Let’s take a look at what it’s got to offer…

It’s teeny-weeny
Stunningly small and startlingly stylish, the Jawbone ERA weighs just 10.2g and measures a miniscule 51.3 x 24.1 x 14.5 mm, making it small and light enough to use all day without getting earache.

It looks great
The ERA is a marvel of architecture, with a layered exterior and a sleekly textured finish.  It’s available in four elegantly low-key colours: Midnight, Shadowbox, Smokescreen and Silver Lining.

It sounds great
The ERA has the largest and most powerful speaker of any Jawbone headset so far, measuring in at 25% larger than other models.  It also offers high-quality, full-spectrum HD audio, so your caller’s mellifluous tones will be music to your ears!  The ERA is the first Bluetooth headset to feature NoiseAssassin 3.0, a noise-cancelling technology that was originally developed by the military for use by helicopter pilots and tank controllers. So it can certainly handle a bit of background traffic noise!

It’s technologically advanced

This is the first headset to feature a built-in accelerometer and MotionX technology.  Jawbone are in the process of developing a range of exciting motion-based apps for download via their MyTALK platform, and the first two have already been released: ShakeShake, which lets you go into pairing mode just by shaking the headset, and TapTap which lets you answer phone calls with just a tap.

Perfect for the car

Bluetooth headsets are a great way to stay safe whilst chatting on the road, and the Jawbone’s motion apps make it easy to take calls on the go.  Team it with a USB car charger to make sure you stay powered up and in touch no matter where you are.

It’s a great fit for all

No matter what size your lug-holes are, Jawbone cater for you – the ERA comes with eight different size/shape earbuds and an optional binaural earloop, making them the perfect fit.

The Jawbone ERA is available over on the main site, along with many more Bluetooth accessories.

Hope you had a great Valentines Day on Monday, if you celebrate it!  Personally I mostly celebrate it by glowering all day at any happy couples I see, but that’s just me…

Here’s my round-up this week:

The Etch-a-Sketch Case for iPhone 4/ Etch-a-Sketch Case for iPad is really cute, for the nostalgic types who love a bit of kitsch.  It’s officially licensed to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Etch-a-Sketch (sorry if I just made anyone feel old!) and if you team it with the free Etch-a-Sketch app then you can relive your childhood with a modern twist.

The Otterbox Defender is the toughest Galaxy Tab case ever – well, until someone makes a tougher one!  It’s got three different layers of material to absorb shocks and protect against scratches and scrapes, so however bumpy your commute is it’ll get you through the day.  We’ve got a press release for it here.

Speaking of commuters, I’m a bit sceptical about this next one – the Earzee Bluetooth wristband, which basically makes your hand into a phone so that you can go even more “hands-free” than with a Bluetooth headset.  You may look correspondingly even sillier, though! It’s a novel idea though, so if you’re a journalist and would like a go with one then let me know.

Fandroids will be pleased to know that the SIM free HTC Desire S is available for pre-order, and already generating a lot of attention – not surprising really, given the success of the Desire. It’ll be coming into stock very soon.

And here’s a funny thing – the iPhone 4 Horn Desk Stand.  It’s a bit like the modern equivalent of a gramophone, and acts as a desk stand for your iPhone 4 whilst also amplifying sound from your device with its horn.  Great for watching movies, and available in black and white.

A bit of news from our sister site GamingZap – they’re very excited about the Playstation 3 TwistDock which holds and docks your console, as well as charging your controllers, clearing up all of that annoying PS3 mess that gets in the way – and it swivels!

As usual, journalists can drop me a line if they’ve any enquiries or wish to request a review sample.

Best wishes,
MF Nat

Today, we’re offering you £10 off the iPad case that everyone is talking about – the iPad Keycase Folio. The Keycase Folio is one of our biggest selling iPad cases and is one of only a few available that feature a built in desk stand and Bluetooth keyboard.

iPad Folio KeyCase with built in Keyboard

The keyboard makes typing faster and more accurate and frees up valuable space on the screen of your iPad. It has keys that will play/pause your music as well as adjust screen brightness and volume levels while the case keeps your iPad safe against knocks, scrapes and bumps.

