Jabra Supreme Bluetooth Headset Review

by Mendy on November 11th, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Posted in Accessories Reviews

Review: Jabra Supreme Bluetooth Headset
Rating:
Price: ~$99.99 at Amazon.com

The Jabra Supreme is the latest and greatest Bluetooth headset available for hands-free dialing and voice activation. This headset is extremely easy to use. Powering on the headset consists of simply flipping open the microphone. Upon doing this for the first time after the initial charge, voice commands instantly guide you through the pairing to your phone. Subsequent powering-on of the headset results in a greeting of “Power On…Connected”.

Receiving Calls: Upon receiving a call, the headset announces “Call from …” and announced the caller’s name if in your address book, or the number calling. You may use the Answer/End button or wait for the tone, and speak “Answer” or “Decline”. This is great for driving.

Placing Calls: Voice commands allow you to speak the name of the caller. As always, I had difficulty with the proper contact being identified while using voice commands, and found myself tending to stick to the more standard method of dialing from the phone.

Overall Thoughts: The sound quality is pretty good on both ends. Callers did not realize I was on a headset, and I was able to hear them quite clearly. The headset is quite comfortable with the foam cover over the speaker sits flush against your ear. The voice instructions, and simple flipping open/closed to turn on/off prove quite useful, especially for those used to staring at the blinking lights on their headset attempting to determine what it’s doing.

The only con I found was the ear loop. While the speaker and foam cover sit flush against your ear while being worn, I felt the ear loop was insufficient to keep the headset from moving around while you moved. This caused me to try moving less while wearing my headset, something which I shouldn’t have to pay attention to. At no point did it actually fall off or even come loose, but it was something that bothered me while using. Then again, I find this an issue for all headsets with similar loops, so it appears to be a personal issue.

Conclusion: If you want a simple, easy to use headset, this headset is for you. With it’s flip open/closed to turn on/off, and voice commands, all the guesswork is removed when using this headset. Once again, this Jabra headset has great sound quality and a good look.

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Review: Trident Perseus Case for Playbook

Price: $24.95
Web Site: Trident Case
Rating:

If you are looking for a lightweight protection for your Playbook, look no more. The Perseus from Trident Case is a great companion for your tablet. The product comes with two parts. The main part is the rubberized silicone case which covers all sides, except the screen. The case provides good protection from minor impacts. As an added bonus, it also provides a better grip. Trident Case didn’t forget to protect your screen as well, which is the second part – a scratch/smudge resistant screen protector. Also included in the package was a lint free cleaning cloth, an application card to install the screen protector and instructions:

The case fits snuggly around the Playbook. You have to keep in mind, the protection it provides is a light-duty one. It will protect well from little bumps, but if you drop the device from couple of feet onto a hard surface, it may not be sufficient. Also, screen is protected against scratches, but it being open otherwise makes me worry about using the case daily.

The ports are fully open and are easily accessible. Of course you wouldn’t be able to use a cradle when the device is in the case. The little nubs on top of the power/volume buttons make them easier to access as well.

One funny thing I noticed, the instructions are from their iPhone version, I am guessing the product was a little bit rushed:

Overall, it is an inexpensive light duty case plus screen protector combo. It is lightweight and doesn’t add bulk.

Pros:

Cons:

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Plantronics Improves on Perfection with Voyager Pro HD Bluetooth Headset

When I got my first Plantronics Voyager Pro I few years back I fell in love. It was a super comfy Bluetooth headset that simply worked and the battery lasted forever. Plantronics then gave it a marginal update with the Voyager Pro+ with A2DP and a voice controls. Now they have tuned the mix just a little bit more with the Voyager Pro HD.

The Voyager Pro HD adds a slick Smart Sensor technology that recognizes when you place it on your ear. It will automatically answer calls or transfer calls back and forth between your phone and headset based on this sensor. They also have their Vocalyst voice and text service on command and a few other tricks.

The Voyager Pro HD is available now on Amazon for $99 and you can read more on the Plantronics website.

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Seidio Releases Spring Clip Holster for the BlackBerry Bold 9900 & 9930

Anybody else miss the old clip on holsters RIM used to ship with all their BlackBerrys? The leather holster that comes with the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 is actually quite good but some people prefer the traditional plastic clip BlackBerry holsters. Tom let us know that Seidio has exactly those users in mind with their new BlackBerry Bold 9900 / 99309 Spring Clip Holster. It is intended for a “naked” case-less Bold and provides a spring clip that lifts to get your device in and out. The inside is covered by felt and it faces inside when you place it in the holster to protect the screen.

