$40 to Freedom
Aug 25 '99
If the rock band Sublime can sing about 40oz to Freedom, then I can take a moment to tell you about the hands-free ear piece and mic that I bought for my Nokia phone; it's truly $40 to freedom.
Anyone with a cell phone knows the scenario: you love your phone and you get great reception, but the darn thing simply isn't that comfortable -- you have to hold it pinned against your ear for long conversations, and it's a real pain to hold while driving or while trying to multitask. What's more, if you listen to any of the warnings about cell phone radiation, you have that sinking feeling in your stomach (and that hot feeling in your head) every time you talk on your cell phone.
The hands-free headsets have come to the rescue. Slip the speaker into your ear, clip the mic to your collar, and you're ready to talk. You'll be amazed at how much more willing you'll be to talk on the phone now that your hands are free to steer the car. It's actually more than just free hands; it's a free mentality that you have as you cruise down the road and talk into your little mic. Almost all new cell phones come with jacks for the hands-free units, and there's no extra drain on your battery.
Before I got the hands-free unit, I worried that it would diminish the quality of sound/speech on my cell phone. Now I know that there was no need for my worry. The hands-free unit gives me better (yes, better) sound than my Nokia 6160, and other parties have not been able to notice any difference between when I'm talking on the regular phone and when I'm talking on the hands-free unit.
It's also fairly comfortable. I often wear it throughout my drive, so that I don't have to fumble to put it in my ear every time I want to make a call. To be honest, though, the plastic ear piece begins to hurt after about 60 minutes of use.
Perhaps the best part of wearing the ear piece is that you don't have to worry about cell phone radiation. Whether or not it's psychological, I always get a headache if I'm holding my cell phone next to my head for more than 2 minutes. So I like the peace of mind that comes from having a radiation-free ear piece.
Before encouraging everyone to go out and buy these, I'll point out the main drawbacks that I've found. If you can live with these trade-offs (and I certainly believe you can!), then I strongly recommend a hands-free unit for anyone who talks a lot in the car or in other situations where you need to use both hands.
Drawbacks:
* You can't use the unit if you have the window rolled down. The mic is not shielded from background noise, so the wind disturbs the call
* The ear piece hurts after about 60 minutes of use
* It's fragile -- you have to be very careful so that the piece that plugs into the phone unit doesn't break
All in all, I heartily recommend a hands-free unit for your cell phone. My advice is to pay the extra money and get one that is made by the manufacturer of your phone. There are a ton of generic knock-offs that sell for 1/2 the price, but they have no guarantee (as opposed to a 3-year unconditional for the Nokia) and they are known to be flimsy.
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Epinions.com ID:
tom
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Member: Tom Fallows
Location: San Francisco, CA
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 150 members
About Me:
Check out:
http://www.drivespeed.com
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