I have grown spoiled by the tiny size of the
Nextlink Bluespoon AX2, but there are certain features that such a
diminutive headset will never be able to provide – such as caller ID and the
ability to view other details that can only be shown on a display. Today I am
going to take a look at the Tekkeon
ET3000 ezTalker
Digital Cord-Free Headset, a Bluetooth headset that boasts an impressive
list of features, not the least of which is its bright OLED digital display.
Hardware Specifications:
Weight: 0.8 ounces
Total Device Dimensions (including earhook): approximately 2.75" tall x 3" wide
x 1" thick
Up to 5 hours talk time (Up to 8 hours when used with HV3 mode)
Up to 120 hours standby time
Display: OLED digital display; 64×48 pixel screen
Rechargeable lithium polymer battery located in earhook
Uni-directional microphone
In-ear speaker
2 hours charging time (typical)
Supports both headset and handsfree profile of Bluetooth v1.2
Up to 30 feet range (10 meters)
Pairs with up to 7 devices
Full one year warranty
Included in the packaging are the headset, its detachable earhook/battery,
and AC charging adapter, the user guide, a warranty card and a package of six
stick-on windscreens.
The 2.75" tall x 3" width of the headset with attached earhook/battery makes
the overall device seem almost freakishly large. For some reason I can’t get
Saint Louis
out of my mind…
Here you can see the ezTalker Digital in comparison to the AX2.
If size were the only consideration, then the AX2 would win hands down. But
the ezTalker has that brilliant OLED display, and lots of extra features. Will
they be enough to pry the AX2 from my ear? Read on…
The back side of the headset shows the earpiece, which is sized to rest in
the bowl of the most ears. According to the Tekkeon site, "The
speaker sits comfortably in your ear to precisely direct sound and the
uni-directional microphone is positioned to direct your speech, while
significantly minimizing background noise."
When I first attempted to place the headset on my ear, I did it totally
wrong. I thought the arch of the hook was supposed to fit over top of my ear
which would make the headset point slightly down; but when I did that the
earphone was about 1/2" below the bowl of my ear …hmmmm, not a good fit at
all.
After consulting the manual, I learned that the earhook was meant to be worn
over the top of the ear, but the tip of the headset was to be angled down toward
my mouth, this causes the earhook to lay a bit differently than seemed natural.
Hint: the description in the manual was okay, but a picture would
have been a bigger help.
(Wearing the headset on the left ear makes
everything face upright in the correct direction)
Wearing the headset like this at least put the earphone in the bowl of my
ear, but the large arch felt precariously perched. Once in place, the headset’s
fit – while quite comfortable – felt too loose to give me a feeling
of security when doing anything more active than sitting or leisurely walking.
I’m not sure if that would be a realistic representation of most users’ days.
My ear measures 2.25" tall from end to end, and its bowl is located 1.25"
down, so perhaps my ear is smaller than usual. To test my theory I tried the
earhook on Steve, whose ear measures 2.75" tall from end to end, with its bowl
2" down.
He actually felt that his most secure fit was when it was worn as I had
originally thought it should be. In that position, he could move his head and
not worry about losing the headset. However in his words, "he wouldn’t want to
jog with it on." Not that Steve’s a jogger, mind you. ;0)
The battery is located in the arched earhook, and it takes an average of two
hours to fully charge. The AC adapter plugs into the charging jack located at
the earhook’s base. While charging the LED will glow orange, gradually fading
off once the battery is fully charged. The cool thing about the battery being
located in the earhook is that extras may be purchased. People that do a lot of
talking may want to
invest in a backup.
This diagram, taken from the
online
user guide, shows the various buttons and their functions. I found that due
to their large size they were quite easy to operate when the headset was on my
ear. I will say that wearing it on the left ear makes everything face upright in
the correct direction.
One of the more common problems associated with
mobile phone headsets is wind noise. The ezTalker Digital includes six small
peel and stick windscreens that can be installed directly over the microphone
end if wind noise proves to be a problem.
The microphone end…
…with applied windscreen.
The earpiece has a surrounding rubber boot that may be removed if you are
curious, but it might be better to leave it alone as I don’t see replacements
offered anywhere on the site. I think that instead of this one-size-fits-all
fix, a better solution might have been to offer different sized ear tips. They
might have gone a long way in making the fit seem more personalized.
