To summarize:

• Reliable Auto On/Auto Off.
• Reliable connection.
• Works with multiple phones. When it is turned on, it will always try to connect to the last connected phone. If that phone isn’t present, it will look for other paired phones. Works perfectly for my Blackberry Tour, Nexus One and my wife’s Samsung Alias 2. It always connects to the phone whoever is carrying, making car switching easier. It is actually better than the factory Bluetooth in my wife’s 2010 Prius. Prius doesn’t connect to a different phone automatically. You have to go down 5 levels of menu to select the phone if you switch phones. T325 doesn’t connect to multiple phones simultaneously though.
• Love the auto announcement feature. When you enter the car, it announces itself: “Battery level is high. Connected to XXXXXX”. You will know when to charge the speakerphone, and never find it out of battery when you need it. One of the reason I don’t like these ear pieces is because when I get a phone call and ready to use it, half of the time the battery has died. The auto announcement provides some passive feedback rather than yourself actively checking battery status on the device, which we always forget to do.
• Loud and clear speaker. Sound quality is a lot better than the speakerphone on Blackberry, much better than the one on iPhone. The person on the other end cannot tell I’m on a speakerphone.
• Easy pair with phones. No need to put the speaker into pair mode. Just turn off all the already paired phones. Turn on the speakerphone, do a search from your phone, and connect.
• Good battery life. After 4 weeks of daily usage (about 2-3 phone calls a day, a total of 10 minutes maybe), battery level just dropped to “medium”.
• It downloads phonebook quickly, and announces caller ID for incoming calls.
• Like the micro-USB port. I can share the same charging cable with Blackberry and Nexus One.
• Supports voice command if your phone can do it. When you press the big button, it basically activates voice command on your phone.

Things wish could be better:

• Kind of big. Not obnoxiously big, but bigger than I thought.
• Wish it had a screen, but for the price, it is expected. The auto announcement feature makes up for it though.
• Volume buttons difficult to reach, but I don’t change volume often.

See larger image Motorola T325 Bluetooth Portable Car Speaker (Black, Retail Packaging) (Wireless Phone Accessory) List Price: $49.99 USD New From: $29.00 In Stock Used from: $31.53 In Stock

You can download the quick start user guide from Motorola here.

Fit: 5 out of 5.

I wear glasses so fit was crucial for me, and they work perfectly fine while wearing them. I often wear them while riding my bike along the lakefront at Chicago, and they fit perfectly at the back of my head below the edge of my bike helmet.

Sound: 5 out of 5.

I continue to be amazed at the sound on these, deep rich bass and many subtle sounds.
Also they have lots of volume. I first set the volume at max on my cellphone, which is a free-on-contract Motorola EM330 music phone. At top volume these headphones are loud enough for me to hear them on Chicago’s subway train (the EL). Some snobby audiophiles complain that these are not as good as their wired $200 headphones while listening in a totally silent room. Some people cannot be pleased! Also if you don’t first max your volume on your cellphone you won’t get the best quality sound.

Also since they are not in my ear canal, and not completely surrounding my ear to block out the sound, I find them to be quite safe since I can still hear the world around me while on my bicycle.

While on a call the person on the other end does not know I am using a blue tooth headset.
I hear the sound of the call in both ears and the microphone is high quality, and you have to search for the little elongated mic hole to point it out to people who ask about your headphones!

Features: 5 out of 5.

Your cellphone must have the correct bluetooth profiles for these to work fully: A2DP (Audio Profile), AVRCP (Remote Control Profile).
Many APPLE products DO NOT HAVE AVRCP and then their users INCORRECTLY COMPLAIN about the headphones missing the capability of next track and previous track.

These headphones feature the following abilities:
* Take calls (press the telephone button at the top flat side to pickup).
* Make calls (press and hold the telephone button to call the last number dialed).
* Reject a call (press either the next track or previous track button)
* Mute/Unmute a call (press the Play/Pause button)

* Play music (press the play/pause button at the bottom flat side to play or pause)
* Pause music (press the play/pause button)
* Stop music (press and hold the play/pause button)

* Next track (press the next track button at the right flat side)
* Previous track (press the previous track button at the right flat side)
* You can also fast-forward or rewind by holding either the next track or previous track button.

* The volume controls are on the top edge along with the power button. The volume buttons have ridges you can feel with your finger, and when you increase the volume the headphones make a indicator sound increasing or reducing in volume/tone.

* Also depending on the capabilities of your phone you may be able to use these for voice control of your phone, by pressing and holding the make a call button.

Connection: 4.5 out of 5.

