Choose the right Bluetooth headset

Tip 3: Features and profiles

Though most Bluetooth headsets are compatible with most Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones, compatibility is not universal. Bluetooth comes in different versions, so make sure that your two chosen devices will work with each other. Most products in use currently work on Bluetooth version 1.1, which offers such basic features as voice dialling, call mute and last-number redial. In 2003, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), a body that oversees the technology's development, released version 1.2 and rolled out version 2.0 a year later.

The Sony Ericsson HBH-610 features noise reduction and echo cancellation

Bluetooth 1.2 introduced new features to eliminate radio frequency interference through frequency hopping and added greater security to protect against snooping and tracking. Bluetooth 2.0 brought higher connection speeds (up to three times as fast in some cases), improved performance and less power consumption. The Sony Ericsson HBH-610, for example, is one of the few headsets that has Bluetooth 2.0, which allows for advanced features such as echo cancellation, noise reduction, automatic volume adjustment and an automatic pairing feature with Sony Ericsson phones.

Another recent Bluetooth profile to hit the mobile space is A2DP, or the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile. This is also widely known as the stereo Bluetooth headset profile because it allows for a dual-channel audio stream, such as music from an MP3 player to a headset. This is an especially popular concept with MP3 phones, because they can theoretically switch from music to phone calls at the touch of a button. Unfortunately, few phones available in the UK are compatible with the A2DP profile yet, although more will be available soon. Similarly, the number of stereo Bluetooth headsets that support the A2DP profile is also very limited.

As with any wireless device, Bluetooth has some minor security concerns. The SIG has admitted that 'bluebugging', wherein a hacker secretly accesses a phone's commands (such as eavesdropping on conversations), and 'bluesnarfing', wherein a hacker accesses a phone's data -- such as contacts -- are possible, yet the group downplays both actions. While they work through Bluetooth, they also require the hacker to use a PC and to be within range of the victim. To help combat both, simply turn off your phone's Discover mode, which makes it visible to other devices.