Sagem H4

Combining a glossy black finish with a weight of just 8.7g, the Sagem H4 Bluetooth headset is a stunning piece of design. Offering five hours talk time and 100 hours standby time, as well as a favourite phone number function, the stylish H4 is a fashion statement and a worthy solution for hands-free communication.

Measuring 35mm x 18mm x 12.5mm, the H4 is one of the smallest headsets in the world. Despite its size, it remains very easy to use, with a central, multifunction button used for most of its operations. A downside to its size is the fact that it requires a charging adaptor to plug into AC power.

Though the trend for Bluetooth headsets seems to be flashy and fashion appealing designs, sound quality is still of far more importance. The H4 is average in this department. Outgoing sound is crisp and sharp and the volume levels are impressive. Incoming sound is a little less favourable as it sounds distant and is susceptible to external noise. Subsequently, conversing outdoors in a busy city street is serviceable, but far from ideal.

The H4 sits slightly inside your ear and projects sound using a small speaker. Volume is adjusted via small buttons on the side of the unit. Despite their small size the '+' volume button is slightly larger than the '-', so it is easy to feel what button you are pressing. Unfortunately, the volume buttons can't be reassigned if you decide to wear the H4 on the other ear.

Using the H4 is very straightforward. Most functions, besides the rejecting of a call, are handled by the multifunction button in the middle of the unit. Pressing it while ringing answers the call, pressing it 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 H4 to a phone is hassle-free. Holding down the multifunction button for eight seconds puts the unit in pairing mode and an LED lets you know the status of the headset. Flashing blue and red means the H4 is in pairing mode, flashing blue means it is paired and flashing red means the H4 needs charging.

Perhaps one of the best features of the H4 is its favourite phone number function. This button on top of the handset allows you to store and call two preferred phone numbers directly from the H4 itself. Storing numbers is as easy as sending a business card via Bluetooth to the headset. Once a number is stored you simply press the favourite phone number button once, and then press call. For the second stored number the process is the same, only you press the favourite number button twice.

The H4 has a sleek, gloss black finish. Although it attracts fingerprints and smudges, it looks very stylish and sits nicely in your ear. Battery life is average according to Sagem figures, with up to five hours of talk time and 100 hours of standby time. The H4 is charged via a special charging adapter that plugs into a standard mini-USB port, and then a small, proprietary connection on the headset.