For the next 24 hours you can get the iPad Folio KeyCase for just £49.95.

To take part, all you need to do is head over to our Facebook Page, hit the like button and head over to the Xmas Giveaways tab where you’ll be able to see details of the day’s offer and claim your coupon code. You can share details of the offer with all your friends on facebook too, so if the offer doesn’t appeal to you it might to your friends so make sure you post it on your wall so that everyone can see it.

Between now and Christmas we’ve got some great offers on products from some of the biggest names in mobile phone accessories, including Jabra, Sony Ericsson and SanDisk and many more, so make sure you check your Facebook news feed or come back to the blog everyday to find out what the latest offer is.

Things to remember:

• We’re going to be running a different offer every day
• Each voucher will only be valid for a 24 hour period (from 10am to 10am the next day).
• You don’t need a facebook account to claim your code
• Vouchers are limited, so you’ll need to act quickly to get one

Further details can be found on our Facebook Page.

Today, we’re offering you £5 off the fantastic Sony Ericsson MW600 Bluetooth Headphones. The MW600 is the biggest selling Bluetooth headset of 2010 and combines a handsfree kit, stereo headphones and an FM radio into one compact device.

Sony Ericsson MW600

It has support for mulitpoint, which means you can use it with your phone, MP3 player and PS3 at the same time.

For the next 24 hours you can get the Sony Ericsson MW600 for just £32.95.

To take part, all you need to do is head over to our Facebook Page, hit the like button and head over to the Xmas Giveaways tab where you’ll be able to see details of the day’s offer and claim your coupon code. You can share details of the offer with all your friends on facebook too, so if the offer doesn’t appeal to you it might to your friends so make sure you post it on your wall so that everyone can see it.

Between now and Christmas we’ve got some great offers on products from some of the biggest names in mobile phone accessories, including Jabra, Sony Ericsson and SanDisk and many more, so make sure you check your Facebook news feed or come back to the blog everyday to find out what the latest offer is.

Things to remember:

• We’re going to be running a different offer every day
• Each voucher will only be valid for a 24 hour period (from 10am to 10am the next day).
• You don’t need a facebook account to claim your code
• Vouchers are limited, so you’ll need to act quickly to get one

Further details can be found on our Facebook Page.

12 months on and it looks as though Apple are finally about to roll out full support for Stereo Bluetooth in their next iOS software update, as developers are reporting that version 4.1 includes support for both the A2DP and AVRCP Bluetooth Profiles.

AVRCP Explained

AVRCP stands for Audio/Video Remote Control Profile and as the name suggests, it allows you to use controls built into your bluetooth headset, bluetooth speakers or bluetooth car kit to control music playback from your iPhone or iPod touch. The iPhone has a very limited version of this built in already, but it only allows you to play/pause your music and increase the volume. By adding full support for AVRCP it means that you will be also be able to skip tracks without touching your phone. You can find out more about Bluetooth Profiles on our ‘What is Bluetooth Page’

iPhone 4 Stereo Bluetooth Headsets

There is an upside to Apple arriving late to the party though, and that is that there are already loads of stereo Bluetooth Headsets and Bluetooth Headphones that will work with the iPhone. I compiled a list of my favourites last year, but as this update changes how well they work with Apple devices I thought I’d take another look at what was available. These have been tested using the 4.1 beta software on iPhone 4 so the results maybe slightly different when Apple release the final version or on older models of iPhone.

A few points that are worth mentioning here are that in most cases the headsets will not only control music playback from both the standard iPod app, but also any third party music apps that stream music from the internet. I used Last.FM to test the headsets and was able to play/pause and track skip and increase volume both when the app was in use and when it was running in the background. The only exception to this was the Sony Ericsson IS800 – you’ll find out why later in this post.

Also, if you have the iPhone 3GS, latest iPod touch or iPhone 4, these headsets will activate voice commands, allowing you to make calls, change song, switch playlist find out the time etc, all without having to touch your device.

