Customer Reviews

Motorola HS810 Bluetooth Headset

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I've used this product for the past couple of days. Great design. Much smaller than you would expect from looking at the pictures. Here's a list of PROs and CONs. I won't cover anything you can get from the "Technical Data" section.

PROs:

1) Call quality is great on the other end. People have commented that they didn't know I was calling them from my cellphone when using this headset.

2) You can turn off the headset by closing the mic boom. Unlike the older HS801 and maybe even the latest model, HS820, you can actually deactivate the headset just by folding the headset. Your phone will automatically revert to non-bluetooth mode. Open the mic boom and it'll sync automatically. Just make sure to set your phone to automatically detect the headset.

3) You can turn off the blinking lights while on a call so you don't look like a 'Star Trek' reject. Just press both volume buttons at the same time. The light will go off ONLY for the duration of that call. If it were up to me, I'd like to disable the lights altogether, but I'll take what I can get.

4) Great design. A must have for every got-to-have-it gadget person. And it matches the Motorola V600 perfectly.

CONs:

1) Too quiet, even on the highest volume. The earphone is an open ear design so unfortunately, you can't really block out the sounds from your environment. When driving on the highway, this product becomes almost useless when calling someone who doesn't speak loudly. Doesn't help that my car's cabin isn't very quiet, so you may find the volume not an issue in a better acoustically sealed car.

2) Voice activation isn't very reliable. Only seems to work reliably in a quiet room. As with CON 1), you may not have an issue in a quiet car cabin.

3) The earpiece is not very comfortable. Again, this may not be an issue for you, but is for me. I'd give it a 6 or 7 out of 10, in terms of comfort.

4) The carrying case is very stylish, but poorly designed. The headset presses against the top of the case, causing the multi-function button to be continually pressed. The headset is off since the headset is folded, but continually pressing the multi-function button causes the lights to come on every few seconds within the caase. Maybe I'll try the neckstrap provided instead.

Hope this helps.

I bought this headset about 4 months ago, and am using it with a Motorola V710 with Verizon.

Pros: I love it, but it fits me well. It pairs quickly and easily with the phone, and the standby time is great. I charge it every couple weeks. The sound quality on both ends is very good, as long as you're not in the wind. In my car most times people don't even know I'm on a cell phone. I like the design of the earpiece, because I can wear it and sunglasses at the same time. I don't even notice it's there. You probably couldn't say that about the ones that put all the electronics behind the ear. Big Pro - The blinking light on the side shuts off after 5 minutes of inactivity.

Cons: There's a big blinking light on it that really attracts attention, and it continues blinking the entire time you're on a call. The Blink is particularly distracting in a car at night, because it's fairly bright and you can see it in the rearview. It doesn't fit small ears well. I wanted to get one for my wife, but when she tried mine it kept falling off her ear. When you're in the wind, the other party can't hear you and you can't hear them. It's not good for outside use, just because of that. Biggest con - the battery life on my phone is cut in half when using bluetooth, so even though the standby is 100 hours on the HS810, you better have a plug or extra battery close for the phone.

All in all, I love it. When I'm in a hotel, car, or home I plug in my phone and wear the headset all over the place. You can place and receive calls as long as you're within 30 feet of your phone, and the other user has no idea you're on a headset. Well worth the money, unless you plan on using it outside.

I originally purchased a Motorola HS 820 bluetooth headset from Amazon to go with my Sony Ericsson T637 phone on Cingular. After the original charge, it worked fine for a few days, but I was annoyed that you have to hold down a button to turn it on each time you want to use it, or else leave it on in standby, slowly draining its battery. As luck would have it, when I charged it for a second time, it went kaput.

I used the opportunity of returning the now dead HS 820 to switch to the, IMO, superior HS 810. With the HS 810, you not only get a carry case for the headset, but you just flip out the hinged microphone to activate the device and instantly it negotiates a connection with the phone. People hear me fine even though I am training myself to speak quietly when on the phone in public, and, in contrast to other reviews, I usually find myself turning down the volume on the phone and the HS 810 to keep it from being too loud. I have found that by adjusting the phone volume and headset volume, I can get a good natural sounding balance between tone and volume unlike regular headsets which I find to sound a bit muffled in general. Using the voice dialing feature of my phone with the headset works best if I enter the original command name using the headset.

The headset is so light that I forget about it being on my ear until I start wondering why people are staring at me. This product is very reliable and handy. Note to Motorola design team: Get rid of the silly and unnecessary blue light. I will be interested to see how reduced in size these devices will become over the next couple of years. It wont be long before the whole phone is this size and fits in our ear I imagine.

This is a good product that meets a need.

This headset was purchased to replace TWO crappy jabra freespeaks. This is very small, but unlike the goldlatern bluetreks or the Jabra, does not hide its mass well; it all sits right outside your ear, and in completely inconspicuous. With my old bluetrek and even the jabra, my hair hid most of it, which for me is a plus, as I do not use Bluetooth headsets to impress people or get atttention; I don't want peoples attention and questions.

Which is this headsets only drawback - it has this HUGE, BLUE ORB-LIKE LIGHT on it that takes up the whole front of the piece. YOU WILL ATTRACT ATTENTION with this headset on. It blinks in standby, it blinks when in operation, it blinks all the dang time. But, if you can get passed that, it does work pretty well. The sound is a little tinny, but pretty clear. And unlike all my other bluetooth headsets, the headset volume only operates the headset, and doesn't link to the phone volume - this means that you have more adjustability for volume level and loudness, which is good. The mic seems really good - no complaints from those on the other end, basically. And the battery life isn't TOO ugly at 5 hours. And the ear anchor could be a little more rigid and smaller for smaller ears, but it will do as long as you are not jogging around constantly.

