Shopping Guide For Hands-Free Headsets
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The odds are that if you are reading this right now, you want or need to get a headset for your phone. There are a number of things to consider when choosing a new headset. This article will go into detail so you can go shopping armed with the right information, and get the headset that fits your needs as well as possible.
Maybe your old one went crunch under the tire of your car, or got soaked on your last trip to a theme park, or maybe its death certificate reads “causes unknown.” Then again this could be your very first headset. If the laws in your state have changed recently, you may find that you must have one to avoid problems with the state police, a fine that will more likely than not put a hefty dent in your wallet and points that will make the dent deepen each and every time you have to pay your insurance bill.
No matter why you need the accessory for your phone, it is time to do some shopping, and the foundation of all good shopping is research. Before you can buy anything you should know what you are looking for. Even if you don’t have an exact model in mind, you should know what features or elements you want when you go into the store, otherwise you may just end up walking out with a minimally useful product that will give your sales person the biggest commission humanly possible. So what features do you really need to have in your next mobile headset?
Compatibility
This is number one on the list for an obvious reason. If the device that you buy isn’t compatible with your phone, then you may as well not have bought a headset at all, because the headset simply won’t work. As you probably know from painful experience, returning an electronic device can be its own particular level of hell. So we are going to have to be very careful.
This is not as much of an issue if you choose to have a wired headset because they will, in theory at least, all plug neatly into the audio jack on your cell phone. However, even here you should be careful. Some of the newer models of phones may have set ups for unique headsets or specialty-sized jacks, but the odds are against that.
If you have your eyes on a wireless headset, then you are going to have to contact your cell phone providers to ask them what wireless headsets can be used with your model of phone. If you have a serious objection to calling the customer service line for your phone company (I know, I hate the lame hold music and only minimally useful people on the other end of the line), you can always check with your user manual, provided you still have it. If you don’t have it you may be able to find copies of your manuals in Word or PDF formats on either your cell phone service provider's site or the site of the manufacturer of your phone. So check around, it is definitely worth the time and the effort.
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