Features include:

You can pick up the Seidio Spring Clip Holster for the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 for $29.95 directly from Seidio.

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RIM Confirms BlackBerry PlayBook Premium Charger Charges Phones 2X Faster!

 

There has been a bit of confusion about using the BlackBerry PlayBook Premium charger and charging BlackBerry smartphones. Kevin @CrackBerry speculated a few months back that the Premium Charger that ships with the Playbook charges phones faster but RIM was mum on the subject and we speculated on our own. Now RIM has confirmed on their Shop BlackBerry store that:

It’s (BlackBerry Premium Charger) designed to work with your BlackBerry® smartphone—charging twice as fast as standard BlackBerry chargers.

From what I have been able to tell by using the BlackBerry Engineering Screen the PlayBook Premium charger pumps ~1250mAh charge into my BlackBerry Bold 9930 and BlackBerry Torch 9800. That is compared to 750mAh from the new standard BlackBerry Charger Plug that RIM ships with new phones. It is also higher than the 700mAh that the older model Folding Blade Travel Charger pushed out. The PlayBook Premium Charger on the other hand seems to be able to push 1800mAh though from what I can tell my phone is only reporting 1250mAh so it could be the numbers are a little less than two times the regular charger.

Still its nice to see RIM come out and confirm that the PlayBook Premium Charger is “designed to work with your BlackBerry smartphone” instead of just happening to work. This means that RIM has probably tested it with the smartphone capacitors to make sure you are not frying the charging circuitry.

PS: I am still trying to figure out what the story is with the BlackBerry PlayBook Rapid Charger. For a rapid charger it seems to only be pushing out 2000mAh which is not much higher than the Premium chargers 1800mAh. I am not an electrical engineer by any count but let us know if you figure it out!

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Review: Scosche freeKEY Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard

Recently Scosche released a bluetooth wireless keyboard that only requires a device with a bluetooth pairing mode to work. It is designed with mobility in mind targeting tablet devices. They sent us one to review and luckily all though not official supported the keyboard works on the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Package: The package it came in is simple, folded into a small box, with an instruction manual and a retractable mini USB cable for charging the keyboard.

Getting started: First thing is to charge the keyboard if is not fully charge yet. You do not need to install any special software or app on the PlayBook. Once it is paired the Key board you can turn it on and off as needed and the PlayBook automatically connects to it.

Pairing: To pair the keyboard you need to turn on they keyboard by pushing the connect button once, a red star will light up o the right side next to it. Once you see it lit, go to the bluetooth options on the PlayBook and make sure the device is set to discoverable. Then click add new device. When the PlayBook lists the scosche keyboard click on it to pair and it will give you a number; that number you will type it on the keyboard and hit enter when you are done. The keyboard should be paired, you can test this by typing something using the keyboard.

Specifications and Features:

Usability: The keyboard feels soft and a bit different since is the first time using one like this one. The keyboard is big enough to type like you would on a regular keyboard. The size is good enough where the user does not feel as if they were typing on a miniature keyboard. It has good enough space between the keys that you can type fast enough using both hands. The more you use it the more you get use to typing on it.

I found that the keyboard works great when testing it with other devices including an android device, the BlackBerry but I did noticed that in earlier builds of the PlayBook OS the PlayBook would lose the connection.  It is not the keyboard but it seems the PlayBook can only handle so many Bluetooth connections at once.  The latest OS updates seem to handle the connection much better without unexpectedly dropping the connection.

Using the keyboard at first feels weird because it is fairly soft compare to regular computer keyboards. After a while I got used to it and it feels comfortable typing on it. To put it to good use I decided to finishing this review using it with the PlayBook. When theuser types the keys give feedback you feel the keys click. It is more comfortable typing on it than a netbook keyboard.  One of the best part is that you can easily fold the keyboard and take with you anywhere. Combine these keyboard with a portable Bluetooth mouse, and you are set on the go. I use it to edit documents, and sometimes to type articles when I am away from home. RIM has improved the OS to support these devices recently because I noticed that when I am using a mouse it has an indicator showing what a right mouse click will do.

