Never mind with all the busy shopping before, after and during the Black Friday madness. When Maryland legislation (SB321) quietly went into effect in October banning cell phone use while driving without a hands-free device, I went shopping early. I soon found that the Bluetooth headsets were cheaper than the $40 tickets for the first quirky offense and then $100 for subsequent offenses.
Sometimes luck and fate must mingle. I was visiting Costco and found a huge plain box display with Plantronics Bluetooth headsets. The headsets do not appear on the Costco website. The Costco item number is 546203 and the headset cost is $29.99 and the Plantronics label is Explorer 240. So I thought I was getting a good deal, bought the headset and found that it works really well with my iPhone. Audio quality is good and it's simple to operate.
In the course of me trying to get more information, my wife's Motorola headset stopped working. I deleted its profile from her phone and still could not get it to work. Discovery worked and that was it, just no audio or functionality. So another trip to Costco and I paid another $29.99. For thirty bucks I have no complaints. The Plantronics website offers first time pairing instructions for the Explorer Models 240, 242, 243, 245, 395. So at this writing I did a search on the web and found Wal-Mart advertising the Plantronics Model 242 for $19 but inventory shows out-of-stock for online orders. Several stores in my area did note inventory in stock when I used the online locator. Next, I decided to play.
Panasonic has long sported a feature of a Bluetooth headset module KX-NT307 for the IP phones: KX-NT343, KX-NT346 and KX-NT366 and I knew we had some on the shelf. The module is tiny and slides into a back panel concealed behind the phone display panel. Phones with these modules must have some degree of separation 9-10" or more according to the manual. If the modules/phones are too close, noise may be heard. I attempted pairing my Plantronics headset to the IP phone and no luck. I de-installed the Bluetooth module and reinstalled still without success.
Later, I borrowed my wife’s seemingly dead Motorola Bluetooth headset and instant success in pairing. Then, I revisited her Samsung cell phone programming and discovered there are two entries for each Bluetooth device and then deleted the remaining old entry for her old headset.
Next, I attempted to pair my Plantronics headset to the Pansonic IP phone again. The pairing seemed to work until I powered down the Plantronics and attempted to re-pair the Motorola headset. Using station programming (through the phone) I deleted both Bluetooth entries. Next, I was able to pair my Plantronics immediately to the Panasonic IP phone and then depressed the Headset Mode (OFF) button on the IP Phone. Returned to my desk and enabled Bluetooth on my iPhone and then discovered the Plantronics headset.
The deficiency I think is that not all Bluetooth devices are easily managed and used between devices. Then, because my wife's original Motorola headset documentation was missing and because I had to play to test my theories, I think that Bluetooth is another snaggletooth. My testing was motivated by whether or not I want an IP phone on my desk because the benefit is using the Bluetooth module but the clumsiness of switching/discovering between devices and ensuring that one or more devices are deactivated just wasn't worth the bother. Back when Sorell Slaymaker wrote, How Many Phones Do You Use?, he inspired me to think about how many devices I use in the office, at home and on the road and that it would be convenient to use one Bluetooth headset with ease between any device at any time. When I tested Bluetooth with the IP Phone it was in the pump room away from my office. I wonder what would have happened if during discovery at my desk instead, with my Mac desktop and Windows running in the background--whether or not the screen pops for "Discovering a new Bluetooth device" message would pop up? Then, how would it fare using my softphone client on my virtual Windows? Switching between calls on different devices isn't even practical.
In short, I think that Bluetooth lacks on user experience for those that desire to use one Bluetooth headset with many devices during the day. It works but it's too much trouble and potential land mines exist for the users in the process of pairing. Finding a decent Bluetooth headset under $30 I thought was pretty cool but then having the disappointing experience only puts me at ease with being able to relate to user frustration. A single improvement to the Bluetooth wave would be the pairing process so users can move between devices freely without all the hassles and concerns. It's still the holiday season and I’m kicking back for stollen and eggnog.
