Big things do come in small packages

Last weekend a friend said "I'm going to Best Buy…wanna come along?" I've never been known for my willpower, so off I went. I started out looking at Macs, just to see what the big deal was, and quickly moved onto laptops. The umpc's were adorable, but the keyboards were way too cramped to be of much practical use. I was impressed with some of the new laptops – great size, great weight – I almost bought one on impulse, but it didn't have Bluetooth, so I moved on.

Since I was now thinking Bluetooth, that seemed the next logical stop. For some reason I was drawn to the selection from Jabra. I have been wanting a new small, in-ear Bluetooth headset for months, but haven't seen anything special. And that's when I saw the Jabra BT8040. Very tiny. So I picked up the box and started reading.

Holy moly, I'd hit the mother load! The first and only A2DP compliant single earbud Bluetooth earphone around, and I'd stumbled on it by accident. I love the idea of streaming music, but I don't necessarily want to be isolated from my surroundings. Needless to say, it took me about 40 seconds to decide which credit card to use and start making my way to the cashier.

I took it out of the box in the car (since I wasn't driving), and was delighted to discover it came charged. It practically paired itself with my Treo 800w! Since I knew it would still need a full charge when I got home, I went to look at the charger, and got another wonderful surprise: micro usb! That means that I can interchange the two cords that came with the 8040 and the two cords that came with my Treo 800w. The 8040 came with one fairly lengthy ac charger and a short 12 inch usb cord – perfect for laptop use.

The battery life is much better than other headsets I've tried in the past. The last few days I've left it on all day long, listening to music in the morning and afternoon, and listening to text message announcements in between. Considering it's not a stereo headset, the sound is exceptional for both voice and music. Nobody I've spoken to over it has even noticed I was using a headset/microphone. Interestingly enough, while people have complained (sometimes bitterly) about the Bluetooth volume on the Treo 800w – particularly when using voice commands – I've had fewer troubles hearing or being heard with the 8040 than any of the other 3 Bluetooth headsets I've tried with the 800w.

While I'm able to comfortably wear the 8040 all day, I must admit, I don't truly grok the earpiece design. It comes with a whole bag full of little ear gel replacements, and while the literature says they there are 3 sizes, they all look to be the same size, and they all have the funky little loop. It's tempting to use the loop for some function, like put it on a keychain, but I really don't want to test its sturdiness that way. I'd hate to lose the earbud and have nothing left on my keychain but the ear gel! The design is also unique in that there is no kind of ear hook. It fits into the ear, and it stays there. There are only 3 buttons, one to control your phone calls (answer, hang up, redial, etc.), volume up, and volume down. Then again, it's so small, you wouldn't want any more buttons on it anyway.

The 8040 has a few other nifty features – it can pair with up to 8 devices, two simultaneously. That means you can use it to listen to music on your computer, and still receive a phone call! When a call comes in, the 8040 lets you know, of course. The standard ringers on the Treo 800w play through the headset. While mp3 ringtones don't seem to translate so well, that may be a Treo issue, and have nothing to do with the 8040. Voice notifications come through just great.

I mostly like it because it's small, lightweight, fits comfortably in the ear for great volume, and it allows me to listen to podcasts while administering tests, and none of my students will ever have a clue. I think I'll be using this little gem for a long time to come.

If you don't feel like making the trip to your local Best Buy, you can get the Jabra BT8040 delivered right to your door from the Mobility Today store.