Time for a new Bluetooth headset?

I have an older Plantronics Discovery Bluetooth headset that has been working fairly well over the past few years, but it's getting old. I think I got it back in 2007. How much has Bluetooth headset technology evolved and improved over the past few years?

The device that I'm considering is the Bose® Bluetooth® headset Series 2. Here are some of the features of this new headset:

• Exclusive Bose technologies let you hear calls better, even as noise levels change
• Noise-rejecting microphone allows callers to hear more of your voice—in windy and noisy environments too
• Soft, flexible StayHear® tip provides comfort and stability
• A2DP Bluetooth profile enables mobile media content, like music or podcasts, from your smartphone
• Simple, convenient controls make it easy to answer calls
• Choice of left- or right-ear version, whichever you prefer, for best possible fit

I feel a sense of obligation to purchase Bose products since I share the MIT connection, but I wish we could still get discounts on Bose products (MIT grads used to have that privilege at one point). I haven't tried the Bose Bluetooth headset, but I have tried the Bose MIE2 wired headset and I was very impressed by the sound quality (no surprise given that they're made by Bose). If the Bluetooth headset sounds as good, then I may be sold. I'd also like to see how well the noise-rejecting feature works. What's nice about Bose products is that you can test them out for 30 days and get a full refund if you're not satisfied. 

So, how about you? Do you use a Bluetooth headset? If you do, are you happy with it? 

Shopping for a Bluetooth headset

Today, I went to Best Buy to buy a Bluetooth headset. Normally, I would buy these types of things online. However, I wanted her to try it out first. She's actually never had a Bluetooth headset. She's always used a wired headset, so this is her first one that uses wireless Bluetooth technology.

So, which one did I get? I got the Samsung WEP490 (which is a relatively new model) for $40 and she seems to like it so far. I use an old one made by Plantronics and it still works just fine.

I remember when Bluetooth headset were still relatively new. Some models were horrendous and others were decent. Advances in Bluetooth technology have brought the prices down so you can get some really decent ones today for under $100.

Upgraded Verizon HTC Touch Pro2 (Windows Mobile 6.5) battery drain status

I have a Verizon HTC Touch Pro2 that I've upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.5 (see:  Windows Mobile 6.5 update now available for HTC Touch Pro2). After the ROM upgrade, I noticed a rapid decline in battery life (see:  Worse battery life after upgrading to Windows Mobile 6.5 on Touch Pro2. After doing some investigating, I discovered that my turning the Bluetooth off, my battery life would return to normal. (Location Service was ON)

Now, I've run a different experiment today. I turned the Bluetooth on, but I turned the Location Service Settings off. Guess what happened? My battery life is back to normal.

So now I'm confused. Is the problem in the Bluetooth or the Location Service? Are they connected? I'll need to conduct a few more experiments to see what happens. The Location Service Settings are a bit confusing. You have the following options:

• Improve location service by collecting location data at any time when device is in use (On/Off)
•  Programs that use location service
  
• HTC location service (check box) - checked
  
• Automatically decline location service in all HTC software that attempts to use location (check box) - checked

You can see that I've checked the boxes for the last 2 items. Let's see what happens. My Bluetooth is on and Location Services are "on" with both boxes checked. Will the battery be drained in a few hours?

Other Verizon users experiencing draining battery on Touch Pro2 upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.5

If you search the Verizon Wireless user forums, you'll quickly see that other Verizon customers who upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.5 are experiencing terrible battery life. I've concluded that it's the Bluetooth that's killing the battery. If you've loaded the Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM upgrade (MR 1 Upgrade on the PCDphones.com website file name: XV6875_MR1_Upgrade.zip)

I've written about my Touch Pro2 ROM upgrade experiences here:

Bluetooth killing my battery life on Touch Pro2 after Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade

Worse battery life after upgrading to Windows Mobile 6.5 on Touch Pro2

Flashing the ROM on my HTC Touch Pro2

Windows Mobile 6.5 update now available for HTC Touch Pro2

Bluetooth killing my battery life on Touch Pro2 after Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade

Well, it appears that Mike (who left a comment in an earlier post) was correct about the Bluetooth stack killing the battery life on my upgraded HTC Touch Pro2 on Verizon.

I upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.5 and everything seemed OK, but I noticed that the battery life was draining very quickly. So, I performed a hard factory reset, and things seemed fine. However, I also noticed that the Bluetooth was "off" by default. I tested it for a few days with the Bluetooth off and my battery life seemed normal.

Then, I turned the Bluetooth on. I didn't pair with anything yet, but I immediately noticed a rapid decline in battery life. My Wi-Fi is off, so I know that's not the culprit.

So, is this why Verizon hasn't officially announced the Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade for the HTC Touch Pro2? I really hope that this bug gets fixed soon so that I can stay with Windows Mobile 6.5. Otherwise, I'll be going back to Windows Mobile 6.1.

Wired vs. wireless tethering (USB vs. Bluetooth)

When you use your mobile phone or smartphone as a wireless modem for your laptop, this is called tethering. Some carriers have specific names for this (Verizon calls this Mobile Broadband Connect), but we'll just call it tethering.

So, if you don't have access to Wi-Fi, you can pull our your smartphone and get online with your laptop. You can do this either by connecting your smartphone to your laptop via a USB cable or by using Bluetooth wireless technology.

The benefits of using a USB cable include:

• Generally a much faster connection
• Generally a more stable connection
• Preserve battery life in your smartphone

The benefits of using Bluetooth include:

• No need to carry a USB cable
• More mobility if you're moving around while tethered

When I tether, I almost always use a USB cable. I rarely use Bluetooth to tether because the connection speed is significantly faster when I use USB. Also, I can keep my phone charged while I'm using it as a modem. 

Here are some tips and suggestions if you tether:

• Turn off your Wi-Fi to preserve battery life on your notebook
• Always carry a spare USB cable since you never know when you'll need to tether
• Don't have Bluetooth on your laptop? Get a tiny USB "dongle" so that you can have access to wireless tethering when you need it.
• Check out PdaNet and TetherBerry.
  

Tethering on the beach

OK, I'm not actually on the beach. But I'm sitting in my hotel room which is right next to the beach and I'm tethering using my Verizon Wireless smartphone to get my laptop online. That's how I'm writing this short little blog post. While others are taking a nap, I'm doing some work and tethering to stay connected.

Although my laptop has a built-in WWAN card (AT&T), I don't use it enough to justify the added cost of paying for that service. Therefore, I simply use my smartphone to tether and that works just fine. I can tether using either Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or USB. The main benefit of using USB is that you'll get a faster connection and you can charge the battery on your smartphone. Using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to tether will drain the battery on your smartphone. Tethering is the most economic way to stay connected if you have a smartphone and a laptop/netbook/UMPC/tablet/etc.

Tethering for my OQO model 02

I was out yesterday and I took my OQO model 02 with me. It was great to use my Verizon Wireless smartphone to tether my OQO to my smartphone so that I could get online and get a bit of work done. It's great to have the flexibility to tether via USB or Bluetooth. Last week, I taught a few people how to tether using a BlackBerry Curve and a Samsung smartphone running Windows Mobile. Do you tether? Image source: slashgear

Google Android 1.5

Google has an operating system for smartphones called Android. The latest announcement on their developer site includes information about Android 1.5. Some of the most exciting features include:

• On-screen keyboards
• More widgets
  
• Video recording
• Stereo Bluetooth (so you can practice your cardiac auscultation skills with both ears)
  

The most popular smartphone that runs Android is the T-Mobile G1. Will Google Android offer features that are unique enough to set it apart from the iPhone?