headset

Are you a hardcore PC online gamer who's constantly restricted by the always-too-short-or-in-the-way cable on your headset? If so, Creative's new HS-1200 may be just the ticket. It's a fully wireless headset--the first such full duplex stereo model (according to the company), which means it can simultaneously send and receive audio. The PC headset will work with any VoIP or voice application, but Creative is aiming straight at the PC gaming market. The HS-1200 communicates with your PC via a USB transceiver that's about the size of a hockey puck--which also includes a separate umbilical cable … Read more

Motorola has unveiled the Motorola S9-HD stereo Bluetooth headset, a successor to the Motorola Rokr S9 Bluetooth Active headset from last year. Like the S9, the S9-HD hangs behind the head with the player controls on the side, thus maximizing your freedom of movement while on the treadmill or the track. The S9-HD has a nice bonus though--it now comes with high-definition sound with SRS WOW HD and improved earbuds to block out more noise. It has a rated battery life of six hours of play time and weighs about an ounce overall. Not too sure about the pricing or … Read more

Even though we took a look at the Invisio G5 in December 2007, Invisio is officially showing what it's calling the world's smallest Bluetooth headset at CES this year. This tiny little thing measures only 1.3 by 0.63 inch, and weighs about 0.211 ounce. Much like the Q7, the G5 has the unique Soft Spring ear insert that lodges right in the ear. The G5 comes with a protective charging case that looks a little like a big cigarette lighter. Even though the headset itself has about 4 hours of talk time and 6.25 … Read more

If you have a long memory, you might remember the Invisio Q7 bone conduction Bluetooth headset that was announced almost two years ago. Well, it's January of 2008, and after two long years, the Q7 is finally a reality. Invisio had previously focused on the professional headset market for the military and emergency services, and the Q7 is one of its first few consumer-focused headsets designed for extreme environments. Of course, its obvious competitor is the Aliph Jawbone, which doesn't quite have the bone conduction technology of the Q7. The Invisio Q7 promises real bone conduction without the … Read more

The Jabra BT8040 may not look like much when compared with the much fancier JX20 Pura, but it holds its own with powerful features and performance. It is Jabra's first standalone headset that can handle both phone calls and streaming audio. That's right, even though the BT8040 is a mono headset on the outside, it actually supports A2DP, meaning it can stream music wirelessly via Bluetooth without the need for an additional earbud like the Jabra BT8010. The BT8040 is able to pair up to two different devices simultaneously, and if there's an incoming call on a … Read more

Two years ago, Jabra wowed us with the Jabra JX10, a tiny yet elegant Bluetooth headset with plenty of power behind its design. This year, Jabra has done it again, with the Jabra JX20 Pura. Designed by Jacob Jensen, the same famous European designer that designed the JX10, the JX20 Pura simply oozes luxury. It is made with brushed, anodized titanium and has a glossy black trim all around, plus it has an innovative gel earbud for better comfort. As for features, it comes with digital sound enhancement via DSP, as much as six hours of talk time, adaptive sound, … Read more

In the perfect utopia that exists only inside my head, all cell phones and MP3 players incorporate A2DP, also known as stereo Bluetooth. As a result, they're all compatible with stereo Bluetooth headsets like the Plantronics Voyager 855, which CNET rated 8/10, and which Newegg currently has on sale for $57.99, shipped. That's a pretty big savings over the $149.95 list price.

During business hours, the Voyager 855 functions as a fairly standard headset, albeit one with a cool sliding boom mic. When you want to get your groove on, you just connect the second … Read more

Time may choose its person of the year, but here at CNET we take our time compiling lists that really matter. So recently I joined with my fellow cell phone reviewers to pick the best and worst handsets of 2007. Out of the 123 cell phones we reviewed this year (that number doesn't include all the smart phones we examined), we had some definite winners, and some definite losers.

I'm not going to reveal them all here; instead you'll have to click through to see my picks for the best cell phones of 2007, Bonnie Cha's … Read more