Bluetooth Wireless has established itself as Australia’s largest supplier of Bluetooth peripheral devices and in 2006 the company expanded operations to North America and Europe. They are quickly developing a reputation for producing quality Bluetooth headsets. The Blueant T8 Micro ($44.95) is the one of the company’s more basic models that has plenty of features for an entry level headset but whose performance isn't quite up to the company’s growing reputation with its top tier headsets like the Blueant v12 (see full review) and Blueant Z9 (see full review).
The T8 is a beefy headset for being dubbed “micro”. Measuring 52mm long and 26mm thick, the headset weighs in at a meager 13 grams. The T8 is sleekly designed and resembles one of those aerodynamic car top luggage carriers.
The T8 comes packaged with a wall charger, ear gels of assorted sizes, a felt ear piece cover, and a detachable ear hook. Also included is a user guide that details the functions of the device rather well.
The T8 has a main or multi-function button resting in the upper center of the unit and two volume keys just below and to the sides of the multi-function button. LED lights are behind each button and will indicate functions, status and alerts through a series of colors and flashes. The flashing LEDs can be disabled.
The headset has the basic functions, some of which are phone dependant, which include redial, voice dialing, and rejecting calls. These functions are activated by either the multi-function button or volume keys. I found it a little surprising that all the call functions were initiated by the multi-function button except the redial function; which requires you to press and hold the Volume Down button. I would have preferred to have seen the multi-function button control the redial to keep things uniform.
Battery life is reported to be approximately 250 hours of stand-by time and 9 hours of talk time. There is no travel/car charging option but based on the amount of time I tested the T8, it should last long enough to get to your destination and a wall socket.
Pairing of the T8 with my Samsung BlackJack II was simple. After charging the device overnight and turning the unit on, you simply press and hold the Volume Up key for a few seconds and the LED lights blink blue and red. The BlackJack II took little time finding the T8 and after entering the manufacturer passkey the headset was successfully paired and ready to use.
The T8 can store up to 8 pairings in memory and the company reports that it can be paired with phones, pdas and computers. I can only guess that you’d pair the headset with a pda or computer so it can be used as a microphone to be used for voice notes?
The connection between the phone and headset was a little disappointing. There was a faint hum over the headset when the phone was worn on my hip and in my shirt pocket. At first I thought the hum was due to the volume being too high. I tried adjusting the volume on the headset and phone but the hum didn’t fade.
The hum didn’t drown out the conversation but it was noticeable and I could see it become annoying for long conversation. The hum was not noticeable on the other end of the call, just from the headset.
Absent the hum, call volume was good and the microphone picked up my voice with no difficulty when using a normal tone and volume. Background noises such as the car radio, traffic, other people talking, etc. was filtered out relatively well. I could tell the radio was on in the car but it didn’t overshadow my voice.
The T8 was comfortable to wear. As with most devices, the key rests with picking the right size ear gel. When you wear the T8 without the ear hook, it fits snug but if you are going to do anything active (jogging, bicycling, etc.) the ear hook is almost a must. Without the hook, you’re good for your less-active, daily routine.
The BlueAnt T8 is an entry level, basic Bluetooth headset. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of other headsets and would be well suited for those who occasionally depend on Bluetooth headsets.
The T8, despite the larger size, was comfortable to wear. The detachable ear hook is a nice option to make the fit more secure.
I was a little disappointed in the connection. While the faint hum is uncharacteristic of BlueAnt devices, it did detract from the T8’s performance. If the connection was clearer, without the hum, I would have no hesitation in recommending the T8 to someone looking for an entry level, basic, Bluetooth headset.
Ratings (out of 5)
Overall:
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By George Ponder
April 15, 2008 11:21 AM
File under
Bluetooth Headsets
, Featured
, Reviews
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