BlackBerry Wireless Headset HS-500
Website: www.shopblackberry.com
Price: $79.99
[rating: 7.5]
What’s Different: The HS500 is a Blackberry branded headset.
Features:
- Automatic volume control: The volume changes based on how loud or quiet the background is.
- Noise Cancellation: Becoming standard at this point.
- Integration with navigation software (unable to test): The HS-500 is designed to also work with specific BlackBerry navigation software. Thus, when using turn-by-turn directions with a BlackBerry navigation app, the directions are fed into your bluetooth headset rather than the BlackBerry speaker.
- Power consistency: The HS-500 is recharged using a mini USB connection so a user can use the same charger as they do for their BlackBerry itself, saving hassle and space.
Audio Quality: The audio quality is standard. I made a few test calls and they went smoothly. There was nothing overly positive, yet nothing negative to write about the sound quality.
Fit: This is the only area where I had a complaint about the HS-500. The headset uses an earloop to stay affixed to the ear. But the earloop isn’t the usual comfortable feel and shape. It is an oddly rigid and shaped which made it uncomfortable to wear and not very secure on the ear. Maybe it works well for others, but the earloop just didn’t work for me.
Overall: Besides for the earloop fit, I had very few complaints about this headset. It’s not the prettiest headset and the isn’t high end, but it is fairly priced for what it is–a solid BlackBerry branded headset. Compared to more trendy headsets like the Jabra Stone and Jawbone Prime, which can run well over into the three digit range, the more modestly priced HS-500 seems like a fair buy for solid call quality and turn-by-turn directions delivered to your headset.
