These are the 3 steps that are recommended before you decide to buy a Bluetooth headset:
- Choose a Bluetooth based on how it looks – appeal factor
- Is the Bluetooth headset compatible with your phone
- Evaluate the Bluetooth headset features
Step 1:
Choosing a Bluetooth headset can be difficult or easy, depending on your shopping style. Most people buy clothes the same exact way. It basically depends on your taste. First, find the Bluetooth headset that looked the most appealing to you. There are 3 different categories of Bluetooth headsets in the market right now:
- Over-the-ear Bluetooth headsets: Some Bluetooth headsets, such as the Samsung WEP850 or Nokia BH-104 hooks around your ear. Some over-the-ear models have ear hooks that can be worn on either the right or the left ear, and many find them more comfortable than in-ear models.”
- In-ear Bluetooth headsets: In-ear Bluetooth headsets fit directly into your ear canal like an earplug. The Jawbone ICON and Plantronics Discovery 925 are two examples of in-ears model. Their low profile and sung fit are preferred by many Bluetooth users.
- Bluetooth Speakers: Bluetooth speakers usually clip on your car’s sun visor. The Blackberry VM-605 and Motorola T215 are two examples of the Bluetooth speaker models. The Bluetooth speakers are preferred by those who do not like having Bluetooth headsets on or in their ear.
Step 2:
Finding the compatibility of the Bluetooth headset that you like is probably the hardest part of the research.
- First you must find out if your cell phone and Bluetooth headset are running the same versions (1.0, 2.0, or 2.1 plus EDR). This information is easily found on your manuals.
- If your cell phone is capable of playing music, look for an A2DP Bluetooth headset(Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) for stereo listening capability
If your Bluetooth headset and cell phone are not running on the same version, they won’t pair up at all. Please refer to Accessory Geeks’ Bluetooth pairing guide for more information
Step 3:
Like your cell phone, a Bluetooth headset has many features. While all Bluetooth headsets work the same way – connect wirelessly to your cell phone so you can talk over the phone without using your hands – not all Bluetooth headsets have the same features. Please refer to your Bluetooth headset manual to see what version is it running.
Here’s a chart that explains the difference between the Bluetooth headset features:
| Specifications | Bluetooth 1.1 | Bluetooth 1.2 | Bluetooth 2.0 | Bluetooth 2.1 plus EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) |
| Voice dialing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Call mute | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Last-number redial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Improved resistance to radio frequency interference | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 10-meter range | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 100-meter range | Yes | Yes | ||
| Fast transmission speeds | Yes | Yes | ||
| Lower power consumption | Yes | Yes | ||
| Improved pairing (without a PIN) | Yes | |||
| Greater security | Yes | Yes | Yes |
