Motorola H17

Motorola continues its trend of making tiny Bluetooth headsets with the Motorola H17. As a successor to the H15 and the H12, Motorola touts the H17 as one if its smallest headsets yet. The reason it can be so small is because it has a flip-switch boom mic that can be folded into a more compact shape when not in use. The H17 boasts Motorola's CrystalTalk noise-canceling technology as well as voice prompts that let you know if the call is muted or if the battery is low. The H17 is overall a decent headset with a number of cool features, and it's available for $79.99.

The Motorola H17 is indeed one of the smallest headsets we've tried. It measures 1.65 inches long by 0.67 inch wide by 0.39 inch thick, and it has an oval shape that is slim, small, and very lightweight. On the front of it is a large oval multifunction call button, which is easy enough to press, even when the headset is worn on the ear. On the right spine is a very skinny volume rocker with an LED indicator in the middle of it. Though it is raised above the surface, we did find the rocker a bit too skinny for our tastes. The charger jack is on top of the headset.

When you turn the headset over, you'll find a slim folded boom mic underneath the earpiece. To turn the headset on, simply flip the boom mic out. This adds about half an inch to the length of the headset. Folding back the boom mic shuts everything off, which is really easy and good when you're in a hurry. Also, the Motorola H17 has a RapidConnect technology that automatically reconnects the headset to the last paired phone the second you flip open the boom mic.

The H17 comes with three different ear hooks with rubber rings that fit around the ear piece. The ear hooks are thin and flexible, and when outfitted with the rubber rings, the ear piece sits comfortably on the ear just outside the canal. There are also two optional in-ear-style cushions with loops that fit in the folds of the ear so you don't need an ear hook to wear them. We thought the ear hook option was more secure and comfortable, but it did take a longer time to put it on.

Features of the H17 include the typical answering, receiving, and ending calls, last number redial, call mute, voice dial support where available, and the ability to transfer calls from the headset to the phone and vice versa. It also has multipoint support, which means it can connect up to two devices at the same time. When there's an incoming call on one of the two phones, the headset will announce if the call is coming from Phone 1 or Phone 2; Phone 1 is the first connected phone, and Phone 2 is the second. You can place one call on hold if there's an incoming call on the other line as well. The H17 will also announce the battery level to you every time you power it on, and it'll tell you if call mute is enabled.

We paired the Motorola H17 Bluetooth headset with the Motorola Debut. The H17 goes into pairing mode automatically when it's first powered on, and we didn't even need a PIN to pair the two devices. We were pleased overall with the call quality. We made calls from a variety of locations, including a quiet conference room and a noisier city sidewalk. We heard our callers just fine in all situations. There was a bit of static at times, but nothing that was too distracting.

On their end, callers said call quality was good most of the time, especially in quieter situations. Our voice sounded natural without a lot of distortion. In noisier situations, like on a city sidewalk or in a busy restaurant, they heard more static and even clicking at times. Still, we could hear each other just fine for the most part. The H17 even did well in moderately windy conditions (up to 5 mph, according to Motorola), though it didn't block out the wind noise completely and voice quality did suffer a little. Overall, the H17 did a good job blocking out extraneous.

The Motorola H17 has a rated talk time of up to 5 hours and a standby time of up to seven days. It has a quick-charge feature that only takes 15 minutes to charge it up for 2 hours of talk time.

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