H710

Motorola's latest top of the line Bluetooth headset boasts the ability to pair to multiple devices at the same time. Its intuitive flip design also makes it easy to perform common functions while also maximising battery life.

The H710 is an upgrade to the previous unit. It features a similar design to its predecessor, once again utilising a convenient flip out microphone and a stylish black and chrome colour scheme. In addition to answering calls, the flip out microphone also acts as a power switch – flip the microphone out and the unit switches on, close it and the unit powers off. Once you've paired your mobile phone for the first time, the H710 automatically remembers it and attempts to pair as soon as the microphone is flipped open.

A detachable ear hook can be adjusted to wear on both the left and right ears. Unlike many other Bluetooth headsets, the H710 doesn't sit inside your ear or use an ear plug. Instead it rests just outside your ear with audio provided by a small speaker. Performance is excellent – incoming audio is loud and clear, even in noisy environments, while our callers were full of praise for outgoing audio and often found it difficult to tell that we were using a wireless headset. Despite its excellent audio performance, we felt the automatic volume control could have been improved as it was sometimes softer than we'd have liked when calling in a loud environment.

Operation is straightforward and simple. Pressing the call button answers, rejects, transfers and ends a call depending on whether you tap, press or hold the key. As an example, rejecting an incoming call requires the call button to be pressed and held until a beep is sounded.

Pairing is also effortless and Multipoint technology allows the H710 to connect to two compatible Bluetooth devices at the same time. This is especially ideal for business users who may carry two phones at any one time, such as their business handset and personal handset. You obviously can't talk on both phones at the same time – the idle phone is momentarily disconnected from the H710 when a call is answered. It's still a nifty feature though and negates the need to purchase two headsets if you carry multiple phones.

Pairing with a second phone or device for the first time requires the first phone paired to be switched off, but from there it's a simple matter of connecting as you normally would. Once paired, the H710 will automatically recognise and connect with both phones.

The H710 uses a multi-coloured indicator light that surrounds the call button. The light flashes blue when paired with a device, is steadily lit blue when in pairing mode, and flashes red when the battery is low. There are also a number of audio indicators, such as a dual-tone for pairing confirmation and an ascending tone to indicate that the handset has been placed in mute mode.