Product: BlueAnt V1 Voice Control Bluetooth Headset
MSRP: $129.99
Supplier: BlueAnt
Author: Nick
Date: January 4, 2009

BlueAnt’s newest headset, the V1, is a pretty unique Bluetooth headset. The feature set is almost exactly the same as BlueAnt’s z9i Bluetooth headset with one major difference. The V1 is the only Bluetooth headset I could find that allows the headset to almost completely be controlled by voice commands.

Contents

The V1 Voice Control headset includes a rubberized metal ear hook, a plastic ear hook, 2 rubber ear gels, 2 Comply™ foam tips, a USB cable, a, USB adapter, a car charger adapter, a wall charger adapter, a quick start guide, and a user manual.

Setup

Once you power on the V1, voice prompts will walk you through the pairing process. This process varies between phones so if you need help, it is best to consult your phone’s user manual. Like virtually every other headset on the market, the default pass key is “0000”.

First Impressions

While the BlueAnt V1 Bluetooth headset includes two different types of ear buds, both types sit inside your ear. Two ear buds of each type are included for a total of four ear buds. While this helps block out background noise, I find it to be less comfortable than the ear buds that sit right on top of the opening of the ear canal. One set of ear buds are made out of rubber while the other set are BlueAnt’s Comply foam tips. BlueAnt claims that each foam tip will last for up to 3 months and BlueAnt sells additional Comply foam tips at a price of $9.95 for 2 or $17.95 for 4.

The V1 comes with 3 different charging options; a wall charger, a car charger, and a USB charging cable. Both the wall charger adapter and the car charger adapter use the USB cable to plug into and charge the V1. The only real problem I had is the included USB cable is only 6.5 inches long. This is where the included USB adapter comes in. It allows you to use any standard mini-USB cable with the V1 in order to lengthen it.

I was able to get about 4 hours of talk time with BlueAnt’s V1 Voice Control headset. This is about average for Bluetooth headsets. While BlueAnt claims up to 5 hours of battery life, keep in mind that temperature, battery health, and the amount of standby time also affect the talk time.

When not in use, the V1 has a clip that allows the headset to be clipped to a tie or shirt collar. The clip held the V1 in place very well and did not have any problems with the V1 falling off my shirt collar.

The V1 does feature upgradeable firmware. However, at the time of this review BlueAnt did not have any info on the V1 upgrade procedure on their website. I was told by a BlueAnt representative that BlueAnt was in the process of updating the V1 firmware and more information would be posted on their site soon. Firmware updates can add features, increase or improve current functionality, or just muck things up. They are not necessary, but usually it is a good idea to have the newest version of the firmware installed on most electronic devices.

Voice Control

The main selling point of the V1 Voice Control Bluetooth headset is the rather unique feature of built in voice commands by using Sensory’s Blue Genie Voice Interface. Other headsets rely solely on the phone’s voice commands, where as many basic functions of the V1 can be done with voice commands. You can answer a call by saying “Answer” or reject a call by saying “Ignore”. Other commands include:

• Check Battery
• Settings Menu
• Phone Commands
• Redial
• Call Back
• Call Voice Mail
• Call Home
• Call Office
• Call Favorite
• Call GOOG-411
• Switch Headset off

That is just a brief list of the more interesting commands available.

While a good idea, several times I found the voice commands to be rather stressful to use . The biggest problem was when I would say “Phone commands” and it would be misinterpreted. This command is supposed to activate the phone’s built in phone commands, so you can access everyone in your contact list via voice commands. However, many times when I said “Phone commands”, the V1 would assume I said “Calling Office”. I would have to make several attempts before I was successfully able to access my phone’s built in command system. I also had problems with a few of the other voice commands.

After about a week of fighting with V1’s voice command system, I ended up disabling the voice commands for the rest of the testing.

BlueAnt’s Voice Isolation Technology

BlueAnt’s Voice Isolation technology features two modes; standard, and max. Standard mode is less effective at filtering out background noise but allows for a more natural sounding voice. The Voice Isolation mode can easily be switched while using the V1 by pressing the BlueAnt button.

Below is a list of settings I tested the BlueAnt V1 in:

• Outside in windy weather
• Outside next to a busy roadway
• Outside while raking leaves
• In the car with the vents blowing
• Inside with the TV on
• Inside with a group of 4 people talking
• Inside with no background noise

BlueAnt’s Voice Isolation did not completely block the background noise but it cut down the amount of background noise transmitted. I noticed the Voice Isolation to be most effective on wind and other non-vocal background noises.

Conclusion

I had high hopes for BlueAnt’s V1 Voice Control Bluetooth headset. However, I was a bit disappointed with the results. I had problems with the voice command system on the V1 and ended up disabling them all together. The V1 does have upgradeable firmware so perhaps in the future the voice command problem can be fixed. With the voice commands disabled, the V1 is actually a decent headset, but why pay extra for features you can’t even use? I would recommend anyone taking a look at the V1 Voice Control Headset to instead take a look at BlueAnt’s z9i Bluetooth headset, which is basically the same thing as the V1 without the voice commands.

Pros

+ Eliminates a lot of background noise
+ Built-in clip for attaching to clothing when not being used
+ 3 different charging options
+ Upgradeable firmware

Cons

- Voice commands need a lot of work
- Only includes ear buds that enter the ear

Tags: BlueAnt, Bluetooth, V1, Voice Control