My DigitalZone

I must admit…. I like electronic gadgets. I usually buy new and hot stuff relatively early, especially when it comes to music- or video-related goods. I am not as crazy as those who spend hours and hours in front of a store to get hold of a new product. But I usually buy a new product before its second generation comes out.

For some reason, Bluetooth headsets did not interest me. Well, that is… until recently. I’ve been doing Christmas shopping and noticed that the prices of Bluetooth headsets have come down a lot. I am feeling tempted. So, I started to do some research.

The two main advantages of Bluetooth headsets are:

1. Wireless — frees up hands
   Obviously, not having to use a hand to hold the phone is very, very convenient, especially while driving. Even when you are doing a grocery shopping and calling home to ask your family members about what they want from the store, your hands are free to push the shopping cart or to examine some products. I can see some benefits in this regard.
2. Affordable
   As I noted above, Bluetooth headsets are affordable now. You can find some cheap one for less than $20.00. However, people I spoke with and a lot of online reviewers said the sound quality for cheap units are not as good. You get what you pay for. One person told me that $50.00 is his threshold. Anything above should be decent, according to an IT person who uses Bluetooth at work.

Well, then the question is:”Do I Need IT?”
Probably not. At my work, I sit in front of a computer almost all day with a headphone on to shut out noises and listen to the music. I don’t move around. I don’t get too many work-related phone calls anyway.

My commute time is very short. It’s only a 10 min. drive one way. I do, however, drive 40 min. one way every week for some extra curricular activity. I use a corded headphone I bought along with my new cell phone, LG enV3, so I have a device that let me do hands-free driving while on the road.

My next question to me has an obvious answer. Do I Want IT? Yes, I do. Very much.

What I’ve decided to do, since I cannot decide to buy it now or not, is to buy one as a Christmas present and see how my recipient likes it or not. In other word, I’ll use her as my guinea pig.

Based on my budget (between $50 to $70) and my research, models I am considering buying are the following.

• Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Headset
  
  • From CompUSA ($49.99)
  • From TigerDirct ($49.99)
  • From Amazon.com ($49.99)
• Jabra BT 530
  
  • From ComUSA ($54.99)
  • From TigerDirect ($54.99)
  • From Amazon ($37.95)