Nokia BH-804 Mono Earset review: Nokia BH-804 Mono Earset

Though Bluetooth headsets are more socially acceptable these days, many people still prefer a more discreet design to prevent the Borg-like look of traditional headsets. Nokia has made small, discreet headsets before, like the Nokia BH-800, and it continues that trend with the tiny Nokia BH-804. Though not the most secure headset, it's comfortable enough, and the sound quality is decent. The Nokia BH-804 is quite expensive, though, at around $144 retail, but you can find it cheaper if you shop around.

The Nokia BH-804 is quite possibly the smallest Bluetooth headset we've ever seen. Measuring 1.65 inches long by 0.53 inch wide by 0.23 inch thick and weighing a very lightweight 0.25 ounce, the BH-804 is very inconspicuous when worn. Clad in aluminum gray and black, it has a sticklike rectangular design with a minimalist appeal. Right on the front is a square multifunction button, and a skinny volume rocker sits on the left side. The volume rocker is a little too thin for our tastes, but we got used to it eventually. At the top of the headset is a tiny tri-color LED indicator.

Flip the headset over and you'll find a simple round earpiece that sits just inside the ear. It comes with three different earbud covers for different-size ears. The earpiece feels quite comfortable in the ear, and it didn't budge an inch when we shook our head around. But if you want the additional security of an ear loop, you need to attach a little ear loop holder underneath the earpiece, and then insert the optional ear loop through a hole in the holder. This was a rather cumbersome affair, especially since the ear loop itself is not very flexible. The ear loop can be accommodated to fit either ear.

The Nokia BH-804 comes with a few accessories, like a charging dock and a neck strap. We like the neck strap idea, in case you don't want to wear the headset in your ear all the time. There's also a travel charging cap, to be used when you don't want to carry the dock around.

We tested the Nokia BH-804 with the Apple iPhone 3G. Call quality was good for the most part. Callers could hear us loud and clear with not a lot of background noise. When we used it in the car, they could hardly hear the din of the engine and surrounding road noise. It didn't fare quite as well in a crowded shopping mall--callers said we sounded rather faded at times--but we could still carry on a conversation. The BH-804 also does not do so well in strong winds. We were quite pleased with incoming audio quality all around, however.

Features include answering, ending, and rejecting calls, last number redial, the ability to transfer calls from the headset to the phone and vice versa, and voice dialing support where available. The Nokia BH-804 has a rated talk time of 4 hours and a standby time of 6.25 days.