New York — Motorola plans early fourth-quarter shipments of its first two Bluetooth hands-free headsets to incorporate second-generation CrystalTalk noise-reduction technology. The two are also the company’s first dual-microphone noise-reduction headsets with the ability to remain paired with two phones at the same time.
The Motopure H15 will retail for a suggested $129, and the larger H780 will retail for a suggested $99. Both feature ear bud with ear-hook design.
The H15 will be the best-sounding Bluetooth headset among all of the dual-mic noise-reducing headsets on the market, the company claims, because of second-generation CrystalTalk technology, a mechanical design that reduces microphone wind noise, and an improved automatic volume adjustment feature.
Second-generation CrystalTalk is a combination of hardware design, fit and software, which compares the audio signal entering the microphone nearest the user’s mouth and the signal entering a second mic aimed away from the face. The software algorithm then compares the two signals, separates the background noise from the user’s voice, and passes through only the user’s voice to the person at the other end of the line, a spokesman said.
The improved volume-adjustment feature senses ambient noise levels and, for the headset’s speaker, dynamically adjusts the volume of the frequency spectrum occupied by the human voice. Previous headsets used a version of the technology that boosted overall volume levels as ambient noise levels rose.
Wayne White, corporate VP for Motorola’s companion products group, cited a study by test lab Metrico Wireless to justify his claim that the H15 will be the best-sounding dual-mic headset on the market. The H780, which lacks the wind-noise design, will be the second-best-sounding headset, he added.
The H15 is Motorola’s first noise-reduction headset with an active flip, or mic boom that automatically turns on the headset when the boom is flipped open, the company added. It’s 1.54 inches by 0.95 inches by 0.47 inches and delivers up to 4.5 hours of talktime or up to seven days of standby time on a full charge. A 15-minute charge delivers one hour of talktime.
The H780 delivers up to seven hours of talktime or up to eight days of standby time. It’s 1.85 inches by 0.67 inches by 0.43 inches in size.
The products will be available in carrier stores as well as other retailers, including mass merchants, White said.