Motorola H670

Almost identical in design to the H550 , the Motorola H670 is a Bluetooth headset with simular appeal, but it adds excellent sound quality to what already was a solid unit. The H670 once again utilises a convenient slider button for most operations and is finished in a sleek and stylish chrome design.

Although the trend for Bluetooth headsets seems to be flashy and fashion appealing designs, sound quality is still of far more importance. We were pleased to report that the H670 is excellent. Incoming sound was crisp and clear, and all of our conversations were loud and sharp. The biggest improvement over the identical looking H550 though is outgoing sound. Our callers were impressed with the clarity and crispness of our voice, and volume is excellent at higher levels; so much so that conversing in a busy city street with background traffic noise isn't a problem.

Rather than utilising a traditional in-ear piece, the H670 rests just outside the ear and projects sound using a speaker, which makes it a little more susceptible to external noise. A real plus is the H670's volume; adjusted via large buttons on the top of the unit, it is very loud at its highest setting and the buttons can also be used to reject a call. Conveniently, the volume buttons can be reassigned if you decide to wear the H670 on the other ear by flipping the ear clips around.

Using the H670 is very straightforward, as all functions besides the rejecting of a call are handled by the slider button. Pressing it while ringing answers the call, pressing it while during a phone call ends the call, and pressing it any other time allows for voice dialling (dependant on your mobile phone supporting this feature). Further, pairing the H670 to a phone is hassle-free. Simply turning the unit on puts it in pairing mode and the convenient LED below the slider lets you know the status of the headset. Solid blue means the H670 is in pairing mode, flashing purple means pairing in process, and flashing blue means it's paired.

The design of the H670 is a plus, largely thanks to a sleek, chrome finish, which sometimes looks a shade of purple as lighting conditions change. Although it attracts fingerprints and smudges, the it looks very stylish and sits nicely in your ear. The H670 includes three different sized ear clips (small, medium and large) and it is important that you select the right one for your ear, as these can easily cause discomfort if they are too big or small. The ear clips are constructed of soft rubber, which is fine for short phone sessions, but they do become a little uncomfortable if worn for long periods.

Battery life is average according to Motorola figures, with up to eight hours of talk time and eight days of standby time. The H670 is charged via a standard mini-USB port located on top of the headset.