Graves on SOHO Technology

A few days back Skype announced the availability something new. It’s reported to be the result of a super secret new project. It’s…….wait for it…….a cheap headset!

OK, there’s a little more to it than that. It’s capable of “super wideband” audio…which is marketing speak implying that it’s good enough for listen to music. And the microphone is good enough to justify its use with wideband codecs like Skype’s own SILK.

It’s USB connected, which is nice, but also allows you to use it to listen to your iPod via a standard 3.5mm plug. Oh yeah, it folds flat for packing/travel.

Finally, it costs a very modest $22.88….but c’mon guys….this is not anything earth-shattering. What’s the big secret?

Oh, you needed to keep it a secret from Plantronics, since you also suggest their very nice .Audio 625 headset, listing it at a kinda comparable $26.99. I see that you don’t sell that one yourselves, but refer people to various online vendors. So it’s an issue of who gets to keep the margin.

OK. I get it now.

Setting aside the sarcasm for just a  moment, I have been looking at headsets for the past few months. I’ve been looking for products that are truly able to make the most of wideband calling over IP. Many headsets offered in the telecom space are not up to the task. My earlier review of the Plantronics .Audio 615m was part of that quest.

USB attached devices are great if you only want to use them with a computer. I’m still very happy with the Plantronics device.