Customer Reviews

Nokia HS-11W Bluetooth Headset

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I settled for this headset with some hesitation after a lot of research. However, I am extremely satisfied with the earpiece.

The best feature for me is definitely the way it clips to the ear. It looks kind of funky and initially putting it on is not very intuitive. However, once its on, its on and is going nowhere. I have friends with different brands of earpieces which fell off from their ears. However, I went to an amusement park and rode all the roller coasters and other rides all day long. Nothing could budge this earpiece from my year. On one ride, my sunglasses almost flew off but this one did not move.

The second good part is the sound clarity, part of which is due to the design of the clipping mechanism. If you have used ipod style ear bud headphones and handsfree devices, you will realise that without some sort of pressure on the earpiece, sound quality is not really the best. You need to press on it with your finger to get the right and loud sound. However, this earpiece is just like having your cell phone instrument on your ear. THe clipping mechanism creates sufficient pressure and the result is reasonably loud crytal clear sound from the earpiece. It is actually better than my phone (NGage QD).

Battery life is also good, along with features like voice dialling, mute etc (which other reviewers have covered below).

Due to the strong clipping mechanism, it may initially feel uncomfortable or even hurt your ear after a few hours. However, this subsides within a few days and you will start feeling wierd not having it on your ear :)

The microphone is good and the person at the other end is always able to hear me clearly. I also left myself voice messages to check for clarity and it was perfect. One caveat, though applicable to most wireless headsets, is that due to the distance of the microphone from your mouth, this is not suitable for discreet conversations especially if there is some disturbance. This earpiece is better than others in this respect though.

There are some features which I wish Nokia had included which you make this headset the uber-headset. I wish there was some indication of battery level. Though I have not run into any trouble, it is nice to know where you stand.

A vibrator option would also be nice. Though I know this would end up adding considerable bulk to the earpiece, it seems like a nice thing to have.

Overall, I really like the headset and would definitely recommend it to anyone. My friends with other headset like Jabra etc used this one and were really impressed. I have tested it with Motorola and Sony phones and it works perfect there too.

This is my first bluetooth headset and I must say that I am really impressed! It's unique design fits my ear perfectly and the voice clarity is excellent.

Becasue I also have a Nokia cellphone (6230), I am able to utilize the phone's features with this bluetooth headset (HS-11W). You can:

1) Perform voice-dialing (press and hold send/call button)

2) Mute/Unmute your conversation (press power button while on air)

3) Auto-redial (press send/call once and then press and hold)

4) Lastly, my favorite feature...you can listen to your phone's MP3 music (too bad you can't listen to the radio--you still need to connet an enhancement headset)

Overall, I am impressed with this product. I highly recommend it.

This item works quite well. Especially when connected to an original i.e. Nokia phone(6310i), but I also connected to a Siemens S-55 with good results. No problems so far, just nice and clear sound. And remember the excellent battery life time;-)

As other pepople have mentioned; I understand that it doesn't fit on any ear, but it is worth trying it. It took me some time to figure out how to fit on the ear....- I never imagined it could be that difficult getting dressed;-)

Final benefit: It came with a nice battery charger that also fits the phone! GOOD!

A co-woker has this headset. I got to use it with my Nokia phone today. It looks like something out of star trek but once it's on your ear you don't even notice it is there. It's super-lightweight and very sturdy. We looked funny shaking our heads trying to make it fall off but this thing stays put. Very good voice quality and nice solid design. 5 stars to Nokia for making a unique, well built headset!

I have been through several different wireless Bluetooth headsets now. I want to share the criteria I believe you need to apply when buying your next Bluetooth headset. The Nokia HS-11W unfortunately fails several of these criteria, as does almost every headset on the market right now.

An excellent Bluetooth headset should have the following characteristics:

1. Comfortable fit - you need your headset to be comfortable for at least an hour at a time, if not for an entire day. (The Nokia fails miserably; the tines dug into my ear at the top and bottom, and it was impossible to correct it.)

2. Secure fit - when you nod or shake your head, you don't want to feel the headset wiggling around or shifting its position. If it does, you will constantly be reaching up to check it and adjust it. (The Nokia does fairly well on this, but the two tines that hold it to your ear may creep over time as they did on my ears, needing occasional help from my right hand to stay in place.)

3. Excellent incoming sound quality - anything less and you will not be thrilled. Nearly every headset on the market today fails this criteria. (The Nokia was in the middle of the pack on this; there were times when it was fairly good, sometimes wretched, but certainly never excellent.)

4. Excellent outgoing sound quality - surprisingly, there is absolutely no relationship between the incoming and outgoing sound quality. I have tested a wide number of these headsets and nearly every one fails either number 3 or number 4. You don't want your callers to ask if you are calling from a wind tunnel, and you don't want an echo on either end. Echo is a major factor with these headsets. (Although I never heard it myself, my callers sometimes experienced echo; overall sound quality was mediocre besides that.)

5. Noise cancelling - your headset should have some form of noise cancelling technology so that others can hear you when you speak in a noisy environment. The best Bluetooth headsets available now offer DSP (digital signal processing) that filters out the noise, but the implementation of that technology is inconsistent, so having DSP does not necessarily mean you will be happy with performance in noisy conditions. (The Nokia does not have any cancellation circuitry, which became obvious when trying to use it in bars or even just outside in mildly windy conditions. I do not recommended it for loud environments at all.)

