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Jabra FreeSpeak Bluetooth Headset for non-Bluetooth phones with 2.5mm Jack

Jabra FreeSpeak Bluetooth Headset for non-Bluetooth phones with 2.5mm Jack

List Price: $199.99
Your Price: $114.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: BEWARE! THE iPOD OF BLUETOOTH: NON-REPLACEABLE BATTERIES!
Review:
It was only hinted at inside the manual, but never definitvely stated, so I called JABRA and asked. Yep, I was right:

THE BATTERIES INSIDE BOTH OF THESE UNITS ARE NON-REPLACEABLE.

JABRA doesn't even have the cajones to admit this directly in their manual. They must figure if Apple can get away with this BS on the iPod, they can, too.

What does this mean to you? Somewhere between 300 - 600 recharges, YOU WILL HAVE TO THROW THE ENTIRE UNIT AWAY!!! At least with the iPod, you can pay Apple some ridiculous amount of money to replace the battery.

But wait, the idiocy doesn't stop there: The earpiece is a tapered ear-gel: IT DOESN'T STAY IN YOUR EAR unless you hold it there with your hand, which defeats the whole concept of "hands-free".

And, to top it off, the activation/de-activation sequence/ear-tones are confusing and goofy; half the time, the activation remained after I terminated a call, which quickly drained the adapter.

WHAT A PIECE OF JUNK!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: FANTASTIC!
Review: After using no fewer than ten headsets with wires over the years and having wires wear out, break, snag or whatever, the idea of a wireless headset caught my attention. I spend HOURS in the car with my phone and this headset is comfortable, light, easy to use and has great voice quality. It can be a little sensitive, but it's easy to adjust.

The best part is that if you get out of the car for gas, etc. you don't have to "rewire" yourself. The phone can stay in a charger base and you are free to wander up to 30 feet. (Yep, it works!)

Well worth the money!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: You get what you pay for
Review: CLARITY
Major problems here. While the phone is lying flat, in the open, and away from any major electrical devices (like, for instance, a computer monitor) it works very well. The calls are crisp with zero distortion, even at about 15' to 20' away. However, if you put the phone in a pocket or a briefcase, you end up with a LOT of static noise. I frequently find myself actually holding the phone in my hand while I am using the headset, which for me, kind of defeats the purpose of a hands-free device in the first place.

Another annoyance is wind noise. If there is even the slightest breeze, the microphone, lacking a wind sock, becomes completely unusable.

CONSTRUCTION
The part that slings over the top of your ear is a composed of a rubbery, flexible plastic that makes it both very comfortable to wear, and assures a secure fit over the ear. Unfortunately, this is covered by a hard, silver plastic that is not quite as giving. After the first two weeks of normal use, the silver shell developed a hairline fracture that seems to be widening each time I use it. Worse yet, the crack runs along the ultra-bright LED light on the back of the device and ends where the "action" button is located. I expect the entire thing to fall apart any time now.

INDICATOR LIGHT
There is a bright blue light on the back of the device. This light is there to, according to the manufacturer, blink rapidly to alert others that you are on a phone call. The problem is that it also blinks, just more slowly, at all other times. And while it is charging. The light is so bright that I actually place a few sheets of paper over it so it doesn't keep me up at night.

All in all, you get what you pay for with the Jabra Freespeak BT200, and at this price, you shouldn't expect much.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: 1 Star is too many for this piece of junk
Review: Forget it. Don't buy this. Someday, this technology might work, but this one is much too premature. Too bad because I really wanted it to work.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Cumbersome method to receive and end calls
Review: Great product except for when you are receiving and ending calls. For receiving, You need to press receive on both the phone and headset. When ending a call, you also need to hit the end buttons on both the headset and phone. Pretty dangerous when you are driving and even more so when your phone is a flip phone and you are driving...figure it out. I have a headset which is not wireless but I can answer and end calls with a button on the headset. Jabra needs to fix the switch so that calls can be answered and ended with one switch.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hard to Live With, Harder to Live Without
Review: Have to agree with an earlier review. It's not quite ready for mainstream use, but oh! how I love it. I hate making calls without it.

