Customer Reviews

Motorola HS850 Bluetooth Headset - Black

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I just got this bluetooth headset and have to say it is absolutely fantastic.

1. Most importantly, there is absolutely NO DIFFERENCE in sound quality between this and a wired headset. It is simply unnoticable to my callers. I can walk around in my home without trouble.

2. It feels so light and comfortable on the ear that I forget I have it on. This is key as taking it off and putting it on all the time wasn't an option. It had to feel good on my ear for hours at a time.

3. It found my Motorola RAZR cell phone very quickly. Setup was a breeze.

4. This little device can do call waiting, voice commands, etc., and opening the boom mic answers the call.

Battery life is good, 8 hours of talk and 200 hours standby!

It's the first over the ear earpiece that I actually like. Comfortable and lightweight.

Bottom line, don't waste money on inferior headsets -- you'll end up regretting it. So far, this is the best, although Moto has just announced an even higher-end headset, although I don't think it's been released yet.

UPDATE on 8-13-05 -- Still the best headset I've tried. Only problem -- I'm on my 3rd one! But it's my fault - I've lost and dropped the first two...But I'll keep buying this headset unless something dramatically better comes out. Oh, I guess the blue-flashing light when you're connected doesn't make a whole lot of sense as you can't see it (it's on your ear). Wish there were an option to shut that off...

I just picked up my first bluetooth phone, and was looking forward to a wireless headset. My last headset was an [...], which gave exceptional noise isolation, and very clear reception and transmission, even in the noisiest of environments. It was just a hassle to leave the wire hanging, and wasn't easy to get it hooked up from scratch for a call, so I wound up using it a lot only in the car or on long calls. But its exceptional performance left me with high expectations.

I started with a Sony HSH660 (which I reviewed) but it rubbed on the back of my ear and left it hurting. It picked up ambient noises in a noisy environment on its mic and created lots of static on the other end, though I could hear very clearly. So I was looking for better fit and clarity in transmission.

The Motorola is lighter, and its thin earpiece fit in a way that was immediately comfortable in a way the Sony wasn't. BUT, the HS850 feels vaguely set on my ear, wobbling back and forth on my ear. In contrast, the Sony felt rock solid. The Motorola never actually fell or moved off my ear, it just felt flimsy. The narrow earpiece that made it less painful made it feel less secure. Still, I think that'd be easier to get used to than an earpiece that hurt.

I went out to a mall and checked out the reception. The ambient noise would show up the quality quickly. Here, the Motorola's mic screened out the ambient noise better, but the people I called said that while there wasn't much background noise, it sounded like I was on a speakerphone. The boom is certainly too short to allow better positioning and noise isolation like the ety. But while the Motorola's transmission was better than the Sony, I had more trouble hearing the Motorola. The Sony earphone seemed much clearer, less prone to static or noise than the Motorola. This certainly surprised me. Rather than a clear winner, it was a trade-off. The verdict is about the same in quiet environments, though it is a little easier to hear on both ends.

The Motorola folded up neatly, and the black unit looks sharp. The blue light that is on when the headset is in use is a nice touch. The unit was easy to set up with my phone, and the swinging boom turns the unit on and off. When a phone call is received, it took no time to open the boom, and by the time I got the headphone on my ear, I could press the on button and receive the call seamlessly. I haven't had a chance to test out the 8 hrs talk time, but others tell me that's accurate. It folds up more compactly than the Sony.

So here's my summary:
Pros:
Extremely light weight
Easy and painless over the ear fit
Blue light shows others you are on a call
Easy hookup with your cellphone
Uses the same adapter as Motorola phones

Cons
Earpiece feels flimsy and not that secure on your ear
No battery level
Mic and earphone quality adequate, but not up to best wired headset standards

I've decided to keep this headset for now. If the Sony headset were comfortable for me it'd be more of a toss-up. There probably aren't any perfect BT headsets yet, but I will certainly be on the lookout for something better

I've had this product for a few days now and used it quite a bit around the house and while driving. Here are my thoughts:

1. Comfort (5/5) : This is one of the most comfortable headsets I've worn. I've used Plantronics, Jabra, Nokia headsets in the past and this is by far the least intrusive headset I've owned. You can literally forget that you're wearing it.

2. Sound Quality (4/5) : The sound is very good. Callers on the other end had no problems either. I'm giving 4/5 because it does get a little tinny in loud places. But then, so does my Razr.

3. Features/Functionality (4.5/5) : The folding boom to turn the unit On and Off is great. This also frees up the multifunction button for other things. In call features all work perfectly. I've tested quite a few with no complaints. I deduct 0.5 for not having a USB charger. This would have saved me from having to lug one more charger around when I travel. Some might point out the lack of an LCD screen but my Phone has 2 of those and they both have better color and resolution than the tiny screens on headsets. Besides, unless you have eyes on stalks how are you going to see the headset screen while wearing it on your ear?

4. Style (4/5) : Its still somewhat large and the huge blue light could help you guide a 747 down but the 'graphite' version is a little nicer looking than the silver. That said, its not as hideous like some of the plantronics ones that look like a second earlobe. I do wish I could turn off the blue staus light because I really dont want to be one of those dorks wearing their BT headsets in restaurants, bars, coffeeshops and looking like lighthouses.

