Need a Bluetooth headset that stands out head and shoulders above the pack?  Blueant have a serious contender that is worth every penny.

Pros: True multipoint (connect with 2 phones at the same time and answer whichever one rings), enhanced voice command list including commands to hear stock quotes, movie times, directions, weather forecasts, sports results, news and traffic updates., Audio streaming was great as well as the noise reduction in windy areas.

Cons: the grill covering the exterior of the headset looks fantastic with hundreds of tiny holes, the negative side is that lint and dust particles stick to it.  The holes are smaller than a tooth pick and I found that a strip of tape worked great at removing dirt and debris.

Price range: $89 – $120 online

The Blueant Q2 has a huge range of features that make it one my favorite headsets in the marketplace.  I would compare its feature list to that of the Motorola ROKR S9-HD as offers much more than meets the eye.

Comfort

The Blueant Q2 comes with a small and large ear gel as well as 3 sizes of stabilizing ear gels (normal gels with an extra loop of rubber for a tighter fit.  The ear hooks are different from the normal ones that you find like on the Jabra Bluetooth headsets because they can be pushed further down shortening the distance from the ear gel to the top of the hook.  This basically creates a much tighter and customized fit.

Sound

Sound quality was good and the external speaker which Blueant call Wind Armour technology actually worked.  Basically an external speaker measured ambient sound & wind and a cleaver algorithm reduced the wind noise significantly.  Blueant claim that it has the best wind noise performance up to 22mph.  Automatic gain knows when it’s noisy and the device works harder to reduce background noise.  On several occasions test call recipients didn’t’ realize that I was walking outside in the wind during calls.

“Then the headset uses BlueAnt’s Voice Isolation Technology™, an active protection software solution that uses dynamic digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms, multi-microphone noise reduction and echo cancellation techniques to actively separate speech patterns from wind and room noise, ensuring that the user is always heard no matter what the situation.” Quoted from Blueant’s website

Design

The Q2 is slightly larger than the 2nd version of the Jawbone in length, It’s has a graceful curved shape with rounded corners.  No sharp edges and an all black design make this a very inconspicuous piece of communication technology. The ear loop is rubberized and the attachment point is rubberized which allows the ear loop to flex and give with movement.  This combined with soft ear gels make for an exceptionally comfortable fit.  I’ve worn it for 6 hours straight without discomfort, in fact if there wasn’t a sound difference between the ear with Q2 and the other, you would hardly notice that you were wearing anything.

When jogging, the earpiece with stabilizing ear gel keeps in place.  I tried heading soccer balls but the jarring movement actually dislodged it.  Conclusion – if you aren’t doing an activity that jars your head, this Bluetooth headset will stay in place.

The buttons are standard, volume up and down, power on switch and a call answer button.  They are solid and you can feel the click to confirm when you depress them.

Pairing was a no brainer.  The headset actually talks throughout the pairing process and the manual isn’t really necessary.  The Q2 stores up to 2,000 contacts from your phonebook on the headset for each paired device

The A2DP streaming functionality allows you to listen to audio content (music, podcasts, videos) directly from your mobile phone or from Bluetooth-enabled computers.

Extras

Voice control for dialing, answering was very fast and worked every time.  The comprehensive list of commands allows you to change device configuration easily.  When the phone rings, simply say Answer or Ignore.  To make a call just say Phone Commands and the voice dialing feature turns on.  If you forget a command, just say “what can I say? And the pleasant voice gives you options

Blueant have developed an Android™ application that you can download for free to any Android 2.0+ handset.  I only tested the device with an iPhone and will have refer to Blueant’s documentation regarding the ability to hear incoming text messages read out automatically through a connected Q2 headset. Alternatively, BlackBerry® and Android users can install the Vlingo SafeReader application to hear email and SMS messages read out automatically on their connected BlueAnt device.

What’s in the box

  • Q2 Smart Bluetooth Headset
  • Ear Hook
  • Soft Carry Case
  • Small and Large Ear Gels
  • Small, Medium and Large Stabilizing Ear Gels
  • AC adaptor
  • USB cable
  • User manual
  • Safety, Warranty and Information Cards

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