Wireless headsets are becoming much more popular. They are great for listening to music, or talking on the phone. With Bluetooth connectivity they can connect with just about any device.

Features

• Supports A2DP, AVRCP function
• Effective distance up to 30 feet
• Rechargeable Li-on battery through USB charger
• Continuous use up to 6.5Hrs
• Great wireless connection with MP3, NB, LCD-TV and DVD

The BT-03A supports A2DP and AVRCP are both Bluetooth profiles. A2DP stands for Advanced Audio Distribution Profile, this profile defines how high quality audio, either stereo or mono, can be sent from one Bluetooth device to another. AVRCP stands for Audio/Video Remote Control Profile, this profile provides a standard interface to control Bluetooth equipment and allow a single device to control all of the Bluetooth equipment that you have. It may be used at the same time as A2DP, which would allow you to connect to an MP3 player and not only listen to the music, but control it as well. If your mobile phone has the A2DP function, then you can listen to MP3 music from your mobile phone wirelessly and still not miss any phone calls.

The embedded re-chargeable battery can play up to 6.5 hours. The transmitter also has a range of about 30 feet.

The other things that are included are an RCA to 3.5mm connector so you can connect your stereo to the headset, a case for carrying the headset in (it is not big enough for the transmitter), extra earphone cushions, and an adapter for European outlets.

Design

The transmitter is a very small black box with a grey circle and a single light on the front. The light is used to display the status of the transmitter. When the light is solid red it is charging, the light will turn off when it is done. If the light blinks red every 5 seconds it is low on power, it will also make a beeping sound. If it blinks every 3 seconds it is going to turn off. The light can also be blue. Blue is used to indicate the connection status. If the light flashes slowly it is connected, if it is flashing quickly it is waiting for a connection. It will flash 3 times when you turn it on and in paring mode it will alternate between blue and red. On the bottom is a small USB plug for charging.

The headset is a simple over the ear style. The headsets are connected by a very small wire and they only weigh about 1.33 oz. The right one has some controls for playing your music so you can control your MP3 player or phone without having to pick it up. There are 5 controls, play/pause/stop, forward, back, volume up and down. The right side also has a small USB plug that is used for charging.

Performance

The first thing you need to do is charge the headset and transmitter before you can use them. If you have a phone or MP3 player with Bluetooth that you are connecting to I recommend that you charge the headset first. That way you can use the headset while you are charging the transmitter. Charging the headset and the transmitter is a bit of a pain. Genius only supplies one charger, so I had to charge one device at a time. It would have been very smart to either provide two chargers or have the end of the charger split into two ends so it would be possible to charge both at the same time. Since it take about 2 hours to charge each you could be in for a 4 hour wait between uses.

The headset is very easy to use. You don’t even need to use the transmitter if your phone or MP3 player has Bluetooth built-in. To turn on the headset or the transmitter you only need to hold down the power button for 3 seconds, but just having them on does not do any good. To sync the headset and transmitter you actually have to have them turned off and then hold down the power button for 7 seconds. Once the lights start blinking red and blue they are ready to sync. The same is also true for syncing to a phone or MP3 player. Once they have synced you are ready to go.

Connecting the headset to my Treo 650 was not difficult. I was able to successfully make and receive phone calls. I did not have to worry about losing the connection. Any time a phone call came in I just pressed the pause/play button to answer it. I did not however hear the ringing of the phone in the headset. I don’t know if that is by design, if I set it up wrong, or if the Treo 650 does not support that feature. Pressing the + key to redial the last number worked great, but pressing the - key was suppose to activate voice calling, but instead it redialed the last number. Connecting the headset to my Dell Axim was not as successful as the Treo. I was able to listen to music, but the music did not sound very good and I was not able to pause or use any of the other functions; perhaps I did something wrong or the Axim does not support it. The range on the headset was really good. I was able to go almost about 30 feet away from the transmitting device.

The only thing that I wish it had was a replaceable battery. That way when the battery stopped taking a charge it would be easy to replace it and extend the life of the headphones.

During my testing I was able to cause the transmitter to lock up. I don’t know what I did to cause it, and I tired to repeat it, but I could not. It was an absolute pain when this happened because I could not turn it off, sync it to the headset or anything else. I actually had to let the battery run out and then charge it back up before I could use it. It took about 10 hours to let the battery die and another 2 hours for it to charge up. This means I was unable to use it for about half of the day.

Warranty and Support

The Genius BT-03A headset comes with a 1 year parts and labor warranty. The only thing you really need to worry about wearing out is the battery and the buttons.

Conclusion

I was really happy with the headset. Almost everything worked just as I expected it. There were a few glitches, but they were probably the fault of the Axim and not the headset. I think this is a really good headset, I really enjoyed using them and I think you will too. As always compare prices before purchasing.