Customer Reviews:
 What a disappointment! July 20, 2005
6 out of 11 found this review helpful
First I bought the Motorola HS820 which worked well, but I wanted bettr mic sensitivity when using the piece with my smartphone, so I traded in and bought the HS850. The HS850 was much, much worse: It has a 'popcorn' kind of popping sound alot of the time, even when you're in a quiet room. The mic is horrible, it recognized a voice command 1 in 5 times. I traded it in and bought the Logitech Mobile Pro headset which works very, very well -- particularly for voice recognition/mic sensitivity.
Best: Logitech,
2nd best: Motorola HS820
Worst: Motorola HS850
 A pleasant surprise July 19, 2005
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
When I looked at this headset, I thought this will never work. Well, it did and exceeded my expectations. I have it paired with my V710 and calls are clear and easy to make and receive. I bought it primarily to use in my car, but I'm using it much of the time. My cell stays in my handbag most of the time now. Easy of use, clear calls, long stand-by time. It has it all. One note, I first bought the HS 820 and read a review that tested it for wind noise distortion. Not good. Exchanged it for the HS 850. No problem and I have a convertible.
 Great for home/office use, good for a car, not a semi. July 17, 2005
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I first bought a Motorola HS801 to use with my Razr V3 phone, but took it back and tried the HS850. I am a professional driver for a major shipping company, I drive a 2005 Kenworth T800, but both of the Motorola branded Bluetooth headsets were not loud enough to hear over the typically high ambient noise inside the tractor trailer. The speaker of this headset rests against the outside of the ear, so to even come close to hearing I had to press it hard against my ear. The microphone also picked up this ambient noise and it was hard for callers to hear what I was saying.
In the end I purchased a Jabra BT250v, which has a noise cancelling microphone and "in the ear" design which suits itself well to the high noise environment I must use my phone in.
NOT JUST A LUXURY July 12, 2005
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Truly a handsfree "lifesaver" especially for those of us who spend a great deal of time behind the wheel (40K+ miles/yr). Only have great things to say in terms of comfort, ease of use, and functionality. Only negatives would be in regards to the bluetooth connection itself (if your signal is in any way compromised/reduced, it naturally makes the headset have the same diminished operational capabilities).....and the sound (volume) could be louder.....not head banging punk rock loud, but bumpy road, highspeed traffic with the window opened noisy car loud so you would not have to press it against your ear sometimes to see if that makes the reception better.
Overall, I want for no other headset.....even prefer it to the jabra or other headset that has the ear canal insert (this one does not and it remains comfortable on long trips, 4+ hrs).
Love it!
It'll have to do for now July 11, 2005
70 out of 74 found this review helpful
I just picked up my first bluetooth phone, and was looking forward to a wireless headset. My last headset was an [...], which gave exceptional noise isolation, and very clear reception and transmission, even in the noisiest of environments. It was just a hassle to leave the wire hanging, and wasn't easy to get it hooked up from scratch for a call, so I wound up using it a lot only in the car or on long calls. But its exceptional performance left me with high expectations.
I started with a Sony HSH660 (which I reviewed) but it rubbed on the back of my ear and left it hurting. It picked up ambient noises in a noisy environment on its mic and created lots of static on the other end, though I could hear very clearly. So I was looking for better fit and clarity in transmission.
The Motorola is lighter, and its thin earpiece fit in a way that was immediately comfortable in a way the Sony wasn't. BUT, the HS850 feels vaguely set on my ear, wobbling back and forth on my ear. In contrast, the Sony felt rock solid. The Motorola never actually fell or moved off my ear, it just felt flimsy. The narrow earpiece that made it less painful made it feel less secure. Still, I think that'd be easier to get used to than an earpiece that hurt.
I went out to a mall and checked out the reception. The ambient noise would show up the quality quickly. Here, the Motorola's mic screened out the ambient noise better, but the people I called said that while there wasn't much background noise, it sounded like I was on a speakerphone. The boom is certainly too short to allow better positioning and noise isolation like the ety. But while the Motorola's transmission was better than the Sony, I had more trouble hearing the Motorola. The Sony earphone seemed much clearer, less prone to static or noise than the Motorola. This certainly surprised me. Rather than a clear winner, it was a trade-off. The verdict is about the same in quiet environments, though it is a little easier to hear on both ends.
The Motorola folded up neatly, and the black unit looks sharp. The blue light that is on when the headset is in use is a nice touch. The unit was easy to set up with my phone, and the swinging boom turns the unit on and off. When a phone call is received, it took no time to open the boom, and by the time I got the headphone on my ear, I could press the on button and receive the call seamlessly. I haven't had a chance to test out the 8 hrs talk time, but others tell me that's accurate. It folds up more compactly than the Sony.
So here's my summary:
Pros:
Extremely light weight
Easy and painless over the ear fit
Blue light shows others you are on a call
Easy hookup with your cellphone
Uses the same adapter as Motorola phones
Cons
Earpiece feels flimsy and not that secure on your ear
No battery level
Mic and earphone quality adequate, but not up to best wired headset standards
I've decided to keep this headset for now. If the Sony headset were comfortable for me it'd be more of a toss-up. There probably aren't any perfect BT headsets yet, but I will certainly be on the lookout for something better
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