Review: Motorola H800 Slider

Posted by: ssschmidt on May 07 2008 - 690 views

By ssschmidt

Seems like only yesterday that if I wanted to not hold my phone, I’d have to dig out the old trusty wired headset. Not really a headset. More like ear-buds with a microphone. Plug it in, and cross my fingers that it wouldn’t come unplugged during a conversation. Remember those days?… In your car, the wire would get caught on your seatbelt?… Well, no longer an issue that Bluetooth was invented. Here’s my take on one.

Motorola Bluetooth® Headset H800 Black - 98797N

The following paragraph is from Motorola’s Web site.

The Motorola Bluetooth® Headset H800 perfectly combines fashion, form and function. The Motorola H800 is the first to offer the convenience of RapidConnect™ sliding technology, smoothly extending the headset to take calls at the touch of a button. Sleek and stylish with distinctive Black Licorice color and intricately etched designs, the Motorola Bluetooth® Headset H800 has an elevated speaker to deliver high-performance audio and superior call quality whether on a quick call or an extended conversation. The Bluetooth® Headset H800 has up to six hours of talk time or eight days of standby time, plus interchangeable ear hooks to assure a more secure fit.

In the box:

My unit was obtained on E-EbayEbay through one of the resellers there. The Blister pack contained the headset, 1 installed ear clip, travel charger, micro usb adaptor, and quick start guide.

First Impression:

The headset is very lightweight. Although larger than my last headsets (Much larger than the Jabra BT125, and slightly larger than Motorola H500), it is not cumbersome. It is very comfortable to wear.

The main difference in size between the H500 and the H800 is to accommodate the “slider” mechanism. This provides a quick way to both turn on, and turn off the headset.

A locking bar is provided to prevent the headset from extending inadvertently.

The volume controls are typical, being small silver push buttons on either side of the headset. Since the device can be configured to be worn on either ear by removing the earpiece, Motorola has given the ability to choose which button will be used to increase the volume. This is accomplished by holding down the button you wish to use as the “up” control, while extending the slider. This is a very nice touch.

Pairing: This was an extremely painless process. Unlike the H500 or Jabra BT125 which require you to hold down the power button to enable the pairing mode, when extending the slider for the first time, it automatically shifts to pairing mode as indicated by a solid blue ring around the trademark M. This will happen each time you extend the slider if the headset does not detect a previously paired device.

Above photo shows the unit plugged in.

Charging: The device uses a micro-usb connecter for charging. The package I received had an adaptor from Mini-Usb to Micro-usb, as well as a travel charger. It would have been nice to just use the standard Mini-usb, but at least with an adaptor, I would not have to carry an additional cord. The mini-usb plug is located on the back of the unit, where the earpiece swivel attaches to the headset. It has a provided rubber shield which must be lifted to attach the charger. I am not sure how long the little rubber piece will stay attached with frequent removal.

When initially plugged in, the device will show a red light around the “M” trademark, indicating charging is in progress. The light will change to yellow when the device is 80% charged, and then green when fully charged. The light does not go out when charging is complete.

Use: Once paired with the device, the headset can be powered up or down by moving the slider. When extending the slider by pressing the silver button on the side, you will hear an ascending tone. This will be followed by additional audio cues when the device connects itself. When closing the slider, descending tones indicate the unit is powering down.

When paired with my AT&T Tilt, a press of the silver button with the slider extended is followed by a tone (indicating the button has been pressed), then by the chirp my Tilt gives for me to speak the programmed voice tag I wish to dial, and finally the voice tag selected is played in the earpiece. For incoming calls, the device provides what I would describe as a standard ringing tone, not the individual ring tone that is set for the phone it is paired with.

INDICATOR LIGHTS With No Charger Plugged In	INDICATOR LIGHTS With the Charger Plugged In	AUDIO TONES
Three blue flashes - Powering on/off Steady blue - Pairing mode Rapid blue/purple flashes - Pairing successful Quick blue flash - Incoming/outgoing call Slow blue pulse - Connected (on a call) Slow blue flash - Standby (not on a call) Slow red flash - Idle (not connected to phone) Slow purple pulse - Connected call muted Quick red flash - Low battery Note: After 20 minutes on a call or of inactivity, the light stops flashing to conserve power, but the headset remains on.	Red - Charging Yellow - Charging 80% done Green - Charging complete	Ascending tone - Powering on Descending tone - Powering off Two ascending - Pairing successful/tones Initiate voice dial Ring tone - Incoming call Two short tones - when Volume at minimum or maximum High/low tones - Low battery repeated every 60 sec. No audio indications - Out of range / deteriorating quality Three ascending tones - Connected call/ Redial last number Three descending tones - Ended call Two rapid ascending tones - Mute enabled tones Two rapid descending tones - Mute disabled

Above table is from the quick start guide

Pricing: Buying the H800 directly from Motorola, the list price is $119.00. I purchased mine on E-EbayEbay for around $33.00 shipped.

Pros:

• Very lightweight & comfortable
• Clear transmissions (both caller & receiver)
• Easy on & off

Con’s:

• Proprietary Connecter (adaptor included).
• Cover for charging port might not last.
• Did not receive additional Ear clip mentioned in the quick start guide (could be related to the reseller on E-EbayEbay // Caveat Emptor//)

Conclusion: I am very happy with my purchase, and would recommend this headset.

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