.: Nokia Bluetooth Boom Headset HS-4W

Author - Filip Norrgard :: User rating -   (192 votes) :: Views - 39038 October 27, 2004 :: One of the must-have accessories for Bluetooth fanatics to get must be the Bluetooth headset. The Bluetooth headset is almost the reason for getting Bluetooth phones in the first place. Since, it means that you are relieved of the tangles and webs of wires running to and from your headset, and no wires to get caught in. Now, let me take you through a review of Nokia's bumerang-inspired Bluetooth headset and see how well it works with Pocket PCs and reality.

What is in the box?

The contents of the sales box might as well be the shortest for a Bluetooth headset:

• the HS-4W Bluetooth headset
• an instruction booklet

Where is the AC adapter? Well, as with the most of the major cellphone manufacturers, Nokia also concluded that this accessory wouldn't need to be sold with a charger. On the other hand, it is one less charger to worry about but not everyone like this lack. However, you can charge the headset with (virtually) every Nokia charger on the planet, which is nice if you got one from before. I got enough of Nokia chargers laying around, so therefore I'm not complaining.

Design

Frankly said, the design just screams Nokia. It is a bit alien-looking, but still stylish enough to wear and very comfortable. The center of mass is around the back part of the headset and perfectly balanced for earwear. I usually wear glasses and wearing them with the headset was no problem.

The funny thing with this Nokia headset is the way you put it on. It is desgned to be worn by the ear (and not in the ear, as some headsets) and as such you have to "throw it on" (my words, not the manufacturer's). Just look at the picture to get the picture. It takes some practice, but is by no means hard to learn. The first time I tried to get the headset on was difficult, but the second time I already knew how to throw it on and it was easier.

The headset seems plastic and the shell feels very plastic with an exception for the black area which feels something of a cross between rubber and suede leather. However, though the shell is plastic it does not creak or any other sounds under the pressure of my hands. The case is a bit flexible though, allowing the microphone and speaker part to move a bit relative to the backpart. Overall, the plastic case is quite good but the only thing that hurts my eyes is the few bad seams that have a millimeter bigger gap than the other seams. It is nothing that hurts the functionality of this headset, but just something that indicates bad quality control to me.

When I compare the wired ear-plug headphones to this headset, then this headset is much more comfortable to wear. It is probably because this headset doesn't hang by the ear opening, but utilizes the whole ear. I haven't had time to wear this headset for longer time than an hour (maybe a bit more) but I suspect that this headset, like any headset, will eventually irritate the ear if you wear it for a prolonged period of time. The problem for me was that this headset is light and I almost forget that I'm wearing it. According to Nokia specs this headset is around 21 grams, which is very light in my opinion.

The features of the headset are:

1. Turns off or on the headset when hold for 2 seconds while a quick click (de-)mutes the current call. This button requires some force to be properly pressed down but still not too hard.
2. The speaker. There are holes for the sound on both sides of the headset so that you can wear it on your left or right ear.
3. LED indicator. Blinks in three colors: red, yellow and green. The LED blinks yellow to signal a connection, the green for a current call and red for charging.
4. The volume up and down buttons for adjusting the volume of the headset.
5. The microphone.
6. The answer/end button. This is used to establish/disconnect Bluetooth connection (on my Loox anyways). On my Nokia it can be used to answer and end calls, voice dial, redial, and switching the sound between the headset and the phone.
7. Charger connector.

Pairing

Pairing this Bluetooth headset with my Nokia phone and Fujitsu Siemens Pocket Loox 720 was no problems. However, the sound connection did not work the first time, but that might be because I messed up with the buttons and didn't read the instruction manual. Here are the steps I did on my Loox:

I started by going into the Bluetooth manager and tapping New. From the list I chose the Headset option and tapped Next. Note that I did not have to do any registry tweaking since Fujitsu Siemens have been so nice to leave this option active on their Loox 720.

The wizard now tells me that it is a good idea to turn on the headset. I agree and tap next...

Doing a search for Bluetooth headsets and handsfree, the wizard manages to find my Bluetooth headset. So, I select the headset and tap next.

Next, we enter the pair code for this headset which is the default "0000" code.

The Bluetooth headset will try to connect to your Pocket PC and this will require an authorization on your side. Clicking Accept will also transfer all audio automatically to the headset.

And so, that is all we have to do.

When we return to the Bluetooth manager we can see that the connection to the Bluetooth headset is active.

Connected to the headset

The reception is quite good, when I'm sitting beside my Pocket PC ;)

This headset supports up to eight different devices and will always try to connect to the first paired device when it is turned on. If that doesn't succeed then it will try with the next in the order and so on. When trying to initiate connection to the headset from my Pocket PC, the headset will play the Nokia tune as the incoming ringtone. Pressing the answer/end button will acknowledge the incoming connection and connect the headset to the calling Bluetooth device. This is something vagely described in the instruction booklet and the booklet itself is not as well written as I would like it to be.