Nokia BH-505 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

The BH-505 is one of the latest Stereo Bluetooth Headsets to arrive at Mobile Fun and is one that I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. The BH-505 is a really slim, smart looking headband style headset. Setting the headset up is simple and it’s comfortable to wear. One earpiece has phone controls on it and the other has music controls.

For the basic answer/end, play/pause it’s just a case of tapping the large silver button, but volume control and track skip is a little fiddly as you have to slide a switch up or down. It’s easy enough once you’ve got the hang of it, but if you’ve got big fingers you might struggle a little.  Audio quality is excellent and battery life is good too.


Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

The MW600 is incredibly popular at the moment and with good reason. It’s an excellent compact headset that allows you to use any standard 3.5mm headphones with it. What makes this one special is that it also has a built in FM Radio – a feature that many people have been calling out for on the iPhone.

The Bluetooth unit is not much bigger than a standard AA battery and is designed to be clipped on to your clothing. The controls are straight forward and easy to use, with 3 dedicated music keys as well as a separate key for calls and to activate voice dialling.

The volume controls on the MW600 take a little getting used to as they’re touch sensitive. To adjust the volume level you just slide your finger up or down the side of it. It has a screen which shows caller ID, but track information wasn’t displayed with either iPhone or iPod touch.


Jabra Halo Bluetooth Headphones

I loved the Jabra Halo when it came out, and still do – especially now that it works fully with the iPhone. They’re probably the most normal looking headphones out of all of the ones on offer and I think they’re the smartest looking too. Unlike the rest of the headsets on this list, the Jabra Halo has only one button. Everything else uses touch sensitive controls on the right earpiece.

The one button answers and ends calls and plays/pauses your music. Track Skip and volume share the same controls. Slide your finger up to increase the volume, down to decrease it. A quick double tap at either end of the volume bar will skip or rewind track.

You get quite a few accessories in the box, including a USB to 3.5mm cable that you can use to connect the Halo to devices that don’t have bluetooth.


Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

Jabra have always made great headsets and the BT3030 is one of their most successful. It’s a ‘dog tag’ style headset that can be worn around your neck or clipped to your clothes. It has a standard 3.5mm jack so that you can use any headphones with it and a clear, backlit keypad.

Of all the headsets listed here, this is the easiest to use as the controls are clear and well spaced.

Battery life is pretty good too with over 7 hours of music playback from a single charge.


Altec Lansing BackBeat 903 Bluetooth Headset

The BackBeat Headset is another popular one, despite it’s more unusual looks. It combines the over the ear style of a mono headset with a headband to provide a very secure fit, making it perfect for those who want to listen to their music while they’re working out, running or cycling.

The controls are a little on the fiddly side and it will take some getting used to – especially the track skip controls, but once you’ve got the hang of it you’ll be flying through your songs.

Because of their unique over/in the ear design, these may not be the most comfortable solution if you wear glasses.

Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

This was my top rated headset last year, mainly because of its size. The fact that it didn’t have any track control buttons also won me over as I felt as though I wouldn’t be paying for features I couldn’t use with it. Having said that, the lack of controls now works against it as it means that you have to use the phone to change song and adjust the volume, or rely on voice control.

It’s still the smallest headset available. It has no bulky bluetooth receiver and is just two earpieces connected by a short cable and despite its tiny size the sound quality is excellent.

iPhone 4 Car Kits

It’s not just Stereo Headsets that will benefit from the addition of AVRCP support, Car Kits also make use of this technology. Here’s a quick look at two of the best in car solutions for the iPhone.

Parrot MKi Car Kits

The Parrot MKi range of car kits are the best way to fully integrate your iPhone or iPod touch into your car. They have 3 ways to connect your iPhone to them, dock connector, 3.5mm or Bluetooth.

Up until now, the Dock connector has always been the best option as it gives you full control of your music, using a small wireless remote. With the introduction of AVRCP support you’ll no longer need to plug your phone in – unless of course you need to charge it.

For a completely integrated solution you’ll need the Parrot Unika. This is an additional control box that allows you to connect the Mki Car Kits to the stereo controls on your steering wheel, completely eliminating the need to use the remote control.


