BlueAnt Wireless X3 micro (Black)

Summary: I was an early adopter of bluetooth and have been using Motorola and Nokia headsets for some time. I was constantly pairing and repairing devices, going to bluetooth menu's ...

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Summary: I was an early adopter of bluetooth and have been using Motorola and Nokia headsets for some time. I was constantly pairing and repairing devices, going to bluetooth menu's deleting searching etc...it all got too much until i came across my X3. Now bluetooth is a breeze.
If my work pda (imate JAMin) rings, i click the x3's button once and it answers the call...if my personal cell phone (LG Vx8300) rings, i click the x3 twice and it answers that...if i want to use VOIP (MSN Messenger or Skype) i click three times and it connects to my PC.
Device switching may seem a simple idea, but it has brought all my communication devices together.

Audio is clear and without the echo or dropouts that i experienced with other brands.

My big concern was that at night the LED lights flicker in my car...then, after reading the detailed manual i discovered i could switch the lights off.

Very happy...am now looking at the Stereo X5

Mandrix

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Summary: I think it's unbelievable that other bluetooth headsets, that cost at least twice as much, do not match up to the X3 Micro. The price had to have been ...

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Summary: I think it's unbelievable that other bluetooth headsets, that cost at least twice as much, do not match up to the X3 Micro. The price had to have been a slip-up on the part of the BlueAnt company. I've tried several popular models, and none of them even came close. Let me make this perfectly clear! I am in no way affiliated with the BlueAnt company. This is the greatest bluetooth I've ever seen and heard.

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Summary: I did a lot of research on bluetooth devices before deciding on the X3. Overall, I'm satisfied with the quality of the device. My only complaint is the fit. ...

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Summary: I did a lot of research on bluetooth devices before deciding on the X3. Overall, I'm satisfied with the quality of the device. My only complaint is the fit. The ear-hook helps, but the unit keeps popping out of my ear. The hook and the temple of my glasses get in the way of each other.

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Summary: I have spent a lot of time researching bluetooth headsets before finally purchasing the X3, so I'm writing this email in hopes of saving other people's time.

I

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Summary: I have spent a lot of time researching bluetooth headsets before finally purchasing the X3, so I'm writing this email in hopes of saving other people's time.

I have successfully paired the X3 with my Samsung a950, which is under Verizon's network. From what I have read, the a950 appears to only support Bluetooth Version 1.1, not 1.2, which the X3 supports. Also from what I have read, pairing of bluetooth headsets through version 1.2 gives much better clarity and performance than compared to version 1.1. That's just a little side note in case you were wondering. My review below will be based on version 1.1's performance.

Let me first talk about charging the headset. Out of the box, the X3 must be initially charged for 4 hours. However, it takes 90-120 minutes to fully charge after that, according to the manual (for me it takes approximately 90 minutes through the USB cable). I think the coolest feature of this product is that it comes with three different chargers that come included in the box. With them, you can charge your X3 using a computer (through USB), using a car charger, or using the more common wall charger. A word of caution however - the box only comes with one "USB to headset-plug" cable (about 8 inches long), which is required to charge your X3 by any of the three means mentioned. However, I personally like using my laptop (works on both mac and pc) to charge it.

Once the X3 was charged and ready to go, pairing it with my phone took less than 2 minutes. Just follow the few steps outlined in the manual for pairing.

There are two aspects of the X3's functionality that I would like to talk about: comfort and quality.

Comfort: The X3 comes with one gel/silicone cover and two standard foam ear buds. It also comes with two ear hooks, supposedly one for each ear, but they both look and feel the same to me. One thing to note here is that the ear hooks are quite rigid, there is no flexibility to them (but surprisingly that doesn't seem to affect it's comfort or function). I tried using the X3 with just the gel/silicone earbud (no ear hook) and, while the call volume was great, it didn't feel as snug as I wanted it to. However, using the X3 with both the gel ear bud and the ear hook made it feel very secure on my ear and comfortable enough to wear for extended periods of time. My personal preference, however, is to not use an ear hook, and I can do so comfortably and snugly by using the foam ear bud. To give you an idea of how snugly this fits: I could jump up and down while the ear hook is on, and the X3 stays in place. However, within a few jumps, the X3 without an ear hook would fall out of my ear. Also, one minor note to people who intend to wear their headset on their left ear, that would require positioning the headset such that the lettering: "Blue ant" would be upside down.

Quality: Simple - whether in my room, on the road, or just walking outside, the call quality (clarity and volume) are both great. I have not had any trouble hearing people as they speak, and no one complains about not being able to hear me. I've asked them specifically about it and most people said that there's not much difference, while one person did say that I sounded like I was a little distant, but not much. Everyone said that the quality was clear and audible. Unfortunately, I have not been able to test it in NYC traffic/commotion just yet, so I can't comment on that.

Style: Being a college student, the "look" of the headset is fairly important to me. I didn't want something that looked like it didn't belong on my face. The X3 is simple and professional looking with it's mainly black body (there are more "fruity" colors available to choose from if you'd like). And being about 2 inches long (or i should say 2 inches short) it does not cover up an entire half of my face like some other headsets might (like some Motorola models). The lights are also very "cool" as most bluetooth headsets are. You can get a better picture of what the X3 looks like at this site:

http://www.blueant.com.au/BAasset/flash/x3_micro_4.swf

Also, the buttons are very intuitive (functions are clearly described in the manual) and are big enough to press easily.

Bottom line: I bought mine for $45 (including shipping) from newegg.com. If you're looking for a good quality headset that is small but stylish, then I think at the very least you should give this headset a try (only if you can buy it for less than $50 - it's not worth it to pay more, in my opinion). I would honestly suggest everyone looking for such a headset to stop researching (I assume you're researching if your reading this review) and buy the X3 from a site online (since it's made by an Australian company, I don't think you'll find it in many stores) that has at least a 30 day return policy. If you don't like it (which I highly doubt will be the case), then you can return it and try something else. But my suggestion is: Buy it!

