Treo Wireless Bluetooth Headset Review
Hot on the heels of my post on Treo Bluetooth headsets yesterday I coincidentally received a wonderful surprise today - palmOne's new but as yet unreleased 'Treo Wireless BT Headset' [in store now!].
I have to admit that I am rapidly changing my tune and warming to the idea of using a Bluetooth headset on a regular basis after testing this latest model.
I really like the Treo Wireless Headset because it's small and light ([Corrected, not 27gm] only 17 grams/0.59 ounces), it has great inbound and outbound call quality with volume controls on the unit, it shares the same design looks as my Treo 650 (two-tone greys), you can easily and quickly fit it over your ear with one hand, the earphone does not go into your ear and thus doesn't pick up ear wax, it boasts a terrific 7 hours talk-time and 170 hours (1 week) standby time and lastly it can be recharged using the standard Treo 650 wall charger thus reducing the need to carry a separate one when travelling.
I tested the Treo Wireless Headset in a number of ways: calling people, receiving calls, placing a call to my office voice mailbox to hear the audio quality and moving away from my Treo 650 to determine operating range. In the first three instances I can say that everything worked without a glitch and everyone told me that they could hear me loud and clear (I did not test it in outdoor conditions yet though). As with all other BT headsets that I tested, the operating range is limited to a few feet (10 in this case) and more often than not you'll be better off having your Treo 650 within 4 or 5 feet.
The Treo Wireless Headset benefits from certain 'enhanced features' listed below and although I initially had some difficulties using the 'redial last number' function in the end they all worked perfectly.
- Redial the last number: While the headset is in standby mode, press and hold the multifunction button for 2 seconds until you hear a series of two tones. Press the button again to dial the number displayed on the phone.
- Reject an incoming call: When your phone rings, press and hold the multifunction button for 2 seconds until you hear a series of two tones.
- Take a second incoming call (call waiting): When you are on a call and your phone notifies you of an incoming call, press and hold the multifunction button for 2 seconds until you hear a series of two tones.
- Put a call on hold: While you’re on a call, press and hold the multifunction button for 2 seconds until you hear a series of two tones. Repeat to retrieve the call.
I found the Treo Wireless Headset design to be very elegant and to nicely complement my Treo 650. The headset can be easily worn on either the right or left ear by rotating the ear grip and all control buttons (main multifunction and volume) are very easy to use.
The Treo Wireless Headset is extremely easy to fit and very comfortable to use over extended periods of time - particularly as the earphone does not go into your ear but gently hovers near it. Also, the fact that I can use my existing Treo 650 charger is without a doubt an extremely smart and welcome feature.
I had not anticipated that I would so quickly and overwhelmingly warm to this new headset and I have no doubt that both my previously tested Jabra BT 250 and iTech BT Buzzer Clip will now gather dust as I begin to use the Treo Wireless Headset on a daily basis.
palmOne has not yet released this headset and there is therefore as yet no pricing information. However, I anticipate that the headset will be available to purchase within the next couple of weeks as a specification page is already up on palmOne's website.
UPDATE: Also, I have now been able to test the headset outdoors and earlier today held a 20 minutes conversation while walking by an extremely noisy main street. When asked if he could hear me clearly, the caller told me that he could obviously tell that I was in a noisy environment but that otherwise he had absolutely no problem hearing me on the line. That was the last bit of confirmation that I needed.
UPDATE 2: I can now confirm that I have tested the Treo Wireless Headset under heavy wind conditions and that I was still able to hold a perfectly intelligible two-way conversation - meaning that we could both hear each other clearly even with the wind and surrounding noise at my end.
UPDATE 3: Treo Wireless Headset now available to buy in your Treonauts Store for only $49.95!
Treonauts are discovering the joys of Bluetooth... 
Treo Accessories , Treo Bluetooth Headset
| PermalinkComments
I don't understand why there are so many problems with the Treo 650 and the Treo BT headset as far as the volume is concerned? Can't they simply fix that by a patch? The Tro is been out since November 2004 so almost 6 moths and still alot of problems people are complaining about!!!
I just received my Treo headset (I have the Treo 650 phone) Friday and I am returning it today (Monday). It was very difficult to get the headset into "pairing mode." I held the multifunction button repeatedly for over 8 seconds; however the solid blue light would not come on.
Also, I don't understand why I need to perform this process everytime I want to use the headset?!
I have seen intermittent mention here of BT voicedial on the Treo...anybody have any luck with this yet? Seems like the main reason to have a BT headset for me...
I have a Sprint Treo 650. I also bought a Zire 72 for the camera/bluetooth combo. Eventually I want to get the Treo BT Headset.
