Southwing SH505 Bluetooth Headset
The Southwing SH505 Bluetooth headset easily paired with my Treo 680 and Blackberry 8800. The SH505 is about average in size compared to other Bluetooth earpieces, black and sliver, and made of a hard plastic. It definitely has unique styling. The package included the earpiece, ear hook, headset cord, wall charger, USB data/charging cable and user guide.
The sound quality of this device is good. Its in-the-ear design does a great job of blocking out ambient noise, making the calls easy to hear. The device passed my worse-case test of walking through downtown Seattle at 4:30pm with flying colors.
The SH505 is engineered be used with or without the provided ear hook. I would have preferred to use the earpiece without the earhook but was never able to get it to sit properly in my ear. But the ear hook enabled the SH505 to sit securely and comfortably on my ear. The headset has four function buttons that control all the typical functions that we have become use to in a advance earpiece (pairing, connect/disconnect of phone calls, volume, quick dial, and on/off of the headset itself). The on/off button is on the bottom of the earpiece and is also the button for pairing the Bluetooth device to your cellphone. The small round button on the side of the earpiece (with the Southwing symbol) allows you to connect/disconnect calls and quick dial (Push4). The Push4 feature enables you to program a single quick dial number. To activate the Push4 quick dial, you push the round button for a second and it will have your phone dial whatever number you have programmed. The volume controls are touch sensitive; so to increase the volume, touch the upper black portion on the side of the earpiece and to lower the volume, touch the lower portion (where 'SOUTHWING' is stamped on the side).
According to Southwing, the headset's built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery lasts up to 10 hours of talk time and 300 hours of standby time.
A unique feature of this earpiece is that you can manage upgrades and some of its features with a program called 'Wingman', a PC application available on the Southwing website. The program allows you to upgrade the SH505's firmware and manage the headset´s main settings and high-end capabilities such as the favorite number button, volume, ring tones and automatic call pick-up. With the Wingman software, I was easily able to upgrade the firmware, enter my Push4 number, and change my ringtone.Sadly, the SH505 broke after just 7 days of moderate use (no drops or excessive stress). I have attempted to contact Southwing through email and web interface on their site. I have yet to receive a response. Southwing devices come with a two year warranty and this failure should be covered. I will update this review if/when Southwing gets back to me about my warranty inquiry.
Overall, I like the fit, function, and call clarity of the SH505. Although, even before it self-destructed, I had decided that after I was done testing I was going back to the iPhone Bluetooth headset I have been using for awhile now. Primarily due to the fact I still love the simplicity, look, and fit of the Apple earpiece. The bottom line is the Southwing SH505 does work well and has a very good feature set for the cost (especially considering its current sale price), making it a very great bang for the buck..... But obviously, since the device failed almost immediately and I have not received a response or replacement earpiece, at this time I cannot recommend this product. *see note from Julie at end of review*
SH505 Review Summary:
Product Requirements: Bluetooth enabled cellphone
Manufacturer: Southwing
Price: $29.95 (currently on sale at wirelessground.com, normally $89.95)
Pros:
- Great sound quality
- Unique design
- Touch sensitive controls
- Push4 quick dial
- Program and upgrade through downloadable PC application
Cons:
- Broke in the first week and Southwing has not responded to my emails regarding a warranty replacement
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