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Bluetrek G2 Headset
Fri Jan 28, 2005 - 8:13 PM EST - By Douglas Morse
Table of Contents
> Overview Features Conclusion
Overview Note : The below review is for the G2 headset for the Treo 650. For another perspective on the headset, click here for a review of the model that ships with a Bluetooth dongle for the Treo 600.
I was very excited to set up my first Bluetooth-enabled device on my 650. Here was a cool feature of the Treo I had never used the ability to communicate wirelessly with various devices. The Bluetrek G2 has such a cool name: it sounds like a racing ski.
My only concern was that I was exposing my head to more radio waves of some sort. Between radio, television, short wave, cell phones, wif-fi and now Bluetooth I already feel like theres some mutant cellular growth in my brain. Maybe it accounts for my poor memory. No matter. One more wave added to the mix cant hurt that much I hope.
Setup
The manual, written in six different languages, is very clear. Neophyte that I am, I had no idea that the headset had a battery, let alone had to be charged and the first charge can take up to eight hours. There is an indicator light on the side of the headset that is purple when charging and blue when fully charged. (A red light means the battery is low).
According to the manual, subsequent charges take a bit less than two hours. There are other battery concerns you have to make sure you charge the battery only when it is low (the device is rated for 500 charging cycles) and you should not leave it charging for more than 24 hours. This conflicts with Palms recommendations for keeping a Bluetooth headset at full charge at all times.
I was extremely impressed with the physical form of the charger as well. It is very small and it is designed it to take up just a small amount of space on a standard power strip. When plugged into a power strip, the bulk of the charger is vertical rather than horizontal, allowing clearance on either side of the plug.
Bluetooth devices have to be paired so that they can communicate. Pairing is a relatively painless task. I imagine Im like most users who want to set their device up as fast as possible so we only skim the directions and start pressing buttons and pressing options as fast as we can.
When I settled down, and after only two short failed attempts, I paired the devices. The process is simple: click on the Bluetooth icon that is always present on the upper right hand corner of your Treo 650. This leads you to Bluetooths set up screen, where you can turn Bluetooth on (note that while on, Bluetooth uses more of the Treos battery). Switch the device to discoverable and then press setup devices. The next screen gives you the option to set up a wireless HotSync or Hands-free setupor to choose between already discovered devices by clicking on the Trusted Devices button. The Hands-free is the usual choice.
The Bluetrek G2 now is up to bat. Press and hold the talk button on the side of the earpiece for about 7 seconds. The indicator light will flash red and blue and then there is a passcode to enter into the phone. The passcode for all Bluetooth headsets is four zeros.
One caveat: you are not supposed to be near any Wi-Fi equipment when you perform this setup. I dont know about you, but my apartment is Wi-Fi all over. Im not sure if thats what caused my first attempts at pairing to go awry, but when I moved into the hall, things went a bit more smoothly.
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