Customer Reviews

Jabra FreeSpeak BT250 Bluetooth Headset

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I owned two versions of this unit. One with the Nokia 3650 (apparently the 3650 requires a specific type as compared to some of the other BT phones) and the second one that I currently own is with the Motorola V600.

This comparison will cover both Jabra units and will compare them to the Nokia HDW-2 Blutooth adapter as well as the Motorola HS-820 bluetooth adapters.

The jabra unit boasts a much better design. The other two sit on the ear and feel extremely awkward. The jabra design provides a much better and more comfortable fit even with glasses on. the other two has flimsy over the ear plastic pieces that feel very out of place.

I felt this unit to be relatively easier to use as compared to the other two. I had NO problems teaming either of the units with the 3650. I did have to jump through a few hoops to team with the V600.

THE most important reason I wanted a BT adapter in the first place was to due to the fact that i get a phone signal in my liviing room and there is no signal at my desk in the basement which is directly under the living room. The reception was about the same for both (not use-able). I also noticed that when I went around the corner, I would lose the signal. true for all units.

All in all, I would rate each one as follows on a scale from 1 to 5:

Quality : jabra-4, Nokia-3, Motorola-2.5
Design: Jabra-5, Nokia-1, Motorola-1
usabaility (range): Jabra-3, Nokia-3, Motorola-3
usability (ease of use): Jabra-4, Nokia-3, Motorola-3
Overall: Jabra-4, Nokia-2, Motorola-2

One thing i did not get to test was the battery life. Jabra did provide a good two and a half days of battery time with a single charge. i did not get to test the battery life of either Nokia or Motorola units.

Strengths:
This headset connects quickly to the phone, is easy to use, and reception is clear. I had a BT200 before this one. Other than the color difference, I asked what is so different? Upon making my first call with the headset, I immmediately noticed how the transfer of the call from my P900 to the BT250 was almost instantaneous. The reception and clarity of the headset is clear and the connection time is quick. The adjustment time for the user to get used to this device is minimal. Just remember to answer your call by hitting the headset power button quickly. The headset has plenty of charge time to last throughout the day.

Weaknesses:
One weakness is that you should not use it outside when wind is present. However, this fault is not due to the headset itself. Another weakeness is that the holder of the BT250 needs improvement. I kept the device in my pocket without losing it. Within two days of starting to use the holder with the belt clip, I almost lost the BT250. Fortunately, I was able to trace my steps to locate it outside my car. Use great caution and be aware of your BT250 if you use the holder on your belt. If you sit down, the holder can easily can easily push the BT250 loose from the holder.

Summary:
With this headset, you can say goodbye to wires forever. Once you have a truly wireless headset, you will not want to go back to wires. The BT250 quickly connects to the phone, is clear and static free, and is relatively simple to use. Other than the holder of this BT250, you will enjoy this headset.

I have been using the Jabra FreeSpeak BT250 for almost a year now. It is pretty good. The only issue I have with it is sometimes it does not speak well to my cell phone if my phone is in my shirt pocket (left side) and the Jabra is on the right ear.

Recently, I lost the ear piece so I purchased the Motorola HS810 to try it out as the Cingular store guy recommended it. I tried using the Motorola HS810 for about one week and found everyone telling me my calls were full of static and that they could not hear me.

So I ordered another Jabra BT250 and am again very happy! Wish I could return the Motorola ...

Michael Zyda

I purchased my BT250 in the spring in the UK before it was released in the US. I use it with a Nokia 3650.

I find the comfort excellent and the range is better than some other reviewers have reported. I once left the in the trunk of my car (VW Jetta) and plugged the headset in anyway. The phone did ring and it sounded fine. On the other hand, I have had breakup when the headset is on one ear and the phone is clipped to the opposite hip.

One voice quality, I regularly dial into conference bridges in the UK from the US on my headset while driving. I have no problems being heard.

Battery life has been great. I charge mine only a couple of times a month. Mine was advertised with eight days standby time and I turn it off after my commute to work (about 1 hour each way). When I travel I leave the charger at home.

I do not use voice tags or voice dialing so cannot comment on this point.

Jarba FreeSpeak is a great headset for 2 1/2 years, after that the battery dies.
This is where the bad part comes in. YOU CAN NOT REPLACE THE BATTERY!
So, keep this in mind when buying one. I found out the hard way.

Several years ago I tried an early bluetooth headset that was useless, due to a short battery life. I recently decided to see if the technology had improved, and based on the Amazon reviews, chose the Jabra. The Jabra is a joy to use. I put it in my ear, and often forget it is there. It is great while driving. The sound is loud and clear. In fact, my BlackBerry is sometimes difficult to hear. Tha Jabra solves that problem, with great volume. I have used the thing for hours without ever getting a low battery indication. This is not a gimic. It is a useful and effective tool.

