7 Tips to Buying A Good Bluetooth Headset

"What should I look for in a good bluetooth headset?" is a question I am asked a lot. Considering that there are so many different brands out there now it's important that you know the basics so you can distinguish from good and the bad.

Here are the main things you need to consider when buying a bluetooth headset:

1. Sound Quality: the good headsets have some kind of noise-reduction/anti-wind technology. Look out for this. If you can try it out in the shop even better.

2. Talk Time: this is the amount of time you can talk (non-stop) before the battery runs out. General times are between 6-9 hours.

3. Standby Time: amount of time your phone will last when not talking. Standard times are around 200 - 250 hours.

4. Bluetooth Version: at the moment Bluetooth Version 2.0/2.1 is the current version. It has better data transmission speed, lower power consumption and improved bit error rate than 1.1 and lower. Don't go for anything less.

5. Compatibility: always check that the bluetooth headset you are interested in is compatible with your phone/PDA/etc.

6. Size: this will be a personal choice, however it usually determines battery times, i.e. smaller the headset the shorter the talk-time and standby-time.

7. Support: whether you're a novice or an advanced user, it's always handy to be able to call the supplier to get any issues resolved.