Motorola H800 Review

Introduction:

In order to ensure the convenient use of a phone in any situation, companies offer different solutions they have come up to in order to satisfy their customers’ needs. Motorola is a company with a long history and a significant role in the development of communication technologies, as well as being one of the biggest mobile phones and accessories manufacturers.

Today we are going to focus on one particular offer from Motorola, namely Motorola H800 – Bluetooth headset, which stands out with its interesting sliding design. The device is equipped with a sliding mechanism, similar to that of Nokia’s BH-900 and Jabra’s BT5010, the only difference being that the mic, together with the sliding part it is fitted on, are released by a button and open automatically. This is an interesting solution which, apart from making the phone look more attractive, also makes the turning on and off of the headset easier.

You’ll find in the kit:

Design:

The dimensions of Motorola Slider Bluetooth Headset H800 are 60/68 x 27 x 22 mm (closed/opened) and it weighs 17 g, which makes it one of the heavier and larger devices on the market. Its dimensions and its length vary because the mic is fitted on a slider, which opens and closes, thus switching on and off the handsfree. Apart from being an interesting designer solution, the slider reduces the distance between the mic and the mouth and therefore contributes to improving the sound quality during conversation.



The phone comes in five colors: black licorice, silver quartz, dark pearl blue, fire red and silver moss. The headset that we are going to test, is the black licorice variation and it is made of black plastic, which is covered with an anti-slippery material on the sides and the rest of it is opaque. The movable earhook is made of plastic and rubber and, typically for Motorola, it is attached by a two-direction movement, which excludes the option of it being adjusted upwards/downwards. The MicroUSB charger connector is located on the exact place where the hook is attached and is covered with a rubber lid to prevent it from soiling. The receiver’s loudspeaker is on the back, covered in soft rubber to make it more convenient to wear.



There are three keys (a call key and two volume keys), and a slider lock switch. The three keys are easy to press and have a good tactile feedback. When pressing some of the volume keys, you’ll have to be careful not to press the one opposite it with your thumb. The slider lock switch is hard to slide, but this is done on purpose, to prevent you from locking the slider by chance.

There is a light indicator to inform you of the current status of Motorola H800, showing a few different colors, depending on the phone’s status. (user guide) The sensor is located on the phone’s front and represents a thin ring around Motorola’s logo. Apart from showing the headset’s status, it also highlights the company’s logo.

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Functionality:

In order to be able to use the headset, you have to connect it to a suitable device. You won’t see the ‘traditional’ pairing mode here; the only thing you have to do, is to press the call key and the device is ready to be connected in just a few seconds and the indicator shows this by a steady blue light. Then follows the standard procedure and the code you’ll have to dial is 0000.

If you’re not on the phone or you just want to switch H800 off, all you have to do is push up the slider. Thus you switch off the device, but you can still take calls from your phone. You open the slider by pressing the call key and then it is automatically re-connected to your phone.
An interesting function is the possibility to program which of the two volume keys you want to use for turning up the volume. For the purpose you’ll have to press the call key when the device is switched off, and to press simultaneously the key you want to designate for volume up. Using a combination of keys you can activate different functions that the headset maintains. (user guide)

Performance:

Irrespective of its design, what is important for a headset is to perform well when making and taking calls in different situations.
During conversation the sound volume is above the average; the speech is slightly muted, without trebles, which sometimes hinders understanding. The situation is similar on the other end – they can hear you with at an analogous volume, the sound is slightly bassish and monotonous. If you’re surrounded by loud music, the person at the other end can miss a few words and can fail to make out your words from time to time, but the headset is still usable. In windy weather the headset performs above the average for a headset without a noise control system and we would put its performance on a par with that of H670 or H550.

We have also tested the distance at which the headset keeps the sound quality during conversation. The Motorola achieved a very good result of 32 meters, which is a similar achievement to that of Nokia’s BH-600, for instance.

According to data from the manufacturer, H800 can last for up to 5.5 hours (330 min) talk time or up to 200 hours standby time. Actually, the device achieved 4.7 hours (282 min) of continuous talk time, which is almost one hour less than the officially announced duration and is similar to Nokia’s BH-801, which is a much smaller phone.



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Comfort:

Putting H800 in place is very easy – all you have to do is hook it on your ear and adjust the headset in the position that you find most convenient. It won’t be as easy, though, if you decide to transfer the headset to your other ear. You’ll have to remove the whole earhook from the headset, turn it round and put it in place again. However, when you do it a few times, this won’t look as difficult to you as in the beginning. The device stays steadily on the ear, it does not move with the head and it does not lean forward, thanks to the specific attachment.



Wearing the device is not fun; you start to feel it in about 30 minutes. This is due to the slim earhook, which digs into your ear and creates discomfort. After two hours of wearing this discomfort becomes a dull pain, caused by the pressure of the hook on the ear.

One of the problems you might have is that, when pressing the call key, you press simultaneously the headset so that the edge of its back is driven into your ear. If you take more calls, you might feel pain, resulting from this pressure. The combination of these two inconveniences causes a discomfort that might develop into pain if you use the phone more.

In spite of this, when choosing a headset, you have to check whether it fits well, because this depends mainly on the shape and size of your ear. It is possible that it fits well and comfortably on your ear and at the same time it causes discomfort and even pain to somebody else.

Conclusion:

While initially our interest was captured by the sliding boom of the headset, it ended when we realized how uncomfortable it is for wearing. The call quality is OK but is nothing superb, so if you are not a fan of the design (and not many will be), the H800 will not be among your favorites.

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