They receive the music through walls and even downstairs as I walk around in my condo listening to the music.
They actually do receive up to 33 feet away! So far away that I sometimes forget where I left my phone while I am listening to music on it!

When I am out walking and they are in my left side back pocket, I sometimes (but quite rarely) lose connection for a second, due I think to my body mass blocking the signal. I think the Bluetooth receiver is in the right side of the headphones, so if I move the phone to the front or right pocket, or even turn it over, the problem goes away. However, this rare problem may also be due to the phone not this headset.

Controls: 5 out of 5.

Having so many controls in such a small space is initially confusing, but you can soon the get hang of it and certainly is done by one hand. I do not stop my bike just to change tracks! I usually have no problems clicking the correct button with my right hand.

If I am slightly confused I can feel for lump where the headband is connected on the right, just beside this is the next-track button. Directly back from it is the back track, which I use to repeat a favorite song. Straight down is play/pause.

Usage Tips:

Set the volume of your music player to the maximum, and then control the volume using the headphones. In this way you get the best quality sound and the highest range of volume.

At the start of music day, I power up the headphones and they make a pleasing chirp sound in my ears.
Then I just press the PLAY button. The phone then communicates with the headphones making the two bluetooth connections (audio and remote control) while I hear a bleep each time. Then the music starts. At this point I lock the buttons on my phone to prevent it for switching tracks by accident in my pocket or bag.

When I am finished using them I turn them off completely, instead of leaving them on standby. Otherwise I might get a phone call that will ring in the headphones which are not on my head, so I miss the call.

When I power them off, I first stop the music, otherwise the music will suddenly start playing out of my phone speaker!

See larger image Motorola S305 Bluetooth Stereo Headset w/ Microphone (Black) - Retail Packaging (Wireless Phone Accessory) List Price: Price Not Listed New From: Check Amazon For Pricing In Stock Used from: $29.95 In Stock

Technical Details

• Works with iPod and iPhone certified
• On ear music controls lets you manage your music player – play, pause, next, previous, and volume – all from the headset
• Serves as wireless music headset, or Bluetooth phone headset, simultaneously.
• Up to 6.5 hours of talk time
• Works with Bluetooth enabled music players and mobile phones from all leading manufacturers.
• Bluetooth V2.0 Specifications
• Lightweight Design with A Comfortable, Snug Fit
• Operating Range: Up to 33 Ft
• Works Seamlessly with Most Bluetooth-Enabled Cellular Phones & Music Devices

The sound quality is great. I haven’t had a complaint on my end or from the people on the other end.

As far as the issues other people had with this that concerned me, I haven’t found the same issues to be true in my case. Some people complained that it was hard to know if it was on or off and that the buttons were confusing. The power on and off noises are easy to distinguish and I never have an issue knowing if it is on or off. I don’t have any issue with any of the buttons. The big button for answering and disconnecting calls is easy to find without having to look it up. The blinking light also seemed to annoy people. I drive often at night or early in the morning and the flashing blue indicator light doesn’t bother me at all. My visor is somewhat right above my head and I could see that if it was further in front of me that it might be annoying. I also live in the city and could possibly understand that if you are driving a dark road it might seem annoyingly bright.

A big bonus for me was that I discovered that my blackberry charger fit the Motorola T305. So now I have a car phone charger and I can charge my Motorola at home. I have made calls regularly using my device and it is on for about 1 to 2 hours a day and I have found that I only have needed to charge it every other week or so.

My husband also likes his and thinks it is very easy to use. Much nicer than headsets, period!

I would totally recommend this product.

See larger image Motorola T305 Bluetooth Portable Car Speaker (Wireless Phone Accessory) List Price: $79.99 USD New From: $25.28 In Stock Used from: $19.88 In Stock

Product Features

• Palm-sized Bluetooth handsfree speaker for using in the car
• Clips to your sun visor; powerful 1-watt speaker
• Effortless controls–press a button for power, another for calls, and 2 more for volume
• Includes mini USB vehicle power adaptor for easy charging
• Up to 14 hours talk or 200 hours standby time from a single charge
• Easy to remove and use in another vehicle
• Echo and noise reduction technology minimizes background noise
• Effortless controls–press a button for power, another for calls, and 2 more for volume
• Version 2.0 Bluetooth wireless technology

Speaking of batteries, I charged the headphones for a couple of hours when I first got them. I believe I’ve had them for about 10 days now, and have used them extensively, and they still have a charge and are working just fine.

As far as range/quality, I’m highly impressed at the quality of sound these headphones produce, and am pleased at the volume level they can generate.

