A friend of mine sometimes jokes that bluetooth headsets are evil because on the TV show 24, only terrorists wear them. I used to completely agree with him. A few years ago I tried to Skype with an old bluetooth headset I had. Seemed like a great idea, but the experience left a lot to be desired. The headset never fit very well on my ear, I couldn't control any of Skype's functions using the headset buttons, and the bluetooth driver on my computer would only work half the time. When it did work, sound quality was lousy--callers complained that they heard an echo (the mic picking up the speaker)--and every ten minutes the connection would break in a staticy explosion and I'd have to turn the headset off and back on to resume speaking.

Needless to say I was skeptical when the US Skype Store sent me a Plantronics .Audio 910 Bluetooth Headset to try out. But I've been very pleasantly surprised. The major difference between the Plantronics and my previous bluetooth-Skype attempt is that the Plantronics is Skype certified, so it's actually designed to interact well with Skype. The difference is like night and day. Read on for my review.

First Impressions

If you've used a bluetooth headset with your mobile you know what these are like. The Plantronics isn't the smallest bluetooth headset, but it is well-designed. Most of it hooks over and behind your ear, and you attach a foam earbud to get a snug fit in your ear as though you're wearing headphones (it comes with three different sizes of foam pads so you can find the right fit). It has an adjustable mic and is pretty light--I'd almost forget I was wearing it sometimes. It has a power button, a call control button, and volume up and down buttons.

The package includes a charging cable (that uses USB), the USB adapter for PCs (the headest works but isn't full featured with Macs unfortunately--read on) and driver CD (though the driver included is an older version, I found the latest version here).

Functionality

After charging the headset, installing the Plantronics PersonoCall software, and plugging in the USB adapter, I was ready to go. The USB adapter has a small indicator light--when I turned on the headset, it changed from an intermittent flashing purple to solid blue to indicate it was paired in standby mode. When I clicked to make a call with Skype, the headset "picked up" and I immediately heard the Skype connection sound and the ringing before the person I called answered. In talk mode, the USB adapter flashes blue. I could hang up by either clicking in Skype or pressing the call control button on the headset. In either case, after ending the call the headset automatically goes back to standby. Incoming calls could also be answered by either using the software or pressing the talk button on the headset.

The .Audio 910 is also a full-featured bluetooth headset for your mobile. I paired it with my phone and made and received calls no problem. But perhaps the coolest feature is the 'Multipoint Versatility'--you can have the .Audio 910 paired to both your computer and your phone at the same time, so whether you get a Skype call or a mobile call, you can answer it quickly and easily by pressing the call control button. Often bluetooth headsets can only be paired to one device at a time--this is a really convenient feature.

The sound quality was very good for both Skype calls and mobile calls. Nobody even noticed I was using a bluetooth headset, even when I was using it with my mobile while driving. The noise-cancelling mic works like a charm.

Conclusion

Plantronics has managed to make a bluetooth headset that fits well, sounds good, and works seamlessly with both Skype and mobile phones. The PersonoCall software is what makes it work so well with Skype--but there's no Mac version; it's only for PCs. Mac users can pair the headset with their computer and use it for calls, but they'll have to switch it between standby mode and talk mode manually. Other than that, this is a great headset, certainly the best I've ever used. You can pick one up yourself for $149.95 at the US Skype Store, and at Skype stores internationally soon.