Unlike a few competitors with headsets in the same price range as the UFO, Bluetrek hasn't cut corners with accessories. In the package are:
* The headset
* 2 sizes of metal wire earhooks
* 2 sizes of plastic earhooks
* A wall charger
* A car charger
* A USB charger
* A Quick Start Guide
Notice that there are three chargers. You're not stuck with a single proprietary wall charger, a common cost-cutting measure these days. The standard-to-mini-USB cable is about four inches, making it as convenient to use with a laptop as it is with the car charger. The cable is thick enough to stand straight up and keep the headset suspended while charging — so if you don't like wearing a headset not in use while driving, you can keep it mounted on the car charger, where it's easily accessible for incoming calls.
Using the UFO for the first time wasn't exactly the out-of-the-box experience that you get from Jabra or Plantronics. It was completely uncharged. It took a couple of hours to charge the battery, and unlike many headsets, the red indicator doesn't turn another color when charged; it simply turns off, making its status less confusing. The unit is rated at six hours of talk time, eight days of standby time.
Bluetrek have smartly laid out the control and indicator components to closely follow the contour of the headset's teardrop design. The company's press releases compares the UFO's size to a quarter, but it's actually a little larger than a half-dollar. The translucent indicator bevels out slightly from the extended side of the teardrop, while the rest of the body is symmetrical. The headset can be worn on either ear, and while the earhook mount rotates enough to adjust for comfort, it doesn't swivel laterally; you have to remove the earhook and replace it if you need to flip it 180 degrees.
In a minor but awkward design choice, Bluetrek has mounted the microphone hole so that if the lettering on the inside is upright, the hole is on the top side, away from your mouth. So it's better to wear the headset on your right side, with the lettering upside-down. The volume-up button is on top when worn in this fashion.
The best design choice is the speaker, which is not in-ear, but slightly protruding from the body of the unit. With the earhook to hold it, the headset rests comfortably on your ear rather than in it. As someone who's perpetually annoyed with earbuds and eargels, I can't stress enough what a relief it is to wear a design like this. The only thing holding me back from making the UFO my default headset is needing A2DP stereo.
Most rectangular and oblong headset form factors are distracting, but the UFO contours nicely to the human ear, blending in naturally. More importantly, the fit on the ear, with the device's relatively flat speaker, makes the UFO one of the most comfortable headsets to wear on the market. If you don't need a stereo headset, the ergonomics alone are enough reason to consider the BlueTrek UFO before competing models.
The ease-of-use can't be beat. Between the favorite buttons and the voice alerts, the UFO has the same flat learning curve of budget headsets, but with the sophistication of those in its own price range.
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