Dear Berry: Which bluetooth headset should I buy?

Welcome back CrackBerry Nation to another edition of Dear Berry! It's time to crack (excuse the pun) open the mailbag and answer another question by one of our readers. This week's submission was sent in courtesy of Karla who writes:

Hi, I have a the Bold 9780 and wanted to know what you would recommend for a headset that can notify you of incoming calls ID, emails and text and gps plus other apps. Thanks in advance.

-Karla 

Dear Karla,
This is a really great question Karla and one that posed quite a challenge to answer so I thank you for sending it in. When selecting a headset, I normally judge each one by these three factors: quality, comfort, and features. If a BT headset is uncomfortable or sounds like I'm in a tunnel it doesn't get my seal of approval. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, my recommendation for you is ... and in my best impersonation of Ryan Seacrest ....you'll find out after the break!

The BlueAnt Q2 Smart Bluetooth headset

Now a lot of research and real world testing went into this decision to make sure it met all of my demands as well as yours. The Q2 is perfect because it offers full voice command control, clear sound even when in crowded and noisy areas, and feels as if you're not wearing it thanks to the soft ear gels and removable ear hook. All of the functions are accessible simply by speaking them including answering or ignoring calls. The Q2 will download your entire contact list so it can announce the names and numbers of incoming calls. You can access movies, news, sports and more by just saying the command as they've integrated Microsoft Bing-411 into the software. Overall, its a solid accessory that is easy to use, offers great battery life, comes with text to speech capabilities, and is able to stream music. 

Getting back to your main concern, what you'll want to do is combine this with a solid voice-recognition app. Whether you're in or out of the car, you won't be constantly grabbing your device to look something up. They'll certainly give your fingers a rest by reading your incoming messages, dictating emails and texts, searching for restaurants and directions, or opening up native applications. I highly recommend you check them out. I tested using Vlingo (Q2 was designed to work with Vlingo Safereader which is now Vlingo-Virtual Assistant), Drive Safe.ly, and Google Search all of which are compatible with your device and work seamlessly with the Q2. Personally, I've been using this headset for quite some time and it gives the best hands-free experience out of all the ones I own.

I hope this helps in your search for a headset. You can read more about the Q2 in our forums or by reading our reviews before heading over to ShopCrackBerry and ordering yours.

• More information / purchase the BlueAnt Q2
  
• CrackBerry Labs: BlueAnt Q2 vs Motorola Oasis Bluetooth
  
• Review: BlueAnt Q2 Smart Bluetooth Headset

- Berry

Now let's turn the floor over to the CrackBerry nation and see what they have to say. What headset would you recommend for Karla?

Have a question about BlackBerry etiquette? Need advice on how to cope with your BlackBerry addiction? Dear Berry has you covered. Submit any of your BlackBerry woes by email to [email protected] or on Twitter @DearBerryCB.

See you next week!