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Sony Ericsson HBH-PV712 review: Sony Ericsson HBH-PV712

Worn by tennis players and marketed at women, the Sony Ericsson HBH-PV712 is a Bluetooth headset which is dressed to impress.

Joseph Hanlon Special to CNET News
Joe capitalises on a life-long love of blinking lights and upbeat MIDI soundtracks covering the latest developments in smartphones and tablet computers. When not ruining his eyesight staring at small screens, Joe ruins his eyesight playing video games and watching movies.
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Joseph Hanlon
2 min read

Design
Sleek design and interchangeable faceplates are the order of the day for the HBH-PV712 headsets. The truth is that Bluetooth headsets as a rule are unattractive. The number of people barking into the Star Trek inspired headgear are matched ten-fold by the people around them rolling their eyes. The PV712 is a step in the right direction being slightly smaller than the competition and the coloured covers will appeal to those in the market for a hands-free option.

8.5

Sony Ericsson HBH-PV712

The Good

Small, unobtrusive design. Interchangeable faceplates. Sexy accessories!.

The Bad

It's still a Bluetooth headset. No army camouflage faceplate for the boys.

The Bottom Line

The HBH-PV712 produces clear audio and is very easy to use. Best of all, it looks great doing it.

While there is a black faceplate for the boys, there's little doubt the PV712 is designed and marketed to women. While other Bluetooth headsets may be bundled with a charger, the PV-712 is sold with a necklace attachment and a tiny tote handbag; big enough to fit your phone and the headset, but smaller enough to slip in your handbag. This addition had the men in the office scratching their heads, but the girls seemed to agree that the tote was indeed a value adding bonus.

Performance
There's not much to say about the performance of the PV712: it worked. In fact, it worked well. The auto-pairing feature is simple to use and the sound quality during calls is loud and clear; assisted by the DSP (digital signal processing) feature which works to filter out ambient noise from around you. The Bluetooth range is about standard, meaning you'll have no trouble using the headset with your phone in a pocket or on the passenger seat of your car.

The HBH-PV712 shares the wall charger of other recent Sony Ericsson mobile phones, ingeniously using only half of the charger connector in its considerably smaller charging input. Battery life is excellent with Sony Ericsson estimating 15 hours of talk time and up to 500 hours in standby. During our tests, including light to moderate usage, we only managed to drain the battery once.

Overall
Either you're a Bluetooth headset kind of girl, or you're not. If you're the former, than the HBH-PV712 will be for you. It's small enough to be unobtrusive and you get the accessories to sweeten the deal. Men shouldn't be shy of this well performing headset either, just be sure to dispose of your tote and necklace thoughtfully.