dkozin's Full Review: Soyo FreeStylerâ„¢ 500 Bluetooth Headset
Although I already have a Bluetooth headset, I wanted to get another one. I use my existing Motorola HS815 headset while driving (I generally try not to talk on the phone when driving at all though). So the HS815 is stored in the car, but if I want to talk on the phone at home, another headset was needed.
Based on its price and features, I bough the Soyo Freestyler 500 bluetooth headset. My current phone is Motorola RAZR2 V8, but I have also used this headset with the Motorola RAZR V3. The headset cost me somewhere in the viscinity of $12.
What Is Soyo Freestyler 500?
The Soyo Freestyler 500 is a Bluetooth headset for Bluetooth 1.2 mobile phones or devices. It works up to 10 meters (30 feet) away from the phone with no wires. The headset fits over your ear with a earhook. You can also use a supplied wired hreadset while carrying the wireless unit in the pocket or elsewhere.
The talk time is rated at up to 4-6 hours with standby time up to 200 hours. The headset ships with a travel charger.
How It Works
After the headset arrived, I discovered that it came in a blister pack. I generally hate blister packs. The charger is a travel type and I charged the headset for about 6 hours prior to use. The jack on the headset it of circular design. Why can all manufacturers standardize on mini-USB or micro-USB?!
After the headset was charged, the bright red light on it went off. I paired the device with my phone according to manual. After that, the usage was easy. I mostly rely on voice dialing. Here is how it works (provided you recorded voice names on your phone already).
You push the button on the side of the headset and say the name of the person you are trying to call. The phone recognizes the name and you hear the name repeated in the headset and then the phone dials the number. You push the button on the headset to hang up when you are done.
You use the same button to turn the device on or off, hang up, dial a number or switch it to the pairing mode.
The headset is very comfortable and does not intrude into your ear. It also has volume control buttons that are quite effective. At the loudest setting, it is very loud.
One strange effect I discovered is when I adjust the volume on my phone (when this headset is in use), every time I start adjusting the volume, the volume becomes zero first.
Performance
The sound quality is relatively good, but a little muffled. I also found that the talk and standby times are impressive and close to the estimates. The range is amazing. I walked away from my phone a couple of times and went to the other room (about 20-25 feet away through the concrete wall) and it was still working.
But not all is great. The headset somehow takes forever to charge. Even after I charged it for 15 hours straight, the red light does not go off anymore. The headset is rather new (used for less than 3 months) so I assume it is just a defective sample (or defective internal battery).
Bottom Line
Despite my battery issues, it is a good headset overall for the price.
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