Pros:

• I’m very satisfied with battery life. I left it on (accidentally) for 2 days on standy and I still got several hours of use out of them without a recharge.
• The sound quality is excellent.
• The noise-canceling is excellent to the point where my wife hates me having them on because I can’t hear her (that could be either a pro OR con depending on how you look at it).
• Call quality is great — both on the headphone and microphone side. People on the other end have no problems hearing me.
• If I’m listening to music via the analog jack from my sound card, and I get a call on my cell phone, the headset automatically switches over when I answer the call, and automatically switches back to the music when the call is over.

Cons:

• I have a slightly bigger head that some people I suppose, and these headphones feel tight to me. Because of this, my ears begin to get sore after about an hour of use.
• The supplied audio cable is only 2-3 feet long
• There is no analog microphone jack to use this set with non-bluetooth devices like my desktop computer. This is remedied by a cheap usb BT adapter, but would have been an easy feature for Motorola to implement.
• Battery takes about 4 hours to charge fully, and is not charged on purchase. If you buy these, be willing to wait for 4 hours once you unbox them to try them out
• Headphones are not operable during recharging

Technical Details

• Up to 17 hours play time
• Circumaural ear interface
• Speakers 40mm diameter Neodymium
• Music controls: Jog dial – track/ volume – push button- call answer/ play-pause
• Noise, echo and wind cancellation; Wired connection for use with all stereo MP3 players

See larger image Motorola S805 Bluetooth (DJ Style) Stereo Headphones (Accessory)

Among all these, I decided to keep the Motorola H710. It is _nearly_ perfect in all aspects, the only minor drawback compared to its predecessor, the H700, is that it has a micro-USB charging connector rather than a mini-USB one (I have tons of mini-USB peripherals, including my cell phone, camera, etc…)

The Jawbone CAN be a good and comfortable fit, if the anatomy of your ear agrees with it. I was lucky that way, it was actually the most comfortable headset I have used. Even for me, though, it was not “instant love”, it took a bit of training to learn how to put it on correctly in a hurry (i.e. when receiving an incoming call). The ear loops (4 different ones included in the package) are very stiff, and I can see how they would easily break after a while. The sound quality was excellent while in my car driving – even across a noisy concrete bridge there would be no way for the other party to tell. Also, incoming sound quality was great – the volume adjusts based on background noise, and the ear plugs are rubberized and block most other noise. It is also a good-looking headset; it matched my phone (a black Nokia N95 8GB) quite well. My main two issues with it were the charging connector (a proprietary one, and only a USB charging cable was included; also not that easy to plug/unplug), and the fact that the power-on time (from off to connected) was a bit too long (timing it, I got anywhere from 9 to 13 seconds..). I prefer to keep my headset turned off when not in use (battery life, connection-time issues.. etc.)

The Plantronics was also great with respect to sound quality; I would say though that it did not quite beat the Jawbone while driving in a car.. (I did not try either one while walking outside in wind though). I did not quite like the large size though (my pockets are full enough already with my cell phone, keys, wallet…), and as someone mentioned, it would seem that it could easily wear out after prolonged pocket-use… Finally, I did not like the proprietary charging connector. (Give me standard mini-USB please; or else micro-USB will work too).

See larger image Motorola Bluetooth H710 Headset [Retail Packaging] (Wireless Phone Accessory) List Price: $99.95 USD

The Motorola H700 and H710 were for me the answer to nearly every grievance I have with bluetooth headsets. You unfold the microphone boom to power it on (and automatically answer any incoming call); fold it back to power off. Simple, elegant. No confusion about whether or not the headset is already powered on or off when an incoming call arrives (I.e. no “Do I need to hold the power button down for a while to power it on, or a simple tap to just answer?” quandries). The power-on-and-connect is also one of the fastest I have seen on any headset (about the same as my old H300, and way faster than either the Jawbone or the 510). Sound quality is exceptional in either – though maybe more so with the H710 (better noise reduction, and, like the Jawbone, it adjusts your ear volume automatically to accommodate for background noise). Since you would normally keep these turned off, as opposed to leaving them on standby, a single charge will normally last you for weeks and weeks (depending on usage of course). Another plus is that they use industry standard charging connectors (mini-USB and micro-USB, respectively), so you can easily share wall/car/computer chargers with other peripherals. Finally, they are an easy fit – no one should have issues getting them on in a hurry (though for me, I actually preferred the “firm” fit of the Jawbone…).

My only issue with the H700 (and this has been fixed in the H710) is an extremely short range; if I left my phone in my pocked while talking on the headset, I would hear some subtle crackling; take the phone out and hold it in my hand and it was OK. While OK for “car use”, I ended up returning it and getting the H710 mainly for this reason.

Good Luck in your own quest for perfection.

Product Features