6. Sound isolation design - The noise cancellation is helpful for outgoing sound quality, but for incoming sound, I believe that the earpiece should fit INTO the ear canal, completely blocking out outside noises so that YOU can hear your CALLER clearly. I have tested too many of the other variety, and have been disappointed by the maximum volume being too low, and also by the fact that others could sometimes hear what my caller is saying when they are standing close to me while I use it. I have a pair of Shure E5C earphones I now use for my iPod. These are inserted into the ear canal, and I can assure you from personal experience that this is the most effective means of solving the incoming sound problem. An in-ear design completely isolates the incoming sound, meaning I don't have to turn the volume up very high and can hear even in a very noisy environment. It also helps with the secure fit issue above. (Like most of today's headsets, the Nokia has a speaker that rests on the ear, so it fails this criteria anyhow, but I also found the volume to be too low even in quiet conditions. It was impossible to understand my callers in a noisy environment. Impossible.)

7. Fast connection speed and solid connection - when your phone rings, you need the headset to react quickly. Many headsets do not, so you sometimes miss calls because of your headset's slow reaction speed. This can often be the fault of the phone's Bluetooth implementation, not just the headset. Also, you want the connection to your phone to be stable. Many headsets drop off frequently and must reestablish a connection or even be re-mated to the phone. Again, this sometimes is the fault of the phone, but not always. (The Nokia did well in this category, it's the only one of my criteria I could score it highly in.)

8. Excellent battery life - you want your headset to need charging as infrequently as the phone itself. In other words, you want it to last at least all day, then you just need to remember to charge it when you charge your phone. (I have not been happy with the battery life; the Nokia is in the middle of the pack. It is also hard to turn on and off, with the power button being difficult to depress, especially with the unit still in your ear, so sometimes even when you think it's off it's still on and drawing power. The battery life should be long enough that, like your phone, you never have to turn it off at all if you don't care to.)

9. Low battery indicator - you want to know if your headset is getting close to being out of juice. (The Nokia beeps when it is low on batteries, but it does not give you warning far enough in advance. I would like to see a headset start warning you at least a half hour before it's going to die. Better yet, how about an actual battery indicator like on cellphones?)

10. Features - you want to be able to initiate calls from the headset, and you want support for voice recognition if your phone offers that, so that you can literally dial and end calls without ever touching your phone. (I did not test the Nokia on all its features because I was already too disgusted with it to bother)

I have not found the ultimate Bluetooth wireless headset. I am currently testing the Gennum nxZen Plus 5500 and the Cardo Systems Scala-500. If these don't cut the mustard, next will be another promising entry, the Plantronics 645, which has not yet been released but is due out any day. Also of interest is the Jabra JX-10, which I have not had my hands on yet.

It has become clear to me that some headsets do better on certain phones and worse on others. My tests have all been done on one phone, my new BlackBerry 8700c. However, this product has enough flaws in its design to make it unacceptable for any phone.

Bottom line on the Nokia HS-11W: keep looking.

This headset has great battery life, dedicated volume and power buttons and another button that answers and hangs up calls and activates voice dial. It has great sound quality and the microphone is clear. Also, it looks cool. It doesn't have any nerdy, annoying flashing lights. It's just slick. Judged by its features, it deserves 5 stars. I give it 3 because I can barely wear it for an hour. I wear an earpiece headset at work, sometimes all day long, without any problem. This one squeezes down so hard that it actually gets painful! I thought I would get used to it, but I've had it for 3 months now and no luck. I now wear it hanging halfway off my ear so that it can't clamp down so hard. I applaud Nokia for trying something different, but it's no good.

I purchased this headset from a local retail store. I was very impressed at its clarity, comfort, and ease of use...Then it went completely dead after 32 days, just in time to overlap the 30 day return policy from the store. I then mailed it to Nokia for repair. Everytime I call, they say they cannot find my records and put me on hold for 30 minutes before finding it. It has now been 8 months and Nokia has given me the run around last stating that they would send me a check for the amount of the now discontinued bluetooth headset. Let's just say, I am still waiting. In conclusion, Nokia has really bad customer support. Out of principle, I will never buy a Nokia product again.

Interesting design, but once you get it on right its a great fit.

Sound quality is excellent.

Downside is battery life is substandard.

After a week or so of reading forum after forum on different available bt headsets, I decided to give this one a shot. Overall, its a keeper. The earclip is different, but definately secure and "forget its there" comfortable (I find it most secure in a horizontal position). The first call I made was from a noisy steak house, no problem on either end of the conversation! It instantly and effortlessly paired with my V3 Razr, and only takes about 3 seconds to connect once powered on. The only change I could see would perhaps be optional eargels, although this thing is PLENTY loud and clear with volume on high. No adjustments are necessary (or possible btw) to change ears with it. The range seems real-world impressive too, with no distortion/static whatsoever when my Razr is within 15-20 feet. Ive actually had people not know I was even on a cell phone, muchless wearing a bt headset.... and this even with my being in a rural cellular void. Works great to put the phone near a window, pull a good cell and talk away on the Nokia HS-11w. No fumbling with controls after a few uses either, seperate volume, call answer/end/voice dial/last redial, and power/mute buttons are a breeze to manipulate.

Slick, secure, and it actually *works*! What more could anyone ask.... for a midrange priced bt headset, I recommend it over anything that Jabra or Moto has to offer. Do your homework and hopefully you'll have no buyer's remorse....

Btw, if it doesnt fit your ears, you might want to check your family tree for stumps ;-)

I have everything good to say about using this bluetooth headset. It pairs easy, long standby and long talk time. Conversations are clear, and as full of fedelity available from a telephone. It is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket, but take good care not to lose it. For talk quality, you will be pleased.

What you need to know is this headset and many others have batteries that cannot be replaced. I purchased October 5, 2005, and November 9, 2006 gave me a dead battery. It made a year and 4 weeks. To compare, 2 Motorola H500 made 3 years. I was disappointed to trash a good functioning headset since it too cannot replace the battery. I intentionally went to the higher priced Nokia, only to learn a year later it was a poor choice.

Next up, look for a review of every bluetooth headset with a replaceable battery.