Technocel T360 Bluetooth Headset review
Very good sound quality, basic
feature set,
good price
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The Technocel T360
Bluetooth headset is small in size and plain in appearance.
But who said that a headset has to be a fashion statement -
surely the most important thing is how well it works and
sounds, and in this respect, this headset does very well.
Part
of our series on Bluetooth - more articles listed on
the right.
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The Technocel T360 is a good
performing headset that costs about half as much as the BlueAnt
Q1, while giving comparable sound quality in both quiet and
noisy environments.
Although not quite as fully
featured, not quite as comfortable, and not quite as impressive
looking on your ear, in the areas that really count - sound
quality - it closely matches the twice-as-expensive BlueAnt Q1.
Power users (whoever they are)
might prefer the more expensive BlueAnt device, but normal users
will probably be more than pleased and happy with this lower
priced ($30 or slightly less) alternative.
What you Get
The Technocel T360 comes in
an easy open plastic box designed to be hung from a shelf
hook/rod.
Of course the headset itself
is inside, plus a multivoltage charger, a second different sized
earhook (one is already on the headset), and five additional ear
gel 'gaskets' that go on the headset. One is already on
the headset, and in total you have six - two each of three
different sizes.
A 'Get Started' sheet and an
English manual complete the inclusions.
The unit lists for $30 and
is available for less on
Amazon .
Feature Chart
Use this information to
quickly understand the capabilities of the unit and to compare
with other units.
Feature Comment |
Cost |
List price
is $29.95.
Available on
Amazon
for this price or sometimes $25 or less - click
to see their current pricing. |
Ergonomics |
Easy to put
on and take off |
With no ear
hook and the correct sized gel, it was easy to
put in and take out of one's ear.
The ear hook, because it curves around so much,
made fitting the headset more difficult but
after some practice, it was possible to do this
with one hand. |
Easy to use
the control buttons |
As seems to
be standard, the unit has one main multi-purpose
button, plus two buttons that primarily act as
volume up and volume down buttons, but which do
some other things as well.
You'll never
know which of the two buttons is volume up and
which is volume down - each has a nondescript
triangle embossed on it and that is all.
So, the unit
is as difficult (or as easy) to operate as most of the others
out there. |
Comfortable
to wear |
When worn
without the ear hook, it was lightweight and
comfortable. Its very short length meant
there was no angular force making it wobble in
one's ear or threatening to dislodge it from the
ear. There
are two different sized ear hooks provided with
the unit. One of them positioned the unit
above my ear canal, and the other of them, while
positioning the unit correctly in my ear, then
proceeded to dig in to my ear lobe at the bottom
of my ear. So neither of the ear hooks
worked for my particular ear size and shape.
It was good to have a choice of three different
ear gels - and two of each size. This
helped make it easy, comfortable, and secure in
one's ear, even without the ear hook (which I
ended up not using and not needing). |
Can you use
with glasses |
Yes,
especially without the hook (which happily I did
not think was really needed). The hook is
thin and not too intrusive, so the T360 is fine
with glasses even with the hook. |
Can use with
either ear |
Yes. |
Securely
mounted on ear |
It felt
secure by itself, but if you wish, you can add
an optional provided hook to the unit that loops
around the back of your ear, adding to the
unit's secure mounting. |
How to carry |
This is another
headset that has been designed with no thought
as to how it can be carried when not on one's
ear, and with a relatively fragile ear loop
assembly that can readily 'pop' off the headset
itself.
Compatible with Nectar
retractable and
necklace style headset holders. |
Weight |
Another
featherweight unit, weighing a mere 0.2 oz.
Adding the earhook made no discernable
difference in weight on my scales. |
Ease of Use |
Commands
intuitive and easy to remember |
There is no
such thing as intuitive and easy to remember
commands unless you have multiple labeled
buttons.
Instead, the
main button will do one of six different
functions, depending on if you press it briefly,
or for two seconds, or for four seconds, and
depending on if the phone and headset is in
standby mode, or receiving an incoming call, or
already in the middle of a call.