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Summary: So far this week i've been asked three times about my earpiece, and have sold them on it just by showing it. They laugh at their own huge piece ...

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Summary: So far this week i've been asked three times about my earpiece, and have sold them on it just by showing it. They laugh at their own huge piece on the side of their head.I use my Razr V3 phone and blackberry and have no issues. Blue Ant is my hero, I hated all the motorolas i looked at. X3 gives you the versatility to remove the ear clip, which i do, and just fit the earpiece snugly in your ear. There is also a neck lanyard to keep it close when its not. Blue Ant includes a shaped rubber ear piece cover,two foam earpads, the lanyard, two ear clips, and three chargers. all for under $50. great customer support. I'm so glad i reviewed before i bought one out of necessity at some overpriced, tech stockyard.

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Summary: This is 2nd bluetooth headset I've had in past 3 yrs and the BEST by far. I looked at several different brands/models b4 choosing the BlueAnt, and it ...

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Summary: This is 2nd bluetooth headset I've had in past 3 yrs and the BEST by far. I looked at several different brands/models b4 choosing the BlueAnt, and it was worth the time! This headset is a GREAT VALUE and I've yet to have anyone listening to my calls say anything negative about the clarity or volume. It works outside on windy days too!

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Summary: Pairing this headset with my Blackberry 7105t was very simple, and I am having no problems using it so far. It does not fall out of my ear, I can ...

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Summary: Pairing this headset with my Blackberry 7105t was very simple, and I am having no problems using it so far. It does not fall out of my ear, I can clearly understand the person I am talking to, and they can understand me. The multicolor LED(s) and the multifunction button makes operation of this bluetooth headset easy.

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Summary: The BlueAnt engineers have to be given some major kudos for their ingenuity on this one. They've really outdone themselves with the X3 package.

The package comes with the

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Summary: The BlueAnt engineers have to be given some major kudos for their ingenuity on this one. They've really outdone themselves with the X3 package.

The package comes with the headset unit itself, a gel earpiece cover, 2 foam speaker covers, an earhook, a lanyard, a USB charging cable, a wall charger and a car charger, the manual and a quick start guide. No need to buy extra accessories - the package is about as complete as it gets.

The X3 headset itself is fairly small - smaller than Motorola's HS500 and HS820. It's on par with the Samsung WEP200 size-wise. It's very light weight and once you've put it in your ear - even with the hook - it's almost like it's not there. Taking it off and putting it on is a fairly easy process.

After giving it the prerequisite 4 hour charge, powering the unit on and putting it into pairing mode is a simple process. The light show of three flashing blue and red LEDs tells you the unit is ready to be bonded. A quick search with the phone and it's ready to be paired.

Once paired with my Motorola A1200 Ming, I was off to make some phone calls. The calls were loud and clear even without the sound being cranked up all the way to the maximum - no doubt due to the fact that the ear gel cover funnels the sound directly into the ear canal. Even in a fairly noisy spot during a rain shower, people could hear me loud and clear with few requests to repeat myself.

One of the unique features of the X3 is the ability to link the device to 3 different devices at the same time without having to disconnect from the other devices first. Let's say you've got a business phone and you've got a personal cell and want to use Skype or another PC based VOIP phone - you can choose which of them to use - one at a time, of course. This can be confusing at first. The X3 has the usual set of keys - one multifunction button and the usual + and - volume buttons. Since the multifunction button switches the headset between device modes, you have to be careful with your button presses. A minor pain, but it's not too hard to learn how to operate the unit.

The only oddity I've found with the X3 - the lanyard seems to attach to the back end of the earhook. It doesn't seem like it might be the best spot to connect the it as the earhook is removable.

Charging the unit is about as versatile as it gets. You can plug it into a USB port on your laptop or computer or you can plug it into the wall charger unit or you can plug it into the cigarette lighter unit in your car, boat or RV. The USB cable is quite interesting and unique as well. Instead of the usual plastic coated bundle of wires, you get a foot long rigid, yet flexible steel cable that can be gently bent (within reason) in any general direction. Note: Cat owners might not want to plug this into the front of their computers as kitty might think you got them a new toy. This USB cable makes charging the X3 so flexible. The cable is used by itself or plugs into the wall or car charger. The only downside with this - you have to keep the USB cable with you should you want to charge the headset on the go.

Battery life seems fairly good as well. The specs say you should get 7 hours of talk time and 180 hours in standby time.

Overall, with it's two year warranty, the BlueAnt X3 is hard to beat - especially around the $40 mark. Comparable headsets at that price range don't come close to the same features, sound quality and accessories that BlueAnt packs in the box.

Given BlueAnt has only been around since 2003, they're still an up and coming company - not as well known as their competition, finding a retailer in your area who carries the BlueAnt line may take some doing. Fortunately, there are online retailers who carry them and ship pretty much anywhere.

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Summary: The great thing about the Blue Ant headset is what you get with it! You get a charger (wall and car), cord and USB cable that can all be used ...

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Summary: The great thing about the Blue Ant headset is what you get with it! You get a charger (wall and car), cord and USB cable that can all be used interchangeably. I previously bought a Motorola headset and did not get this. Not to mention that the call quality on that one was horrible.

I would highly recommend the blue ant. It is easy to use, has great call quality and works very well. I am very satisfied and will come back to purchase more from this company. They have great products.

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Summary: I loved my little buddy so much that I lost my first one had withdrawls and bought another one.

Summary: I loved my little buddy so much that I lost my first one had withdrawls and bought another one.