Jabra Cruiser FM Car Kit

The Jabra Cruiser is so much more than just a speakerphone. It connects to your iPhone using bluetooth and transmits audio from it to your car stereo using its built in FM transmitter.

The Cruiser has play/pause and track skip controls built in so that you can change track without having to touch the phone. You can choose whether to play your music back through the built in loud speaker or through your car stereo.

Set up is extremely simple, just pair your phone to the kit and then tune your car stereo in to the frequency that the Cruiser calls out and you’re good to go.

Bluetooth Speakers

Last but not least, Bluetooth Speakers will also become much more useful when the iPhone supports AVRCP. You’ll be able to start playing your music directly on the speakers and then use the controls mounted on the top of the speaker to skip tracks and increase the volume.

Bluetooth speakers have a number of advantages over iPhone Speaker Docks, but the main one is that Bluetooth Speakers can be used with any Bluetooth device, including phones, laptops, PC’s MP3 Players, where as iPhone Speaker Docks will normally only work with Apple devices.


Those are just a selection of iPhone 4 Accessories that will work better with the iPhone when iOS 4.1 is released. There are loads more over on the main site so if you’ve not seen anything here that takes your fancy, you should find something on the main site. If not, or you’ve seen some headphones, speakers or car kits that you think deserve a mention, let us know using the comments section below.

As I’m sure you’re aware, Apple have just announced the iPhone 4 and along with it iOS 4.0 – the latest major update to the operating system on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. There are a number of great new features, but one of the features that I was really hoping to see was full support for Stereo Bluetooth Headsets and music control using AVRCP.

In simple terms, this means that you would have been able to listen to your music from your iPhone through a pair of Bluetooth Headphones and control your music playback, (play, pause, forward, rewind and volume) using the controls on the headset, but Apple for some reason have yet again decided to leave this feature out of iOS4 so you’ll need to continue to skip tracks using the iPod app on your iPhone.

There is a work around of course and that is to jailbreak your phone, but that’s not something that a lot of people want to do and I can’t say as I blame them.

Although iOS4 doesn’t fully support Stereo Bluetooth, it does still support the basics, so you can enjoy your music in stereo and play/pause your music, you just can’t skip backwards/forwards. There are plenty of Stereo Bluetooth Headsets that will work with the iPhone and last June I compiled a list of my favourite Bluetooth Headphones, but as headsets have changed and the phone now supports more features, I thought it was well worth revisiting the list and updating it with some of the best new Bluetooth Headphones for iPhone.

Background Apps

Another new feature in iOS 4 is that you can now leave audio apps running in the background. This is great news for anyone who regularly uses streaming services such as spotify or Last.fm as it means you can now continue listening even if you’re browsing the web or emailing.

We’re using the latest version of the iOS4 beta software to test these headsets, but until developers update their apps to support multitasking, we aren’t going to be able to confirm that the headsets listed below will work with apps running in the background, but look out for a separate post once iOS 4 is officially released on the 21st June.

iPhone 4 Bluetooth Headphones

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 all new iPhone 4.

The headsets below were all tested with iPhone but should work just as well with the iPod touch.  If you have an iPod touch 2G (or newer), then you will be able to play / pause your music and, in some cases, 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. Bluetooth won’t work on the first generation iPod touch as it doesn’t have bluetooth built in.

1. Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

These are the most popular Bluetooth Headphones we’ve ever sold! Not only do they allow you to listen to music from your iPhone without a wired connection, they have a built in FM radio – something the iPhone has long been criticised for not having.

Another unique feature is that they have their own volume control – this means that you can adjust the volume on the headset or on the phone. As with most headphones on this list, they have the ability to skip tracks, but as the iPhone doesn’t support it, the feature is a little wasted for now. It’s multipoint too, so you can use it with your PC or Playstation 3 at the same time.For more details, take a look at my Sony Ericsson MW600 Review.

Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Headset with Radio

2. Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

The Jabra BT3030 works well with both the iPod touch and all versions of the iPhone.  The BT3030 is another multipoint headset – Multipoint 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.

The BT3030 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. It has several controls on the main unit, including play, pause and track skip – again, all work fine except track skip.

Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

3. Jabra Halo Bluetooth Headphones

The Jabra Halo Stereo Bluetooth Headphones are great. They’re the most normal looking ‘over the head’ headphones that I’ve come across and work well with the iPhone. It has incredibly simple controls – a touch sensitive slider on the right ear lets you adjust the volume by sliding your finger up or down, where as a double tap would skip the track if iPhone supoprted it. One multi use button lets you play/pause your music as well as answer/end calls and activate voice dialling (iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 only).

When they’re not in use, the headphones fold away so as not to take up too much space and to reduce the chance of them getting damaged. For more info take a look at my Jabra Halo hands on review.

Jabra Halo Bluetooth Headphones

4. Sony Ericsson IS-800 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

These are without doubt my favourite Bluetooth Headphones, but there are others that work better with iPhone and that’s why these have dropped from the top spot last year to fourth place this year. The IS-800 is incredibly small – it’s basically two earpieces joined by a wire! Although there are wires involved, the IS-800 is one of a few headsets that don’t feature a fairly bulky control unit. Instead the IS800 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 is fine as neither does the iPhone! The headset doesn’t have any volume controls, so all adjustment needs to be made on your iPhone.

Sony Ericsson IS-800 Stereo Headset

5. Samsung SBH-650 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

Samsung don’t do many accessories for phones, but the few that they do make are really good. The Samsung SBH-650 has been a hit with Mobile Fun customers since it launched. It is easy to set up and works really well with iPhone. It’s very similar in terms of spec to the Jabra BT3030 but it looks a smarter. Like the MW600 and the BT3030, you can use your own 3.5mm headphones if you don’t like or lose the ones that come with the headset. It’s also multipoint, so using it with 2 devices at the same time isn’t a problem.

Controls are propably laid out the opposite way round to what you’d expect, with the volume controls on the front and track skip/play/pause on the sides. If you want to know more about the SBH-650, take a look at my Samsung SBH-650 Stereo Bluetooth Headset Review.

Samsung SBB-650

There are more Stereo Bluetooth Headsets for the iPhone and iPod touch over on the main site, so if you’ve not seen one here that does what you want, take a look at all our Stereo Bluetooth Headsets.

If you’ve got any questions or queries about Stereo Bluetooth on the iPhone leave us a comment and we’ll get back to you.

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.

UPDATE: April 9th 2010 iPhone OS 4.0 was previewed yesterday by Apple and early development previews show that Apple have now included support for volume adjustment, but music controls still don’t work as the AVRCP profile still seems to be excluded. It’s a step in the right direction, but still not ideal. Hopefully this will change between now and the official release of iPhone OS 4.0 in June. Look out for an updated post nearer the time.

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.

If you’ve got any questions or queries about Stereo Bluetooth on the iPhone get in touch with us using the comments form below!

Although similar in design to previous models, the Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset is a massive improvement over previous models and has some great new features. Given the wide range of phones that now double up as music & media players, I thought I’d get hold of a set and put them through their paces with three of the most popular phones currently available – the iPhone, Nokia X6 and Sony Ericsson Vivaz.

Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

Features

The MW600 certainly isn’t short of features, despite it’s compact size. Built into the control unit is a multipoint Bluetooth receiver, FM Radio, music controls, touch sensitive volume keys,  a hidden OLED display, a Micro USB charging port, internal battery and a 3.5 headphone socket. That’s a lot for something so small.

The MW600 supports both the A2DP and AVRCP profiles so you can listen to your music in stereo and control your music playback without having to touch your phone. Advanced Multipoint support allows you to connect the headset to your phone, MP3 player and games console all at the same time.

Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

The feature that stands out the most is the FM Radio. Most of you will know from experience that in order to use the radio built into your phone you need to have a wired hands free kit connected, so listening to the radio over Bluetooth has always been impossible. That all changes with the MW600 as there’s an FM receiver built into the control pod. Not only will this save power on your phone, but also means that you can listen to the radio when you get bored of your music on your iPod touch or MP3 player.

Design

Sony Ericsson have always been a fan of this style of headset, but it’s nice to see that they’ve finally ditched the hard wired headphones and as I’ve already mentioned they now include a 3.5mm headphone jack that allows you to use any standard headphones with it.

