Jabra BT800 review:

[Treatz]

I've had the pleasure to use the Jabra BT800 for about 2 weeks now and would like to share my findings on it.

First and foremost, the Jabra BT800 is a departure from their BT200/250 design which became the main staple of the Jabra BT line. Myself and many colleagues would simply refer to the BT 250 as "Jabra." As such some may not like the new BT800's design when compared to the fit/feel of the BT200/250's but I can happily state that I like the design and had no complaints about it's wearabliity or feel on the ear.

The BT800 is a cleanly styled headset with good use of rubber and plastics throughout the headset to denote a quality design. From the rubber yes/no keys to the up down rocker switch on the outside, the BT800 feels solid and is well built.

Sound quality
the First thing I looked at was sound quality. Being a headset that would make the most sense. The incoming audio quality was good, but like many headsets of this style, i simply didn't find it loud enough for my liking. I used it daily, and will continue to use it but I am of the mindset more volume is better then less. I'd prefer to have to turn it down, then to leave it on max desiring just that little bit more.

DSP
The BT800 features Digital Signal Processing, and believe me it actually works. I held many conversions with the headset on and both of my car windows full down while cruising anywhere from 60 to 80km/h and never once had one of my callers complain about not being able to hear me. My outgoing voice to them is a bit processed and digital when DSP is on, but that's leaps and bounds better then the original BT200/250 that would take a beating in any wind conditions rendering my conversation completely useless. So for the User that is outside or in environments where wind may be prevalent, the BT800 works amazingly well.

Call handling features
Obviously the LCD screen on the BT800 draws attention to it when you flip it over. This screen actually has quite an important role in the use of the BT800. When I first looked at the BT800 and showed it to friends they all seemed to say "a screen, who needs it." Truth be told, I wonder how I'll live without the LCD on BT headsets from this point on. Not only does the screen show who's calling, it will show you missed calls as well by accessing your call list, and shows key menu features when you're in the menu changing your options.

Call ID
The call ID of the unit is straightforward.
One thing I noticed is this. when I paired with my nokia 6230, the headset would display the number calling even when that person was in my phonebook. when paired with my RAZR or V635, the headset displayed the name calling if stored in phonebook, or number if not in the book. Don't know the exact reason but it's definately the way the Nokia presents info to the BT800.

I really like the ability to decline calls right from the headset simply by pressing no on the headset


Going through the menu is quite easy as well. You simply press the menu button (black button on front side, centre of circle) and then use the rocker switch (circular disk, front side of headset) to scroll through your options and the buttons to go deeper into, or back out of the menu's appropriately.


pairing
Pairing can be done easily in 2 ways:
1> press pairing button with included stylus want
2> go through menu and select pairing from menu.
I found #2 easier since the stylus wand is something you'd tend to leave with the box at home.

Charging
the BT800 comes with a home charger, of course, but it also includes a proprietary USB cable with which you can charge the BT800 off a laptop/desktop. It's a nice little feature to have.

Battery life I easily got 2 days out of the BT800 with about an hour a day talking and the rest of the day sitting idle connected to the phone. If you're the type to charge your devices everynight the BT800 should pose no problem for you. It has a claimed talktime of 6 hours, but i never got up there since I can't talk for that long, even about the PRONESS of Rogers

Range
Being a BT 1.2 device it has frequency hopping. I noticed no difference in range though. Truth be told, 1.2 frequency hopping would better help you out if you have a house full of 2.4ghz stuff. My office and Home don't, so I couldn't test the 1.2 BT800 vs my older 1.1 Moto HS820 or BT200. But on Paper, 1.2 is a better standard allowing simultaneous connections anyway so might as well have it.

Ratings
Performance.........................9
build quality.........................8
battery life..........................10
Value for $...........................8

Overall.....................9

Pro's:
LCD sceen functionaity is excellent
Fit and Finish very good, very slight creaking with pressure applied
Rubber and plastics very well laid out
Rocker volume switch very fluid, very ball bearing like
mini USB charging for on the go top ups*
mini USB for future sofware updates

Con's:
volume just a touch where i'd like it, as such it gets a 9 total.
the odd time the Yes key doesn't seem to catch and has to be pressed again to anser call.
*Mini USB cable proprietary, have to carry another cable around
Price. at $200+ most customers are in sticker shock

*Addendum
There is a software upgrade now available for BT800 users
the new SW provides:
Main features
Faster audio transfer for Sony Ericsson phones
Faster speech channel handling – the call is transferred to the headset faster
Faster reaction on Key-presses during incoming call
The missing international prefix "+" is displayed in your caller list thus allowing you to dial out from your Jabra BT800

http://www.jabra.com/JabraCMS/NA/EN/Misc/SoftwareBT800/

[Synergie1]

Treatz: I just have a question regarding phones using voice tags.... Does this BT headset play back the name of contacts (through the bt headset) who have 'voice tags' recorded on the phone when they call you? My current SE HBH600 BT headset does not have the lcd screen, but I find the voice tag playback even more valuable... so you never have to take off the headset too see who is calling and screen it (in car for example)... it plays back the name at the beginning of an incoming call through the headset, and I have the choice to answer or send it right to the voicemail. Of course if someone not on your contact list or not having a recorded a voice tag, then it doesn't work. Was just wondering if this Jabra one had that feature.

