Plantronics M3000 Bluetooth Headset

13:09.40 - Monday 19th April 2004   (Link to This Entry)

It seems to be a case of 'Third Time Lucky' with the continuing Bluetooth Headset saga - I've finally found a bluetooth headset with an acceptable volume and which works without problems in the shape of the Plantronics M3000.

The styling matches pretty much any silver phone, and this was one of the reasons that it was my preferred choice. The official Nokia is a weird Cream/Bronze combination and the Jabra - the third option - had blue trim, but the Plantronics has only the tinyest blob of colour. It comes boxed with a mains charger, a car charger, two different sizes of ear loop and a nifty dash-mounted mobile phone holder.

The headset works on both the Nokia 6310i and the 6230, but was somewhat crackly on the former. I suspect, though, that this is the phone itself at fault because the phone is also crackly when connected to my laptop's USB Bluetooth dongle. The Plantronics connects fine and the operation range is impressive - it was quite an experience listening to music from the laptop (albeit in one ear only) while wandering around the house.

It's a nice, snug fit in the ear as well, and the controls are easy to find and remember while the thing is stuck in your lug out of sight. As well as the Volume Up/Down rocker and the Connect/Disconnect button, there's also a mute button so that you can speak to someone without the person you're calling being able to hear you. The two sizes of ear loop are a nice thought, though I did make the mistake of using the larger one to start with, which made wearing the headset uncomfortable.

Price was the deciding factor, however, and I was pleasantly suprised to find the M3000 on sale in the Vodafone shop for £50 - it seems everywhere has dropped it from £70 overnight. Previously it was the Jabra that occupied this price point, with the official Nokia product at the high-but-branded end.

The only thing wrong with it, that I can think of, is the PIN code. It is set in hardware at '0000' and that makes the unit just that little bit more stealable. "One yank and they're off" as the old joke goes. It would be nice if they came with random 4-Digit PINs or had the ability to somehow change them, but this is a minor point.

So all in all, I got the preferred headset at the preferred price, and everything went swimmingly well. You could say I'm a mite pleased.

Nokia 6230 Unlocked

15:14.00 - Monday 19th April 2004   (Link to This Entry)

D'oh! There I am, waiting to use my new phone (the number doesn't port until the 21st) and it turns out that the handset is unlocked anyway, so I can just pop my T-Mobile SIM into the back and away we go. Woo!