Bluetooth Can Work

I’ve hated wires for a long time.  So when Bluetooth came along, I tried everything that came with a Bluetooth radio.  Perhaps my favorite Bluetooth success story is Jabra Halo2 headphones…with a few caveats (one easily overcome).

Pros:

  • Bluetooth actually works
  • Sound great
  • Foldable, small, and surprisingly durable
  • Comes with cable to use a regular 1/8″ phono jack when you need it
  • Comfortable for running and skiing with no cable!

Caveats:

  • Microphone not usable for calls in an environment with any noise (i.e. walking in an airport)
  • Works best when paired to only 1 device using the “special” protocol

What’s this about a “special” protocol?  I don’t have all the details, but when I tried the default pairing I got frequent drop-outs.  Almost seemed as though the headphones wouldn’t stay associated well.

However, if you start the pairing process and KEEP HOLDING THE BUTTON DOWN until both the Bluetooth and Red Battery light stay on solid, then your headset will be paired to only the new device and use a reliable connection to an iPhone 4S.  My experience spans an iPhone 4 and 4S and 2 sets of Halo2 headphones. Maybe the default pairing mode works fine with other phones.