BlueAnt Q1Bluetooth Headset

On the plus side, the Q1 handled background noise and wind pretty well. Tunes on my stereo indoors and in the car practically disappeared. Ditto for the breeze whipping around the car. To simulate even windier conditions, I made calls beside a fan churning at full strength, and the Q1 shoved the noise aside somewhat; the call recipient could hear something that sounded like a washing machine, but my conversation still came through. In the middle of calls, I tried turning on the Q1's maximum noise-reduction setting (by pressing the control button once). At times, the difference was marginal; in the case of the swishing fan, the Q1 reduced the noise even further, though at the same time my voice sounded more robotic. Overall, the Q1 did not handle windy conditions quite as successfully as the did.

Compared with the rather dull design of its cousin, the Q1 sports an improved look. The V1 is squarish and drab gray; the Q1 is more elongated and sleek, with a pleasing charcoal color (the company describes it as "gunmetal gray"). Even though the Q1's (removable) earhook lacks flexibility--it's fixed in its loopy shape--the headset felt comfortable, secure, and light on my small ear. The company also provides two earbuds, but the small-size one was still too large for me.

I prefer donning headsets without a loop, so I tested the Q1 that way, and it did not feel snug or stable. Plus, to optimize conditions for outbound call quality and accurate speech recognition, you need to orient the headset toward your mouth. Having the hook in place kept the Q1 in position. (At least half a dozen times when I didn't have the headset perched right and I mumbled "Redial," the Q1's interpretation was "Call speed dial eight.")

The headset's button layout and tactile feedback were impressive. The control button over the ear, which you tap to bring up the Q1's voice commands, to initiate or end a call, and to power the device on and off, is easy to access by feel, and it delivers terrific feedback when pressed. The volume-control buttons--a short, skinny one for volume down and a longer one (with the same thinness) for volume up--were also easy to locate.

The Q1's integrated voice control is one of this headset's greatest features. If your cell phone supports speed dialing and you'd like to handle calls using your voice a lot of the time, consider the Q1. Be prepared for inconsistent call quality, though.