No doubt Jabra is the best selling bluetooth headset these days, and for sure it's not the best bluetooth headset on the market, but have to give credit to their marketing department which is doing a good job in promoting this headset. I used to own this Jabra headset, my first impression of this headset is big and it's too obvious on the ear. Amazingly it wasn't heavy and that's good. The headset did a good job in pairing to my phone, it sounded fine, but the range is quite bad, I can't walk to far away from the phone even it said 10 meters range. I was just 2 meters away, the sound quality droped significanly. The battery life was also a problem, have to charge whenever I got a chance. Recently I found a good headset, STEP 1150, which is little known and made by a company called STEP Communications. It got a good review from PC World magazine. (...) It's a small profile headset, all day wearing comfort and long battery life. I highly recommend it.

I'm one who has always had terrible luck with cellphone headsets. I've owned corded headsets from all major companies, motorola, jabra, plantronics, sony, and I was dissappointed by all of them. I bought this one with very little hope that it would be any better than the others. Boy was I surprised when I fired this baby up and experienced the sound quality this thing offered. I'm also quite pleased with how this thing fits on my ear. I was able to try on the Motorola HS810 at a local BestBuy and I didn't like the way it fit. The Jabra feels much more secure. I also like the large eargel that goes into your ear canal. Excllent!

I bought this in December 2004 and it is now March 2005 and I want to say that I still love it! It still works perfectly.

Ounce for ounce - about a fourth of the cost of Gold.
But its way2kool and works well. Star Trek like - with a bright flashing blue light behind your ear.
I can hear others loud and clear.
Others can hear me loud and clear - even if I talk softly (the mike is near your earlobe).
Therefore - meets the base requirements. Now for other things -

Its easy to lose - since it is so small.
It hides behind your ears and almost disappears from view - others may think you are mad and talking to thin air.
Batteries "may" be non-replaceable. No mention of this, but I have figured out how the device can be opened (there is one tiny screw) and will come to it when the batteries do die. Batteries seem to last many hours - I haven't tested exactly how long.
No warning before batteries die. You can be cut off in the middle of a conversation. Some warning beeps would have been nice.
I've paired it in the "enhanced" mode with the sony t610 - works just fine if you bother to read the manual and undertake enhanced pairing. You will get problems others mention if you do regular pairing. There are some glitches but those are on the phone side (I can't hear the beep before I voice dial if I am using the headset). Voice dialling does not work in a noisy environment - but that is not the headsets fault. It works well otherwise. Nothing to complain - all features mentioned work and do so well.

The Sony T610 phone has very limited range with this headset. However, this is a phone issue. I also use this with a Linksys USBBT100 adapter and have absolutely no range problems - signal goes through to the furthest corner of all rooms (see my Linksys USBBT100 review).

If only it would "beam me up" star trek style.

The Pros:
The function and design of this headset are first rate. Right out of the box it was easy to pair with my Motorola v505 phone.

It is small and unobtrusive

The battery life is really good in standby mode, and lasts several hours of talking. (and it does issue warning tones when the battery runs low, plus the phone issues a message saying "headset signal weak - switch to handset?"

The combo belt clip/charger is a really cool idea. It would have been EVEN COOLER if Jabra had made it compatible with nokia, Moto, and Ericsson phone chargers. Now I have yet ANOTHER power supply to drag with me on trips....

Reception is very good as long as line of sight is unobstructed by anything full of water. I can pump gas in my car with the phone on the passenger seat or wander all over my hotel suite waving my arms wildly while the phone sits in its charging stand on the desk. If there is a body in the way (or an aquarium, etc) then the signal drops off (attenuates) dramatically. In fact, there is a marked difference between putting the phone on the opposite side of your body from the earpiece when carrying your phone in your pocket. If on the opposite side, the signal degrades noticeably.

The Cons:

I have been unsuccessful getting it to pair with either my laptop or my PDA however (an HP iPaq 4155).

If you have a bluetooth PDA and use BT to Activesync with your PC, it will interfere with this headset while it is "connected" (from Activesync's perspective). You will hear a constant "crackling" noise that sounds like the other person is popping popcorn. It took me a while to figure out. You don't have to turn off the BT radio on the laptop or PDA, just "disconnect" the BT session temporarily while talking. This is a hassle, but not a killer (one of the reasons for 4 instead of 5 stars)

My biggest problem with the unit is that it does not fit my ears without feeling very insecure. The "hanging" design always feels like it is flopping around for me, and if I lean too far to that side, the unit will actually fall off my ear. There is no way to tighten the fit of the unit; I have already tried different earpieces and positions of the earpieces, but this doesn't help. This is the reason why I will probably replace this unit with another. Its a shame, since it is such a nice unit, but the floppiness on my ears is unacceptable.

BTW, I am not a midget - I am 5' 10 and weigh 160 lbs. I have a fairly narrow face, but I think the bigger issue is that I have small earlobes. If you have small earlobes (rather than pendulous ones) you may want to test fit this unit in a store before buying one here. I wish I had...