The Purchase

After the recent phone upgrade to an Windows Mobile based XV6700, I decided that I needed to make the move from a wired headset to wireless. I had used wireless headsets (including bluetooth) before, but I had not done so with my own cell phone on a daily basis. Consequently, I went about the business of researching headsets, much like I had done with the phone. I had constraints however, because since I had purchased a new phone, I would receive a 25% discount on accessories... but that meant limiting my bluetooth headset choices to Jabra and Motorola products (that is all my carrier sells). I had chosen another headset already, but decided to take the more fiscally responsible route of taking the discount and assumed the options I had would at least be adequate. Again, I had modest requirements so as long as it worked I would be happy.

I did some research on both Jabra and Motorola products. I had used s few Jabra products in the past, and had not been overly impressed with them. In doing research, I also noted complaints about volume on Jabra headsets, so I decided to lean towards Motorola and headed for the store.

Once there, I engaged a sales associate about headsets and I was directed to the Motorola pieces... Long story longer, the Motorola HS850 was recommended. The foldable microphone, small size and reception guarantee were all nice pluses and I was assured that the reception was great. The sales person had the exact headset, guaranteed it would meet my calling needs and the 25% off was the icing on the cake. I felt as though I was getting a good deal on the top-of-the-line headset they carried.

Reality Check - Can You Repeat That?

I am going to cut to the chase and leave out the story of charging, pairing etc. and get to the meat of it. Accordingly, I am going to repeat my list of requirements and compare the Motorola HS850 against them:

1. Make and receive calls: Pass
   Yes, the HS850 does enable you to use it while making and receiving calls. This is the one requirement it consistently met. But then again, this is sort of a freebie isn't it? The only way to fail is to have a defective or non-compatible device.
2. Hear the call effectively: FAIL
   While the HS850 does provide a volume control, it was not adequate. Even when the volume is turned completely up, it is difficult to hear if there are any ambient sounds.
   
   Fearing that I perhaps had blasted my ear-holes with one too many MP3s, I had others test it and they had the same issue. Searching after the fact, I found others experiencing the same problem. Unless you are in a closed room, with little to no noise, no ambient sound like TV/ radio, the HS850 does not provide adequate volume. I believe this is partially due to the poor fitting quality of the device. This headset is not an in the ear design, so accordingly it sort of flops around and is separated from the ear... thus if you press it against your ear while talking the volume level is decent.. but this points to a design flaw. If the device is not in the ear, or somehow stays tight to the head then the ear speaker should be designed accordingly. The speaker Motorola put in is not loud enough to provide the sound needed, even at the highest volume.
3. Others can hear me clearly: FAIL
   This was one of the worst parts. It is one thing to have difficulty hearing others or having to press the headset against your ear while using it, but it is quite another to have others complaining and/ or not wanting to speak with you because the sound is so terrible. After spending around $100 US on a headset, the last thing you should expect or want is for people to not want to be on the phone with you while using the device. I had people telling me to call them back when I got to a land line, or to just use the phone itself. My wife eventually refused to talk to me while using the HS850 because we could not understand each other. The sound quality was particularly bad when walking, pacing, driving, sitting in a room with background sounds (TV, radio, fans) or generally doing anything other than sitting in a silent room and not moving- all of which defeats the purpose of being hands free.
   
   In particular, most people complained they could hear any and all background sounds/ noises but could not hear me. When I tried speaking to someone using the HS850 I had the same trouble... If in the car, I could practically hear the tires rolling, the wind outside (the windows were up), turn signals and any sound other than the person speaking. Each of those sounds would cut in and overpower the person doing the speaking, making the experience as frustrating as trying to talk with poor reception. This is not acceptable... and did in fact become more than annoying very quickly. The poor sound pickup quality of the HS850 essentially makes the device unusable.
4. Usable while driving: FAIL
   As noted above, the HS850 is not at all usable while driving. While on a call, any and all sounds seem to cut in over the users voice, essentially breaking up the calls into short bursts of frustration for people on the other end. The only time I found the Motorola HS850 to be adequate while in a vehicle was while being parked or at a complete stop, with no fans or any other sound around. Even so, I had people complain that it sounded like I was in a tunnel.
5. Home and Office Use: FAIL
   This is the area which seemed to almost work, some of the time. You read that right. If I had to pass another area, the HS850 could be used in a home or office, assuming you are able to sit with no background noise. Again, why would a person spend $100 for a headset that only works when sitting in a silent room? As I have repeatedly stated, the quality of the outgoing sound will be dependent upon background sounds. If there are sounds (even as little as a fan) it will be picked up and probably sound like you are in a wind tunnel. Additionally, if there are sounds you will also more than likely have to press the headset against your ear to be able to hear the other caller.Does that sound like something you want to do after buying a rather expensive bluetooth headset?

That sums up how the Motorola HS850 compared against my requirements but there are more aspects to the device. I want to stress again, I would have been happy with a headset that provided decent sound on both ends in reasonable conditions. I do not expect a headset work while in the wind, while people are honking, with the TV blaring or the windows of the car down... I do expect it to provide decent capabilities in reasonable conditions(much like the $20 Plantronics wired headset I own provides).

Overall, I think the Motorola HS850 suffers from a couple of major issues. First, the design is terrible given the current earpiece volume capabilities. Because the HS850 does not fit into the ear nor does it fit tightly against the head, a strong earpiece speaker is needed. Motorola did not do that... and the result is poor volume and thus poor experience.

The second major flaw relates to the terrible quality of the microphone system. When using a headset of any kind, the caller on the other end needs to hear you, not everything else other than you. Using the Motorola HS850 not only annoyed the callers on the other end, it caused them to not want to speak at all. That is not a selling point, nor is it something you would expect from a non-bargain bluetooth headset. The Motorola HS850 does a terrible job of filtering out ambient sounds, but also due to the fitting of the headset it tends to pick up the sound of the mic rubbing on the users cheek. While using the HS850, I had more than one person ask me what was going on because they heard a scraping sound which ended up being the microphone moving against my face. This wreaks of another design flaw relating to the microphone location. Perhaps the location has some link to the terrible microphone sound pickup quality, I do not know. What I do know is the Motorola HS850 provided me (and others I had use it) with a truly unacceptable and terrible experience.

Buyer Be Warned

In conclusion, buyer be warned. I cannot recommend the Motorola HS850 for any use and do not recommend purchasing it for any amount. The sound quality achieved is terrible, overall design is poor and value is non-existent. Unless you are receiving it for free, do not waste your time or money.

I have since replaced the Motorola HS850 with the Plantronics Discovery 640. I am planning on posting a review of that soon but will say I am not unhappy with it. As always, if you have any questions, comments or otherwise, post them here or email me.

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