One thing that I missed from the Bluetooth software on Pocket PC is support for Microsoft's Voice Command. I downloaded and tried out a trial version of Voice Command, but I could not get it to sense the press-and-hold function of the headset. I believe that this is a limitation of the Bluetooth software on my Loox and not the Voice Command software, or perhaps a difference in the way that Bluetooth software communicates with the headset. You see, the headset supports both the headset and hands-free Bluetooth profiles. The difference between the two profiles being that the hands-free profile supports more commands and buttons than the headset profile. Assuming, of course, that I have made the correct assumptions.

Sounds and Range

Testing playing MP3s to this headset from my Nokia and Loox, rendered different results strangely enough. Both devices did compress the sound to voice quality (or bitrates that are suitable for voice communications), however the Loox had a more compressed sound to it. To me it sounded more like the MP3s on my Loox had an AM radio sound while the Nokia had something more intermediate close to poor FM reception. It is listenable, but not everyone will like to listen to music via Bluetooth headsets.

I'm no audiophile, so it might just be that my ears are playing tricks on me or that there are differences in the way the Bluetooth stacks compresses the sound. Either way, the headset profile was not designed for listening to MP3s but two-way voice communication to a Bluetooth phone. We can expect better sound in the new headphone profile introduced with Bluetooth 1.2, which most new Pocket PCs support (I think). The headphone profile is not supported by this headset and it will be sometime before Bluetooth headphones come out.

For making calls, this headset is perfect. The sound in the headset is very good with the volume being a bit too loud for me at the max setting (your milage may vary). The microphone is also very good with the remote caller not even sensing that you are using a headset. Talking and driving is no problem either; I can hear the remote caller well enough and the remote caller can hear me well also. The buttons aren't hard to fumble around with on this headset while driving.

The range of this headset is quite impressive. I tested the headset range with my Loox and let it play some music while I walked away. The range I got with the Loox was 15 meters before I started to notice noise and distortion. That is over the range for class 2 Bluetooth devices at 10 meters. Not only that but I could also have a wall inbetween as long as I held the headset towards the Loox.

Just to be sure, I also tested this with my Nokia phone and got about the same result: 15 meters! The only exception being when behind the wall where the noise was more evident than when using the Loox. Hence, the range I got should be taken with a grain of salt as the testing wasn't carried out in a laboratory and as such the range will differ from device to device. The range also depends on the position of the Bluetooth radio in the Bluetooth device, other interferences and reflections from other objects.

The Battery

The battery and the life it gives is naturally an important factor in deciding a Bluetooth headset. From my testing I have been getting around 6 hours of liste... erhm, "talktime" as the manufacturer claims. Previous Nokia headset users might remember another headset model that had a replacable, nickel metalhydrate (NiMH) battery -- and thus did not last that long. Well, luckily Nokia learned from their mistake and now has got a longer lasting lithium polymer (Li Poly) battery in this headset, but it is unclear to me if the battery is user repleceable. Nokia's website does not mention anything about replaceable battery, just that it is "inserted" into the headset.

Since the instruction booklet (although it is incomplete in my gradebook) does not mention anything about replacing the battery, I think it is appropriate to assume that the battery will not be user-repleceable but only service replaceable. I might be wrong also, since a large number of websites claim that the battery is more or less "repleceable" and there is one part that seems to be removable on the headset. But, I'm not in the mood to fool around with the headset and void my warranty currently.

Specifications
Type Designation:	HS-4W
Security:	Encrypted link
Weight:	21 g
Bluetooth Compliance:	Bluetooth 1.1 specification, 2.45 GHz ISM band, frequency hopping 79 channels
Supported Bluetooth Profiles:	Handsfree 1.0 and Headset 1.1
Operating Range:	Up to 10 meters
Connection:	Point-to-point
Paired Devices:	Up to 8, one at a time
Operating Temperature:	-15ºC up to +55ºC
Talk Time:	Up to 6 hours
Standby Time:	Up to 160 hours
Battery:	Rechargeable 120 mAh lithium-polymer battery
Compatible Nokia Chargers::	ACP-7, ACP-8, ACP-9, ACP-12, LCH-12
Charging Time:	Up to 3 hours
Sales Package Contents:	Nokia Wireless Boom Headset HS-4W, rechargeable lithium-polymer battery (inserted), User's Guide

Pros

• Range is over 10 meters at 15 meters with two different Bluetooth devices
• Comfortable when in the 'correct' position
• Light as a feather
• Pairable with up to 8 devices
• Wearable by both ears (left and right)

Cons

• No AC charger included
• Too summarized instruction booklet which leaves a bit more to be desired
• Non-user-repleceable battery... ?

Basic Facts

• Device: Nokia HS-4W
• Manufacturer: Nokia
• Price: 80€ / 100 US$ / 56 £ (US and UK price from internet sources)
• Available colors: white and blue
• Downloads: Instruction book

Conclusion Nokia has designed a very comfortable Bluetooth headset. They have also managed to resist the temptations of tieing it to their products only while still requiring a Nokia charger, naturally. The range of this headset is surprisingly bigger than initially expected at 15 meters, which is over the Bluetooth range for a class 2 radio! The battery is furthermore a plus being a better lasting lithium polymer rechargable battery which gives it a lengthy talktime. Finally, the possibility of wearing this headset either left or right ear is a design bonus that should be enough to make this headset appropriate for everyone. :: The final rating is 91%

Related links

• Proporta retractable headphones

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