The volume
up button doubles as a mute button, and the
volume down button doubles as a call transfer
button.
Intuitive?
You decide....
|
Volume
adjustable |
Yes. The unit will cycle through
several different volume
levels by repeated pushes of the Volume up and
down buttons on the
side of the unit. |
How fast
does it turn on |
It takes
about two seconds to turn on and about another
three seconds to synch with the phone.
This is fast. |
Manual |
A single
sheet 'Get Started Here' explains about
initially charging the headset and how to pair
it to your phone.
A small nine
page manual in well written English, but with
incredibly tiny type, tells you most of what you
need to know.
No
additional information is on the manufacturer's
website. |
Support |
No support
information is available on their skeletal
website.
There is an
email address given for customer service;
alternatively, there is a technical support
number printed on the packaging (888-778-5501),
and it seems they are available for calls 8am -
5pm, Mon-Fri, Pacific time.
|
Pairing
password printed on device |
No. But like almost every other headset, it is 0000
so in an emergency you have a good chance of
guessing what it is! |
Features |
Battery life |
The
packaging claims 5 hours of talk time or 150
hours of standby.
This is generally in line with other current
models of Bluetooth headset. |
Low battery
indicator/signal |
There is no
mention of any indicator light or sound signal
to advise of the battery getting low. |
Battery type |
Lithium Ion. |
Replaceable
battery? |
No.
As with other headsets, the chances are by the time the battery has died,
you'll probably have bought a new headset. |
Battery
charging method/time |
Unfortunately this headset has a nonstandard
socket to connect a charging cable, and doubly
unfortunately the charging cable is hard wired
into the power supply brick.
So if you
want to charge it from a computer or other USB
type power source, you're out of luck.
You're forced to travel with the power supply
too.
A red
light on the headset is steadily on while
charging, and when fully charged it goes off.
Charging typically takes an hour or two. |
Multi-voltage charger |
Yes. |
Charger
weight/size |
A small
brick charger with 200 mA output.
The charger
does not have any branding on it and is very
generic, so it runs the risk of anonymously
disappearing into your box of mystery chargers
that you probably have somewhere in your office,
never to be found again!
The charger
and attached connector cable weighs a mere 1.7
oz |
Other
charging methods |
None
provided. |
How many
pairings can be stored |
Only one. |
Headset and
hands-free profiles? |
Yes. |
Audio
profile for computers |
No. |
Bluetooth
compatibility |
Version 2.1 |
Power/range |
33'/10m. |
Effective
range |
Effective
range was about as expected, and beyond 30'
before any degradation in sound quality became
apparent.
The
headset's range performance is very much in line
with other units recently tested, and is more
than is ever likely to be needed in real life. |
Warranty |
A one year
warranty apparently applies, according to the
packaging, but no details, terms or conditions
are printed on any of the materials supplied
with the phone or on their website. |
Free return |
Retailer
policies will vary. |
Noise
cancelling/DSP |
The
Technocel T360 promises on the box 'Noise
Cancelling! Communicate hands free in
noisy environments.' No further details
were given about what type of noise cancelling
it offers.
Here is a
sample recording of the unit being used in a
moderately noisy environment. As you can
hear, like most headsets, it is more vulnerable
to both external noise and wind than is a
regular iPhone 3GS, but it performed well and
better than a very much more expensive Jabra
Stone that was tested at the same time. It
also seemed better in the windy environment than
the BlueAnt Q1, but
it is a bit harder to be sure about that due to
not testing them both at exactly the same time.
This can be
considered as a very good noise cancelling
result, particularly for a budget priced
headset. |
Sound
quality |
Sound
quality was very good - both in terms of what I
heard through the headset, and what people at
the other end of a call heard too.
Here is a
sample recording
so
you can hear the difference between talking
through the Technocell T360 and directly through an iPhone, in a quiet environment, and draw your
own conclusions.
