Thursday, June 18th, 2009
Yesterday saw the release of a major software update for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The update brought over 100 new features, but one of the best new features is that the iPhone 3G and 2nd generation iPod Touch now support Stereo Bluetooth. Stereo Bluetooth lets you enjoy your music in stereo and without wires connecting to your phone. As Stereo Bluetooth has been around for years there are plenty of Stereo Bluetooth Headsets to choose from.
Thereare a couple of points that you’ll need to remember though, the iPhone and iPod Touch support the A2DP profile only. If you have an iPhone this means you can answer & end calls, play / pause your music, but not control it fully. If you have an iPod Touch 2G then you will be able to play / pause your music and adjust the volume, but you won’t be able to use these headsets with any of your VOIP apps (such as Skype) on your iPod.
In order for you to be able to control your music fully, the iPhone or iPod Touch would need to support the AVRCP profile – hopefully we’ll see this in a future software update from Apple. Stereo Bluetooth is not available on the first generation iPhone or iPod Touch.
UPDATE: It appears that volume control when using a Bluetooth Headset is a bit of a mystery – it works on some headsets, but not on others. We’ve tested the headsets shown here and listed whether or not the volume levels can be adjusted.
Right, on to the headsets! With so many to choose from, it can get a bit overwhelming, so I’ve been through our current range of Bluetooth Headphones and compiled a list of my top 5 Bluetooth Headphones for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G S and iPod Touch 2G.
Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 Stereo Bluetooth Headphones
Sony Ericsson IS-800 Stereo Bluetooth Headset
These are without doubt my favourite Bluetooth Headphones, hence they’re at number 1 in my list. It’s incredibly small, and although it still has a wire, the IS-800 is pretty much the only headset that doesn’t feature a fairly bulky control unit. Instead this has a small, simple in-line control that allows you to answer and end calls. Battery life is impressive at upto 270 hours – especially considering how small this headset is. The IS-800 doesn’t support AVCRP, which in this case is a good thing as it means you’re not going to be paying for features that you can’t use. Volume levels are currently fixed when using this headset, but hopefully a fix from Apple is on the way.
Sony Ericsson HBH-DS200 Stereo Bluetooth Headset
Sony Ericsson DS200 Stereo Bluetooth Headset
The DS-200 is designed to hang around your neck in a similar way to the Jabra BT3030. It comes with ‘in ear’ style headphones that can be replaced with any standard headphones with a 3.5mm jack plug. Battery life is great with upto 300 hours stand by and 6 hours of music play back, and an LCD Display will let you know when you’re running low. This headset allows you to control the volume levels by pressing and holding the play button.
Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset
Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset
The Jabra BT3030 is probably more suited to the iPod Touch than the iPhone. The reason I say that is because the BT3030 is a Multipoint Headset – this allows you to connect to two devices at once, so you can connect it to your mobile phone and your iPod Touch to listen to your music, and when a call comes in, it will pause the music and answer the call from your mobile. It hangs around your neck on a chain or can clip to your belt or pocket, and can be used with any 3.5mm headphones. Volume control on the BT3030 is not a problem, press the ‘+’ or ‘-’ keys to adjust the volume.
Nokia BH-604 Stereo Bluetooth Headphones
Nokia BH-604 Stereo Bluetooth Headset
These are probably the most normal looking headphones of the bunch. They’re solid, comfortable and well built and have the best battery life out of all the headphones listed here with up to 19 hours of music playback, 18 hours of talk time and 2 weeks standby. Sound quality is excellent and set up is incredibly easy. Volume is controlled using a slider on the base of one of the ear cans and worked as you’d expect.
Nokia BH-501 Stereo Bluetooth Headphones
Nokia BH-501 Stereo Bluetooth Headset
The baby brother to the BH-604. A smaller more compact design that goes around your head rather than over it, and folds away neatly when not in use. The controls for music and calls are mounted on the outside of the earpiece and are easy to use. One of the more comfortable headsets thanks to the large, padded earphones. We weren’t able to test the volume control on the BH-501, but as all Nokia Headsets work in the same way, we would expect the volume controls to work perfectly fine on this headset.