MW600 is not much bigger than an AA Battery

Size wise, the MW600 isn’t much bigger than an AA battery and it weighs just 13g. It comes with a set of HPM-78 headphones which are comfortable to use and sound great. More on those later.

Sony Ericsson have given the MW600 a very simple, stylish look. Minimal visible controls and a hidden OLED screen make this a really nice looking device.

In the Box

Not a lot to say about what’s included. You get the MW600, a (now standard) Micro USB mains charger, HPM-78 headphones with 2 sets of spare ear gels and the usual wealth of user guides and warranty leaflets. The user guides though are all quick start, and to be honest they weren’t really detailed enough.

Sony Ericsson now use Micro USB chargers

Controls & Set Up

5 buttons, one small screen and a quick start guide did leave me a little confused initially, but once I’d figured out the logic behind the menu system it all made sense.

The MW600 can be paired to 3 devices at the same time thanks to multipoint technology, but of these 3, only two are active at any one time. This means that you can pair it to your phone for calls, your iPod touch for music and your games console or PC for gaming.

MW600 is the perfect partner for the Vivaz

Pairing your phone is really simple – especially if you’re using it with a Sony Ericsson phone. The first time I turned the headset on it found the Vivaz straight away and the phone asked me if I wanted to add it as a device. After I pressed yes, it was connected. No searching for bluetooth devices, no entering PIN numbers, it just worked.

The process was similar for subsequent devices, although I had to search for the MW600 on both the X6 and iPhone, but neither asked for a PIN.

You can quickly choose which 2 devices you want active by pressing and holding the play button to select your music source and pressing and holding the answer button to select your phone.

It’s easy enough to do, but it might take a couple of try’s to figure out which is which. The icons on the screen are a little small and don’t show the name of the devices that are connected.

Small icons make it tricky to identify devices

Of all of the controls, the one that takes the most amount of getting used to is the volume. It’s a touch sensitive bar mounted above the screen. You just slide your finger along it to adjust the volume but I found you needed to slide your finger across it several times to go from quiet to full volume.

Sound Quality

You really can’t tell that your music is being streamed to the MW600 from your phone. Audio quality is excellent. I tried using the HPM-78′s and my existing headphones and suffered no problems at all with the quality of music play back.

Music Playback

On both the Nokia X6 and Sony Ericsson Vivaz music playback was a dream. Just hit play and it started to play music, press it again and it stopped. Track skip and rewind worked as they should without too much of a delay. The iPhone, because of it’s lack of support for the AVRCP Bluetooth profile had it’s usual problems. Track skip won’t work but play/pause works fine.

MW600 supports volume adjustment on the iPhone

One thing that did surprise me with the iPhone is that you can adjust the volume. Most others headphones don’t allow this because they try and change the volume level on the phone, but as the MW600 can increase the volume output itself, you can adjust the volume to a comfortable listening level.

The X6 and Vivaz were both able to display song information on the screen of the MW600, but the iPhone didn’t support it.

Battery Life

I couldn’t test this fully as I only had the headset for one day, but the headset charged fully in just under 2 hours. I had it connected to my phone, streaming music all day and still had power left.

A cool feature that’s only available with Sony Ericsson handsets is that the headset will display an alert on the screen of your phone when the battery in the MW600 is running low.

Sony Ericsson say that the MW600 will provide you with upto 8.5 hours of music streaming, 500 hours of standby time and up to 11 hours of talk time – that all seems mad considering how small it is, but nothing I saw lead me to believe that any of this wasn’t possible.

Why Choose the Sony Ericsson MW600

No matter what brand of phone you have the MW600 will work brilliantly with it. Admittedly there are some features that will only work on Sony Ericsson phones, but your everyday features will all work fine. The MW 600 is the only headset I’ve come across that has an FM radio built in, or that allows you to listen to radio without being plugged into your phone.  Taking all this into account and the fact that the Sony Ericsson MW600 is currently less than £40, you really can’t go wrong.