I keep both the T650 and Z72 synchronized to the same data. My disappointment is that the Zire Contacts CANNOT dial the phone# over Bluetooth to the T650.
It seems that palmOne supports the Zire 72 Dialer for a whole bunch of GSM phones, but not for their own Treo 650.
Does anyone know who or what 3rd party Application allows me to dial directly from the Zire 72 using BlueTooth to the Treo 650?
Please help.
Sincerely,
maroot nanakul
my new Treo branded bluetooth headset seems to chop off my words while speaking with others...
i hear others fine and have run the 1.08 updater.
no other solutions seem to be available...
please post or email me if someone has a solution.
I have the Moto HS810 bluetooth headset and I just got the Verizon Treo 650. My Treo cannot discover the HS810, has anyone had this problem??? I'd like to be able to use it w/ my Treo...
My Treo 650 for AT&T always echoes! What can I do? I've tried re-pairing the headset & even sent one back. Are there any tricks to make it work better?
Have a Treo 650, and just got Treo BT headset... thinking it would serve all audio. As I pack it up to return it after reading this site (a little late), wonder... any ideas about if/when there will be a BT headset that does support audio from MP3 player, streaming etc?
I also purchased the Treo Wireless headset. I was able to pair easily with the Treo 650 (cingular), however, there is no volume (incoming or outgoing) that I can hear on the device. It does beep to increase/decrease volume, and I can hear it ring when an incoming call arrives. But no voice sound. I contacted Palm, they suggested a hard reset, but that seemed a drastic remedy, and since they weren't sure what was causing the problem, I have not yet done so. I am still seeking other solutions. Does anyone who got it to work have any suggestions. Apart from zlauncher, handzipper, and filepro, there are no significant programs on the device, although I did download the bluetooth carkit update.
I just got the Treo BT headset for my Verizon Treo 650. No problems pairing the headset. No problems using it either, other then the range sucks. The phone and the headset need to be on the same side of the body to work without hearing packetloss. As long as I kept them close, I got a very clear signal. I tested it by calling a friend who commented it sounded better than my normal Platronics headet. Mostly a thumbs up on the new headet.
I am thinking of replacing my Jabra 250 with the Treo BT headset. 1. Will I be able to hear the rings in the headset? 2. Will I be able to answer on the 650 and have the headset activate automatically? I guess what I want is for the BT headset to work like the wired headset. My Jabra 250 did on my old Nokia 6310i, plus I had voice dialing and headset activation of features. Mostly all I need is to rid myself of wires, but without sacrificing quality. I want it to work simply.
So after hours of internet research, and reading this posting, the conclusion of which headset I should get for my new Treo 650 (ahh I love my little phone) is....
Who really knows? I'm trying to find good sound quality, I use this for work and need clients to be able to hear me. Any final words before I continue my frenzy of buying and returning every BT headset in the world? (please don't even suggest Motorola.. been there done that)
I have been using the BT250 for about 2 1/2 yrs now. I used it with a Sony Ericsson phone which worked fine well most of the time. My main issue and concern is that BT250 Supports both headset and handsfree profiles. Meaning I was able to dial the number on the phone and once I press the "GO" button ON THE PHONE to make the connection, The call is automatically transfered to the headset, without pressing AGAIN the headset button. Now I have the Treo 650. I can not use this feature. Which is when I press the green phone button on the Treo I HAVE TO press the button on the headset to make the connection. How is the Palm Headset address this issue. Thank you.
Re: Raad Bunni's comment...
For the Palm branded Jabra BT520 you have to do different magic to pair in headset vs handsfree modes. The trick is documented in the manual and works fine.
You hold down both the volume up and multi-function bottons to pair with handsfree mode. You hold down just the multi-function button to pair in headset mode.
Most folks will want the handsfree mode (both buttons). If you pair in headset mode, it works like you suggest. In handsfree mode, it works like you want it to.
Not sure about the regular BT250 as I have the palm branded one.
The Motorola unit I first tried could only do headset mode so I returned it. I forget whether I bought the HS810 or HS820 but it's the one with the folding mic boom.
I tried out the Moto 820 and 850 and the Jabra BT250. I returned all of them. Now I have the Treo version of the HS820.
Despite the similarities, there ARE differences. Of course, the ability to use a Treo car charger or cable with the headset is a difference, and a nice one.
The other difference is in functionality.
With the 820, when I placed a call on the phone's keyboard or contact list, I then had to press the 820's button to make it transfer to the Bluetooth headset.
With the Treo version, it knows that you have the headset on, and it automatically transfers the call to the headset.
