Review of the BlueAnt V1 Bluetooth Headset with voice control

BlueAnt V1

BlueAnt V1

BlueAnt V1

Blueant V1
Weight	10g (0.35oz)
Body Size	41mm x 17.5.mm x 11mm (1.6" x 0.7" x 0.4")
Talk Time(1)	5:00
Ear Loop	Over Ear, 2
Left/Right Ear?	Both
LEDs	1, Blue and Red
Pairings	8
Headset Sound	Good
Mic Sound	Excellent, voice isolation spot on
Included Accessories	1 transparent ear loop, 1 rubberized chrome ear hook, 2 ear bud covers, 2 Comply foam tips, an AC power adaptor, USB adapter, USB charging cable, USB car charger

The first thing one notices about the Blueant V1 is its resemblance to its sibling, the Z9. Sporting almost identical measurements and shape on the outside, the V1 also offers some similar traits internally, including dual microphones and voice isolation technology. With the V1, BlueAnt has taken it one step further and added Sensory's BlueGenie voice interface, which provides voice recognition for functions such as calling voice mail with a simple verbal command. BlueAnt was awarded the Best Cell Phone Accessory award by Laptop Magazine for the Best of CTIA 2008. Join us to see if the V1 lives up to its expectations.

The 41mm x 17.5.mm x 11mm (1.5" x 0.7" x 0.4") body of the V1 is covered in a glossy striped silver plastic on front and a matte black plastic on its back and edges. The rectangular body of the V1 is exactly the same as that of its brother the Z9, including the shirt clip attached to the back. Weighing a mere 10g (0.35oz) and featuring just 3 flush mounted buttons, the Z9 has a very simple but slightly unrefined look. The multi-function button, also known as the BlueAnt button (BAB), is square in shape and located towards the top center of the headset. The BAB was easily found when in use and provided great tactile feedback when pressed. Volume controls are found on the edge of the V1 and are easily located by the raised + and - markings.

The V1 uses a rechargeable 3.7V Lithium Polymer battery that delivers up to 5 hours of talk time or 8.3 days (200 hours) of standby time. Accessories that accompany the V1 headset include 1 transparent ear hook, 1 rubberized chrome ear hook, 2 ear bud covers, 2 Comply foam tips, an AC power adaptor, USB car charger, USB adapter, and USB gooseneck charging cable. Likely because of space requirements, BlueAnt offers its proprietary connector instead of using the increasingly common micro-USB connector. The provided rubber ear pieces fit snugly outside of the ear canal rather well with no need for the provided ear hooks. I was able to easily go up and down stairs without the headset tumbling out and wore it for extended periods of time without any ear fatigue. The Comply foam tips, similar to the foam used in regular ear plugs, expand to conform to the user's canal. I found them to obscure outside noise a bit too much, and I also must have cavernous ears as they were not as secure as I had hoped.

The V1 takes a minimum of 2 hours to charge before its initial use and I highly recommend this as once you are ready to tackle its voice control system you may need some time to get acclimated to its voice system. As the V1's documentation says to expect a learning curve, and I do believe most will find that there is bit of a hill to climb, but luckily BlueAnt throws in a cheat sheet to make things a bit easier. For those having a hard time with the V1, BlueAnt offers an 800 service to help ease the pain. Once the battery is charged just hold down the BAB for a few seconds to turn on the headset to let the fun begin. To stay of on top of the latest updates, BlueAnt offers free firmware upgrades for the V1 through its website.

The most touted feature of the BlueAnt V1 is Sensory's BlueGenie voice interface. Unlike most headsets that offer a voice dialing feature, the V1's voice control is actually handled in the headset instead of relying on the phones's voice dialing or voice tags. Simple voice commands to answer a call, check battery status, or call home are simple to achieve, but it is worth mentioning that before these commands can go into action the user must press the V1's BAB multifunction button to tell the headset to start listening. Additionally, the V1 is unable to handle direct digit dialing but does offer users the option to create speed dials for the most used numbers or revert back to their phone's voice dialing system, if available. BlueAnt provides up to 5 voice activated speed dials as well as shortcuts to call voicemail, home, office and Google's GOOG-411 service.