Review: Sony Ericsson HBH-PV700

TreoCentral's James Hromadka reviews the Sony Ericsson HBH-PV700.

(Originally published at TreoCentral on June 29th, 2006)

More and more Bluetooth headsets are targeted towards women. The Jabra BT160 [ Review | Buy ] for example comes with a wide assortment of faceplates that can be used to complement a particular outfit or mood. Sony Ericsson has also gotten into the stylish headset game with the PV700, but does it fit your style?

Features

The first thing you notice about the PV700 is its color. It is mostly white with a non-removable faceplate that gives the headset a really striking look. According to my female friends, it's "Apple Green." Pictures don't do it justice, so just imagine the color of a Granny Smith apple or something a little lighter and softer than lime green. On the flipside, the back of the headset is a dull grey, but no one can see it anyway.

Sony Ericsson has changed its power adapters in its mobile phones, and the PV700 uses a similar power adapter as my K750 phone, which is a nice touch.

In stark contrast to other headset manufacturers, most Sony Ericsson products use a green LED, which has the added bonus of complementing the color of the PV700. The LED flashes every 3 seconds while in standby mode and flashes red when the battery is low.

The action button is small yet easy to feel for when you want to quickly answer a call. The volume buttons are on the top of the headset when wearing it on the right ear. The earpiece can easily be removed and swapped over to the left ear.

To put the headset into pairing mode, while the unit is on hold in all the buttons (Volume /- and action) for about five seconds until the LED alternates flashing green and red. It's easy to do using one hand, and the passcode is the standard 0000.

Usability

Bluetooth headsets can be hit or miss with the Treo 650. I have generally found Sony Ericsson headsets to consistently work well with the Treo, and the PV700 headset is no exception. I found audio quality to be quite good and didn't need to max the volume in order to hear the other caller.

When I was indoors, the other party could hear me very well, and when I was outside, they only needed to slightly increase their volume in order to hear me and commented that the background noise such as traffic could barely be heard. I didn't need to adjust the volume on my side at all and heard nary a crackle.

The PV700 is lightweight and feels comfortable on the ear. There is no gel piece like some headsets use, but the speaker piece feels comfortable anyway. The earloop is lined with soft rubber and is bendable - no uncomfortable, sharp plastic that cuts your ear.

Conclusion

If Apple Green is your thing, you will like the Sony Ericsson PV700 headset. It has decent battery life, great sound quality, and a good price. I fear that its color may put off some potential buyers, but then again that's why Sony Ericsson makes other headsets. Apple Green is not really my style, but I would have no problem recommending this headset to my sister or female friends.

(Originally published at TreoCentral on June 29th, 2006)