Also, how does it rate as far as voice dialing outgoing calls through the headset?

[Mackdown]

To my surprise, the BT800 is a lot smaller in real life!

[danbuhler]

SWEEEEEET

i was hoping it was a good review.. i ordered mine last week, will be picking it up in the next 2 days

just wish cid name worked on nokias

[Treatz]

Treatz: I just have a question regarding phones using voice tags.... Does this BT headset play back the name of contacts (through the bt headset) who have 'voice tags' recorded on the phone when they call you? My current SE HBH600 BT headset does not have the lcd screen, but I find the voice tag playback even more valuable... so you never have to take off the headset too see who is calling and screen it (in car for example)... it plays back the name at the beginning of an incoming call through the headset, and I have the choice to answer or send it right to the voicemail. Of course if someone not on your contact list or not having a recorded a voice tag, then it doesn't work. Was just wondering if this Jabra one had that feature.

Also, how does it rate as far as voice dialing outgoing calls through the headset?

never actually used voice dialing to answer you unfortunately, but that is phone dependant. The Motorola's always repeat the name even when I use the BT250.

[dark227]

Thanks for the review, I have been reading them all over the net trying to decide what my next BT headset would be. Nice to have a review from a name many are familiar with in the forum. I want one asap, anyone want to recommend a retailer? (in the GTA, hopefully east) Would love to pick one up today.

[danbuhler]

I just picked up my BT800 and am using it with my 6620 as well as my laptop and PPC. For some reason the cid does not work AT ALL with my phone (not even the # shows up). Is there a different way to pair a hands free vs. headset device? Did you have to do anything differently treatz?

I'm quite dissapointed in the size and weight. I guess I have wimpy ears--I'm just hoping the features make up for that. The buttons have virtually no feedback either, making it difficult to know if you pressed a key.

Range is amazing, I can go throughout the entire house and outside without problems. At extreme distances, I hear some static, but outgoing sound is still clear. (I tested this by calling another cell I had)

The DSP works great for constant sounds, like car noise, or the windows down. But in a noisy room, it makes quite annoying pops/squeaks.

[Treatz]

I just picked up my BT800 and am using it with my 6620 as well as my laptop and PPC. For some reason the cid does not work AT ALL with my phone (not even the # shows up). Is there a different way to pair a hands free vs. headset device? Did you have to do anything differently treatz?

I'm quite dissapointed in the size and weight. I guess I have wimpy ears--I'm just hoping the features make up for that. The buttons have virtually no feedback either, making it difficult to know if you pressed a key.

Range is amazing, I can go throughout the entire house and outside without problems. At extreme distances, I hear some static, but outgoing sound is still clear. (I tested this by calling another cell I had)

The DSP works great for constant sounds, like car noise, or the windows down. But in a noisy room, it makes quite annoying pops/squeaks.

Verify the pairing procedures on the 6620.. some of the nokia's are very picky about the profile used, It worked fine on 6230 and V635, but I never tried S60.

How do you find the volume of the unit?

[Evil Ernie]

Wirelessly posted (Evil P900: SonyEricssonP900/R102 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.0 Rev/MR4)

good review Treatz... good plug...

[danbuhler]

Verify the pairing procedures on the 6620.. some of the nokia's are very picky about the profile used, It worked fine on 6230 and V635, but I never tried S60.

How do you find the volume of the unit?

It turns out it is pairing correctly as a hands-free device, but i'm still not getting any CID or vibrate.

I was just commenting on the volume to my gf when I refreshed this page. It's not very loud at all! Typically I turn down my phone volume though as my ears are also wimpy in sound. (I'm the guy wishing he had ear plugs at clubs.)

[E92Vancouver]

Treatz, thanks for the review. Does this headset work well with the Treo 650?

[sd5187]

Has anyone (Treatz) had issues with static on the BT800??

Even if the phone is 1 foot in front of me with no "line of site" issues I still get the odd static when on a call.

I noticed this on the HS850 I had also. Could it be the Bluetooth component of the headset (I also have a v635)???

[danbuhler]

Has anyone (Treatz) had issues with static on the BT800??

Even if the phone is 1 foot in front of me with no "line of site" issues I still get the odd static when on a call.

I noticed this on the HS850 I had also. Could it be the Bluetooth component of the headset (I also have a v635)???

No issues with static here unless I'm more than 30+ feet away from my phone. And even then, only the incoming audio has static at that point. I don't know about the v635's bluetooth but you may also have a faulty BT800.

[E92Vancouver]

All Bluetooth headsets have static issues when more than 2 feet away from the phone. I have tried them all on different phones!

[Treatz]

Has anyone (Treatz) had issues with static on the BT800??

Even if the phone is 1 foot in front of me with no "line of site" issues I still get the odd static when on a call.

I noticed this on the HS850 I had also. Could it be the Bluetooth component of the headset (I also have a v635)???

I have/had no issue with the BT800 and static unless:
1> phone is in pocket, then static comes
2> i'm across room.