Review: Logitech's Mobile Freedom Bluetooth Headset

	Logitech Mobile Freedom
Weight	25.6
Body Size	90mm x 56mm
Talk Time(1)	6:55
Ear Loop	Adjustable
Left/Right Ear?	Both
LEDs	1, multicolor
Pairings	Multiple
Headset Sound	Full, loud
Mic Sound	Below average
Link	BUY HERE
Talk Test	MP3
Noise Test	MP3
Wind Test	MP3
Included Accessories	Charger
Pros	Big speaker, volume, great range
Cons	Noise/crackling, outbound sound quality
1) hh:mm. Music was piped continually through the headset in both directions, for a worse-case scenario

Logitech is a name known by most anybody that has spent any significant time around personal computers. But not everybody knows that they make a lot of other products, including Bluetooth Headsets. The fine Logitech Mobile Freedom HS02 headset is a good example.

The Mobile Freedom tries to differentiate itself from all of the other Bluetooth headsets on the market by offering both Bluetooth v1.2 support and a very large, 2cm diameter ear speaker. The Bluetooth v1.2 support should reduce connection times and power consumption when used with a another Bluetooth v1.2 device, in addition to making use of v1.2's frequency hopping technology to help avoid interference from other 2.4Ghz devices - such as WiFi networks and some cordless phones.

Sound and Fit

While I didn't witness anything tangible that I could attribute to the Bluetooth v1.2 support, the difference made by the inclusion of a 2cm speaker was quite obvious. The sound that the headset puts out is big, just like the speaker. It offers a pretty large frequency response and has a maximum volume level that is the way I like it - too loud. Always better to have more volume than you typically need for those atypical situations.

While the large diameter speaker and its foam pad make for a nice platform for resting comfortably on your ear, it seems to also have an impact on how far the headset sticks out from the wearer's head. The Mobile Freedom's overall dimensions are quite similar to that of a Sony Ericsson HBH-60/600/660, but it feels and looks much larger since the headset body doesn't rest on your head, but sticks out a bit like a dark gray, forward pointing horn.

This isn't really a problem from a practical viewpoint, but it does make the Mobile Freedom much more obvious to the people around you than many other headsets. The stares from the people around you might bother you, but at least the headset likely won't. The previously mentioned pad over the speaker is quite comfortable, and the ear loop is very adjustable. The ear loop flips and rotates around the speaker to give a very customizable fit. There are plenty of ways that the Mobile Freedom fit that will not be comfortable, but once you find the sweet spot for your particular head, I think you will be quite satisfied with the results - regardless of whether you wear the headset on your right or left ear. The ear loop is also thin enough to probably work fine with most eyeglasses.

I mentioned that the sound generated by the headset's speaker was good, and it is. The sound that the microphone generated for the remote caller, however, was a bit of a mixed bag. The Mobile Freedom did reasonably well in our wind tests, but had a tendency to generate a lot of clicks and pops while connected to a phone or PC. The volume also seemed a bit low for remote callers, and our resident headset expert "Mom" commented that she heard a lot of hissing noise when the Mobile Freedom was used with both of our test handsets: a Siemens SK65 and a Motorola V710. She also disliked the overall sound and gave it a less than average rating of 4 out of 10 for overall sound quality. We both agree that the sound is perfectly clear enough to be used and understood, though. It just doesn't perform as well as most of the other headsets we have tested in recent months.

 

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