Once upon a time there were three bluetooth headsets prepped for review; the Apple Bluetooth Headset, the Plantronics Voyager 520 and the Etymotic etyBLU.
The folks at JAiB saw all three and thought, “Maybe one of these is the right headset for us? After all, the cops are really cracking down on the need for using a headset while driving. ‘
So they decided to try each one.
First, they tried the Apple Bluetooth Headset. It looked great and complemented the iPhone ‘s sleek look. At $129 it was expensive but it did come with both a desktop cradle and travel cord for recharging the headset and the iPhone simultaneously. That softened the blow a bit. It paired automatically when placed in the cradle with the iPhone- cool! It was light– just .23 ounces! It fit so nicely in the ear that it stayed in without the need for an ear hook. It was so comfortable, in fact, that it was easy to forget you were wearing it. It looked sleek- in part, because of the minimalist approach to buttons. That was a lovely design idea but one that meant volume could only be controlled from the iPhone itself. NOT GOOD!!! And the call quality? Without built-in noise cancellation the sound was… ‘ehhhh ‘.
Great looks but lousy sound = form over function. Not a good combination.
JAiB moved on.
Then they tried the Plantronics Voyager 520 bluetooth headset. While it lists for $99 it can easily be found for under $50– half the cost of the Apple Bluetooth Headset. It paired easily but not automatically. It had real and powerful noise cancellation and therefore sounded AWESOME. But while the person on the other end of the call found it clear and loud, JAiB found it a little on the quiet side. Yes, the one multifunction button controlled the volume but the button itself was hard to control. And the looks? ‘Utilitarian ‘ was being kind. At .56 ounces it was more than twice the weight of the Apple Bluetooth Headset. Strike One. The ‘in ear ‘ rubber piece felt a bit too snug on his ear and quickly got annoying. Strike Two. It required an uncomfortable ear hook in order to keep it on. Strike Three.
Great call quality but ugly and uncomfortable = function over form. Not a good combination.
JAiB moved on.
Then they tried the Etymotic etyBLU. They had been hoping for something like this ever since getting Etymotic’s 6i Isolator Earphones a few months before. At $129 it cost the same as the Apple Bluetooth Headset. It did, however, come with a travel pouch, an assortment of ear pieces and a detachable, noise-rejecting BLUmaxx directional boom microphone.
It looked great and complemented the iPhone ‘s sleek design. It included an easy-to-use volume toggle without compromising on its sleek look. It paired easily but not automatically. It fit and felt great (so long as you like an in-ear headset) and even stayed in the ear without the need for an ear hook (although one was supplied). And the sound? The sound was AWESOME. The combination of the noise-isolating in-ear design and the noise-canceling microphone boom resulted in the best call quality for both speaker and listener ever.
Great looks, a high degree of comfort and great call quality = Form AND Function.
Finally a headset that was just right. 
Watch for a full review of the etyBLU in the next week.
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