This isn’t the full range of Stereo Bluetooth Headsets for the iPhone and iPod Touch, so if you’ve not seen one here that does what you want, take a look at all our Stereo Bluetooth Headsets.
We’ve tested these headsets with a 2nd Generation iPod Touch running OS 3.0 and can confirm that the microphone on a Stereo Bluetooth Headset will work with VOIP apps on an iPod Touch.
If you’ve got any questions or queries about Stereo Bluetooth on the iPhone get in touch with us using the comments form below!
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Tags: A2DP, bluetooth headphones, iphone, iphone 3g s stereo bluetooth, iphone 3g stereo bluetooth, iphone 3gs stereo bluetooth, iphone stereo bluetooth, iPod, ipod touch bluetooth headset, ipod touch stereo bluetooth, stereo bluetooth headset,
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Monday, May 11th, 2009
When choosing Bluetooth Headphones, its easy to become overwhelmed by the vast range available. There are several styles available, do the same basic job, so whats the difference and what should you be looking for when choosing Bluetooth Headphones?
Design:
Bluetooth Headphones come in a range of shapes and sizes. They range from the traditional "over the head" design, to adapters that let you use your own headphones. Each style has its advantages and dis-advantages:
Over the Head Vs Headband
- ‘Over the Head’ is how headphones always used to be. They sit pretty securely on your head, and are normally very comfortable. Generally speaking, this style of headphone will cover your ears.
- The ‘Headband’ style is a more discrete way of wearing your headphones. The band goes around the back of your head, making it less obvious that you’re wearing headphones. ‘Headband’ headphones are available in both in-ear and over the ear styles.
Earphones Vs Headphones
- Earphones sit in your ear, where as Headphones sit on the outside of your ear.
- As Earphones tend to be quite small, and the comfort of them can vary significantly. If possible look for earphones with changeable earbuds.
- Headphones are normally the more comfortable wearing method and there is less risk of them falling out/off.
Fixed Vs Changeable
- On some Bluetooth Headphones you have the option of swapping out the standard headphones for your own
- If you damage the headphones on a fixed one you’ll need to buy a new pair of Bluetooth Headphones rather than just the earbuds/headphones
Combination
- Some Bluetooth Headsets can double up as Bluetooth Headphones. This normally involves plugging in either an additional earpiece, or standard wired headphones to listen to your music in stereo.
Weight:
The smaller the headphones, the lighter they should be. If you’re going to be wearing your headphones for long periods, a lighter set will be more comfortable, but with less weight and smaller size, you may have to compromise on battery life and functionality. The weight of Bluetooth Headphones range from around 12g to over 310g!
Battery Life:
Battery times on headphones are generally better than on standard Bluetooth Headsets as they can accommodate a larger battery. You will find that some headphones have upto a massive 32 hours talk time 19 hours music playback and upto 2 weeks standby time! If you’re going to be using your headset more for listening to music than calling, music playback time will be more important to you. If you are aren’t looking to use it that often for music, then opt for one with the longest stand by times so that it will still be charged even after short spells of not being used.
Music Control:
Bluetooth Headphones allow you to listen to your music in stereo, but only if supported by your phone. They work in the same way as a normal Bluetooth Headset, and will automatically pause your music when a call comes in. Bluetooth Headphones aren’t so great if you’re driving, but are ideal for using at the gym, or during sporting and leisure activities such as cycling. Most Bluetooth Headphones have music controls on them but not all. These controls allow you to control your music without having to touch your phone. In order to stream music to Bluetooth Headphones you will need to make sure your phone supports the A2DP profile, and if you want to be able to control your music playback, your phone will need to support the AVRCP profile too. Read our Bluetooth Glossary for more information.
Charging:
How your headset charges can be quite important. A lot of headsets charge using the same connector as mobile phones, so its normally a good idea to opt for a headset that’s made by the same manufacturer as your phone. By using the same charger as you use on your phone, you won’t have to purchase a second charger for in the car, and you will only have to carry one charger around with you when you travel. Some headsets also support USB charging, making it easy to charge using a USB cable connected to your laptop if you’re out and about.