The headset manual states that the Treo does not support voice tag dialing from the headset. No use trying to get it working, I guess.
(Disclaimer: I used to work for palmOne IT, but now I don't. My comments are my own.)
unfortunately i am not having a good experience with my treo branded bluetooth. i recently purchased it from this website. it randomly doesn't answer when i push the button. it sometimes answers automatically even with handsfree profile disabled. people complain of static from time to time and can't hear me well. very frustrating. i had similar issues with jabra's, motorola's (800,820 etc...). so i can't tell if it's the phone (new) or what. very frustating. look at the fine print on the palmone website regarding these. most of them don't pass support a variety of things. too bad about the jabra 800.. it rocked.. excellent form factor, features (or course they didn't work) noise cancellation etc.. but doesn't do anything but pair with the treo. if it's a generic issue with the 650 then palmone did a lousy job with bluetooth for sure. else i have a brand new busted phone
?
My 2 cents: I have had the Jabra BT-200 for non-Bluetooth phones for several years now (it was my only option back then with a non-Bluetooth phone). I have always liked the fit, but they seem to have issues. I have had several replaced and then had to purchase another one after the warranty expired.
The major issue I have with it is is completely useless in an environment with any noise. I've researched the BT-800 and it seems to have superior noise cancelling, but I do not think it compatible with the 650 and it costs a fortune.
My question: does the Treo headset REALLY block out wind noise. I too drive a convertible and it is impossible to use anything but a wired headset. Even in my other car, I cannot have the windows down or the sunroof open with the BT-200.
Thanks,
Marc
I just bought the Palm Treo 650 (from Verizon) and I love it...but I am having problems with my BT headset. I bought the motorola HS850! It looks great and is small, BUT it won't stay on my ear. My ear is too smal for it and it is not adjustable...keeps falling off. Will the PalmOne headset fit any better? Are there any adjustable BT headsets out there for the 650?
I am a bit confused. Many of the comments in this thread reference the Treo BT headset, but it just became available yesterday! FYI-I ordered it at 1 AM (dontcha just love those nights?) and will sell my old BT-200 on e-bay if it works as advertised. AS mentioned above, my main objective is to be able to use this thing in environments other than libraries!
the treo branded headset has nothing special in it to deal with noisy environments. the bt800 is an amazing device but it doesn't work nearly at all with the 650. i know. i tried it and several others during the past few weeks. none of them work perfectly. the 800 works the worst out of all of them with the 650. treo branded one works but volume is not very good and doesn't work in noisy environments etc..
Does anyone have experience using the Treo 650 Wireless Headset with Skype? Interested in how Windows XP "sees" the device for you. Have sucessfully linked to PC with bluetooth, but cannot figure out how Windows uses this device (might need a blue tooth service). Thanks!
Has anyone tried the Treo 650 UPdater 1.12 patch to see if it improved the connection, talk quality or other issues associated with using a Treo or other BT device?
For everyone trying to get theor bt headsets working please check the palm one support page at www.palmone.com/us/support/bluetooth/tro650_bluetooth_compatability.html.
Also, read your user manual for both the phone and headset. many of your reported issues are easily fixed by reading your owners manual!
i own a moto hs810. I dont like the way you have to press the button on the side to make a phone call. The soound is a little crackly and tinny. But its a motorola, what do you expect. At least it works.
Very informative website. I have a Treo 650 (Cingular) and a Treo WH. On the whole, I like both a lot, but I have found that in a noisy environment (I drive a Corvette), people I’m talking to comment on background noise. In this car, I use an Etymotic Research wired headset (Hands-Free Noise-Isolating Headset called Ety.Com), which has excellent noise cancellation characteristics by comparison. It’s just that darn wire!
The PalmOne owners’ manual is very deficient in troubleshooting – see challenges below.
What I have concluded:
• Many people experience a delay before their Treo WH picks up the audio.
• Reducing the volume will reduce echo for those on the other end of the phone. I haven’t tried this, but I will. I will try reducing the volume to 2-3 bars to see if that helps.
• Using the main button on the WH enables you to answer, hang up, put on hold and mute calls without touching the phone. This is great!
Challenges – please help!
• It randomly doesn’t answer on the headset or randomly disconnects. Why?
• Is there a way on the Treo to re-establish a connection if it is lost – say, if you dial a number and it doesn’t connect to the headset…
• The only way I know to re-initiate the Treo connection is to start from scratch – go to the Bluetooth connection, power up the WH, make a new connection, enter the password. Seems a little convoluted. Is there a shortcut once you have a trusted device?
• Are there ways to enhance volume for both parties?
Thanks Treonauts!
Julie
Specials
Bestselling
