Bluespoon AX Review

I have been using a Nextlink Bluespoon AX (http://www.blue-spoon.com)
for almost two weeks now. The AX is arguably the smallest Bluetooth
headset available today, and in my book is the lowest priced quality
headset available.

Setup

The AX supports pairing with about seven simultaneous devices but is
currently paired with three of mine– a BlackBerry 7290 Handheld, a
Sony Ericsson K700i, and an Apple PowerBook G4. Pairing the headset was
no issue at all on any of the devices and proved to be a quick and
painless experience which consists of holding the power of the headset
on for a few seconds until the blue and red LEDs flash intermittently.
The other device is then set to pairing mode and quickly discovers the
unit. After the passcode is entered, the process is complete.

Battery Life

In my experience, the headset lasts less then 48 hours after a full
charge. While the documentation states that the unit should have 300
hours of standby time, I suspect the reason for my below spec battery
life is due to the BlackBerry device, which maintains connectivity to
the headset all the time, instead of when a call is triggered or
received. The constant connectivity between the two devices will
definitely shorten battery life on the headset. Effect of the
continuous connection to the battery life of the BlackBerry seems to me
to be negligible.

Fit and Usability

The fit of the headset in my ear is excellent. Unlike the older
Bluespoon Chameleon, the actual earpiece is made up of rubber this time
and is selectable between two included “soft springs”. I opted for the
deeper but narrower softspring as it was more comfortable in my ear.
One of the main complaints about the Chameleon was that the hard
plastic piece that goes into the actual ear canal was too hard and
actually hurt the ear after a while. I had no issues at all with the
AX. The longest I actually used the AX in a call was a conference call
that lasted 1.5 hours. The ear was not fatigued at all and the headset
was very comfortable to wear.

The headset was likewise very usable. The unit has three buttons, two
for volume control and one “command” button. The volume buttons were
pretty good, not that loud, but perfect on the second to loudest
setting on the headset and loudest setting on the phone. The command
button is used for all other functions such as answering and dropping a
call, voice commands, etc. I have only used this for receiving and
dropping a call, and it works fine. I have never used and dont really
see a major need for voice commands at this time.

Voice quality back and forth is fine in general. Voices sound pretty
natural, but not exactly as it would sound using the earpiece of the
phone itself. Wind noise is not that good on the AX, and I did run into
a couple of issues with the other party not hearing me due to wind
noise. The other potential issue with the headset is that you need to
speak in a “normal” volume when using it. I have had to take a call in
a meeting using the AX, and the person I was talking to could not hear
me if I was speaking in a hushed tone.

The other issue I found when using the headset with multiple devices,
particularly my BlackBerry, is that the continuous connection between
the BlackBerry and the AX pretty much blocks out all other connections.
This makes using the headset for multiple devices seamlessly not quite
what I was hoping for. I am still experimenting with the best way to
make this work but it is a minor annoyance considering the benefits I
get from using the AX.

Price

Pricing is truly the device’s strong point. At a retail price of about
USD80, it just blows the competition away! I was seriously considering
the Motorola headsets prior to purchasing the AX. Both Motorola
headsets received pretty good reviews. However when it all came down to
it, the AX was a way better deal since I was getting a more compact
headset with a much better form factor and similar performance at a
lower price.

Conclusion

I highly recommend this headset to anyone that is even remotely
considering to buy one. It is small, easy to use, has great sound
quality, and wont break the bank account. For me, it is definitely the
best.