Jabra BT 500v Bluetooth headset review

Ignoring size, Jabra thinks vibrate is the best option, but is it right?

Jabra BT 500v Bluetooth headset. Phones, Phone accessories, Headsets, Jabra, Bluetooth 0

Reviewer: Stuart Miles
Review Date: 6 November 2006
Manufacturer: Jabra
Price as reviewed: £44.99
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Our score

9/10

Full Review

The makers behind the Jabra headsets think it has created the next must have feature for the Bluetooth headset, but do you really want a headset that vibrates in your ear? We get calling to find out.

The Jabra BT 500v is a rather large headset that is surprisingly light (19 grams) and fits comfortably on your ear. Rather than opt for a design that perches in your ear, the BT 500v sits behind it rather like a hearing aid. While this will cause discomfort for those who wear glasses, the rest of us should be okay.

With the bulk of the module sitting behind your ear, there isn't much to show in front of it and because of this even thought the unit, as we've said is fairly large, you don't really notice it. The arm comes over the top of the ear and the actual earpiece sits snugly (there are a number of different sized rubber bits in the box) in your ear (see pictures).

Paring is as simple as you would expect from a Bluetooth headset and it's just a case of pressing four zeros and you are away.

The vibration mode, which some will be pleased to hear can be turned of is a little off-putting at first, but it does solve the problem of not being able to hear the ring if you've got the radio on and the windows down.

Understandably we did notice a drop in battery performance, obviously to power the vibrating motor, when turned on. That said, we still managed to get up to 12 hours of talk time and 300 hours of standby time from a single charge as per Jabra's recommendations. Better still the BT 500v also comes with a USB charger so you can charge the unit off your laptop saving on packing space when you travel.

Call reception for both listening and talking was excellent in all the environments we tested it in.

Verdict

It might be bigger and not as sleek at Jabra's fashion conscious JX10 model, but the Jabra BT 500v does an excellent job at offering you handsfree calling.

We aren't 100% sure about the vibrating mode (it still makes us shiver even after 2 weeks of use when it rings) but we can see it being really useful for some readers.

Top marks.