Mobile Phones

Mobile phone giant Motorola has teamed up with Oakley sunglasses in an attempt to solve the eternal problem of looking daft while wearing a Bluetooth mobile receiver in public. Whether they've succeeded or not is, of course, a matter of taste, but the RazrWire is surely a step in the right direction.

Of course, it's not just about style. Attached to the arm of some rather sporty-looking Oakley sunglasses, the headset incorporates Bluetooth 1.2 technology (backward compatible with 1.1) that functions at a distance of up to 10 meters from a Bluetooth-enabled cellphone and provides as much as six hours of talk time or 100 hours standby.

According to Motorola, the RazrWire is aimed particularly at people on the go such as cyclists, skateboarders, golfers and rock climbers.

The RazrWire is not Motorola's first foray into the world of fashion - the company has previously unveiled a snowboarding jacket and headgear produced with sporting goods manufacturer Burton.

Although the trend for Bluetooth headsets seems to be an improvement in design, sound quality is still far more important. Thankfully the Motorola H550 is solid in this area, though it's not perfect. Utilising a new slider button for most operations and finished in a sleek, chrome design, the Motorola H550 adds some spice to an often uninspiring line of products.

Incoming sound quality is excellent. The H550 tends to struggle a little with outgoing sound. Voice could still be heard clearly on the receiving end, but not with the same quality as the H800, for example. Anyone who's simply after a basic Bluetooth headset for casual use shouldn't have an issue with the H550's sound quality.

Rather than utilising a traditional in-ear piece, the H550 rests just outside the ear and projects sound using a speaker, which makes it a little more susceptible to external noise. A real plus is the H550's volume levels. Adjusted via large buttons on the top of the unit, the volume is very loud at its highest setting. The volume buttons can also be used to reject a call. Conveniently, the volume buttons can be reassigned if you decide to wear the H550 on the other ear by flipping the ear clips around.

If you are constantly frustrated with your mobile phone battery dying, then Motorola may have the answer. Their new P790 portable charger lets you recharge your phone without AC power. Unfortunately though, it won't work with all mobile phones.

According to Motorola figures, the P790 holds two full charges for a mobile phone and 10 for Bluetooth headsets and other accessories. The P790 uses a standard mini-USB connector, so it will work with most Motorola phones, including the MOTOKRZR K1, RAZR V3i, RAZR V3x, PEBL, SLVR L7, ROKR E1 and RAZR V3. The P790 will also work with any phone or accessory that uses a mini-USB connection to charge.

Once the charger runs out, you can juice it back up using a regular mini-USB AC adapter; most new Motorola phones include this in the sales package. Conveniently, users can charge their phone and the P790 at the same time via an adapter lead. The P790 takes two hours to fully recharge.

The Sony Ericsson HCB-100 is a Bluetooth hands-free speakerphone that is designed for use in either the office or a car. Boasting above average sound quality and the ability to connect with up to five phones, the HCB-100 is an excellent device.

The HCB-100 includes a visor clip to mount in your car. It supports Bluetooth 1.2 and will work with any Bluetooth phone or computer that supports Bluetooth headsets. For use in an office, the HCB-100 can be placed on a desk and the microphone flips up to ensure better voice reception.

The controls are well laid out and marked. There are four buttons; a call key, end/power key, and two others; one to mute the microphone during a call and turn on Bluetooth pairing mode, and the other to switch between the five Bluetooth profiles available and check battery life. The HCB-100 has a coloured LED that tells the user which of the unit's five available profiles are being used, and a volume control on the side; the latter is used to adjust both the ringing and in-call volume of the speakerphone.

The A701 is the top of the line handset from Samsung and compatible with Telstra's new high speed HSDPA network: Next G. The clamshell A701 offers a 2 megapixel digital camera, MPEG4 video recording, a microSD memory card slot as well as Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

Design

The A701 looks like an enhanced Z510, although not as thin. Aesthetically, the handset is quite attractive for a next generation 3G phone. Measuring 98.3mm x 51.5mm x 17.3mm and weighing 93g, the phone is surprisingly light and comfortable to pocket. Flipped open the A701 is quite long and wide and is one of the larger handsets on the market.

The A701 is cased in a glossy, dark grey plastic, with a matte black trim around the flip mechanism and keyboard. Samsung would have been wise to leave a gap between the two halves of the clamshell phone to slide your thumb into. Being a clamshell handset the A701 naturally has two LCD displays; the external 1in, 65 thousand colour screen and an internal 2.3in, 262 thousand colour display.