My Rating: 10/10

Prices and availability are correct as of 19/03/10 and are subject to change.

You can use it as your new MP3 player straight out of the box, but there are a number of accessories you can get to really enhance the music capabilities of the Touch 2 – so much so that it can take on most high end MP3 players such as the iPod touch. Instead of doing the usual top 10 accessory guide that covers cases, holders and chargers, I thought I’d concentrate more on the music features of the Touch 2, so here are my top 10 music accessories for the HTC Touch 2.

1. 16 GB Micro SDHC Memory Card

If you want to store your music library on your Touch 2 you’ll need to increase its memory. Despite the Touch 2 being a true Multimedia handset, it only has a tiny amount of internal storage – just 256MB. As a result, one of the first purchases you will need to make is a memory card. The Touch 2 supports Micro SDHC memory cards of up to 16GB in size. 16GB is enough to store up to 14000 high quality photos, 3000 songs and 18 hours of video. Memory Cards are currently available in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB sizes, with a 32GB card expected next year.

SanDisk 16GB Memory Card for HTC Touch 2

2. 3.5mm to 3.5mm Audio Cable

The easiest way to enjoy music from your phone through speakers in your car or home stereo is to use a 3.5mm audio cable. Simply plug this cable into the headphone socket on your Touch 2 and the line in port on your stereo and press play.

HTC Touch 2 3.5mm to 3.5mm Audio Cable

3. HTC AC-A130 EXT USB to RCA Audio Cable

If the line in port on your stereo is the RCA type (white and red connectors) then you’ll need to use an RCA Audio cable to connect your phone to it. If you want to charge your  phone or sync it with your computer while you’re listening to your music you’ll need to connect the AC-A130 to the  HTC YC-A300 Adapter or the CR-G300 Cradle. Both of these allow you to charge, sync and play music at the same time. The AC-A130 is also compatible with car stereos with an RCA Aux input and can be used as a simple way to connect your phone to your car stereo.

HTC YC-A300 Adapter & HTC AC-A130 RCA Audio Cable

4. HTC Touch 2 CR G300 Sync, Charge & Audio Cradle

The CR-G300 Cradle allows you to charge, synchronise your contacts, music & photo’s as well as play music from your Touch 2 simply by placing it in the stand. The desktop cradle has connections for a YC-A300 Audio Cable, Mini USB Data Cable and a 3.5mm audio cable, so connecting it to your PC and stereo or speakers won’t be a problem. You just need to check to make sure that your stereo system or speakers have a line in or AUX connector.

HTC CR-G300 Touch 2 Desk Stand

5. Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

The Jabra BT3030 is a Stereo Bluetooth headset that will work for both calls and music. It comes with some standard wired in-ear headphones, but as it has a standard 3.5mm headphone socket, you can use any 3.5mm headphones. The BT3030 supports the AVRCP Bluetooth Profile, which means you’ll be able to control your music playback from the headset and won’t have to touch your phone. The BT3030 will let you play/pause your music, answer/end calls and adjust the volume as well as skip tracks. The ‘Dog Tag’ style controls can be worn either around your neck or can clip on to your belt or clothes. The BT3030 is a mix of Bluetooth and Wired headphones. If you want to do without wires completely you’ll probably prefer the Jabra Halo.

Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

6. Jabra Halo Bluetooth Headphones

The Jabra Halo Stereo Bluetooth Headset is their latest stereo headset, and to be honest its probably the best one yet. It has incredibly simple controls – a touch sensitive slider on the right ear lets you adjust the volume by sliding your finger up or down, where as a double tap will skip the track. One multi use button lets you play/pause your music as well as answer/end calls and activate voice dialling. When they’re not in use, the headphones fold away so as not to take up too much space and to reduce the chance of them getting damaged. If you want to know more, take a look at my Jabra Halo hands on review.

Jabra Halo Bluetooth Headphones

7. Skullcandy Hesh Headphones

If you’re not quite ready to sever the cables from your phone to your headphones, then you won’t go wrong with the Hesh from Skullcandy. The Hesh headphones are all about sound quality and are built for power. This is shown by the fact that they have the biggest power drivers you can get in a set of headphones (50mm high explosive power drivers) and with the leather design of the headphones they look pretty good too. They have a standard 3.5mm plug, so if you decide to go wireless in the future, these will work perfectly with the Jabra BT3030.

