The Blueant X5 Bluetooth headsets are pretty amazing. We had previously purchased a Bluetooth headsets solution for use with the Atom PDA, which we thought were pretty good. Well, this offering from Blueant have really impressed.
Bluetooth technology is still delivering some clipping when you listen to stereo music through headsets. This is still the case with the X5, however, it is noticeably less, and therefore less distracting when you listen. What we really like about these headsets is not only their comfortable fit, but the fact you can control Windows Media Player using the buttons on the side of the headset. As usual, the manual isn’t very forthcoming on this point, but if you use the connection feature whereby you connect the headset to your mobile phone or PDA using the last connected device function, you can set this up to work.
Playback of music ceases when you receive an incoming phone call and resumes when you hang up. We reckon that’s pretty cool. The other feature of these headsets is there are no goofy blue flashing lights on them, so people don’t look at you as though you are a complete dork when you wear them. The microphone for the speaker sticks out a little bit far, but is unobtrusive enough, and you can actually remove the microphone if you wish and use the X5 simply as Bluetooth stereo headphones. If you do this, you can still answer telephone calls, just by using your handset as normal.
And finally, the headsets come with a rather neat little streaming device that allows you to plug your headset into any device. This can be your laptop computer, your MP3 player, even your stereo with the right jack adapter. All you need to do is set up a partnership between the headset and the streaming unit and you’re away. With the microphone attached this means the headsets can also function as Skype headsets on your laptop, giving you the freedom to move around while you’re chatting.
All in all we think these are a pretty good piece of technology. Bluetooth technology still has some way to go in terms of sound quality, but the X5 headsets are a good start. Price tag is a little hefty at around $200, although that doesn’t put them completely out of reach.
