HEADSETS

Nextlink Bluespoon Digital

Nextlink claims that its Bluespoon headsets are the smallest and lightest in the world, and that's not an idle claim. Using technology that Nextlink perfected for the military, the Bluespoon Digital weighs just 10 grams, and fits on the inside the curve of your ear. It's really that small!

Nextlink's military technology also enables superior performance for the Bluespoon Digital. What you get is adaptive digital noise cancellation that filters out unwanted background noise, for an extra-quiet listening experience. It's the quietest phone headset I've ever used.

What's really neat about the Bluespoon is that it uses a spring to place the headset in your ear, for perfect placement. It's safe, it's secure, and it won't pop out if you wear it while running, dancing, or jumping around like a madman. As the company says, this makes the headset the "natural choice for active people with the need for quality communication while on the move." Yeah, man.

Naturally, the Bluespoon Digital uses Bluetooth technology for a hands-free wireless connection to your Bluetooth-compatible phone. For added convenience, the headset features voice dialing no need to touch your phone at all.

The headset comes with four different recharging cables, including a USB cable that lets you recharged from your notebook PC. Fully charged, the Bluespoon Digital should provide up to six hours of talk time, or 200 hours on standby.

Small, light, and quiet. It's everything you want in a wireless phone headset even if it does look like you have a big ladybug in your ear.

Model: Bluespoon Digital Manufacturer: Nextlink (www.nextlink.to/) Connection: Bluetooth Dimensions: 1.85'' x 0.98'' x 9.98'' Weight: 0.35 oz. (10 grams) Price: $350

Jabra BT800

Here's a stylish and functional little wireless headset. The Jabra BT800 puts all of your phone's important controls on the headset itself mute button, jog wheel, and answer and end buttons. You even get a blue backlit LCD screen that displays incoming caller ID although how you're supposed to read the display when it's in your ear escapes me. Still, it's a nice design (aside from the LCD) for a good-performing Bluetooth headset.

Model: BT800 Manufacturer: Jabra (www.jabra.com) Connection: Bluetooth Dimensions: 2.7'' x 1.3'' x 1'' Weight: 0.8 oz. Price: $149.99

Logitech Mobile Pro

Logitech put one of the first cordless headsets on the market, and company is still a market leader. The Mobile Pro is an affordable headset that connects cordlessly to any Bluetooth-enabled cell phone and has a long 7-hour talk time. This unit has a flexible, soft-touch headset for comfortable fit on either ear, and the microphone is of the noise-canceling type.

Model: Mobile Pro Manufacturer: Logitech (www.logitech.com) Connection: Bluetooth Specs: 1 oz. Price: $99.99

Jawbone Adaptive Headset

The Jawbone is a corded headset with adaptive noise reduction technology. It constantly adapts the incoming audio to the room's background noise, raising the sound level when necessary and lowering it when not. The adaptive technology even works with the microphone, to filter out background noise from your voice. The result is crystal-clear sound quality that makes you sound better to your callers and hear better, too.

Model: Jawbone Manufacturer: Jawbone (www.jawbone.com) Connection: Corded Weight: 0.5 oz. Price: $149.95

Shure QuietSpot Boom

If you want a more affordable noise-blocking headset, go with Shure's QuietSpot Boom. The NoiseBlocker earphone reduces outside noise by 80%, while the noise-canceling boom microphone (with foam windscreen) blocks 70% of extraneous noise. The result is remarkably quiet sound at a decent price if you don't mind going the corded route.

Model: QSHB3 Manufacturer: Shure (www.shure.com) Connection: Corded Weight: 0.8 oz. Price: $39.99