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GlobalSat Wireless Entertainment Package

So I decided to get it! If it was going to give me that much desired Bluetooth functionality for listening to my music files via Bluetooth on my 1950, it was worth getting and if it works on all the other devices I have, then this is going to be an invaluable tool for my arsenal!

So the package finally came and I was impressed when I opened it up. There were two devices inside, a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter was a round device, a little larger than a silver dollar and about 3+ times as thick. It was made from a transparent orange colored plastic and had a chrome disk on the top. The bottom had a silver grey disk that a short cord (about 3 inches) wrapped around and neatly attached in the center of the disk. You plug this cord into the phone-out connector on your devices.

There was an on/off button located on this silver disk and on the side of the transmitter there was a rubber plug concealing a mini USB port for charging. Overall, I really liked the design of the transmitter---very modern and slick looking.



The receiver is a rectangular shaped device with two rounded corners diagonally opposite each other. It reminded me of a Bluetooth headset in its shape and size. It was a white plastic with an accent color on a long and a short side matching the orange plastic on the transmitter. On the front side, there is a four way control for volume and track changes as well as a center button for play/pause during playback. The back has a clip for attaching to your shirt or pants and it has a switch to lock the buttons.

The top edge has an earphone plug and a mic input for use with a phone. The top side has the on/off switch and the bottom side has a rubber plug covering a mini USB charge port. Nicely designed…I hope it works as well as it looks!

A set of stereo ear-plugs came in the package but I think I am going to try this with a nice pair of Panasonic wired headphones that I have. They have great quality and I definitely wanted a great listening experience.

I decided to give the two pieces a charge before I used then. There is a neat USB to mini-USB cable that came with the package. The min-USB end actually had a dual mini’s so you can charge both devices at the same time. I plugged in the devices, went for a cup of coffee and when I returned, the charging lights were off and they were good to go.



So how does it work?

A simple set of directions came printed on the package. To pair the two devices together, press and hold the on/off switch on the transmitter for about 3-5 seconds and then 2 LEDs will start to blink. Now, pressing the receiver’s on/off button, there was a blue light that appeared on the 4 way switch and quickly became a red/blue flashing light. It was almost an instantaneous connection with the flashing stopping and a blue light blinking on the receiver. The transmitter now had a single green LED flashing.

I attached the transmitter to my iPAQ, and started media player. As I plugged my headphones into the receiver, I could hear the music playing before it was on my head. And the sound? Crystal clear and plenty of volume! I was ecstatic! My 1950 was now transmitting sound wirelessly and it was excellent quality!

So for the next two hours I was listening to music, bobbing my head, just enjoying life, my music and surfing the net…..what else is there in life? (only kidding)

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Post your comments
Actually, it is a headset so the review is not misleading at all. The control unit has a microphone built into it. When you get a call, you speak into the control unit and listen with your headphones.
True, there are wires from the unit but you get to use any set of headphones you desire (might need a plug adapter depending on your connector). I have a really nice pair of ear buds that I can use with this. A minor benefit with the earbuds is that I can just use one ear while driving. With full size headphones, they are not practical to use while driving as most states prohibit headphones in the car.

The Jabra and Motorola bluetooth headphones I tried sounded awful when listening to music. So I guess it is a tradeoff. Also, my earbuds are tiny and even with wires the bundle is very compact compared to the full size bluetooth headsets.

So yes, there are some wires going from the control unit to the earphones but that is a tradeoff some people are willing to make since they get to use their own headphones.
The BuyGPSNow description is kind of misleading. They claim the BTH-820 is a "Bluetooth headset", but it's not. It's a receiver that you can plug a real headset into. True Bluetooth stereo headsets usually cost $100 or more alone.

Yes, the package includes earbuds, but that means you still have a wire running somewhere. A true Bluetooth headset shouldn't have any wires.

Also, if you pair the BTH-820 with your iPAQ and a Bluetooth cell phone, will an incoming call automatically interrupt music playback and allow you to take the phone call? That's a critical feature, I think.

Steve

Silicon Valley Pocket PC
http://www.svpocketpc.com
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