PROS
-The rewards you'd expect from a wireless headset.
-Not too hard to use.
-When I upgrade to a Bluetooth-capable phone, I won't have to get a new headset.
-Surprisingly light and comfortable.

CONS
-Inconsistent sound quality. Clear as a bell to horrible static.
-Falls out of the clip too easily. Keep dropping the dang thing when I clip it on my belt next to my cell phone. Had to drive back to a restaurant once when I realized it had fallen out inadvertently. And it's so light, you don't hear it fall like you might with your cell phone.
-Too easy to accidentally hit the button putting the headset in active mode. I've had that happen a couple of times and couldn't use the headset until I recharged the battery.
-Battery life is poor. I charge it at every opportunity because I'm on the phone a lot.
-It won't work with the power plugged into the cradle. When I'm working in the office, I like to leave my cell phone and the headset charging. You can't use this without first unplugging the charger.
-Kind of a pain to get in the habit of donning the headset, putting it in active mode then hitting the "talk" button to answer a call. Sounds simple, but it's added steps and I've missed a handful of calls because it took so long to do them and have the headset connect. And, while the headset is light, I hate leaving it in my ear for too long because I start to get a "phantom" effect when I take it off. ;-)

OVERALL
I'd buy it again, even knowing all this. It's just too darn convenient and handy, despite all the problems.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finally! A tool that works, and then some!
Review: I am the king of computer toys, just ask my wife. I go through cell phones like my dog goes through rib bones. I tried the headset that came with my phone but my earhole is not round. I tried the Jabra wired headset, it sounded tinny. I tried the BodyGlove, I tried them all. Then I saw the Plantronics M1500, wow! I bought it online. It works, but it is heavy. It feels like I have a lobster hanging on my hear. So I ordered the Freespeak and got next day delivery. WOW!!!! It sounds like a land line phone! I don't even have the cell phone noises! No static, no noise, PLENTY of volume, I handed it off to a co-worker and had him walk around. Plus the unit rests on he ear and behind it, so the weight is more even and actually hardly noticeable. I will buy one for my wife and let other try it out, I swear I can be a sales rep, because it WORKS! Good job Jabra, you did good on this one!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I'm diggin it
Review: I bought my freespeak headset for non blue tooth phones the first day they were released for sale by the manufacturer. I loved it right away. I quickly learned that the mic was very sensitive. The volume and clarity are great. The AC adapter burned out after the first month, but luckily my cell phones AC adapter worked just as well on my freespeak. I can't wait till my pocket pc phone starts shipping with bluetooth so I can ditch the freespeak's base station that plugs into my current phone with the 2.5mm jack. I have my phone auto anwser on the 3rd ring so I don't have to anything but turn on the earpiece. In all, I really enjoy my freespeak.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't waste your money...
Review: I bought one of these and returned it after 2 days. The headset kept loosing connectivity with the adapter (I have a non-bluetooth phone) When I wore the adapter on one side and the headset in the opposite ear it disconnected almost constantly. When I moved the adapter and headset to the same side of my body it was better but it still frequently disconnected. My wife also complained that the sound quality was poor when I was using the headset. On the good side it is very comfortable and fairly easy to use once I got used to it. It also took advantage of Nokia phones ability to answer and hangup calls from the headdset. The coolness factor is good. Too bad it doesn't live up to its promise but I have had similar results from other Jabra products.

As soon as I can find the Plantronics version I will give it a try...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: look ma, no hand!
Review: I checked out several different wireless headsets, and although reviews varied quite a bit for the Freespeak, it was still by far the highest regarded overall. I had a little trouble setting it up (the multi-adapter and headset were not paired at the factory as the instructions stated), but after getting the 2 pieces paired, i've had no problems with it. My only problem, and I guess it is not really a headset problem, is that when i have my sanyo vm4500 (scp-5500) turbo button set to "voice call," i was expecting to be able to use the action button on the headset for voice dialing. well, i could, but when i press the action button to break the connection, it is redialing. So I've turned off the turbo button and it's working fine. It may not be perfect, but it is an INCREDIBLE convenience when both hand are full/typing/etc..., especially if you can land it for under $100. I got mine brand new off ebay for $65 and at that price, it's a steal!


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