Rating  - Lifetime of unreplacable battery: just beyond 1 yr warranty
I got my BT200 for non-Bluetooth phones 15 months ago. It worked well and I liked it a lot despite annoying background clicking and short battery life. Now, after just over a year, its battery often won't last a day of standby let alone conversations. Jabra support says they have no spare parts or service and offered me a 20% discount on a new one. In other words, beware that this is a disposable product! I also have a BT-110, which uses a AAA cell that has much longer life and can be removed for recharge and/or replacement.
Rating  - Great for the price and convenience...
Despite what others have said, I've found this device extremely easy to use. Sound quality is fine unless out in the wind, but then most cellphones have that problem as well. For the price, I'll take the phenominal convenience that I've gained...just for the easy, hands-free voice-activated dialing in the car, it's worth it!
Rating - You get what you pay for
CLARITY
Major problems here. While the phone is lying flat, in the open, and away from any major electrical devices (like, for instance, a computer monitor) it works very well. The calls are crisp with zero distortion, even at about 15' to 20' away. However, if you put the phone in a pocket or a briefcase, you end up with a LOT of static noise. I frequently find myself actually holding the phone in my hand while I am using the headset, which for me, kind of defeats the purpose of a hands-free device in the first place.
Another annoyance is wind noise. If there is even the slightest breeze, the microphone, lacking a wind sock, becomes completely unusable.
CONSTRUCTION
The part that slings over the top of your ear is a composed of a rubbery, flexible plastic that makes it both very comfortable to wear, and assures a secure fit over the ear. Unfortunately, this is covered by a hard, silver plastic that is not quite as giving. After the first two weeks of normal use, the silver shell developed a hairline fracture that seems to be widening each time I use it. Worse yet, the crack runs along the ultra-bright LED light on the back of the device and ends where the "action" button is located. I expect the entire thing to fall apart any time now.
INDICATOR LIGHT
There is a bright blue light on the back of the device. This light is there to, according to the manufacturer, blink rapidly to alert others that you are on a phone call. The problem is that it also blinks, just more slowly, at all other times. And while it is charging. The light is so bright that I actually place a few sheets of paper over it so it doesn't keep me up at night.
All in all, you get what you pay for with the Jabra Freespeak BT200, and at this price, you shouldn't expect much.
Rating  - Cryptic Beeps and Flashes
Way back in the dark ages (when Bluetooth was something you got from chewing on a ballpoint pen), an electronic device would have an on/off switch. My, how times have changed. Today, instead of an on/off switch, Jabra BT200 users must endure the following:
To turn on the headset, "press and hold [] for 3 to 5 seconds until you see a burst of flashes on the blue indicator light, then release." While this is going on you hear "Ascending (low-to-high) tones." You will see the following: "The blue indicator light will flash while the power is on (see the following Status indicators table)." Got that? Now, to turn the headset off, "Press and hold [] for 3 to 5 seconds until you see a burst of flashes on the blue indicator light, then release." You will hear "Descending (high-to-low) tones" and "The blue indicator light will stop flashing."
Oh, and one other thing: "IMPORTANT: Do not hold the [] button down for more than 3 to 5 seconds when turning the headset on or else it may go into pairing mode, and the blue indicator light will turn solid. If that happens, turn off the headset, wait 3 to 5 seconds, and repeat process for turning the headset on."
If your phone rings and the headset is off, it must first be turned on, then you must press another button to turn on the audio link between the headset and the "multi-adaptor" connected to your phone. This link can take several seconds. You hear "a quick series of 2 tones - low to high pitch - when active mode starts." Almost done -- now you have to answer the call with the phone's keypad. I've found it much faster to just answer the phone without the headset.
Sound quality is pretty good, though the signal-to-noise ratio is a bit less than with the phone alone. Earpiece volume is more than adequate, even if the earbud is not tightly coupled with your ear, which is a comfort advantage and useful in noisy environments.
The multi-adaptor connects to your cell phone's 2.5mm jack via non-removable lightweight coiled cord. A blue LED flashes periodically to indicate charge status. It can be clipped to your belt and acts as a holder for the headset when not in use.
It multi-adaptor also acts as a charging cradle when attached to the compact and lightweight "wall wart," which is included.
The headset shell is made of thermoplastic polyurethane ear-side (with a grippier texture to keep it from sliding around), while the contrasting silver back around the buttons is harder polycarbonate. The headset can be fitted for left or right ear by simply rotating the supplied "MiniGel" earbud. There are two types included.
Finally, the headset has a NON-REPLACEABLE BATTERY. When the battery starts to lose its ability to hold a charge (the progression is non-linear), you are out of luck. I'm guessing this would probably be about a year for a heavy user, but the user manual sheds no light on this issue. That's a 1-star deduction.
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Customer Reviews for Jabra,BT200,607421727921,0607421726221,B00006ZCDS, |
