From little-known manufacturer Innovi comes the BlueTrek GII headset - a dark horse with great potential, despite its petite size. Jørgen Sundgot tunes in.
Every now and again, we come across the odd cases where one small company trumps far larger operations, bringing a superior product to market. Big words, you say? Indeed - but the new BlueTrek GII from Innovi appears to be just one of those pleasant exceptions where some factor or another has lead to the advent of a product that competes with the very best of the rest.
 | Despite its small size, the BlueTrek GII packs a real punch
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The almond-shaped dark horse that is the BlueTrek GII is arguably quite good looking, and in addition very small and light - it weighs only 12.5 g and measures a petite 6.8 x 2 x 1 cm, making it one of the smallest Bluetooth headsets on the market. Ergonomically, the GII gets most things right, with the possible exception of the swiveling ear loop, which is non-exchangeable and as such could be a potential poor fit for someone with somewhat small or large ears. Still, it allows for wearing the headset on both ears, which is good.
The GII appears to suffer from button overload, but this is due to its dual-ear wearability: volume up and down controls have been placed on both sides of the main body, effectively doubling the count. These can be accessed without placing any strain on the user's hand or ear, while the main combo button of the headset - facing away from the ear - places only a minimal amount of strain on the ear. This button also incorporates a dual-colour LED which indicates the status of the headset.
Getting the headset up and running is thankfully a simple procedure: pairing is conducted quickly, and BlueTrek has - as so many other manufacturers - opted to use an easy-to-remember PIN code. One could perhaps wish for the headset to boot faster, but it still scores adequately here; worse is it then, that the procedure of attaching can be a bit fiddly due to its design. This is however not a major obstacle, but can be bothersome if one is hurrying to get it in place.
The combo button of the headset allowed quick access to accepting and ending calls, as well as initiating voice dialing and switching between calls - all of which worked as expected during our test period. Also, other functions worked as advertised, accompanied by distinct audio cues which - after some time - lets users easily distinguish between the different actions taking place.
When first in place, the G2 sits well and is not particularly prone to flapping, despite its elongated design. It is relatively comfortable, but a few small nags become apparent when the headset is used. First, there is a relatively pervasive yet very subtle background hiss, and unless the headset is maneuvered into exactly the right spot, it can be difficult to hear the other party. And while we're talking about nags: the charger delivered with the GII is - albeit small - completely useless for globetrotters, as it only supports 110V input.
Fortunately for the GII, however, that's where the complaints end. In our tests, the headset offered up excellent audio quality at a range of 10 meters, whether the headset was facing our test devices or turned 180 degrees away. The only other headset capable of such performance we've tested so far is the Plantronics M3000, which is almost double the price - and like the far more expensive M3000, the GII offers support for both the Headset and Handsfree Bluetooth profiles.
What's more, the BlueTrek GII also comes very close to the manufacturer's claims of up to 9 hours of talk time and 400 hours of standby time: we squeezed 7.5 and 360 hours out of it, respectively. And to top it all off, it did a very good job of picking up voice courtesy of its omnidirectional microphone.
Availability
The Innovi BlueTrek GII is now available worldwide and sells in the $80 USD range.
Conclusion
Small nags in the ergonomics department aside, the BlueTrek GII offers a very impressive feature set and performs extremely well areas of range, reception and battery life - all at a price that can only be described as an absolute steal. Potential buyers should, if possible, attempt to try the headset on to see if it fits their ear, however the BlueTrek GII comes warmly recommended in any case. Globetrotters beware, though, as the charger will do you little good in countries not using 110V electrical grids.
- What's positive: Superb range and reception; good battery life; dual profile support
- What's negative: Several ergonomics nags; 110V charger problematic for globetrotters
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