Motorola H680 Bluetooth Headset
- Compatibility: Computers Mobile / Cellular
- Design: Ear Buds
- Usage: Consumer
- Connectivity: Wireless
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I?m Really NOT Talking to Myself; I?m on the Phone
Pros
Slim design, thin over-ear hook, easy to set up and use
Cons
Can take time to find just the right ?fit? in your ear
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
A compact, discrete design and good quality--what's not to like?
"You will be assimilated." So says Star Trek's the Borg. When they were introduced, all of the early adopter techies with those fancy headsets reminded by of cyborgs—and of course I knew it was just a matter of time before I joined them ("Resistance is futile")—and as with most tech trends, it just took me a few years…one the price dropped.
A recent job change that involves several commutes on long stretches of highway—and a short stay in New Jersey, home of Tony Soprano, Bruce Springsteen and hefty fines for using your cell phone without a hands-free device—coupled with a bit of play money in my Epinions account made it seem like the ideal time to get a Bluetooth so I, too, could make people think I was hearing and responding to voices in my head.
After some careful study of features and size, I selected the Motorola H680. Given that I've always found earphones somewhat uncomfortable (those iPod earbuds are created by Satan), I did give serious thought to a device that clips to a car visor, creating a hands-free speakerphone. That would have been functional, creating a sort of wanna-be On Star system, minus the whole "I see you just drove off a cliff; may I contact the medical examiner's office for you?" features. In the end, though, I thought the in-ear device would have more uses when traveling on business.
So why a Motorola? Simply put, it's a brand I've generally had good luck with on mobile phones, and I currently have a RAZR V3 phone, so, despite knowing in my head that the devices are interoperable, I instinctively migrated to the Motorola line.
From there, picking the H680 was a fairly easy choice. It's small design is among the more inconspicuous models, and the unit's black-and-silver color scheme (some other designs, which vary by retailer, are available as well) suits my taste perfectly. A key selling point for me was the slim over-ear hook; in fact, it was the thinnest such design I saw in my shopping. As someone who always wears glasses, a thinner hook is important to me, so that it doesn't press my ears out any further than nature already has.
Set-Up
The H680's storage case also is its charging cradle (so not losing the case is rather important). You start by charging the unit for a few hours; once it's charged, turn on the headset and follow your phone's instructions for enabling Bluetooth (and thanks to having a Motorola phone, the instructions in the H680 manual made finding that menu option a snap (see, I knew buying a Motorola because I had a Moto phone was a good idea). That's it—total time needed after charging: about a minute.
Use
Even I can handle this complicated step: push a button. Push it to answer a call. Push it to activate hands-free voice dialing. Push it to hang up on a call.
OK, I lied. It's not just pushing a button. There's a volume control on the top of the unit and the on-off switch. That's three controls. But in an era of text-messaging, picture-taking, music-playing and who-knows-what-else phones, three basic controls is refreshingly simple.
The H680 plays a tone in your ear to indicate an incoming call. There aren't specific ringtones as there are with most of today's phones, but if you have your phone nearby and it has visual caller id or you leave the ringer set to be audible, you can still hear if you've assigned tones to specific contacts.
Tapping the button answers the call; tapping it again disconnects the call (or switches to call waiting if you receive a second call while talking).
If you phone is voice-dialing capable, you tap the button once and follow the same steps you would with your phone to make a call, saying whatever command your phone recognizes.
Quality
So far, so good. With the exception of one incident when I noticed a strange echo effect (and to be fair, that happens on occasion with call phones themselves), I've found the Motorola H680 to be completely reliable. Of course, the overall quality is contingent on the local signal strength, but when using the device, I hear calls clearly.
Comfort
The H680 comes with two plastic rings designed for different ear types. One is circular, the other has more of a 'protrusion' in one spot, and can be rotated around to find a comfortable position. The rings pop on and off the device easily. While I stand by my earlier remark about earphones being uncomfortable, I've found the circular ring works best for me. While I do need to occasionally 'push' the device back towards my ear for maximum comfort and clarity when talking, that's a minor issue.
