Bluetake BT400 G5 Bluetooth Headset Review

Overview
The BT400 G5 makes good first impression. It is stylish and light. To get started the Bluetooth headset needs to be charged for 2 hours. 250 hours standby and 5 hours talk time should be possible with this headset. Pairing is easy. I just press the power button on top for seven seconds and the indicator LED starts to blink blue and red. On the Sony Ericsson T630 I search for new devices and use 0000 as pass-code to finalize the pairing.
The new Bluetake fits comfortable. The ear hook can be rotated to fit left or right. On top are the on/off/mute switch and the talk/transfer button. On the left and right side are the volume controls. This distribution of buttons makes it easier to find the right buttons with my fingers. Some headsets have all buttons on top and its more difficult to press the right one.

I have a IBM Thinkpad X40 that has built-in Bluetooth, but I could not get it to support the headset profile of the BT400 G5. This is I think a general problem with the IBM Bluetooth software. The software that comes with the Bluetake BT007Si Bluetooth dongle supports the headset profile without a problem. The VT BlueSoleil Bluetooth software is actually quite nice. It shows all connected devices like a solar system (see screen-shot below).

Using the BT400 G5 on my mobile phone works well. The speaker is loud and clear. The microphone works also decent. I still would like to compare a bone-conducting headset. When using the BT400 G5 on the Notebook the quality is good for using it with VO|P services like Skype (Bluetake has instructions on how to use their headset with Skype). I used the standard Microsoft recorder to record some voice samples and those sound well too. Listening to music on the headset is of course possible, but the quality is low.

Conclusion
The Bluetake BT400 G5 is a stylish and comfortable Bluetooth headset that is very easy to use. To be able to use the headset without changing the pairing with multiple devices is convenient. My wife already snagged it, that says it all. The BT007Si is a great working Class-II Bluetooth dongle that comes with excellent software.


How to Buy
SuperMediaStore has the Bluetake BT400 G5 on sale for $64.95 (MSRP: $120).
The BT400 G5 comes in three colors.
The BT007Si Bluetooth Dongle sells for $34.95 on the SuperMediaStore.

More Photos
Hi-Res Photos in the BT400 G5 Photo Gallery

Specification BT400 G5

General Radio
Carrier Frequency : 2.4~2.480GHZ

Radio Performance – Receiver
Rx sensitivity < -80 dBm

Radio Performance
Bluetooth Class 2, up to 5~10 meters (in open space).
(The maximum operating range depends on the paired phone model, battery power, and environmental factors.)

Spread Spectrum
FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum)

Bluetooth Profile Supported
HSP (Headset Profile)
HFP (Hands-Free Profile)

Antenna
Chip Antenna

Input Power
5V, 200~500mA, AC adapter

Battery
3.7V / 120mA / Li-Polymer / Rechargeable


Standby Time / Talking Time
250 hours / 5 hours
(The maximum operating time depends on the usage frequency and environmental factors. A long distance wireless connection and use with a mobile phone will increase the power consumption.)

Speaker
Diameter: 13mm
Frequency Response : 300Hz ~ 3.4KHz
SPL (Sound Pressure Level) : 112 ± 3dB @ 1KHz
THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) : 5%
Impedance: 150 Ω ± 20% @ 1V, 1KHz
Power Rating : 5mW (Normal) / 10mW (Maximum)

Environment
Operating Temperature -10 ℃ ~ +55 ℃

Dimensions
82mm(L) x 53mm(W) x 24mm(H)

Weight
20g

LED Indicator Status
Blue: Power on mode or Full charged
Red: Low power or being charged
Blue & Red: Pairing mode

Specification BT007Si

General Radio
Bluetooth Class 1, 100 meters (in open space)
Carrier Frequency : 2.4 ~ 2.483GHz
Data Rate : 1 Mbps
(The maximum operating range depends on the environmental factors.)


Bluetooth Standard
Chipset: Bluetooth v1.2


Spread Spectrum
FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum)

Modulation Method
GFSK (Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying)

I/O Interface
USB v1.1

Input Power
DC 5V, USB Power

Sensitivity
< 0.1% BER at -80 dBm

RF Output Power
13 dBm (typical)


System Support
Windows XP/2000/ME/98SE
(The BT007Si is driven by the bundled IVT BlueSoleil Bluetooth software or Windows XP SP2 Bluetooth stack)
Mac OS X 10.2.6 or later
(The BT007Si is driven by Apple Bluetooth software)

Dimensions
47 x 19 x 10 mm, 10g

LED Indicator
Single LED


Advantage Functions
Serial Port Profile
Dial Up Networking Profile
File Transfer Profile
Human Interface Device Profile
Hardcopy Cable Replacement Profile
Object Push Profile
Synchronization Profile
LAN Access Profile (only available in Windows)
FAX Profile (only available in Windows)
Personal Area Networking Profile (only available in Windows)
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (only available in Windows)
Basic Imaging Profile (only available in Windows)

Bundled Bluetooth Software
IVT BlueSoleil (for Windows O.S. only)
(Language Supported: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, German, Spanish)