Apple iPhone Bluetooth Headset: light and simple, but fails to deliver iPhone’s full potential

“Apple’s first accessory for the iPhone is its minimalist Bluetooth headset. It’s light, simple, and attractively designed, but also lacks features of comparably priced devices and fails to deliver the full potential of the iPhone,” Daniel Eran Dilger writes for AppleInsider.

“The solid form of the device works in either ear and acts as a directional mic to pick up sound very well; callers remarked that they could hear me as well or better then when talking directly into the iPhone. The earpiece was less ideal, with occasional interference and lower volume than I would prefer, particularly when in a noisy environment,” Dilger writes.

“There’s no way to listen to music or to live podcasts in Safari over the headset, meaning headset users have to restrict their use of the iPhone to simply being a phone, unless they play the iPhone’s music through its built in speaker or through their vehicle’s audio system. Otherwise, listening to music requires putting in earbuds and taking the headset out,” Dilger writes.

“That makes the biggest consideration for potential buyers whether they feel wireless headset operation trumps listening to music. Ideally, Apple will release A2DP Bluetooth support for the iPhone and offer a stereo Bluetooth headset to match, delivering the best of both worlds,” Dilger writes.

More, including large photos, in the full review here.

41 Comments

  1. The beatings will continue until the product improves.

    Then I’ll die to buy for.

    Until then.

    1: removeable battery
    2: GPS
    3: Better camera
    4: Open network
    5: secure, no exploits, government snooping
    6: better price
    7: frigging laser beam on it’s head

  2. 8: food processor
    9: microwave
    10: tax preparation software
    11: traffic cam
    12: phaser
    13: Marshall 4×12 cab
    14: rack & pinion steering
    15: every episode of Firefly
    16: disc brakes
    17: non-stick cooking surface
    18: ice cream maker
    19: 4 wheel drive

  3. This was deleted from the orignal website and Google, but showed up in my RSS feed.

    Danger Room Blog
    Thursday, 09:00 PM
    Researchers see hints of a new generation of aircraft in Area 51 build-up. But are researchers seeing UFOs where none exist?

    If it didn’t make in on Google, that means the gov is RSS feeding each site and issuing retractions on the news media.

  4. I’d buy a Blue Tooth headset if I didn’t just want to strangle every guy (it’s always guys…) I see walking around 24/7 with their Blue Tooth headset on. I see guys every day on the ferry with them on, and they’re NEVER talking on the phone. They have taken up residence in my brain right between black socks and phone holsters as Middle Management Douchebag Couture. I just don’t see the draw, other than to say I Have A Bluetooth Headset.

  5. @ Darkness

    Fer reals. Anyway, if the headset doesn’t do anything useful when I’m not talking on the phone then no sale. I’ve found that talking on the phone, while a pleasure with the included earbuds, is one of the things I do the least with my iPhone.

  6. 29. Built-in electric razor
    30. Built-in electric toothbrush w/toothpaste generator/dispenser.
    31. Battery with infinite talk time
    32. Grill for cooking steaks.
    33. Hillary Clinton mute button (also functional for Michael Moore, Al Gore, and Rosie O’Donnell).
    34. Complete omnipotence and omniscience.
    35. Oh, and cherry Coke dispenser

  7. @ ChrissyOne

    “Middle Management Douchebag Couture” – Harsh!
    I’m not in Middle Management and I like the convenience of a wireless earpiece. It’s safer too.

    I see about equal usage between women & men. You seem to have it out for the dudes.

    Regardless, I’ll wait for Apple to activate stereo Bluetooth and voice dialing before I stop using the included wired headphones.

  8. “Just stick your fingers in your ears and go LA LA LA LA LA. Seems to be working for most Americans.”

    nope – that piercing harpy screech goes right through skin and bone – you have to use a pair of the new Apple “Hi, I’m a T1000” bluetooth headsets.

  9. 45. play youtube videos etc right from safari
    46. more ringtones
    47. voice recording (cmon my 2 year old razr does that)
    48. froot loops dispenser
    49. preloaded with every family guy and 24 episode
    50. winch strong enough to tow my atv
    51. waterproof
    52. works with a stylus
    53. face reocognition
    54. fingerprint scanner

  10. Thanks for all the laughs folks. I actually got one of those new Apple bluetooth earpieces, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t like it. It has a lot of static interruptions when I am talking, and even moving the phone into my left trouser-leg pocket (with the headset in my right ear) causes it to drop out a lot. I simply find it unusable.

    And besides, the included stereo white earbuds work perfectly fine, and I can listen to my music and podcasts in between calls (as ChrissyOne mentioned, talking on the phone is probably what I do least by percentage of time use).

    oh well. MDN: “figures”

  11. “Why would want to listen to music in only one ear? I’m puzzled.”

    Not everyone has an iPod/mp3 player plug-in in their car and in most states your not allowed to cover both ears when driving. Also some people (not me) walk around all day with that bluetooth thing in their ear. A little casual music would be nice for them.

  12. “Also some people (not me) walk around all day with that bluetooth thing in their ear. A little casual music would be nice for them.”

    Wouldn’t this be a giant battery drain? I have no idea, I’ve never used any bt gear.

  13. After reading this stupid review, I was as mad as a teetotaler at a speakeasy! What part of the elegant simplicity of the iPhone Bluetooth earpiece does Mr. Dildo not understand? If you want stereo music, use your earbuds. But if you want a simple, tiny, lightweight and unobtrusive Bluetooth earpiece, this looks very attractive.

    For some reason, Mr. Dildo expected the iPhone Bluetooth earpiece to do everything listed by other posters above. Huh? It has one simple function, Daniel: to frickin’ talk on the phone! Is that so hard to understand? If you want all the junk you whined about, then get some other Bluetooth earpiece fer Chrissakes. But if you look at the review linked in the article above, you will notice a comparison photo between the Apple Bluetooth earpiece and a Jabra device that looked like a hearing aid designed by the Soviet commies in the 1950s. Apparently, he didn’t get a key point here: Steve Jobs wanted a light, minimalist design, not a 10 lb. PC laptop stuck to your ear. But I guess he wanted the version that would be designed by Microshaft.

    Some schmucks don’t get it. As my old man once said, those who can do, and those who can’t teach gym. To that I add, and those who can do neither become self-important pundits who write whiny reviews about Apple products.

    What a schmendrick!

  14. @ ChrissyOne

    “Middle Management Douchebag Couture” FTW! That made my day. But those aren’t the only offenders of good taste. Don’t forget general posers. They are even more annoying. It’s like they’re all walking around like, “I have to keep my headset in at all times because I’m so important that I might be getting a phone call from the Oval Office at any minute. Nevermind that the most important thing I actually ever say is, ‘You want fries with that?'”

    MW: “love” as in, “I love ChrissyOne!”

  15. @ Woody

    Sometimes in the middle of a real life, face to face conversation, and I’ll have my iPhone earbuds in and I’ll interrupt the person, and hold up a finger, tap on my pants pocket, look blankly into the middle distance and say “Yeah… a large? Would you like a super-size fry…? Ok, that’ll be 7.48, pull around please.” …and then go right back to talking to them.

    Seriously, if you wear a giant bt earpiece all the time, you must realize that you look like you’re working the drive thru.

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