Bluetake Bluetooth Headphones and iPod Transmitter (BT450Rx-C) Review - Connecting to an iPod
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The first thing to do, obviously, is plug the iPod Bluetooth transmitter into the iPod. Bluetake did great at making the transmitter’s plug adjustable (like you just saw) so that it can fit any model iPod. Unfortunately, there's probably not much they can do about protective iPod covers. The owner of our testing-Pod keeps her iPod in a protective rubber case. This kept the transmitter from sitting snugly on top of the iPod and plugging in fully. Basically, it didn't work.
We had to remove the cover. The Bluetooth transmitter fit perfectly once we did. Bluetake should consider selling protective iPod covers that fit iPods wearing their gadget.
Now, to establish a connection, we have to put the I-PHONO Mini headphones into pairing mode first. Then we have to put the transmitter into pairing mode. While these devices had been charging, I read the manual to get an idea of what I would need to do. The manual is thorough and has more than enough information. Bluetake is definitely trying to anticipate all your questions. Unfortunately, I was kind of suffering information overload. To put the headphones into pairing mode, I pressed one button on the top of the headphones. It caused the headphone light to flash blue, which isn't right.
Quickly referring back to the manual, I realized I had to hold in both of the buttons on the right earphone at the same time for a few seconds. This caused the light to flash red and blue, which is just what we wanted to see. I then held in the transmitter’s pairing button, and the lights both devices lights shifted to flashing just blue. A second later, it was playing.
Kimberly modeled the player for us while she listened to a few songs. The girls in the office pointed out that the headset doesn't look that attractive sticking out of people’s ears. They’re functional and seem to take design cues from iPods, but they are certainly not beautiful.
Altogether, three of us in the office listened to the I-PHONO Mini while it was paired with the iPod transmitter. We all agreed it sounded very clear and crisp. The sound quality was good enough that I could have mistaken them for wired headphones. They may not be sporty earbuds or noise-canceling headphones, but they are light and sound good. Even compared to wired versions of this same kind of headset, the sound is above average. Considering they are wireless, I’d say the sound is fantastic.
I also have to mention that you can control the iPod with a button on the right earphone. It skips songs, rewinds, pauses, and controls volume. This is a very interesting feature, and I liked playing with it. Realistically though, this is only useful in a situation where you leave the iPod on the other side of the room. You probably wouldn’t want to leave you iPod laying around at the office or the gym, but I can imagine other situations where this feature is useful. Unfortunately, the button can’t control other players like my iriver, because they don’t have the control chip that the iPod has.
Now that I’ve been amazed by how awesome this Bluetooth headset sounds, I want to connect it to a phone. This should do some very cool tricks.
Next: Connecting to a Bluetooth Cell >>
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