Review Plantronics m2500 Bluetooth headset

Doug Morse of TreoCentral reviews the Plantronic m2500. Read on for the full review:

What a monster. I'thou looking at the earpiece on the Plantronics M2500 and it looks huge. Slipped over the ear, though, it is comfortable and reasonably lightweight. The manual is abrasive. It'southward ane of those that includes the 11 language explanations on a folio that correspond with a diagram rather than only giving each linguistic communication its ain section.

History

Earlier I go along a quick digression. While I'chiliad in a peevish mood, I need to let you know a bit well-nigh my experience with Plantronics customer support a while back. I was one of those that was on the technological trailing border with the Sprint Wireless Data Link – the forerunner to the Treo 300. Information technology shipped with a Plantronics headset. The ear clip was a difficult piece of plastic that tended to snap in two on cold days, especially if put in a pocket, rendering the headset unusable. Then I called client service and the conversation went something similar this:

Me: Um, I bankrupt one of those plastic ear prune thingies. I was wondering if I could get another?
CS: We don't sell those separately.
Me: Um, but it's a 1 cent piece of plastic and I can't apply the headset without it.
CS: We tin ship yous a replacement as a courtesy but next time yous'll have to buy a new headset.
Me: A thirty dollar headset?
CS: Yes.
Me: Oh.

Flash forward to present day and I'm on the cutting edge with my trusty Treo 650 and a wireless Bluetooth headset. For a budget headset, the Plantronics M2500 package accessories are non-so-surprisingly minimalist: manual, headset and charger. That'southward it.

The charger for the M2500 is a standard affair and it plugs into the dorsum of the earpiece. The condition indicator light towards the dorsum of the earpiece turns dark-green when the unit is fully charged. On the top of the earpiece is a multifunction dial: click it dorsum and along for volume, and printing it in to turn the unit on and off. This is not my favorite kind of control as, wimp that I am, I find information technology uncomfortable to push button in on such a thin cycle. The phone call control push on the stalk of the earpiece is convenient and easy to use.

Pairing

This was the second Bluetooth device I've used, and I had the headset paired in under threescore seconds one time I had deciphered the instructions in the manual. When you press the telephone call command and multifunction command buttons on the headset simultaneously, the M2500 goes into pairing mode. The standard way to get the Treo to pair is to click on the Bluetooth icon and basically follow the prompts: Turn Bluetooth on, brand the device 'discoverable,' click on 'gear up up devices' and so 'Handsfree setup,' and the Treo will find the Plantronics headset. One time you've set up 1 Bluetooth device, y'all're a pro. The only matter you lot demand to know is the combination of buttons that puts a device into pairing mode.

All the same, with the Plantronics M2500, I discovered an even easier method. Simply power upwardly the Bluetooth headset while the Treo is on and you lot will be immediately prompted for the passcode, four zeros, if the devices are not paired. How absurd is that? It saves many steps.

Comfort

As I mentioned before, this thing is big: at least the behind the ear bit. The boom function of the microphone is slender and the headset speaker does fit nicely in the ear (information technology rotates easily for right or left ear). The call button is conveniently placed on the ear nail and the multi-office wheel seems to be well located at the meridian of the headset so that when yous stone it, your other fingers automatically grasp the headset to stabilize information technology while you suit the volume.

The earpiece is comfortable enough but begins to show its weight later extended wearing. The M2500 is not a headset you will forget is in that location. Visually, unless you have long hair or big ears, the behind the earpiece will be very noticeable.

Sound Quality

Bluetooth headsets tin can exist enormously finicky. Some are more prone than others to interference and range problems – some are so sensitive that you need to wear the headset on the same side equally the trunk equally the Treo. I have skillful news and bad news to report. The good news is that the Plantronics is less sensitive to positioning. The bad news is that the audio quality is consistently off-white compared to other headsets I've tried. The rumor is that this headset doesn't have the racket canceling circuitry that other headsets accept, and it is thus more prone to background noise. I plant it a bit scratchy nether most exam weather.

Conclusion

This is a no frills headset that is easy to ready upwardly and comfortable to article of clothing. Because it is heavier and bulkier than some others, it is not great for extended periods of fourth dimension. Although the toll is right, the sound quality is not on par with other headsets even in this toll range.