Yet another Bluetooth headset falls under the merciless scrutiny of Editor-in-Chief Jørgen Sundgot: the BT400 GII from Taiwanese manufacturer Bluetake.
Review summary of the :
| Gallery » |
Pros:
Cons:
%
POOR |
Mediocre |
Good |
Very good |
Excellent |
|
|
Full review of the :
 |
Despite the apparent similarity in naming with another Taiwanese Bluetooth headset we recently reviewed, the Bluetrek GII, the BT400 GII from Bluetake is in no manner related - although the names had us confused at first, too. Upon closer inspection, however, it quickly becomes evident that they do not have much in common except for their general purpose.
 | Large and heavy with short battery life - the BT400 GII doesn't have much going for it
|
Where the Bluetrek GII is a small and nimble headset, the BT400 GII is not only equipped with a tongue-breaking model description, but also weighs in at a rather substantial 27 g with vital measurements at 9.2 x 5 x 2.6 cm. This puts it on par with the Jabra FreeSpeak 250, but although the 250 is not hampered by its size, the same cannot be said about the BTGII400.
Utilizing a swivel ear loop, attaching the BTGII400 is straightforward maneuvre, but the weight of the headset combined with the somewhat angular (although rubberized) design of the loop itself does not bode well for long periods of use. On the brigher side, the headset does not flap around too much once in place despite its elongated shape, and its foldable microphone boom makes for a more compact package when not in use.
The BTGII400 is equipped with three buttons, all of which are placed in an ergonomically sound fashion and offer good tactile feedback: two separate buttons for volume up/down and one combined button for receiving and ending calls as well as initiating voice dialing. The volume buttons switch position when worn on the opposite ear due to a 180 degree rotation along the axis of the headset when switching - incidentally, an operation which involves detaching and reattaching the ear loop and which would benefit immensely from a more elegant implementation. On a related note, the package does include a replacement loop, but both loops are of similar size and as such potential buyers with ears that deviate from the 'average' size are recommended to try the headset on.
As with most other Bluetooth headsets, pairing the BT400 GII is a simple and straightforward operation, and once in place we found the headset to offer quality audio and good noice cancellation despite the odd static. In lab tests, the headset offered excellent transmission up to 10 meters with a direct line of sight between headset and handset, however to achieve similarly good results when worn on the opposite side of the head, the range had to be reduced to a very unimpressive 4 meters.
There's more bad news, however, as the listed standby and talk time of the headset - 100 and 4 hours, respectively - were only barely met in our tests. Already less than half of the performance of comparably sized headsets, the BT400 GII disappoints gravely in this area. Furthermore, the headset only supports the Bluetooth Headset profile, and is as such not compatible with the full range of Bluetooth-enabled handsets on the market.
Availability
The Bluetake BT400 GII is now available in Asia, Europe and North America and sells for an average price of $75 USD.
Conclusion
Despite offering good noice cancellation and adequate transmission range, the Bluetake BT400 GII does not compare well to many other recent headsets on the market. The lack of inclusion of the Bluetooth Handsfree profile further mars the impression of the BT400 GII being a large and heavy headset short on features and battery life. Furthermore, it can be quite uncomfortable to wear for long periods, but its low price does somewhate mitigate its drawbacks.
- What's positive: Sufficient transmission quality and range
- What's negative: Rather large and heavy; supports only Headset profile; poor battery life
Overall: 
Price and availability
The will start selling for TBA () in December 1969.
|
|
| |
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
» Top 15
|
|
|
» Search (New!)
Search by cell phone features
|
|
|
» Manual comparison (New!)
Select up to 4 cell phones side-by-side
|
|
|
» By release
May 2008, June 2008, Q3 2008
|
|
|
» Top 15 by carrier
Unlocked, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Helio, Alltel
|
|
|
|
» Top 15 by user type
Average Joe, Business users, Calling addicts, Fashion conscious users, Globetrotters, High-res addicts, Internet addicts, Multimedia enthusiasts, Music aficionados, Outdoor enthusiasts, TV addicts, Video lovers, More...
|
|
|
» Top 15 by brand
Apple, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia,
BlackBerry, Samsung, Sony Ericsson Other
|
|
|
» Top 15 by platform
Palm OS, Symbian S60, Symbian UIQ, Windows Mobile
|
|
|
|
» Top 15 by cell phone type
Business smartphones, Multimedia smartphones
Consumer QWERTY phones, Multimedia phones
Concept phones
|
|
|
|
|
|
Archive