Jørgen Sundgot takes a closer look at the first attempt at a Bluetooth headset from PC accessory mainstay Logitech, finding several pros - and the odd cons.
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Not a name traditionally linked with the mobile device industry, Logitech has now brought forward its first attempt at a Bluetooth headset - following several previous forays in the shape of wired solutions, most of which are aimed at the U.S. market. The verbosely named and low-priced Logitech Mobile Bluetooth Headset (MBH) meets fierce competition from competitors: let's find out how well it fares.
 | Logitech's MBH headset offers unparallelled standby time coupled with very good voice quality
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A somewhat fiddly contraption, the MBH consists of a round disc covering the ear itself, as well as spring-loaded hinge for attachment and a rotating boom which can be pulled back in an attempt to minimze the rather obtrusive design of the headset. At 30 g, it ranks as one of the heavier headsets on the market, and despite an overall sleek design there's no escaping that the headset looks bulky, regardless of whether its boom is in a forward or retracted position.
All is not lost, however, as several nice touches contribute to rectify the somwhat lax initial impression. On the side that faces the ear, the MBH is equipped with an oh-so-comfortable soft padding which makes it a pleasure to wear, and the behind-the-ear attachment solution makes putting the headset in place a breeze, as well as switch between the left and right ear - although it shows tendencies to flap. Its buttons can easily be located, reached and used without any strain to the hand or ear, and tactile feedback is very good.
Installation of the headset is simple and straightforward as it should be, and the headset boots adequately fast in a matter of 3 seconds. Increasing or decreasing the volume is equally simple, and the HBM also offers hassle-free muting of the headset upon which the user is notified continously through audible alerts; a nice touch. This also goes for the notification LED, which lets users easily identify one of six different modes of operation, and although it is becoming increasingly common, support for both the Headset and Handsfree Bluetooth profiles is welcome.
Support for voice dialing is also present in the HBM, and this worked generally well although it proved incompatible with two of our test units, leaving us unable to derive which was to blame - device or headset. More grave is it then, that the the charger setup of the HBM is a humonguous affair. Not only is the power unit itself large, but the HBM must be placed in a fist-sized cradle to charge: we don't care whether it doubles as a belt-attachable storage unit or not - it is nothing less than horrendous.
Fortunately for Logitech, however, there are several upsides to mitigate this blatant faux pas, as the standby and talk times of the HBM are excellent. Although not fully on par with Logitech's claims of 7 hours of talk time and an amazing 21 days of standby time, the headset delivered up to 6 hours and 17 days in our testing. What's more, the headset provided distortion-free audio at an average range of 10 meters with a direct line of sight, although this dropped to 4 meters when worn on the opposite side of the head. Overall, audio quality proved very good.
Availability
The Logitech Mobile Bluetooth Headset is now available throughout Europe and North America, and sells for $99.95 USD.
Conclusion
For being the company's first attempt at a Bluetooth headset, Logitech's MBH is far from a bad one. In some areas, it matches top-notch headsets already on the market with its amazing stand-by time, similarly impressive talk time and low pricing - while at the same time its incomprehensibly poor charger setup and unwieldy appearance knocks quite a few points off its score. Briefly put, the MBH is a good headset with a couple of flaws that may not be all-important to all potential users, and as such it comes recommended.
- What's positive: Incredible stand-by time; dual profile support; excellent comfort
- What's negative: Bulky charger setup; unwieldy design
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Price and availability
The will start selling for TBA () in November 1999.
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