SouthWing SH310 Bluetooth Headset - A Somewhat Helpful Device
Written: Jul 20 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Earbud or ear hook options; long talk/standby times; comfortable; lightweight; functional; price; warranty
Cons: Poor range; barely adequate mic and speaker sound quality; confusing button combinations to access features
The Bottom Line: For those who do not expect perfection, the SH310 should suffice. If you field phone calls with a headset on every waking moment, this product is not for you.
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| pogomom's Full Review: SouthWing Bluetooth Headset SH310 |
Cingular/ATT Wireless began offering SouthWing products just in time for the holiday season in 2006. After a disappointing experience with my Motorola HS850, a highly touted “new and improved” Bluetooth headset, I decided to go for a less expensive model. I expected less than stellar sound quality and fewer features when jumping from Motorola’s $99.00 headset to the SouthWing priced at $39.95. In that sense, the cheaper version more than met my expectations. In truth, with my $25.00 Foundation Account discount applied, the damage to my wallet ended up a measly $14.95 per headset.
A girl can dream…
Learning from my short time using other Bluetooth headsets, I knew the features I wanted and what design flaws would make my next headset just as user unfriendly as the HS850. My short list of requirements included:
- An earbud rather than the usual rubbery loop wrapped around my ear.
- A smaller than usual design that allows me to talk without others hearing the microphone rub against my cheek.
- A basic, lightweight headset with noise reduction capability.
The SH310 met my three minimum requirements at a remarkably low price; I should have expanded the list to include good sound and microphone quality.
WYSIWYG
The clear plastic bubble pack contains the SH310 Bluetooth headset (tipping the scales at 11 grams), power charger, a quick start guide and a lengthier tutorial including a trouble-shooting guide. The dreaded ear hook arrives installed but easily detaches from a swiveling post that serves as a spacer giving just enough leeway between the phone and ear to remove any possibility of rubbing when using the ear bud.
SouthWing packages the SH310 with three faceplates. The unit arrived in my hands with a charcoal gray plate installed, ready to swap with the nail polish pink and lighter gray plates. Swapping the faceplates involves a light tug on the tip to remove the current one and snapping another in place. The faceplates serve as windscreens, minimizing distorted sounds when using the headset outdoors.
Cingular/ATT, not SouthWing, offers a one-year limited warranty on this headset.
If you can’t say something nice, come and sit by me…
Most Bluetooth headsets claim a maximum range of ten meters or approximately thirty feet. Earlier and more expensive versions of this technology seem to meet or come close to that standard but the range of the SouthWing is closer to ten feet at the point where calls drop, the pairing disconnects or sound quality disintegrates into a garbled mess.
Maintaining the optimal distance for better call quality means moving no more than three feet from my cell phone and staying there; a foot closer and static becomes uncomfortable – a foot or two beyond three feet and the person I’m speaking with starts letting me know the call is breaking-up. Place the paired cell phone in your pocket and the headset in your ear and voila, extreme static attacks both parties.
Originally, I felt those problems might have had more to do with my Sony-Ericsson z525a, a glitch-ridden cell phone to say the least, than the limitations of the SH310. When the z525a’s display went blank, I happily replaced it with a Champagne Gold MotoKRZR K1. The new phone resolved no problems, the SouthWing has no oomph as far as range, microphone strength and ability to filter peripheral noise.
In a case of overkill, the number of functions dedicated to each button borders on ridiculous. The power button doubles as the pairing button, once the initial pairing has taken place. The one larger plastic button framed by a green LED light on the front of the unit (the Push 4™button) accepts and rejects calls. It also redials, accesses voice commands and dialing, checks the headset’s battery level, dials Cingular/ATT’s *8 Information Service and tests the water for hazardous chemicals. (Sorry, dear reader, just checking to see if you are still there.) The rubber buttons on the sides of the headset adjust the volume in basic mode.
If you need more, simultaneously pressing the Push 4™button and volume up button will change the menu of functions from Main (basic) to Extended mode. The advanced menu includes the Main menu’s original thirteen functions and adds another eleven that come to life by pressing combinations of buttons.
Extended mode gives the ability to mute and reactivate the microphone, transfer calls to and from the phone, redial the last number, check the headset’s battery level, turn on or off auto-answer and select ring tones from the phone’s menu. In theory, it is great to have many of those functions available. In fact, remembering the various combinations of buttons to push in order to access those features is beyond me.
Not a total loss…
While bashing the SH310, I should note the headset’s positive points. I purchased this phone primarily to use when driving (not a good practice) and for those times when using a corded headset was inconvenient. The SouthWing shines when used within the confines of my car, the sound quality is good and the people on the other end of the call have yet to complain.
SouthWing claims this device affords seven hours of talk time and 340 hours in standby mode. On this point, I must say the headset surpasses those numbers. After the initial seasoning charge, I thought my not having to charge the phone for several weeks was a fluke. I let the battery run down, fully recharged it and again the phone surpassed the times quoted by the manufacturer. Eight months of use later and both talk and standby times continue to go beyond the manufacturer’s claims.
Once charged, following the instructions for pairing the unit with other Bluetooth devices requires no sharp learning curve or techno-savvy skills. For error free pairing, make sure the headset is fully charged, a low battery assures failure. The pairing process involves turning on the headset, running a search from a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone or other device to detect the headset, clicking on the SouthWing SH310 listing on the phone or device and typing in the included pin number. After the first pairing, the device should recognize the headset until you choose to delete or disable the connection in your phone’s settings.
This headset’s auto-answer capability works seamlessly with both the z525a and my KRZR. When an incoming call rings, saying “Answer” or “Busy” retrieves the call or sends it to voice mail. As with most voice recognition features, this requires storing those commands in the phone’s memory and using the headset with an auto-answer/voice command capable cell phone.
The SH310 also utilizes the paired phone’s built-in voice-dial and command capabilities. Using it with the z525a, briefly pushing the main multi-function button and saying the name of a contact in my phone book dialed that number. Paired with the KRZR, the headset lets me access all of the available commands including voice dialing by name or number, looking-up contacts by name and checking the battery level and network signal.
And in conclusion…
A scene from “First Wives Club” keeps playing through my mind as I write this long overdue review. The Sarah Jessica Parker character, an anorexic mistress dressed in an evening gown, butchers her lines during a filming of her married boyfriend’s commercial. She repeatedly messes up what should be a simple delivery by stating the store carries low quality, high priced products. In the case of this SouthWing SH 310 Bluetooth Headset, I correctly and quite confidently state this is a low priced, fair to middling quality product.
For those who want limited Bluetooth capability and those not expecting perfection, the SH310 should suffice. If you spend your day fielding phone calls with a headset on every waking moment, this product is not for you.
Recommended:
No
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