jump on things than by picking up the Plantronics Voyager 855 Bluetooth Headset?! It is available in TiPb’s sibling store WMExperts for a cool $69.95. After the break, a full review!

Design

The Voyager 855 consists of two pieces: a headset unit, which is where you will find all of your controls, and the detachable earpiece, which is what you will use to turn the 855 into a stereo headset – pretty crafty indeed.

The headset is sleek and stylish with its black coating with silver trimmed accents. The mic boom slides out to bring the microphone closer to your mouth. That not only makes it easier for the person with whom you are speaking to hear you, it’s also a way to answer and end calls – more on that a bit later.

Next up is it’s size. The Voyager tips the scales at mear .53 ounce (11 Grams) so it is surprisingly on the lighter side compared to other headsets available. It measures 2.25 inches by 0.5 inch by 0.6 inch. So again, not large by any means unless you have the boom extended. With the boom, look to add another inch or so to it’s length. To get a better grasp on it’s size below you will can see the Voyager next to the Jawbone 2 and Apple’s no longer available headset.

Now if you are looking to get in on the stereo bluetooth action you will need the separate stereo plug-in cable with earpiece. It looks just like a regular earbud attached to an ear loop. To get stereo bluetooth you simply need to attach the ear loop with earpiece to the main headset. The stereo setup is meant to be worn with the cable resting behind your neck.

Also included in the box: ear loop stabilizer (2 sizes), sound isolating ear buds, micro USB charger, lanyard, and carrying case.

Usability

I’ve been using the Voyager 855 for about a week now and I will admit the sound quality is pretty good compared to other headsets I have used in the past. While the headset is not as clear as — or does not boast noise cancelation like the Jawbone — it does contain AudioIQ, which is simply a fancy name for digital signal processing or DSP. Without noise cancelation, loud conditions did create a bit of background noise but people I spoke with did not have any problems hearing me or vice versa. So overall the AudioIQ does it’s job well. To make your voice heard even better you can also slide the boom down closer to your mouth. The boom can also be used to answer and end calls simply by sliding it out or in respectively.

The added bonus of the Voyager 855 is it’s ability to turn into a stereo bluetooth headset by simply adding the stereo plug-in cable. The sound quality for listening to music was pretty decent as well. I have no complaints in that department.

The big question I always have when it comes to bluetooth headset is how comfortable is it to wear and how is the battery life? This headset comes with three earbud pairs in different sizes, allowing you to pick and choose the most comfortable fit for you. You can wear the headset with or without the included earloop, on either your left or right ear. So with that said, you should not have any issues finding the right combination that will comfortably fit your needs. Battery life was excellent. Plantronics claims 7 hours of talk time, 6 hours of listening time, and 160 hours of standby time. I’ve put it through the ringer this week and have had to charge it two times within the week with a good amount of usage.

Conclusion

The Plantronics Voyager 855 Bluetooth Headset, which is available in the WMExperts store for $69.95 is a fantastic deal. Not only will you be able to take full advantage of the upcoming 3.0’s A2DP feature you get a very good overall bluetooth stereo headset.

Pros

• Low price for what you get
• Stereo Bluetooth
• Fits comfortably
• Great battery life

Cons

• No noise cancelation
• Micro USB charger

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Pre-Review: Plantronics Voyager 855 A2DP Stereo Bluetooth Headset

Come this “summer”, iPhone 3.0 — see our walkthrough — will allow iPhone 3G (and perhaps next-generation iPhone users) to enjoy new Bluetooth functionality including stereo headsets, both the A2DP audio and ARCP control protocols. For consumers, the Motorola S9 Stereo Bluetooth headset (available from our sibling store, WMExperts) may be an option you want to consider come release day. For developers testing using the A2DP/ARCP profiles on the iPhone 3.0 Beta, they might even be something you want to consider now.

Note: This pre-review will not be focusing on iPhone 3.0 functionality, which is currently in closed beta. It will concentrate only on the headset itself. However, for those developers needing an A2DP headset for testing 3.0, it’s our understanding this one works well on multiple units, over multiple carriers.

Form Factor

The Motorola S9 is a fixed form, if flexible plastic horse-shoe shaped, behind-the-head fitting audio solution that combines stereo music with phone functionality. The advantage of being a singular unit is that it’s solid, unlikely to become loose or break off at some weak join point. The disadvantage is that if your head is too thin or too wide, the headset will be either uncomfortable or unusable. Likewise, the behind-the-head layout will appeal to those who like wearing hats or otherwise don’t want the bar crossing over their head. However, it may be a non-starter for people who want to use them while reclining or lying down.

Controls

A status light in the middle of the bulge along the back of the headset separates the standards-friendly mini-USB charging port on one side from the power button on the other. Both are covered by soft touch red plastic. The right-side earpiece has controls for play/pause, forward, and back. The left side earpiece has controls for answering the phone as well as volume up and down. These controls are under harder black plastic, with the play/pause and answer buttons providing a tactile, click feedback, and the volume and track buttons on either side lying flat and flush.

Functionality

The S9s are rated for 6 hours talk and 7 hours music, but like any re-chargeable product, battery life can and will vary based on usage and cycle. Sound volume is good, as is music quality, though the compression required for AD2P stereo Bluetooth transfer might not be to the liking of audiophiles. If you’re happy enough with traditional MP3 sound reproduction, however, you’ll likely have no problem with this device.

Conclusion

The freedom provided by wireless Bluetooth stereo headsets like the Motorola S9 will be a boon to iPhone users, the convenience easily outweighing concerns of audiophile-level sound reproduction (at least for most). They won’t fit everyone on either end of the physical or usage pattern scale, but as with the quality, they’re well suited for a large enough swathe down the middle.

Bottom line, if you want something solid, affordable, portable, and functional for your iPhone 3.0 developer unit, or upcoming iPhone 3.0 release unit, you’d do well to consider the Motorola S9s.

Pros

• Good sound
• Good battery life
• Good price-point
• Light and comfortable
• Well suited for on-the-go use.

Cons

• May not fit all head sizes
• Not well-suited for lying down

TiPb Accessory Pre-Review Rating

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Pre-Review: Motorola S9 Stereo Bluetooth Headset for iPhone 3.0