I am very happy to announce that I have had the pleasure to review the new X3 Micro Bluetooth Headset from Blueant.
For this review, both my wife (The Mrs) and I have spent time using this device. I will concentrate on the technical aspect and The Mrs will give her impressions from a users point of view.
Introduction:
BlueAnt have the pleasure of marketing a device that has an award winning design by the Design and Engineering Showcase for 2005. The X3 boasts some very impressive features including sleek, tiny (5.2cm long) and ergonomic design, three different charging options, 7 hours talk time (180 hours standby), Bluetooth V1.2 compliant, high sound quality and an impressive 2 year warranty. The feature that sets the X3 apart from all the competition is the ability to pair to a maximum of three different Bluetooth devices, and switch between them at the press of some buttons! We will look at these features more closely later in the review.
The BlueAnt X3 Micro Bluetooth Headset comes very nicely presented in its packaging. Everything is secured for transport, and the highlight - the X3 - is well placed to be on show.
On closer inspection, a number of accessories are seen and come standard. These include a mains charger, cigarette lighter to USB adapter, USB charger, two earphone covers (if you don't want the device fitting in your ear), an ear clip, a neck band and quick release clip and a detailed user manual.
The USB charger is very nicely constructed, and bends to any convenient angle. Once the headset has been charged for four hours, it is reday to be paired. The first time the device is powered up, it goes straight into pairing mode. The process of pairing will depend on your Phone, Pocket PC Phone or computer. This device paired easily with both our XDA II Pocket PC's and my Bluetooth enabled LapTop Computer.
The X3 has three buttons: Volume Down (-), a Multifunction Button (MFB) and Volume Up (+). Holding the MFB for three seconds switches the X3 on. Doing this again switches it off. Pairing mode is entered when the Volume Up (+) is pressed for three seconds when the unit is on. Switching between paired devices is achieved by pressing (-) and MFB simultaneously to disconnect from the device in use, and then pressing the MFB once to connect to the first paired device, twice for the second and three times to connect to the third paired device.
Technical Tests:
I decided to put the X3 Micro to some good audio tests, to see for myself how good the audio actually was. Two tests were conducted, and were designed to show up any imperfections with sound quality and the unit's frequency response. You may be wondering what this has to do with a Bluetooth headset, so I will explain.
There are two main factors determining the quality of an audio device: Distortion and Frequency Response. Distortion is the term used to describe how pure a tone is, and whether the device is causing that tone to change (by clipping, skewing or addition of noise etc...) Frequency Response is the term used to describe what range of frequencies, or tones, the device can pass to the phone or computer. The human voice ranges in frequencies between 300Hz and 3000Hz, and this is the industry standard for voice communications. If a device fails to pass anything above 1000Hz, this would have the effect of minimising the audio throughput for a female voice (uses higher frequencies, on average), while allowing perfect communications for the male voice. This test was conducted by sweeping the audio voice range, and recording how well the device passed these frequencies. I performed this test on the X3 Micro as well as a headset from Logitech.
FIGURE 1
Figure 1 shows how clean the sound is from the X3 Micro, for the distortion test. As can be seen, the tone used is a perfect sine wave, without any added noise (little bumps on the waveform), clipping (top or bottom peaks missing) or skewing (tending towards a triangular waveform). I conducted this test with all frequencies in the voice range, and recieved the same results - perfect sine waves - perfect tones - perfect audio.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 3
Figure 2 shows the frequency response of the X3 Micro and Figure 3 shows the response for the Logitech headset. These figures may be a little hard to understand for some, but I'll explain the best I can. Comparing the two responses, two things are evident. Below 1000Hz, both headsets respond the same. Above 2000Hz, the response of the Logitech headset just drops away, but the X3 Micro keeps powering on. This is important for female users, as the frequencies used on average reside in the upper half of the Voice range.
From these two tests, the X3 Micro is the clear winner for both audio clarity and ability to suit almost all voice types.
The Mrs Opinion:
Well now for those who are not into all that technical stuff and just want to know what the X3 Micro Bluetooth headset is like.... here is my low-down....
WOW
.... It is definitely micro, compact, lightweight and looks good. For those of us who have a decent amount of hair, it becomes very well hidden.
On my way out the door to work one morning, Dan handed me this sleek blue device, and said see what do you think? Later that day, no book or instruction other than what was rattled off at me before I left earlier, I start to play with my new gadget......Within moments I was connected.... with any excuse to make a phone call, this is a perfect time. Unbelievable ... Very very clear you wouldn't even know you were not talking directly into the phone. I now wish I could connect it to my landline phone.
For someone who does not use their mobile constantly the neck band is an ideal addition [I was forever loosing my old Bluetooth headset], the X3 also comes with a removable soft gel earbud cover [that allows you to use your headset without the over ear hook] making it easy and quickly to place in your ear when receiving a call.
I found the buttons to be user friendly, easy to find with sufficient resistance and pressure.
On top of all this, later in the day I finally get my hands on the user manual, to my surprise, it does everything you would want from your phone without being your phone…… you are able to mute the microphone, redial or reject a call, transfer your call to the phone and back again and to top it all off I can put you on hold and connect to other preset devices [up to 3 in total] and then return to your call.
I am thoroughly impressed and for those who like pretty, whilst the X3 is on you can have blue LED’s flashing around the buttons. The only problem I will have is having to share it with Dan.
Conclusions:
From the above tests, and general use, the X3 Micro Bluetooth Headset truely is a device worth owning. Everyone from consumers to high powered professionals will find this headset an asset. Switching between paired phones, or from a VOIP (Skype) chat to answer your phone is a snap. The tiny size of the X3 enables easy concealment, and doesn't make the user feel silly when taking those important calls in the middle of a shopping mall. The very useful neck strap keeps the X3 within easy reach and concealed under your shirt or jumper. Recharging is never a problem as all bases are covered with the three way charging system. Audio is crystal clear and best of all, the X3 is a very comfortable device to wear on your ear. I have no problems determining a score for this device. Well done BlueAnt!
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I give the BlueAnt X3 Micro BT Headset a Perfect 10/10 |