Smartphone Thoughts: Nextlink Bluespoon A|X Reviewed

What you get....

Figure 1: What you get in the box.

The picture here is small because there really isn't much to show. Since it is the smallest, lightest headset, it doesn't need that much of a box. :-) What you get in the box, other than the headset itself, is the battery, the USB cable to charge the headset, the instruction manual and a bunch of paperwork. Honestly, you don't need much else.

The Bluespoon A|X, as you can see from the picture, has three buttons. The main power/on/off button, Volume up and Volume down. The headset is small and does not have a boom mike. Instead, it sits snugly in the ear and uses the vibrations in the ear canal to pick up voice. I find this to be a very cool concept because it makes it really resilient to background noise.

Using the Bluespoon A|X
Using the Bluespoon A|X is simple, whether the first time or on a regular basis. Insert the battery if not done before, and charge the device up. Charging is usually done via a USB cable. One end of the USB cable is the usual connector that you and I are used to. The other end, while it looks like a mini-USB is actually even smaller, in fact it is half the size of a mini-USB. When charging, the Bluespoon A|X had a red light. When fully charged, the LED goes off.

In order to connect the headset to your phone, you will need to turn bluetooth on, on your phone (obviously). Holding the power button down for 10 seconds causes it to start alternate flashing blue and red. My Blackberry 7100t recognized it right away and that was pretty much it.


Figure 2: The Bluespoon A|X close up. Click on the image for the full size image.

All future phone calls still ring on the phone, but the voice is immaediately handled by the headset. The volume up/down buttons work quite well. In fact, I often find that my Blackberry is not loud enough, but the amplifier in the headset is fantastic. Hanging up on a call is as easy as hitting the power/on/off button once. Transferring the call back to the phone is slightly more tricky, you can hold the power button down longer to do so, but I always find it easier to do it via the controls of my cell phone.