Skullcandy Hesh Headphones - White

8. Intempo Bluetooth Speakers

If you want to fill the room with your music you can either use the cables mentioned above to connect your phone to your stereo, or you can invest in a set of Bluetooth Speakers. The Intempo Bluetooth Speaker system is a compact, powerful speaker unit that can connect to your HTC Touch 2 over Bluetooth or using a 3.5mm cable. Once you’re connected by bluetooth, you just need to launch the music app on your Touch 2, press play and your music will start to play through the speakers immediately. The speakers come with a 3.5mm audio cable too, so if you wanted to connect it to other MP3 players or phones, you can.

Intempo Bluetooth Speaker System

9. Jabra Cruiser Bluetooth FM Car Kit

For a lot of people, the only chance you get to sit back and listen to your music is when you’re in the car. If you’re fed up of listening to the same CD over and over or can’t stand the adverts on the radio, there are now a number of ways that you can enjoy your music in the car. The Jabra Cruiser is one of the best, most affordable options out there. It’s a Bluetooth car kit that simply clips onto your sun visor, but in addition to taking calls, it allows you to play your music through it too. Unlike most car kits, the Cruiser doesn’t rely on a ‘tinny’ internal speaker, it has a built in FM transmitter that broadcasts your music to your car stereo.

All you need to do is tune your radio to the same frequency as the Cruiser and press play on either the Touch 2 or on the Cruiser and your music will start to play through your existing car speakers. No expensive installation, no wires, no messing around. The Cruiser has noise canceling microphones and built in playback controls that allow you to play/pause, track skip, increase volume and answer and end calls. Any calls that you receive can also be played through the stereo and can be played through a high quality built in speaker if you prefer. You might also want to consider the Jabra SP700 it’s a similar device, but doesn’t have the noise cancelling microphones or the music control keys.

Jabra Cruiser Bluetooth FM Car Kit

10. Parrot MKi 9200 Bluetooth Music Car Kit

If you want all singing, all dancing in the car then look no further than the Parrot MKi9200.  Parrot have always made fantastic car kits and the MKi range are no exception. There are three options available, the MKi9000, MKi9100 and the MKi9200. The main differences between them being the display screen that comes with them. I’ve chosen the MKi9200 as the best one for the Touch 2 as the external screen makes it easier to navigate the car kit menu system and to see who’s calling and what’s playing without having to look at your phone.

You can play music from your phone through the MKi9200 using Bluetooth or 3.5mm line in. The MKi9200 will synchronise with your phone book automatically and supports phone independent voice dialling. The MKi9200 comes with a small remote that you can attach to your dash or steering wheel to control your music playback and calls. If you’ve got stereo controls built into the steering wheel of your car you can use the optional Parrot Unika to control the MKi9200 car kit with your existing controls instead of the remote. Regular software updates that improve compatibility with Windows smartphones are available free of charge from the Parrot website.

Parrot MKi9200 Bluetooth Music Car Kit

If you’ve not seen the music accessory here that does what you’re looking for, why not take a look at our full range of HTC Touch 2 Accessories, or leave us a comment below.

Win a Jabra Halo

This month we’re giving a Jabra Halo worth £69.95 away and all you need to do to be in with a chance of winning it is to write a review for any of the (6000+) products on our website before the 30th September 2009. The best reviewer will win a beautiful Jabra Halo Stereo Headset courtesy of Jabra and Mobile Fun.

To write a review, simply find a product on our site that you want to review and then click on the ‘Write A Review’ link just above the add to basket button. Remember to include your name & email address on the review so that we know who you are!

To write a review, click on the link above the add to basket button

It doesn’t matter whether you brought the product from us, just find your phone, Bluetooth headset, case or any other accessory and write a good in-depth review on it to be in with a chance to win.  At the end of the month, we’ll be judging the reviews on how in-depth and helpful they are for other people browsing the Mobile Fun website.

Good luck!