The Jabra BT250 is a godsend for people who want to stay within the boundary of the new UK driving laws, without butchering the dashboard of their car for a permanent hands-free mobile telephone kit.
Basically, it's a small headset that will connect to your compatible mobile phone via a wireless protocol known as Bluetooth. Calls can be answered by simply pressing a button on the side of the headset; likewise they can be initiated by pressing the same button and speaking the name of the person that you wish to call.
I'm not normally a fan of 'generic' mobile phone accessories; I prefer to purchase genuine items from companies such as Nokia and Panasonic. However, colleagues had reported good experiences with the Jabra BT200, a previous model that was launched around 18 months ago.
So I took the plunge and purchased my first bluetooth headset. After shopping around for the best deal, it became clear that Amazon offered the best price - at £49.50 (and free delivery included) their offer was £10 less than the nearest competitor.
Once it arrived, I couldn't wait to try it out, but of course, the obligatory battery charging had to be done first. The box contained the headset itself, a manual, the mains charger with a small cradle, and a packet of what Jabra refer to as 'mini-gels', basically these are replaceable rubber fittings that sit in your ear.
Once charged, I set about performing the process known as 'pairing', whereby your mobile phone establishes a connection with your new accessory. This was very simple, and completed successfully within less than a minute.
Call quality between the Jabra BT250 and my current handset (a Nokia 6310i) is very good, with many callers questioning the fact that I am even driving at all, when speaking via the BT250 in the car. However, it must be noted that the sound will degrade if your phone is more than 1-2 metres away from the headset. Move further away than this and the call quality starts to degrade a little (manifests itself as a background crackle). However, this distance is fine for the car - the headset is in my right ear, and the phone is on the passenger seat. It's worth noting though, that this is nowhere near the quoted 10 metres maximum range for Bluetooth.
Battery life is superb, with up to a week on standby, using the Jabra for perhaps 30-40 minutes per day. Charge time is about 2 hours from totally flat. Placing the headset into your ear takes a little getting used to, and some 'ear-lobe abuse' took place over the first few days, until I became accustomed to slipping the headset on correctly.
The Jabra BT250 is provided with four 'mini-gels'; two large and two small, depending on what you find most comfortable, you can use either size.
Overall, this is a superb product, which expands on the already good quality of its predecessor, the BT200. The main bonus is the extended battery life - with a week's standby, this headset is certainly worth the extra £10.
I would certainly recommend this product if you MUST take calls while driving. Remember though - the safest option is not to talk and drive at all. Even the best wireless product in the world will not make you a safe driver if you allow yourself to become distracted from the main task in hand. Ultimately, only you can decide whether you feel comfortable talking and driving at the same time.
A good product - but, above all, use responsibly.
This product has not yet been reviewed.
01.11.2004 12:00
very helpful thanx
26.07.2004 15:46
some sensible advice here, there are still idiots on the road who drive with a phone attached to their lobes. Why do they do it?
26.07.2004 13:54
like the sound of this and theres some good advice in there - xara