Jørgen Sundgot's review of Sony Ericsson's HBH-65 finds this Bluetooth headset keeps things short and sweet, with a minimum of fuss - read on for the complete lowdown.
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Third time's a charm - or at least that must be what Sony Ericsson hopes for with its third generation Bluetooth headset, the HBH-65. Also known as the HBH-60 under a different colour scheme, this series was preceded by the HBH-10/15 and HBH-30/35, both of which featured long and unwieldy boom designs, somewhat impractical for non-stationary use. The HBH-65 is a different story altogether - although it still remains to see how it faces up to the competition.
 | Despite several improvements over its predecessors, the HBH-65 doesn't quite cut it in competition with other recent high-end handsets
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At a length of 7.2 cm and weighing 22 g, the HBH-65 is a more modest piece of kit than the HBH-35. Both headsets apply the near-universal concept of ear loops to attach, but the one found on the HBH-65 comes off as very comfortable when compared with that of its predecessor. Made from rubber-lined plastic, the ear loop allows for quick vertical adjustment within a range of approximately 20 degrees, and lets users easily switch between left and right ear configurations. Also, we were particularly pleased to find the headset is not prone to flapping, despite its boom design.
Sadly, the speaker output area remains hard plastic, but is positioned in such a manner that it's more comfortable than that of the HBH-35. Also, all of the HBH-65's buttons are well placed and offer good tactile feedback, including the multi-function power on/off button facing outwards and two volume buttons placed on either side of the front end of the boom. The notification LED, however, can be somewhat difficult to spot in daylight as it has been designed to surround the outer edge of the power on/off button, and isn't particularly bright.
As in every single case we've documented thus far, the pairing of yet another Bluetooth headset proved to be a quick and painless experience. As should be expected by a high-end headset, the HBH-65 offers support for both the Headset and Handsfree profiles, maximizing current and future compatibility.
In spite of its shorter boom, the HBH-65 proved very capable of picking up audio, as was the case with noice cancellation. Unlike the HBH-35, the HBH-65 wasn't plagued by intermittent static, and also provided high quality audio at distances up to 10 meters when facing transceiving handsets. When worn on the opposite side of the head, however, this rapidly dropped down to 3 meters, although audio could still be well discerned at a range of 4 meters despite a certain amount of crackling.
Other functions of the headset, such as voice dialing, also worked well, and no compatibility problems were encountered during the pairing process. The claimed talk and standby times of 3 and 60 hours respectively are somewhat exaggerated, however, as we managed to eke out 2 hours and 45 minutes of talk time and 50 hours of standby time. On the positive side, the HBH-65 comes with a wall-plug only charger, and does not require the use of a cradle to recharge.
Users of some Sony Ericsson headsets will also be pleased to learn that the HBH-65, in certain cases, offers voice control that allows for changing of profiles and activation of the sound recorder directly from the headset.
Availability
The Sony Ericsson HBH-60 and HBH-65 are now available in most markets worldwide, and sells in the $120 USD range.
Conclusion
Despite performing well when compared with its predecessors, it quickly becomes evident that the HBH-65 has certain issues when compared with other recent high-end headsets. Its battery life is poor, and while audio quality is overall very good it must also face defeat in this area - to headsets which offer the same features and better performance at lower prices. On the bright side, the HBH-65 does not require a charging cradle, and is highly comfortable.
- What's positive: Very comfortable; good audio quality
- What's negative: Short battery life; poor LED visibility
Overall: 
Price and availability
The will start selling for TBA () in November 1999.
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