Review: Griffin SmartTalk Bluetooth Headset

Griffin Technology, maker of all sorts of wonderful gadgetry accessories recently launched a high-end bluetooth headset to compete with some of industry's best (ie. Plantronic Discovery 925, Jawbone 1/2, etc...). With many States cracking down on hands-free driving law, lots of people are considering to pickup a solid bluetooth headset and Griffin's SmartTalk Bluetooth is definitely something worthy of consideration.

looked into a bluetooth headsets largely because I didn't want to be bDue of my obsession with smartphones w/ music-playback ability, I've neverothered with having to charge both of my phone and headset frequently due to the incremental battery drain while using bluetooth wireless. Until today, I've largely been using stereo headsets w/ mic like the V Moda Vibe II and Griffin's TuneBuds Mobile which as been working out great with minimal maintenances involved. My only other bluetooth headset for comparison purpose is the Official Sony PS3 Bluetooth headset.

Packaging: Griffin packed their SmartTalk Bluetooth headset with plenty of accessories. It comes with 2 ear clip sizes, 3 in-ear buds (I believe they are interoperable with Griffin TuneBuds Mobile), AC Charger with a relatively short cord, a "mini-USB" cable and a thick manual written in English, French and Spanish. The choice of mini-USB cable is interesting since it isn't the most popular by today's gadgetry definition. Most cameras and smartphones like G1 or BlackBerrys uses the slightly wider Micro-USB cable. The only thing I can think of to make the packaging better is if Griffin had tossed in a small pouch to keep the headset protected or store the extra components.

Design and Features: The SmartTalk Bluetooth itself is very compact and lightweight. It is well built and features in-ear design (which is something I generally prefer for a better fit as well as noise isolation). Griffin used two mics with capabilities to filter out ambient noises. With a total of 3 buttons (vol +/- and button), this little headset offers plenty of functions; call/end, reject calls, redail, voice command, call waiting, reject call waiting and must (very good if you use it for PS3). Of course you'd have to study up on the button commands to memorize all of its functions. One cool feature is the headset actually speaks to you via English or French to verify the function selected (ie. hello, phone call, pairing, etc...).

Real World Test: Griffin recommends new headset to be charged for a minimum of 2 hours. If the headset if fully charged the LED indicator should switch from red to blue. I charged it for about 4 hours and the LED was still red but I figured it was good enough so I begin using it. Pairing it to a device is very easy, in fact, it is one of the best bluetooth pairing experience I've had. Under normal room conditions, the headset performed like any other. I took it with me to lunch at a California Pizza Kitchen where the kitchen is exposed and they were playing some background music, the recipient claimed to be able to hear some ambient noise and hear my wife's voice who's sitting next to me. Its too hard to jump to conclusions based on one complaint so I took it up another notch. I went to a busy Starbucks inside the Short Hills Mall in Jersey. There, you can hear lots of ambient conversations and espresso machines cranking out some high DB steams nearby. I called a buddy up and asked how I sounded; he was impressed at how clear my vocal was and mentioned he can barely noticed the background noise. On my end, however, things are a little different. Because of the ambient noise being so loud, I actually had a hard time hearing the other party. I pressed the volume button up and sees it communicate with my iPhone pushing volume indicator all the way up. While I was able to maintain a conversation, I could use at least another level or two of amplification. I was surprised to see that the volume button merely controls the phone's output instead of it's own amplification. On a side note, I was surprised to note that the medium sized in-ear bud was too big for my ear canal hence failing to stay in position as well as blocking out noises; also the default larger ear clip is too big for me as well where if I were to bend down to pick something off the floor it would want to fall out. After getting home, I swapped out the ear bud to the smallest one as well as using the smaller ear clip and it held to my ear much better as well as blocking out the noise level. I can actually shake my head side-to-side while the headset stays planted firmly. It is very comfortable wearing it for extended time whereas my PS3 headset sometimes gives me a cramp.

Pros:
* Compact and good looking design with a grip load of accessories
* Noise filter technology works well in loud environments
* Full of features and functionality, love the in-ear design and how comfortable it is

Cons:
* Volume can be a little louder, also the volume buttons are hard differentiate while wearing
* Mini-USB jack instead of Micro-USB jack makes it less inter-operable with my existing cables
* Griffin should toss in a small pouch for storage protection

Conclusion: Griffin's entry into the high end Bluetooth headset market is very well done. As a non-bluetooth user myself, I was pretty happy with this headset's overall design and functionality. If you have a lot of Griffin accessories like the iTrip Auto or TuneBuds in the past, its nice to know that this headphone can share its accessories (ear bud size) and play well (charge over USB cig charger) together with them. At MSRP $99, this headset pegs right up there against the other big players of the industry and it definitely gives them a good run for the money. Big thanks to Andy C. and Evie S. at FortyThreePR for this story opportunity.

Please find a slideshow of the photos I've taken below or click here to view gallery.

Review: Griffin SmartTalk (New w/ Record Function)

With new iPods and iPhone now capable of voice recording, the folks at Griffin Technology revised their SmartTalk product to support it as well. I haven't done a review of this product in the past so I figured I bust it out for my readers over this weekend.

The SmartTalk, first and foremost is a mic solution. It does two things well: 1). For original iPhone and iPod Touch users, the plug from SmartTalk acts as an adaptor for people with tradition headphones (which can not fit into the recessed port). This caused a lot of problems since I really prefer using a Sony MDR-EX51 over the crappy standard iPod/iPhone headphones. This is very important to people who have invested in far more expensive alternatives. 2). It provides a microphone to, again, those with superior headsets and do not want to step down to the default iPhone headphones.

The SmartTalk has one more functionality that is to add a remote like feature; the smart design is that it is not bulky. With just one button, it uses different click patterns to control (one click is pause, two clicks is forward and three clicks is backward for track selection).

When I tested my old headphone with SmartTalk, the sound is nice and clear, no hissing or static can be heard. On a test call, I talked with very low volume and the recipent has no problem hearing me with clarity. The only challenge I have is cord management. Considering SmarTalk comes with roughly 3' of cord (which is made out of a linen like material, like the Tune Buds Mobile) plus my Sony headset adds another 3' making me walk with roughly 6' of cord which can be quite a handful. Although the external mic includes a clip, its still a lot of cords to mingle with especially around this time of the year with sweaters, coats, scarfs, beanie, etc... I think this product would be perfect for headsets that come in two pieces, ie. Sony MDR-EX71 series where you can detach a short headset and plug into SmartTalk for a good distance.

Griffin Brings Non-Bluetooth Alternative Headset Solutions

As I've mentioned from my other blog, WittyMarketing, the California driving law banning the use of handset while driving is starting to pickup some national attention. Mobile community is taking the initiative to make driving safer by producing more hands free solutions. Personally, I've never been a big fan of bluetooth headsets, largely because I find this solution more of a problem when it comes to draining my mobile phone and the need to keep it charged.

I've always preferred stereo headphones with built-in mic; most phones like the HTC 8525, Nokia N95 and iPhone usually comes with a set, quality, however is arguable. Griffin just announced two products that will help you in this area: 1). Griffin TuneBuds Mobile (not to be mixed with the standard TuneBuds), a pair of high quality headphones designed to fit better on your ears and offers an inline mic, 2). Griffin SmartTalk is a cool solution if you've already invested in a nice set of headphones. Its a simple inline mic and adaptor that lets you plug in your own headphones. Great for those that have invested in an expensive pair of Bose or Shure headphones.

I will try to get my hands on both to provide a full-on review, stay tuned!

Tip: Generally speaking, a headset with built-in mic would have a third black ring on the male plug, see both images above!!!