5. Value (5/5) : Excellent value for money. I paid around $59 for my unit and feel I got a quality product.

Overall rating 4.5/5 Stars

I'm one of those loonies who worries about my phone trying to kill me with it's radiation, so I bought this to reduce my exposure to it. Bluetooths produce about 10% of the radiation that cell phones do.

The sound is great, no complaints on that end.

however, I do have conversations with loud people.. And when the person on the other end raises their voice (like screaming or laughing a little too loud) they do hear their own voices.

EASILY fixed with the volume control right on the earpiece.

Portable and discreet, I keep my phone in my backpack's side pocket and the earpiece in my jeans pocket. When I hear the phone ring I open the earpiece and tada!

The range on this thing also shocked me. I could easily walk around my room and do all kinds of chores while I spoke on the phone, leaving my phone in the opposite corner of the room charging.

At first it does feel like the earpiece is going to fall off, but after a while you'll get used to it and realize that this bad boy isn't going anywhere.

Not perfect, but definitely worth the money I paid for it.

Only two cons I noticed are:

The echoing when the person on the other end gets too loud.

And I would would have preferred of the boom opened in a circular motion as opposed to flipping open. This way you could keep the earpiece on your ear at all times with the boom closed, and when a call came in you just opened it right on your ear. Since it flips open, you have to flip it open and put it on your ear once it's open. It has about a 2-3 second delay on answering the call to give you time to get it on. It will then beep once (in your ear) and connect the call.

I have a Motorola Razr V3 and it was a synch to sync it up. The instructions on how to link up with bluetooth devices is included with your purchase.

I have purchased both the Smoke HS850 and the Black HS850. The smoke version had an echo giving the effect of being down a hallway, with pops on high pitched sounds. I expected the black version to be similar. The price difference and ability to prevent hitting the button by closing the headset made it worth the sound issues. When this product arrived I was amazed to see that it was nothing like it's smoke-colored version. The clarity was great on both ends, with no pops or echos. This is not the US version, as shown by the included european adapters, but it definately should be. The bass does become a bit jumbled at full volume, but not enough to make the conversation unclear.

My wife and I have a pair of Motorola v551 phones. After charging, the HS850 paired up easily (which is the only reason why it gets 2 stars, rather than 1). It looks nice and can be easily switched from the default right ear to the left ear. Unfortunately that is the only praise I have for the product. I believe I have a normal sized ear, and besides the fact of it not really sitting comfortably (which I was willing to get used to for its convenience), the HS850 was barely passable as usable in a quiet room with the volume jacked up and my finger pressing the device to my head. It is near impossible to hear in a moving vehicle. A strong device should not have to have the volume all the way up and still struggle to hear the device. Upon further inspection of the HS850 I noticed the speaker was about a half an inch above my ear canal. So for the sake of testing, I took the device off my ear and held it directly over my ear canal and still was a tough device to hear. So be warned if you think you may have any hearing problems or maybe your ears may be larger than average (which mine are not), I would avoid this device. This is all subjective of course... if you know a friend with one, try theirs.. but I wouldn't order this without trying someone's first.

I am using the HS850 with a 7250 Blackberry. This is my first bluetooth device. Excellent comfort, clarity, compatibility with the 7250, and overall usability. On the negative side users on the other end of wireless calls have complained of hearing an annoying echo after they speak (I tried replacing the unit and had the same problem). The echo seems to go away if I reduce the volume a bit, but then I can't hear as well. It would rate a strong 5 stars if no echo at max volume and volume were a bit louder.

I bought this after reading a review claiming the "black coloured earpiece was better than the silver." Not the case for me. Although the design is very sleek and sexy, and opening the boom is convenient for answering calls, there is a disturbing echo heard by anyone calling me. I believe this happens because the mic on the HS850 is so close to the earphone. When the volume is up where I need it to be the sound from my earphone goes back into the mic and the caller hears a delayed copy of his voice...only when I turn the volume way down does it go away, but not all the way. Also, the ear hook just didn't work no matter which way I bent it so back it goes. Be advised that if you return something to Amazon and it's because you don't like it and not because it's broken, your shipping charges are not refunded.

I was very dissapointed with its audio performance. I don't want to write a lot because others have definitely written the positive features in good detail(good microphone, quick connect, good battery life, light-weight etc.), but the usability is very restricted.

Here is the bottom line, if you want to take this unit outside of your office/home/any quiet environment, you will NOT be able to hear the other person even if the environment is moderately noisy (this is at unit's highest volume). I was using this in the car, and I can hear faint at best when the road is good, but when you pass through slightly patchy freeway, the other person's voice is completely drowned. The speaker's maximum volume is just completely unacceptable. By the way, this experience was inside a luxury car, not a cardboard car. I am not sure the reason behind this design, could be to improve battery life?

I had high expectations. I am returning this unit to Amazon and will look at the Jabra BT500 (read good reviews about it: in-ear position & USB charging).

By the way, I used this with my Blackberry 7100g, good syncing and quick connection.

I had just purchased this headset, after using the HS-805 that amazon provided with me (free of charge due to promotion). The HS 850 audio quality is worse than the "cheaper" headset that I have. Although it looks nice, and has better features (boom mic, easy pairing) the HS 805 still beats it sound quality-wise. I am going to return this headset, due to the low volume of the earpiece. I can hardly hear the person on the other end although they tell me that I am coming through crystal clear.