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Installation
I've found that most users who purchase such a
product are not too familiar on how to get it working with their mobile
phone. With that said, I always like to cover installation in detail
with bluetooth devices. Keep in mind that these instructions may
differ slightly depending on the type of phone you have. However, the
process of "pairing" is the same and you'll need to go through this simple
procedure in order for your phone to recognize the AX2.
**click to enlarge**
As I did with the previous review of the
Bluespoon AX, testing will be done using the excellent Audiovox SMT5600
Windows SmartPhone. They are a match made in heaven, hence the
silver/black finish.
The first thing you'll want to do is to put the
AX2 in pairing mode. This is done by pressing and holding down the
center button. You need to hold it down for quite a few seconds
until the headset starts to blink both red & blue repeatedly. It will
remain in pairing mode for approximately 3 minutes, giving you enough time
to grab your phone and configure it so that it will discover it.
For those with Smartphones, the following
instructions and screenshots should look familiar to you. Those with
standard phones, you'll need to get to your bluetooth settings menu and pair
the headset similar to how I will show you below...
Select the bluetooth option and set your phone
to on or discoverable. Press the menu button and select "Devices".
Once you are in the Devices menu, click on the
menu button again and select New. The phone will begin searching for the
headset and eventually identify it as "Bluespoon AX2". Click on Select and
it will then ask you for a Passkey. The passkey for the Bluespoon AX2 is the
same as the AX, "0000".
You should now get a confirmation screen asking
if you would like to designate the headset as a hands-free device. My
suggestion is that you do, as it will provide much more functionality and
does indeed work well with this particular bluetooth headset.
Performance
Call quality was about the same as their
previous AX model. There was slight static and the echoing was still
present. The only real issue I have with the AX models is the volume
level. Considering its extremely small size, it is not very loud at
all, even at its highest setting. This will be a problem for those
hard of hearing.
Voice Dialing
The AX2 supports voice dialing and it works very
well. I tested this feature with a variety of voice tags I have stored
on my Audiovox SMT5600.
Range
Aside from its impressive battery life, its
bluetooth range has also been improved. The AX2 states it has wireless
connectivity in excess of 30ft. While I can confirm this is indeed
true, I found that if I was just too far away from the phone, there was just
too much static. Bluetooth is a short range wireless technology though
and should be intended for this type of use.
Fit & Comfort
Like the AX, I have mixed feelings in this area.
The problem is that fitting it in your ear can be a bit of a challenge.
You have to make sure you cut down the soft spring properly. However,
once you actually fit it in place properly, it stays in place very well and
is extremely comfortable. You forget it's there.
Battery Life
One of the major improvements with the AX2 was
much longer battery life and if there is one area where this new model does
impress, this is certainly it. The AX has a talktime of up to 8hrs and
a rated standby time between 500 & 1500hrs. Under light-normal use, I
got a full week from the battery before I had to recharge. Pretty
impressive.
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