Multipoint:
Multipoint is a relatively new technology in the world of bluetooth. Standard Bluetooth Headphones normally allow you to pair with 2 or more phones, but only one can be active at any one time. Multipoint Bluetooth Headphones allow you to connect and use two bluetooth devices at the same time. With Multipoint, you can connect the headphones to your Hi-Fi or Music Player and your Phone, and when a call comes in, the music will pause, and the call will come through automatically. You just answer the call as normal by pressing a button on the headset, in the same way as you would if the music was coming from the same device.
For more information on Multipoint and how it works, check out our guide to Multipoint
Voice Dial:
Most current handsets support voice dialling. Activating voice dialling with Bluetooth Headphones is a case of simply pressing a button and saying the persons name that you want to call. Depending on your phone and headphones, it is possible to answer, end and reject calls all through voice control. For the best compatibility for voice dialling we would recommend Bluetooth Headphones made by the same manufacturer as your handset.
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Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
As more and more of us are using our mobiles as our MP3 and Video players, and while the headphones that come in the box aren’t bad, they’re never the best. We’ve already put together a Headphone Buyers Guide, but what if you want to leave the wires behind and get yourself a set of Bluetooth Headphones? Well, to help you decide, here’s our top ten Bluetooth Headphones & Stereo Bluetooth Headsets.
Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 Bluetooth Headphones:These are without doubt my favourite Bluetooth Headphones, hence they’re at number 1 in my top ten. Although it still has a wire, the IS-800 is pretty much the only headset that doesn’t feature a fairly bulky control unit. Instead this has a small, simple in-line control that allows you to answer and end calls. Battery life is impressive at upto 270 hours – especially considering how small this headset is! The only slight downside is that the IS-800 doesn’t have any music controls on, so you will need to control your music on your phone.
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Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
To keep your new LG Arena safe and working to its full potential you’ll need to get yourself a few accessories for it, but what should you get? To point you in the right direction we’ve put together must have accessories for the LG Arena.
LG SDT-120 Desktop Charging Cradle:
What better way to show off your brand new LG Arena, than to have it sitting proudly on your desk in this stylish Desktop Charging Cradle. Not only does the Desktop Cradle connect to your Mains Charger, but it can also connect it to your PC to transfer media to your phone. The SDT-120 can also be connected to your TV using the LG TV-Out Cable allowing you to view all your photos and videos on the big screen. For the keen photographers out there, the SDT-120 also has a tripod connection.
LG CCL-240 Leather Case:
This premium leather carrying case has been designed to perfectly fit your LG Arena, giving you added protection against everyday knocks and scrapes. Its Microfibre lining helps keep your phone looking its best by wiping away finger marks everytime you insert/remove your phone.
16GB Micro SDHC Memory Card:
Although the LG Arena has 8GB of internal storage, it will soon fill up if you’re using it as your MP3 player or storing videos on it. A memory card will increase the amount you can store on the device. 16GB is currently the largest card available and will take the total amount of storage on the phone to a massive 24GB.
MPS-300 Portable Speakers:
If you enjoy listening to your music when you’re out and about then these lightweight portable speakers could be just what you need. They’re colour matched to your LG Arena, and not much bigger. Thanks to some clever thinking from LG, these speakers will also work with your iPod, MP3 player or any other 3.5mm device, with out the need for loads of different adapters. Instead, just use the one reversible cable to connect the speakers to your device.
Bluetooth Headphones:
As you’ve got yourself one of the latest multimedia handsets, I’m guessing that you like your gadgets and like to be able to enjoy your music and videos where ever you are. A set of Bluetooth headphones will let you listen to and control your music from your phone with out the need to un-tangle your headphone wires, and will work upto 10m away from your phone.
Genuine LG Car Charger:
Make sure your Arena is always charged and ready to go. Simply fit it into the cigarette lighter port in your car and plug the tangle proof cable into your phone. Great for long journeys!
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