Bluetooth headsets with LCD screens are not new but they're certainly rare. That's why we were intrigued when we saw the Jabra BT4010, which has a small LCD on the front. Unfortunately, that's about the only positive thing we have to say about the BT4010. The fit is not comfortable, and the sound quality is pretty bad. We would definitely look elsewhere for a Bluetooth headset.
Measuring 48mm long by 18mm wide by 12.5mm thick, the Jabra BT4010 has a dull and blocky all-black design and looks very much like a typical headset. The front is clad in a soft touch plastic, with the LCD screen in the middle. On top of the LCD screen is the multifunction call button, and the volume rocker is on the right spine. Both are sufficiently raised above the surface of the headset, making it easy to find by feel.
The LCD shows three icons — a call icon, which lights up when you're on a call; the Bluetooth icon, which shows up when the headset is connected to a phone; and the battery icon, which is a battery status indicator. It was nice to see these visual cues, though we also wished the LCD could have been used for other things like caller ID as well.
On the back of the headset is a rather large circular earpiece clad in a hard rubber material. Because of the shape and size of the earpiece, it felt quite uncomfortable when wedged in the ear. And even after we pushed it in, the headset had the tendency to fall out. We ended up needing the provided plastic ear hooks for added security, but they didn't add to the headset's comfort. You're unfortunately stuck with the large earpiece cover too, as there are no other ear bud covers.
We paired the Jabra BT4010 with the Apple iPhone 3G. We have to say that the call quality is abysmal. On our end, we could hear our callers quite clearly, but not the other way round. Callers could hardly hear us. They said there was a lot of background static and our voice sounded muffled and crackly. This was all in a quiet office environment, too — it got much worse when we went outside.
Features of the Jabra BT4010 include the usual answering, ending and rejecting calls; last number redial; voice-dialling support; and the capability to transfer a call from the headset to the phone and vice versa. It has a rated battery life of six hours talk time and 6.25 days of standby.
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