By Jeff Gottesman

I’m a fan of “Star Trek.” I start out by saying this because ever since Bluetooth Headsets appeared on the market I resisted the urge. Why? Something about people standing in elevators, walking down the street, waiting at curbs….and “talking” to nobody? You know….someone walks past you and says something. You say… “excuse me?”…thinking they were talking to you. But then you realize they’re just talking on the phone. Ever stand in an elevator and listen (and watch) several people having conversations with invisible correspondents at the other end? But the real reason I resisted is because people were turning into Borgs! That’s right…everyone was walking around with blinking blue technology plugged into their ears. Everyone was becoming part of one collective consciousness controlled by the telephone companies.

So yesterday, what arrives on my desk? The Cardo S-800 Bluetooth Headset for evaluation (www.cardosystems.com). Oh my gosh, how can I avoid this. I gingerly unpacked the device and was amazed at how small it was. The manual touted all these wonderful features like hot-dialing to three favorite numbers, auto-answer, callback, call reject, conference call, headset location buzzer, ability to swap between two mobile phones. The list went on and on. Everything a Borg could want…and more!

I’m from the old school. When I want to talk on a phone, I’m used to holding the phone in my hand. In my car I’ve struggled with my wired headset only to find that the wire gets caught in my clothes, caught in the steering wheel, falls out of my ear, and leaves me constantly looking for a place to clip the microphone. This is supposed to allow me to concentrate on my driving and not on my phone conversation? Not! I’ve just gotten used to holding that RF emitting device within millimeters of my brain so that I can talk to my girlfriend while I’m on the road and now I’m told that a Bluetooth Headset will put me out of all that misery and put my mind back on the road. OK…I’m listening.

I picked up the S-800 and plugged it into my ear completely expecting to suddenly be part of the collective hive. But instead, I found that the included earloop allowed me to place the earpiece comfortably into my ear. But then the real test…could I have a conversation with it?

First I had to briefly “pair” the device to my mobile phone handset. This involved turning on the Bluetooth function of my phone and allowing it to “find” the S-800. Once this was done and a password entered, I suddenly heard a beep in my ear and my phone said that the Bluetooth connection was made. I pressed the Control Button on the S-800 and uttered the words “call Judy.” I heard the confirmation tones and suddenly Judy’s phone was ringing, my cell phone was still in my pocket, and both hands were on the wheel! Judy answered and could hear me plain as day…even though I still have no idea where the microphone on the S-800 is located. Of course she was very disappointed that I had turned into a Borg, but I was able to hear her loud and clear…much better than with the loudspeaker function on my cell phone. At the end of the conversation, I just tapped the control button on the S-800 and the call was complete. Could it be this simple?

Next I tried tapping the S-800 Multi-Function-Wheel to see if it would really redial the last number…and it did! During the remaining 10 minutes of my drive, I returned two additional calls, called my parents, my brother, and another friend out of state. I tried many of the functions included in the s800 such as volume adjustment, calling back the last incoming caller, initiating and answering a call…all without touching my cell phone.

OK…I have to admit that the S-800 has revolutionized my telephone communications in the car. It’s so easy to pop the headset into my ear when I get behind the wheel, put my phone in the cup holder, and place & receive calls with the touch of a button on the headset. And, I can even turn off the blue flashing light so other Borgs won’t recognize me.

The Cardo S-800 Bluetooth Headset. Resistance is Futile!