The H15, at least, seems to be doing much better. Motorola dragged me around Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan to show off the noise-zapping functions, and I made several calls to both humans and robots. The H15 did a terrific job of cancelling the noise coming through my mic - the folks on the other end reported not hearing the background noise. But although they sounded clear to me, they weren't all that loud in the earpiece, and I found myself mashing the 'volume up' button futilely.
For more comprehensive testing, you're going to have to wait for the review.The H15 and H780 use a new version of CrystalTalk, Motorola's noise-cancelling algorithm. Like Plantronics' recent Voyager 835, they use two microphones to detect and cancel outside noise, and alter both the sound profile that they're transmitting out and the frequency distribution in your own earpiece accordingly. The H15 is designed to handle wind noise especially well, Moto said.
Both headsets have multipoint Bluetooth 2.1 for easy pairing to multiple phones and come with multiple earbuds to fit your ear. The smaller H15 has 4.5 hours of talk time; the larger H780 has 7 hours.
The MOTOPURE H15 will be available for $129 later this year. The H780 will be available for $99 later this year.
Apparently, it's noise-cancelling headset day today. At lunch, I'm going to some big Motorola event where they're presumably announcing a noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset, and today Plantronics spun out their Voyager 835, their first noise-cancelling headset with dual-mic technology.
Dual-mic noise cancellation uses a microphone pointed outwards to test and analyze background noise. It's a pretty common method of noise cancellation. According to Plantronics, what they bring to the table is AudioIQ, an algorithm that alters sound both in the earpiece and the transmitter, rather than just the sound the person on the other end hears.
Unlike the Aliph New Jawbone, the 835 is designed to work best in middle-of-the-road noise environments - out on the street, or in a car with the top down - and not in hyper-noisy situations, Plantronics said. They said they've tuned the headset to The Plantronics Voyager 835 gets 5 days of standby and 5 hours of talk time, and it will be available immediately.
We're pretty interested to review this headset. Plantronics makes some of the best sounding headsets on the market - their Voyager 510 and 520 are two of the best Bluetooth headsets ever, and their 925 isn't so bad, either. But they've also had some voice quality missteps, notably in their 665 mini-headset. We're hoping the Voyager 835 is worthy of the Voyager name.
The problem with Bluetooth speakers, or any portable speakers for that matter, is that generally, you trade sound quality and bass response for size. Accordingly, any set of speakers that actually fit in your pocket tend to sound a bit like a $10 AM radio. Thankfully, Motorola's ROKR EQ5 speakers break with the tired tradition, delivering surprisingly loud and crisp sound over Bluetooth, while doubling as a fairly decent speakerphone that slides easily into a pants pocket. Unfortunately, the $120 price tag means most of us will be settling for speakers that sound worse, or keeping our music and phone calls to ourselves.
That being said, you get what you pay for here, and the EQ5 speakers deserve hefty praise. If only Moto could deliver another cell phone with this kind of innovative design and performance, they might just have another RAZR-like hit on their hands.
The problem with Bluetooth speakers, or any portable speakers for that matter, is that generally, you trade sound quality and bass response for size. Accordingly, any set of speakers that actually fit in your pocket tend to sound a bit like a $10 AM radio. Thankfully, Motorola's ROKR EQ5 speakers break with the tired tradition, delivering surprisingly loud and crisp sound over Bluetooth, while doubling as a fairly decent speakerphone that slides easily into a pants pocket. Unfortunately, the $120 price tag means most of us will be settling for speakers that sound worse, or keeping our music and phone calls to ourselves.
That being said, you get what you pay for here, and the EQ5 speakers deserve hefty praise. If only Moto could deliver another cell phone with this kind of innovative design and performance, they might just have another RAZR-like hit on their hands.
Using a Windows handheld? You're in luck! Earlier this month, Microsoft released the software you'll need to let your device interact with various Windows Vista gadgets to receive, send or display information on a home network. Windows CE 5 is the kernel on which the Windows Mobile 6 operating system is based, of course.
