The X3 micro &ndash; A BlueAnt Bluetooth Experience

Like most of you, I spend a significant amount of my time in a car driving. For me, the short haul is a rare occurrence now; most of my driving is usually 3-6 hour trips in the Northeast. I enjoy driving and yes, like many of you, I enjoy chatting with friends and family as I drive. The number of states that have implemented laws about cell phone usage has dramatically increased so the need for a good Bluetooth headset is imperative if you want to stay of the good side of the law. Of course it makes a lot of sense and if you travel a lot, using a headset is significantly easier than holding a phone to your head.

Over the past several years I have tried a number of different Bluetooth headsets all with varying degrees of success. Some work well but are uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time and others are very comfortable but have horrible reception. I think what irritates me the most is driving down a highway and having to push and hold the headset into my ear so I can hear the person on the other end.

Some Bluetooth headsets are too big and look too geeky and others are the right size but work horribly. What has even complicated my search for the right device is my insistence on using multiple devices. I carry two phones with me all the time and have on occasion had a third…yeah, I know, I have it bad but I like it and I like having choices. The fact of the matter is that having two cell providers pretty much gives me the ability to get a signal anywhere I am although I do have some difficulty in certain areas on the coast of Maine.

So now, not only do I want a headset that is light, small and non-obtrusive and provides me with the ability to hear clearly when in an environment that has a lot of extraneous noise ... but I want one that will connect with multiple devices easily … especially while I’m driving.

Enter the BlueAnt X3 micro! A small non-intimidating headset that looks good, feels great and plugs in my ear comfortably as well as having the ability to connect with up to three devices and you can switch devices while on the fly. Yeah! Sound slick? It is! Switching devices is easy. You just press the multi-function button and the “-”key to disconnect the device you are using then press the multi-function button once, twice or three times depending on what device you want to connect to. I routinely switch between my Palm 700W or KJAM with out a hitch … it’s very slick.

When I got my X3, I was impressed with the package. Nicely presented with a see through opening in the front to see the X3 and the back of the package gave some statistics about the device as well as some pictures of the multiple ways you can charge the device. Yes, I said multiple ways!

BlueAnt Wireless gave some thought to your charging needs and provided you with a neat connector that has a USB plug on one end. You can charge your X3 from the USB port of your laptop or PC. That’s nice, but what if your computers are off? Not a problem, they included an AC plug that the USB end can plug into. Cool! But what if you are in your car and you find that you need a charge? Not a problem because they have also included a DC plug that you can insert into car accessory plug. Three charging options: PC USB port, AC outlet or a car DC accessory port. I don’t think any other vendor has done that!

When I opened the box, I found the X3 with a gel earbud as well as two soft foam covers, a removable ear hook, the AC and DC plugs for charging, a lanyard, a quick start guide, a comprehensive manual and a very unique USB charging cable. This is not the ordinary cable you might expect to get but rather a steel shielded cable that allows you to bend and place the cable in what ever position you need for charging. It is very simple, quite unique and gives cause for wondering why others have not done this. This cable will last and last and last!

The quick start guide was very good … no, it was excellent because it gave clear easily understandable directions on how to charge, pair with one or more devices, and how to easily switch between multiple devices. In addition, there was a function button matrix that clearly outlined how the multi function button and "+" "-" buttons work. It was so good that I almost forgot to look at the user manual (which has some great FAQ).

I was easily able to pair my devices within seconds and was switching between all of them without a hitch. This is a very cool feature! After I paired my devices, I called my wife (who was downstairs) and asked how I sounded. She indicated that I sounded fine, a little distant, but she could hear well. I made several other calls to friends and got mixed results from just OK to excellent. I’m not sure why that was the case but overall the outgoing reception for folks hearing me was very satisfactory.

Of course, for me the biggest deal was how good it sounded on my end. At first I thought it had a bit static; I could hear people perfectly but there was a static noise in the background which had me concerned. By adjusting the phone volume (which I had set at the max) and using the headset volume controls, the sound smoothed out to a very reasonable level.

As an aside, I did pair it with the new HP rx4540 to see how well it would serve a means of listening to music. I was very disappointed because the sound was broken, scratchy and just not acceptable for comfortable listening. However, I also paired it with my iPAQ 4700 and had outstanding results with music and movies ... go figure!

I was impressed with the ability to use the X3 as I walked from room to room. It has a rated range of about 30 feet which was pretty accurate. When I did get out of range, there was a three note tone that sounded until I moved back in range.

The gel earbud fits snugly into your ear and I found it quite comfortable. Clearly, a snug fit meant that I could hear calls as I was driving. I chose to use the ear hook for added stability but it works quite well without it. I did not use the foam cushions because the gel earbud was perfect for me. Because they like "threes"... you can pair it three times, you can charge it three ways; it would have been nice if there were three different sized earbuds to accommodate folks with different size ear openings.

A BIG plus for night time driving is the ability to turn off the blue LED in case the flashing bothered you while driving. What a cool feature! ... and a great reason for reading the manual!

BlueAnt rates the device for 7 hours of Talk Time and 180 hours Standby Time. In the two weeks I have been using the device, I have not had an issues with battery life. Of course having 3 means of charging the device has made it easy to keep it "topped off".

Of course style is important to many folks but color choice is also important. There are six color choices for you to pick from: Black, Bronze, Cool White, Gold, Hot Pink and Red. What's your favorite color?

This is a pretty slick Bluetooth headset. I am happy with the ability to charge the device three ways, I am thrilled that I can pair it with three devices and change what device is using it on the fly…that is huge to me. Volume levels are more than satisfactory and incoming and outgoing sound is very acceptable.

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