Today's business traveler can barely make do with two hands. Add to the mix the arsenal of new gadgets you always have in tow, and it begins to seem like you could use a few more. Luckily, nowadays you barely need your hands at all to make and receive calls from the road, leaving your hands free for more important stuff—like driving.
Aliph Jawbone 2
$129.99, www.us.jawbone.com
As the follow-up to the popular Jawbone, The Aliph Jawbone 2 was designed to improve on some concerns users had with the first version. The Jawbone was considered too bulky for some, and the ear hook, users said, was difficult to position comfortably. At 2-inches long, and just 0.5 inches wide, the Jawbone 2 is almost 50 percent smaller than its predecessor, with a newly designed ear hook. The Jawbone 2 features a dual microphone array, which provides advanced noise-canceling technology Aliph says has been tested and approved by the military. The Jawbone 2 is rated for four hours of talk time, and has a standby time of more than eight days. And it's available in five colors.
Jabra SP700 Speakerphone
$129.99, www.jabra.com
Not everyone wants an in-ear Bluetooth. The alternative? How about the SP700 Speakerphone from Jabra? It clips to your vehicle's visor, allowing you to talk and drive with ease. The SP700 also streams music from your phone, or your car's FM radio, and gives voice prompts for speaker status and caller ID in 10 languages. If the FM radio function is enabled when you receive a call, the caller ID information is displayed on your vehicle's radio display. Other features include answering, ending, and rejecting calls, last number dialed, and call mute. And when you're done with a day of calls, the Jabra automatically shuts off the unit's LED indicators to reduce distracting light. The SP700 weighs just 3 ounces, and has a rated talk time of 14 hours, with 10.6 days of standby.
Samsung WEP700
$89.99, www.samsung.com
Samsung has long been a player in the Bluetooth game, but rarely has a model stood out from the crowd—until now. The WEP700 weighs just 0.2 ounces, and boasts high quality calls, good echo and noise cancellation, and automatic volume control—all for a reasonable price. The WEP700 has the standard list of Bluetooth headset features: answering/ending a call, last-number redial, call mute, putting a call on hold, and transferring a call from the headset to the phone or vice versa. The WEP700 is rated for six hours of talk time, and 8.3 days of standby time.
BlueAnt V1
$119.99, www.myblueant.com
The latest Bluetooth earpiece from BlueAnt is the world's first voice-controlled headset, allowing hands free control of most call features. It also makes use of patented "voice isolation technology," which reduces noise and cancels echo, perfect for noisy airport terminals. Another useful feature is the inclusion of the "GOOG-411" voice command, which automatically connects you to Google's free 411 service, handy for when you've misplaced that business card. And if you're new to Bluetooth, help is just a few words away—if you're confused about a certain function, just say, "Teach me." The BlueAnt V1 has a talk time battery life of five hours, and 8.3 days on standby mode.
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