Announced at DEMO 2006 with Web 1.0 exuberance is the Mvox Duo bluetooth headset. It claims to do standard duty, plus work as a speakerphone, voice over IP headset and car kit. In otherwords, its a regular bluetooth headset, but biggie sized to fit a larger speaker inside. Where should I start talking shit about this buzzword-filled pitch?
< two snaps in a z-formation>
First of all, girlllfriend...
So you think this thing can replace a headset, speakerphone, VOIP phone, and car kit? You're saying this is a miracle 4-in-1 device?
Look its a bluetooth headset, so no shit it works in the car. You just clip it to your head and you're good to go. It connects to a PC for use as a VOIP device? So do all the other decent bluetooth headsets.
And the speakerphone thing, ok, so now you've got this metal slug (3.0 x 1.1 x 1.2 inches) on the side of your head capable of 90 Db at about a foot away, and if you switch it on accidentally your eardrums get blasted. OK, Great Idea. Actually, that's not fair to judge a product concept by user error. Here: If I want to use a speakerphone, I'll use the one on my cellphone. (Most nice cellphones do this, in fact, most that are $200 dollars do. Oh, $200 happens to be how much this thing costs)
Then there's the noise cancelling...which most headsets have. And built in phone book. Great, phone book, except there's no monitor to see your numbers, and my phone already has an address book, thankyouverymuch. Oh one more feature it has is the ability to do voice command...which other high end headsets have. Lastly, WTF is with that belly-up glamour shot with the FCC tattoos? Looks like a beached whale...in a holster. Gadget holsters are for douchebag business guys and cowboys with six-shooters.
Argghh! OK, you have a speakerphone, I get it.
If Mvox or someone else wants to explain the rhyme and reason behind this gadget, I'm all ears.
I don't usually hate mediocre products, but when a company tries to pass off something regular as something incredible, it bothers me. A lot.
(BTW, the Jabra BT800 does much of the same, with a screen, minus the speakerphone, for $150.)
Mvox Duo[M]