BlueAnt Q1 Bluetooth Headset Review

Over the last few weeks, I have been looking at several new Bluetooth devices that have come onto the market. Today I am going to look at the BlueAnt Q1 Bluetooth headset. The Q1 is the top-of-the-line Bluetooth headset from BlueAnt and offers lots of features that set it apart from many other Bluetooth headsets available. Read on for all of the details on the BlueAnt Q1.

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Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
The BlueAnt Q1 allows you to control the features of the headset with your voice rather than touching buttons. Multipoint technology allows the headset to connect to two phones at the same time and answer whichever rings while pairing to up to eight devices. Talk time on a full charge is four hours and the headset lasts 100 hours on standby. Two mics are built-in to reduce background noise and the headset has internal windshields to reduce wind noise.

In Use
The BlueAnt Q1 is a very attractive looking headset with a black anodized aluminum finish. The headset is very lightweight and includes small and large size ear tips and an ear loop to keep the BlueAnt Q1 in place. The coolest feature of the Q1 is the voice control technology. The device will tell you everything you need to know to operate it. Say "what can I say" and the headset will give you a list of commands.

To use the voice commands all you need to do is click the BlueAnt button on the headset and wait until you hear "say a command" at that point you can say your command. With your voice, you can check the charge level on the battery, activate speed dials numbers one through eight, pair the headset with a phone, and call information among others. The voice command interface is easy to use and has a clear and easy to understand voice.

The BlueAnt Q1 is very easy to pair with your phone and I was able to pair it to my iPhone in a few minutes. Once paired the audio quality is top notch. The wind reduction technology works well and allows calls placed outdoors in windy or noisy environments to heard clearly.

I like to test the Bluetooth headsets that come through my hands while riding in a convertible with the top down. Much like the sun visor, S1 hands free kit, the BlueAnt Q1 works well at low speeds with the top down. I was able to drive at city speeds of under 50 mph, talk with the top down, and still be able to hear and be heard.

The ear loop is thin and while not well padded the lightweight design of the Q1 means that you can wear the BlueAnt Q1 for hours and not even notice it is in your ear. The large ear tip that ships on the Q1 is very large. I switched to the smaller tip and it was much more comfortable. One of the interesting features of the BlueAnt Q1 is that the firmware can be updated with an included USB cable from the web. This allows BlueAnt to fix issues with phones and add new features as needed.

Overall, the BlueAnt Q1 is one of the easiest to use Bluetooth headsets I have tested. There is no remembering how many times you have to press a button to get to a feature, you simply press the button once and say what you want. I did have a few problems with the voice control when driving with the top down at higher speeds. I once said redial for instance and the headset dialed information. When driving with the top up or at low speeds the voice control was very accurate.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

• Easy to use voice control
• Good call quality
• Lightweight

Cons

• Voice commands lose accuracy in high noise environments

Verdict
The BlueAnt Q1 is a great Bluetooth headset that offers easy to use voice control. The headset is very comfortable and one of the easiest to use headsets I have tested.

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