The Bottom Line
When surrounded by people on the roads who think speed limits are a quaint joke and who have never mastered the simple concept of signaling a lane change, the Motorola H680 lets me keep my eyes on the road while letting the dear spouse know my ETA for getting home. Its lightweight design is comfortable for longer stretches wearing it, and its quality doesn't sound like I'm using a tin-can-and-string phone. It meets my needs perfectly.
A recent job change that involves several commutes on long stretches of highway—and a short stay in New Jersey, home of Tony Soprano, Bruce Springsteen and hefty fines for using your cell phone without a hands-free device—coupled with a bit of play money in my Epinions account made it seem like the ideal time to get a Bluetooth so I, too, could make people think I was hearing and responding to voices in my head.
After some careful study of features and size, I selected the Motorola H680. Given that I've always found earphones somewhat uncomfortable (those iPod earbuds are created by Satan), I did give serious thought to a device that clips to a car visor, creating a hands-free speakerphone. That would have been functional, creating a sort of wanna-be On Star system, minus the whole "I see you just drove off a cliff; may I contact the medical examiner's office for you?" features. In the end, though, I thought the in-ear device would have more uses when traveling on business.
So why a Motorola? Simply put, it's a brand I've generally had good luck with on mobile phones, and I currently have a RAZR V3 phone, so, despite knowing in my head that the devices are interoperable, I instinctively migrated to the Motorola line.
From there, picking the H680 was a fairly easy choice. It's small design is among the more inconspicuous models, and the unit's black-and-silver color scheme (some other designs, which vary by retailer, are available as well) suits my taste perfectly. A key selling point for me was the slim over-ear hook; in fact, it was the thinnest such design I saw in my shopping. As someone who always wears glasses, a thinner hook is important to me, so that it doesn't press my ears out any further than nature already has.
Set-Up
The H680's storage case also is its charging cradle (so not losing the case is rather important). You start by charging the unit for a few hours; once it's charged, turn on the headset and follow your phone's instructions for enabling Bluetooth (and thanks to having a Motorola phone, the instructions in the H680 manual made finding that menu option a snap (see, I knew buying a Motorola because I had a Moto phone was a good idea). That's it—total time needed after charging: about a minute.
Use
Even I can handle this complicated step: push a button. Push it to answer a call. Push it to activate hands-free voice dialing. Push it to hang up on a call.
OK, I lied. It's not just pushing a button. There's a volume control on the top of the unit and the on-off switch. That's three controls. But in an era of text-messaging, picture-taking, music-playing and who-knows-what-else phones, three basic controls is refreshingly simple.
The H680 plays a tone in your ear to indicate an incoming call. There aren't specific ringtones as there are with most of today's phones, but if you have your phone nearby and it has visual caller id or you leave the ringer set to be audible, you can still hear if you've assigned tones to specific contacts.
Tapping the button answers the call; tapping it again disconnects the call (or switches to call waiting if you receive a second call while talking).
If you phone is voice-dialing capable, you tap the button once and follow the same steps you would with your phone to make a call, saying whatever command your phone recognizes.
Quality
So far, so good. With the exception of one incident when I noticed a strange echo effect (and to be fair, that happens on occasion with call phones themselves), I've found the Motorola H680 to be completely reliable. Of course, the overall quality is contingent on the local signal strength, but when using the device, I hear calls clearly.
Comfort
The H680 comes with two plastic rings designed for different ear types. One is circular, the other has more of a 'protrusion' in one spot, and can be rotated around to find a comfortable position. The rings pop on and off the device easily. While I stand by my earlier remark about earphones being uncomfortable, I've found the circular ring works best for me. While I do need to occasionally 'push' the device back towards my ear for maximum comfort and clarity when talking, that's a minor issue.
The Bottom Line
When surrounded by people on the roads who think speed limits are a quaint joke and who have never mastered the simple concept of signaling a lane change, the Motorola H680 lets me keep my eyes on the road while letting the dear spouse know my ETA for getting home. Its lightweight design is comfortable for longer stretches wearing it, and its quality doesn't sound like I'm using a tin-can-and-string phone. It meets my needs perfectly.
