BlueAnt V1

When a call came in, I responded to BlueGenie's query by saying "Answer" or "Ignore." Other terms that came in handy: "Switch headset off," "Check battery," and "Call back" (this last command dialed out to the number of the last call I'd received).

The BlueAnt has a repertoire of available commands, and you can't go beyond the pool of requests it understands. This meant, unfortunately, that it couldn't handle instructions like "Call PC World office" or "Call Julianne mobile." The workaround? I could preprogram a handful of my A-list numbers to work with the BlueAnt's speed-dial numbers (up to five).

Despite those shortcomings, the BlueAnt picked up nearly all my babblings correctly. I was able to jump into voice control straight out of the box--not too shabby.

The fit was moderately secure with the default earhook, but not incredibly comfortable. You can go hookless with the BlueAnt; but without it the headset did not stay in position, and the earpiece shifted around as I shook my head.

I liked the position and the feel of the call button. It's easy to find--it follows the curve at the top of the headset--and it gives strong feedback when pressed.

Calls sounded good most of the time, coming in clear and close up. On other occasions some of my sentences broke up, or my voice sounded tinny to the other parties. Call recipients could also hear music I played in the background, but it wasn't distracting.

If you're in a noisy environment, you can turn on the Max voice-isolation setting (by tapping the call button once), which will help remove noise and allow you to keep talking. When I had my tunes blaring louder than usual, the person on the other end noticed a difference: The noise practically disappeared, and while my voice sounded a tad more robotic, it was completely intelligible.

(To see other models we looked at recently, check out our Bluetooth headset chart. For more on selecting the right headset for you, see our Bluetooth headset buying guide.)