I love this headset! Not only it is light and comfortable to wear, but it's also stylish. The volume level is fantatic and the sound is very clear. I had tried Jabra BT250 and it was so staticky that I had to return it. I live and work in NYC, and you can hear the voice clearly even with noisy background. I highly recommend this product - BTW, my phone is Sony Ericsson T637.

[Note: I bought this around July of 2004, and my initial review did not show up in the right place... so this is a repost of a 5 month old review]

More than the convenience, at this point, this headset is attracting conversation in book stores and Electronic stores that I frequent. I hang it around my neck (Neck strap included with packaging) and many curious people ask, "is that a miniature phone?" Well, it's a wireless headset, I say. A Best Buy salesman even said, "I envy you!".

Anyway, that's the non-essential part. Now for the usefulness:

It's great when I need to talk while driving. Very convenient. But if you are not wearing it when you get a call, it's quite dangerous to take it out of your neckstrap/glovebox/seat and wear it on your ear. I don't find it very easy to slip it on my ear - certainly at least not easy while driving.

If you are in Sales/Marketing and similar professions where you expect a lot of calls (receiving/sending), then this is the device for you, because I'd say you will soon get used to just wearing it around your ear all the time. The cordless convenience in these scenarios can't be beat. But if you are just a gadget freak (I'm guilty here), and got it just for the technology, then, well, chances are, you may not be using it all the time. (Works great to create an impression though!).

If your phone supports voice recognition, then making calls is easy with this headset - just say the name and about three seconds later (in the case of Motorola V600 phone), the phone will start dialing your number. (You will not like the 3 second delay at first, but you will probably get used to it quickly). To receive calls, just extend the mic boom and the headset connects to your phone. But if you are already wearing this headset over your ear, then the boom is always extended (and I think the battery is probably being drained in this position) - you have to press a little button on the side to accept an incoming call in this scenario.

I'd give 5 stars for the ultra-cool design, finish, form, voice quality and the packaging (which includes a snap off neckstrap, a really good looking pouch and a charger)

I'd give 3 stars for the practicality of this thing. (No fault of Motorola here. Just comes with the headphone territory). As I said, for some people, this wireless convenience really works.

I'll keep mine. When not actively using it, it at least keeps the Sales kids in Best Buy really talking shop with me. I guess they look at me as an "early adopter" and a tech savvy guy (which I am ;>) )

ps. Finally, for the kids out there, whether you use a handsfree set or a phone, talking while driving is distracting and is considered dangerous by many. So please use discretion!

I recently purchased the Motorola HS810 after specifically purchasing the Motorola V710 Bluetooth Enabled phone. I use my mobile phone all the time as a replacement for my home and home office phones, and spend a lot of time on conference calls and other calls for business.

Overall, I love this headset! It is small, light, has a great microphone. It integrates perfectly with my V710 - for example: I leave my phone in my coat pocket, and keep the headset in a convenient place. When I hear my phone ring, I simply open the boom on the headset and slip it on...and there you go! If you want to end the call, simply push the top of the unit, and a small "beep" will let you know that the call is over.

If you are wearing the unit and receive a call, the phone will not ring - instead, the headset will "beep", and you can take the call by pressing the button.

My favorite feature? Wear the headset with your V710 on and in range. Press the button, and the phone will prompt you to speak a command - you can select "Name Dial", "Digit Dial", "Voicemail", etc, and the phone will automatically connect you to the person you want to call, either by recognizing the name using voice recognition software (remember, this is the phone AND the headset working together), by speaking the digits you want to dial, etc. All while your phone is in your pocket, in your purse, or...across the room!

I love this feature, especially when walking through airports with my hands occupied.

Why 4 out of 5 stars then? Sometimes the way the phone hangs on my ear does not seem partcularly secure...but if you work it, you can make it more or less secure. Secondly, the volume could be louder...so in noisy environments, you might not hear perfectly.

But overall, I love this little device, and can't wait for the next generation - which only promises better things! Way to go Moto!

I resently purchased the HP Ipaq H6315 (PDA/Cell Phone) and because of it being akward to talk on i purchased this headset. It was very easy to set up just follow the directions in the manuel and with in a minute i was up and running. one thing i thought was interesting is that motorola used the power hook up found on most of their cell phones, so if you have a motorola phone then this headset should be a given! But even if you don't have a motorola device this is a good product with good battery life! i found this at Circuit City for 69.99

What I've learned is that certain bluetooth headsets work better with different phones. I used a Jabra set with the 7100 at first because that is what the T-Mobile store recommended. It was a frustrating experience with dropped calls and problems getting synched and staying synched. With the Motorola HS810, it synchs up and works like a dream. The flip open boom to turn on and off is a wonderful feature. I get some crackling in heavy wifi noise environments (My office has 5 different wireless LANs within range and many cordless phones) when I use it but overall it is fantastic. Definite buy if you have a Blackberry.

Everything is great about this headset except how long it lasts. I purchased my first HS 810 in September 2004. The plastic hinges broke after a few months but did not affect performance. However after around 6 months the microphone stopped working; I could hear others but they couldn't hear me.

I sent in the headset under warranty and it was replaced by Motorola. With the second headset the plastic hinges broke again and now, just recently, the microphone stopped working! Additionally, the rubber around the earpiece used as a cushion between your ear and the headset will come lose and/or melt if you leave it in a hot environment (this happened to both earpieces).

I loved everything else about the earpiece, now if only I could get it to last...