We recently got our hands on the new BlackBerry HS-700 Bluetooth headset courtesy of RIM PR department and decided to give it a spin. The HS-700 is surely not the first Bluetooth headset made by RIM but it is definitely the greatest thus far by them. It has the look of a BlackBerry device with the faux leather base and silver bezel and comes equipped with one regular, one cushioned, and three stabilizing ear gels, two ear hooks, a micro-USB cable and a wall charger. The HS-700 is a premium Bluetooth that lets your voice be in command as BlackBerry says, it features are:
Voice prompts: Once you’re connected, voice prompts alert you with battery status updates, mute status and more.
Built for your BlackBerry smartphone: Listen to audio files saved on your smartphone and get turn-by-turn directions from third-party GPS mapping apps.
Advanced noise-cancellation technology: Get clear conversations with noise-cancellation technology and dual microphones.
Automatic volume control: The headset adjusts the volume of your call as you accelerate onto a highway or in other noisy environments.
Sleek design: Get fit, comfort and style with metallic finishes, a leather face and carefully crafted ear gels and ear hooks.
Keep reading to see how the HS-700 pairs up for RIM.
BlackBerry latest Bluetooth acts a comfortable fit and is packed with accessories mentioned above to be comfortable in any type of ear. The HS-700 provides superior hands-free calling and great sound quality using its dual-mics for noise cancellation and automatic volume control to adjust to your environment. It also has a stereo audio Bluetooth profile which allows you to listen to the music from your BlackBerry in one ear. It also allows for GPS turn-by-turn directions to be played in your Bluetooth for GPS apps like Garmin Mobile or an actual GPS unit.
Now to the bread and butter of this Bluetooth, the voice commands. Yes, voice commands. The HS-700 has a one physical button that you can see and that is the voice command button. The other is the call control key which is hidden in the base underneath the faux leather base (but we’ll get into that later). The voice command button can be pressed and then can followed by different voice commands like, “What can I say?”, “Options”, “Battery”, “Redial”, “Call Last”, say “Answer/Ignore” to answer or ignore a phone call, or just press & hold the voice command button and say “Call Phone Number or Contact Name”. The voice commands also applies for media tasks like, “Play”, “Next track”, “Previous track”, “Pause”, “Stop”, “Volume up”, and “Volume down”. Unfortunately the voice commands can be tricky to use in areas with heavy noise, every piece of tech has its limits. Still a joy to use nonetheless.
Now to the Bluetooth basics, the HS-700 powers on in a unique way: by twisting the ear piece powers it on and off. Pairing the HS-700 with my 9700 was super simple. No passkey needed at all. Just go to Manage Connections on your BB->Click Set Up Bluetooth->Search and you should be good to go. The HS-700 LED status is on the inside of the headset that shows you different colors to represent its pairing mode, muted mode, charging and fully charged. The HS-700 specs are that it is Bluetooth 2.1 for simplified pairing, has HFP (Hands-Free Profile to use in Bluetooth compatible vehicles)/A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) Bluetooth profiles with range up to 33 feet, and a battery life of 200 standby/4.5hours talk time. At the current time, the HS-700 only supports the English language at the moment and is unknown if other language support is on the way. The HS-700 retails at $129.99 which can be picked on BlackBerry site or Best Buy Mobile’s Web Store. If you can afford it, it is definitely compatible piece to your BlackBerry device, no matter the model.
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