[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro Accessories] belfast-biker:
Motorola HT820 Review

Summary: Exquisite piece of kit, not perfect, but worth every penny nonetheless.

Where da wires at?!?

Just installed the Bluetooth update available here (thanks guys!) and was raring to lose my wires as I'm forever getting my Sony MDR-EX71 earphones tangled, big time. Now those are lovely earbuds - if these are even in the same ballpark quality-wise, they'll be sublime! Here goes...

What are they?

These are all-singing, all-dancing headphones - some headsets don't do stereo, some don't do remote control, some don't have a mic, so can't be a headset - these do it all.

There's a mic socket in one of the ears, which trust me works well somehow, certainly on the calls I made on it in the park today - I could hear the other side brilliantly, and they heard me well - no problems there.

They obviously do Bluetooth Stereo as well (A2DP) without any mucking around on the Exec side of things - it just works. Brilliantly.

Pause/Play, Next/Previous Track, and a 2.5mm socket for wired folk

Volume and "phone call" button

As you can see, there are buttons on them as well - this is for controlling not only the phone calls, but the music as well, which is lovely - my hand never needs to go into my little bag or pocket to fumble for my Pocket PC.

Looks

Side on, they're quite stylish - from the front, they're a little Princess Leia/Shrek-like, but to be honest, I'm used to them already after one day, and I don't have to look at them while they're on anyhow! (Update) As per ck's instructions, the pads can be removed to give the appearance of less bulk, in about 2 seconds too!

"FIONA-A-A!!!!!...

Pads removed - a slimmer set of headphones... if only it was that easy to slim me![/[]

Comfort

Comfy Spongy bits!

Are they confortable? Yes and no. They're not as comfortable as my previous earbuds, which I could have worn without knowing they were there all day. These are initially very nice - a nice fit, tight without pressure, and the spongy parts of course feel good. But where the plastic clamps to the side of the head can get a little sore after an hour or two. The price of doing business with a set of headphones in this style I guess.

Sound Quality

With the wire, they're gorgeous. Easily as good as my all-time fave Sony's which I never thought would be equalled without shelling out big bucks. After my MDR-EX70's died, I tried a couple of pairs of phones before going back to the updated version of the Sony's, which are utterly fantastic. So was pleasantly shocked at these being so good.

Without the wire, there's a little bit of, what I can only describe as static, on some frequencies/instruments. That seems really bad, but really, it isn't. It's minor and I guess it's just a little annoyance we have to put up with when we stop using copper cables. Most of the time you don't even notice it anyhow, certainly not so much on the likes of Deftones tracks...

In use

Easy as pie to use. Press a button to make a call. Press a button to answer a call. and so on. Press a button to pause music. Next Track etc, all simply works without mucking around. When a call comes in, the music stops, and starts again when you finished the call. What more could you want?

Any Problems?

Of course, but all minor. The slight reduction in quality of the wired connection vs. unwired. Also the minor soreness of the band after an hour or two, although not having any hair may be making that worse on me (!), and the range isn't that hot - In a heavy coat, they cut out every few seconds if the Exec is in a lower pocket. So I can't use them there. But I have a pouch I use to keep my Pocket PC's in anyhow, which attaches to my backpack strap, thus reducing the distance. Then there's NO cutouts at all, or drops in quality. Also, the looks won't suit everyone! You can even have them glow on a gentle throbbing action when music is played, which is quite funky, if you like...

Overall?

To be honest, the concept of unwired headphones is so wonderful, you'll be willing to overlook these minor issues - and these work very well indeed. I looked at all the others similar products before making this purchase, and I don't see any reason for buying any of the rivals on the market at the moment (not affiliated with Motorola!) and that's quite an accolade. (Update) And at only £70 in the main shops, £50-55 online, £38.00 on Ebay, they're a bargain...