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Jabra BT8040

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Pros
USB charging cable included
Connects to two devices at a time
Cons
Fit wasn't entirely secure

$25.99 - $65.00
From 9 Merchants

Jabra BT8040 Review

by Narasu Rebbapragada

This reasonably priced Bluetooth headset has solid audio and can connect to two phones simultaneously.

Jabra's nicely designed BT8040 can connect to two phones simultaneously, so if have two phones, you won't have to resync them each time you switch between them. A bundled adapter enables the $70 (as of February 15, 2008) BT8040 to charge via USB. Unfortunately, its audio quality wasn't as good as that of other headsets I tested during the couple of weeks.

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The unit, black with silver trim, looks subtle in the ear and weighs very little (0.35 ounce). Its compact, angled shape is about half the length of my thumb, and its buttons are well placed: a bidirectional volume button sits at the top of the headset, and a small call button occupies the middle. Instead of offering an earhook, the BT8040 provides small, medium, and large rubber earbuds with a loop on the end that's supposed to wedge into your ear canal. The fit wasn't good for my small ears, but it stayed in place if I didn't move around too much.

With the BT8040, you get an AC power adapter and a handy USB charger. The headset can connect to two phones simultaneously--a feature I tested using a Motorola Razr2 V9 and a Nokia E62. As I was listening to music on the Razr2, I was able to receive a call on the E62. The music paused when I switched to the E62 and then resumed when I ended the call. Since I'm a single-phone kind of person, I don't find this feature terribly useful, but anyone who switches between phones is likely to feel differently.

Callers sounded slightly muffled, but that could be due to the poor fit in my ear. We could hear each other clearly even in a crowded train station.

The Jabra BT8040 sounds okay and has a few nice conveniences. But try before you buy, if possible, to see whether it fits your ear.

User Reviews for Jabra BT8040

Reviewed by: ontherebound

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Simple pairing with iPhopne 3G, operation is simple enough you really don't need instructions, small in size, sound quality is excellent, low price

Weaknesses: Instruction manual (downloaded) is not really clear at times, lacks even simple instructions in Quick Start guide like charging!

Overall Evaluation: This is a great Bluetooth headset. The price is great, it works as well as the twice as expensive Jawbone 2, so you can't beat that. It is lacking in instructions (even from the website). The product's light system doesn't make it clear what mode the device is in, since it goes into standby mode so quickly the lights, even if you know what the color means, disappears. It means you have to rely on your Bluetooth device to even known when you have it turned on. A beeping sound would be nice as a compliment to the lights and would make the device's status more clear. Overall, the best value in Bluetooth headsets. It's incredibly light (10 oz.) and it is small in size. It's a great deal. It got the same rating as the Jawbone 2 on Cnet, an 8.3, but didn't get the editor's choice. I'll save the $70 and not get the editor's choice and something that looks like a earing for a headset!
Reviewed by: ctctc

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Small, sleek, lightweight, well functioning, nonbreakable ear gel.

Weaknesses: Ill positioned on/answer button, microphone rubs against cheek, in-the-ear gel too small.

Overall Evaluation: It's amazing that we have come to this point, but here is a gorgeous piece of technology which actually performs as well as its advertising says it does. It is small, sleek, and lightweight. Its audio quality is clean and clear, and it seems to have ample volume to handle a variety of noisy environments. It's in-the-ear gel piece goes the extra mile with its additional loop of gel which holds the device in my year without the use of an external ear loop. On the down side, it is awkward to engage the on/answer button without pushing the device into the side of my face. At 6'2" in height, my ears are at the upper limits of being too large for the largest of the in-ear gel pieces provided with the product. Because of this the microphone sometimes rubs against my cheek. All-in-all this is a solid device and I am pleased with my purchase.

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