Notice that there are two oddly shaped jacks on either side of the
microphone? This is so that the earhook can be inserted on either side, allowing
both right and left ear wear.
Here is a close-up of the connection…
Am I the only one who’s worried that the 2.5mm jack will be very easy to
dislodge from the headset’s jack? Maybe I am just being a "Nervous Nelly", but
it seems like a distinct possibility.
The headset is turned on by pressing and holding the Bluetooth logo’d Talk
button for a couple of seconds.
The first time this button is pressed while there is another BT device in
receive mode, the headset will attempt pairing as shown here.
I was able to pair the headset with both my JasJar and my Samsung A900. The
ezTalker Digital can pair with up to seven separate devices. The beauty of
Bluetooth is that as long as the paired devices are within 30 feet or so of each
other, no wires are necessary. The beauty of a headset with a display screen and
the ET3000 features is that once stowed, it may not even be necessary to look at
the mobile phone to make calls.
The bright blue OLED screen has four lines of display; this diagram from the
online manual explains them.
This is my first headset with a visible display, and I admit that I am
growing quite spoiled by the battery life, volume and caller ID visible
indicators.
The icons on the top row are explained here.
The headset offers the following advanced calling features: call transfer
to/from phone, call waiting, last number redial, voice dialing, and up to 15
stored numbers. The display on the headset will show the incoming callers phone
number, including the caller’s name on
certain phones.
It is also possible to browse and then dial from the phone book of
certain mobile
phones.
The options available really depend upon the phone or device the headset is
paired with. For instance, when the headset is paired with my mobile phone
(Samsun A900), pressing the Talk button brings up the voice dial option.
For instance, if I want to call my husband I simply press the Talk
button, a beep will sound, and a female voice will announce that I should "say a
command." These commands directly correspond to those showing on my phone’s
screen, as seen here…
I say "Call Steve" and the headset will repeat my command, then dial the
number.
When making a call on my JasJar, the process is a little bit different:
Pressing the Talk button on the headset
will pull up the Voice Speed Dial option on my JasJar, which can open either a
Contact or an Application. One again, a beep will sound, but this time a tone
will play and my PDA’s screen will show the Voice Speed Dial Screen. Once I give
the command, in this instance "eReader", the application will open. Or I can say
"Steve" and the JasJar will dial his number. Tapping the Talk button again will
cancel the call.
To redial a number that was just called, any
headset button should be pressed, and then either the Volume Up or
Volume Down button should be pressed for three seconds. The last dialed
number will initiate.
Here is where things can get interesting, depending
upon the capabilities of the user’s mobile phone. Starting with the headset OFF,
which is accomplished by pressing and holding the Talk button for a
couple of seconds, stored numbers can be dialed by pressing the Volume Up
button. Numbers can then be scrolled through by pressing the Volume Up or
Volume Down buttons.
To illustrate the quality of call reception, I
placed a couple of calls to K7.net, a service
that records voicemails and then emails them in .WAV format.
Inside
Test (without windscreen) – 60KB
Outside
Test (with windscreen) – 57KB
Driving
Test (without windscreen) – 79KB
I called Julie and her opinion was that the headset
"would sound great during part of [my] conversation and then would [she]
would hear wind noise or something that broke up [my] voice." During our
conversation I was indoors, walking outdoors, walking around while outside, and
then fumbling with trash cans that the garbage men had not replaced in their
bin. Julie felt that I sounded clearer without the attached windscreen, even
when outside.
So let’s look in the con column…the ezTalker has
a bulky style, funky earhook, non-secure fit, and an overall gargantuan size –
at least when compared to the AX2. So what are its redeeming qualities?
Obviously the biggest one would be the OLED display and all of the extra
features that are not available without the benefit of said display. The headset
is easy to operate, even when on the wearer’s ear. Voice quality is really good
while inside, decent outside, and fair in a noisy vehicle. I actually find it to
be more comfortable for wearing when sitting at my desk than the AX2, to the
point where I have forgotten it was on – that says a lot of a much larger and
heavier headset, don’t you think?
Will the
Tekkeon ET3000
ezTalker Digital Bluetooth Headset be your perfect headset? There’s only one
way to find out…order one and try it on.
The full
ezTalker
user guide may be viewed here; and
an FAQ may be
viewed here.
The
ezTalker Data Sheet may be viewed here, and
additional earhook/batteries may be purchased here.