Apart from a
slight drop in audio level when using the
headset rather than handset, the rest of the
audio in a quiet environment was very good.
|
Capabilities |
Turning on
and off |
To turn the
headset on, you hold down the main button until
the light flashes and you hear a rising tone (if
it is in your ear). This takes less than
two seconds.
To turn it
off, you press and hold the button
again until you get a red light flash (and/or
until you hear a descending tone in your ear). |
Auto connect |
Yes. |
Voice tag
support |
Supported
(if also supported on the phone, of course).
Briefly tap the main button to activate voice
tag commands. |
Last number
redial |
Yes.
Press the main button for two seconds. |
Transfer
call to/from phone |
Yes - press
the Volume down key for two seconds to transfer
a call from the headset to the handset, press
the main button briefly to transfer a call from
the handset to the headset. |
Call
waiting/Three way calling |
Apparently
not supported. You'd have to control this
via the phone handset. |
Call reject |
Press the
main button for two seconds and release when it
beeps. Don't release sooner or else you'll
end up answering the call instead! |
Call
answer/end |
Yes.
If the
unit is already on, a short press of the main button
will answer an incoming call.
To end a call, a short press of the main control button is
again needed. |
Mute |
Yes.
Press the Volume up button for two seconds until
you hear a beep. Don't press the Volume
down button by mistake or else you'll transfer
the call to your phone handset instead, and the
person at the other end will hear everything
through your handset.
Press the Volume up button again for about two
seconds to unmute a call. |
Other Features |
None
apparent.
An interesting 'feature' is that the unit has
printed on it 'FCC ID XXXXXXX'. Why is it
that I don't believe this is the official FCC ID
for the unit? |
Subjective |
Attractive
design |
The unit is
small and unobtrusive, and finished in a glossy
black plastic.
There is nothing distinctive about it, and
perhaps one could say in a positive way that it
is not ostentatious.
But it isn't quite a fashion statement, either. |
Flashing
indicators on standby |
Yes,
a blue light flashes twice every
five seconds
while the unit is on standby and if it is paired
with a phone (it flashes once every five seconds
if on and not paired).
This
apparently can not be switched off.
It flashes purple, once every five seconds, when
you are on a call. |
Size |
The unit is
very small. It is 1.4" long, about 0.4"
thick and 0.65" wide. The earpiece sticks
out about half an inch.
Adding the
earloop adds to its length and width, making it
about 1.9" long and 1.5" wide at the maximum
points.
The earloop
simply snaps on and off the earpiece, making it difficult to carry in a pocket. |
Summary |
This is a good
all-rounder
headset - very good sound quality, good noise
cancelling, and a fairly standard feature set.
It isn't quite as
feature-rich or visually appealing as our
current favorite, the BlueAnt Q1, but it is also
not as expensive either. If you are
looking for a high value good performing
headset, this is a great option to consider.
With a list price of
$30 and currently available
on
Amazon
for a price ranging
from between about
$23 - 29, it is fairly
priced for the headset that it is, and
is much less expensive than many. |
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Using the Technocel T360 Headset
The Technocel T360 unit is
easy enough to use if you confine yourself to the commands
needed to turn the unit on and off, and to answer and originate
calls.
Anything extra can probably
be controlled from the phone handset in any event.
Connecting with phones
It was easy to connect to a
phone. We tested a Blackberry, Android and iPhone, and all
three paired up with no problems.
Summary
I first came across
Technocel when reviewing an
excellent recharger/emergency battery they offer.
Based on that positive experience, I was keen to see what their
Bluetooth headset was like.
The Technocel T360 is a good
headset with no weaknesses or problems. Power users might
wish for some extra features such as are available on the
BlueAnt Q1, but people who just wish a simple straightforward
reliable headset with good sound quality will be more than
satisfied with this headset.
Priced at something less
than $30, it is a great value too. Recommended.
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Originally published
07 Jun 2010, last update
21 Jul 2020
You may freely reproduce or distribute this article for noncommercial purposes as long as you give credit to me as original writer.
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