The other cool part of this keyboard is that you can easily charge from anywhere you can plug it to a USB connection. The battery last quite a bit so if you use it for periods of time it can last a while.  The design, and the functionality of the keyboard definitely make it a top choice if you are looking for one to use with your mobile device, be it BlackBerry PlayBook, or the competitors.

 

You can purchase the Keyboard from www.scosche.com for $59.99 or Amazon where you can usually get it at a lower price.

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Review: Etymotic Research MC2 Noise-Isolating In-ear Headset and Earphones

Etymotic Research MC2 Noise-Isolating In-ear Headset and Earphones
Cost: $99 @ Amazon
Rating:

Etymotics is well known as the company with a CUSTOM-FIT program for personalized ear molds that provide a perfect fit. They also happen to sell earphones. Their newest release, the MC2 (a universal follow up to their MC3 iPhone version), claims to be the world’s most accurate noise-isolating headset + earphones under $100 for the cost‑conscious consumer.

As far as noise-cancelling, when the earpieces are properly in the ear, you are happily removed from the noise around you. It blocks out most of the sound and allows you to clearly hear your most recent playlist. I have tested these earphones while listening to my latest obsession, Adele, and I have been able to hear her croon to me perfectly clear, well below maximum volume on both my phone and my computer. Using these definitely prevents me from hurting my eardrums on the subway. They are a bit on the pricier side. A non-audiophile like me would normally think twice about spending that much for earphones. Additionally, there is a nifty Send/End Button that, depending on your device, may also mute a call. Always a pro to have an option like that attached to your earphones.

There is much left to be desired when it comes to the fit of these earpieces. Etymotics gives you an array of buds to try to your liking, but I have yet to find one that fits me best. I have not tried their custom fit program. There are two sizes of the 3-flange eartip, or what I refer to as the plunger type buds that seal in very tightly. Etymotics explains you must take out very gently and slowly to break the seal. There are people who may prefer these tips, but it’s something you must get used to. The Foam eartip you must rub between your fingers to compress the foam before inserting into your ear. These fit and block out all noise from the surrounding, but I wish they were shaped a little less boxy and a little more rounded on the edges to fit more comfortably in the ear. The Glider eartip Etymotics states must be pushed in simply to the ear canal. These are the least fitting buds, as they fall out almost immediately, every time.

In short, it’s worth a shot to try the earphones out, especially if you are inclined to try or have used Etymotics Custom-Fit Program. They are a bit on the pricier end, so if you are having trouble with the ear pieces, you may not benefit from the noise isolation. All in all, these are far superior than the typical iPod pain-inducing earphones.

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FAQ: Are BlackBerry Torch 9800 & Torch 9810 Cases & Accessories Compatible?

I have been asked this question multiple times in the last few weeks so I thought it would be best to lay the question to rest. Many users have been asking if the accessories for the BlackBerry Torch 9800 are compatible with the new BlackBerry Torch 9810. I have tested out multiple accessories on both devices from Case-Mate, OtterBox, and other vendors and so far they have all fit like a charm. RIM confirms that the dimensions of both devices are identical and their accessories like the SyncPod clearly are for both devices.

The easiest way to confirm this and lay the question to rest is to look at RIM’s official ShopBlackBerry store which seems to have simply changed the description of every 9800 accessory to say 9800/9810. Even the battery (F-S1) is the same on both devices. In other words this is more of an upgrade like the 9780 was for the 9700 instead of the incompatible Storm 9500/9530 to the Storm 9520/9550.

Let us know if you run into any accessory or case that does not work between the two devices!

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Jabra SPORT Bluetooth Stereo Headphones Coming This Month

I am always on the hunt for better Bluetooth stereo headphones for my BlackBerry. The current top headphones I have found are the Plantronics Backbeat with no competitors coming close though it is nowhere near perfect. Jabra is trying to throw their hat into the ring again with the Jabra SPORT Bluetooth sport headphones that look very similar to the Backbeats though sadly they are accented with yellow and have yellow cords. Otherwise I really like the design.

Key features of the SPORT include:

It also ships with a free download of Endomondo Sports Tracker to track your fitness activities. The Jabra SPORT will be available at Apple, Sprint and T-Mobile stores and will also be available on Amazon.com in September.

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