Design
When you hit the words "Bluetooth Headset", you generally tend to think of small hearing-aid style devices as worn by fearfully fashionable city types who'll probably walk in front of a bus one day while they're broadcasting mobile call details to all and sundry. Plantronics' so-called "Ultimate" Bluetooth Headset takes a different tack, with a full stereo headset that looks more like something that's fallen out of a Walkman box, circa 1984 -- until you realise that the whole shebang is entirely wireless.

Upon opening the box for the Pulsar 590A, you'll be struck by how much is in the box aside from the headset itself. There's a slim CD-case style carrier, for a start. Within it you'll find both an AC and USB adaptor that plugs into the charging stand for the headset, as well as an audio extension cord and a pairing device for standard audio ports.

The headset itself is huge by Bluetooth headset standards, but of about average size for a decent set of stereo headphones. Testing on a trial candidate with an admittedly large head, we found them mostly comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. The external side of the right earpiece holds all of the headset's controls for volume, call reception and switching between pairing with a compatible Bluetooth mobile phone and the pairing device itself. The basic idea of the headset is that you have an audio source -- market figures would suggest an iPod, but it'll work with any standard 3.5mm audio plug socket -- and a mobile phone within reach, paired to both. While you're not on the phone, you listen to music, switching out when needed.