Plantronics UPCALISTO Bluetooth Headset
by Plantronics
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List Price: Category: Wireless See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Plantronics UPCALISTO Bluetooth Headset
Customer Review: Disappointing coming off Plantronics Pro Bluetooth headset
Summary: 1 Stars
Well after having the Calisto out of the box and up and running for about an hour I am returning it.. I knew going in the reviews where not solid for this but I have been loving my PlantronicsPro bluetooth headset I figured I give the benefit of the doubt. Probably not the best idea.
First the overall quality is really poor for the cost. I really expected far better. It has a very "cheap" plastic feel to both the base, handset and headset. The headset itself I found a poor fit and sound quality not all that great. Interestingly I was able to pair my PlantronicsPro BT Headset (a product I think is simply amazing) to it which made the experience overall better but a cost that one should not have to be burdened with. The handset was surprisingly bulky.
In fairness it does work as advertised. I was able to get my landline, cell and skype working over it. The process to activate the headset is a little wonky. I also probably did not do my homework on the mobile side of this product but all it really does is act as a multipoint headset. You still need to carry around your mobile phone and the handset from the Calisto around the house if you want to take calls from either. You also need to initiate calls for Skype on your computer and then transfer to phone. Same for mobile. The big up sell was the idea on untethering you from the clutter but it really doesn't achieve that. You also can't switch between mobile and land/skype without having to disconnect. Again, it works and they probably don't make claims that it does anything other but I would suggest you have a clear picture on how you think you will use it and research fully.
The one other MAJOR issue for me was the current issue around the Software working on a Mac. They do not have a version that works with 10.6 and have made public statements that they have no plans to support the mac going forward. This really was troubling. I was able to get the software working just fine using Rosetta under 10.6 but in the end the idea that no further refinement is likely to occur for Mac users was troubling at best.
Given the Mac issue and the just overall poor fit and finish was enough to have me rethinking the high cost for this. I really think its a nice concept, PLantronics however would probably be better served if they made use of some of there really nice products, i.e. PlantronicsPro Headset.
Customer Review: Excellent package for soho users
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this for my Mom since she's going to be working from home and on the phone a lot. I started out looking for just a headset but eventually ended up buying this after weighing all the options. Basically, I wanted to find something that had long-range wireless headset, a speakerphone and wouldn't interfere with the home Wifi. A bluetooth headset that could be used with a cellphone was a bonus.
The Calisto seemed to have it all, and on top of it all it was all neatly integrated. I considered cobbling together cordless phones, wireless headsets, etc, but I know from experience this usually results in headaches from all the minor interoperability problems. Initially I balked at the price; however, after looking at all the options the price actually seemed pretty reasonable. It costs about as much as a nice Plantronics wireless headset plus a good phone, so it seemed worth it since it shouldn't have any problems "working together".
What impressed me most is that it just works. Normally I have to set up tech stuff for my Mom, however she had the phone all set up and working before I could even ask if she needed help. You just plug it in and it works. Headset sound quality was good- nothing I could find to complain about. The range is also decent- using the headset only (not carrying the handset) it's possible to walk around most of the house without losing signal. Of course, with the handset I would expect one could be doing yard work and still get great call quality. We also tested pairing the headset to both the Calisto and a cell phone. It took some time to work out the specifics of what buttons to press on what device for various situations, but in the end it worked as expected.
The only complaint I have is that the headset charger connection is very finicky. After replacing it on the charger base, the charging light will initially go on only to go off a few seconds later. It's usually necessary to lightly tap the headset to seat the charging connection properly, after which the light should remain on.
Finally, in addition to the requisite functionality, it has nice bonuses like DECT cordless, works with VOIP, uses a Bluetooth headset so you can handle calls from both landline and mobile calls, and looks nice. All in all, this product works well and was worth the cost.
Customer Review: Great home office telephone, but don't expect long life.
Summary: 5 Stars
UPDATE October 12, 2009
As much as I loved this phone, after 18 months the handset stopped ringing. I contacted support and the only thing that can be done is to replace the handset - which may or may not solve the problem. I understand that the warranty is one year, but am disappointed that such an expensive phone has such a short life.
I bought this phone because I work from home 4 days a week. I make a lot of international calls and I had trouble hearing on my previous headset and land line phone. I chose this phone because it had all of the features I was looking for and included the headset - meaning I would have no configuration problems.
What I love:
Easy to use volume control button for both dialing and voice.
Excellent sound quality.
Lightweight handset with belt/pocket clip.
Mute soft button on the handset - it is surprising how many phones do not have a mute button.
Speaker button is great for dialing, then I switch to the headset - I don't like the load dialing tones in my ear when using the headset.
Nice neat base to store and charge both the handset and headset. The base will also charge my Plantronics Voyager 510 headset.
I can use the included software to update my phone book (see note below about Outlook synchronization).
Could be better:
Headset sometimes slides around my ear. There are no foam adapters to customize a good fit like those that come with some other Plantronics bluebooth headsets.
If you want to synchronize with Outlook, you are limited to around 200 contacts and the field names are shorter. You will probably have to edit names to fit the available field lengths. I don't change my contacts too often, so synchronization with Outlook is not important to me.
The "select" soft button on the menu is on the right side of the screen, but on most cell phones it is always on the left. Admittedly not a big deal, but it is a bit annoying.
Customer Review: Disappointing
Summary: 1 Stars
I have been using this device for several months. In summary, it is a good idea badly executed. I recommend that anyone thinking of buying it wait until Plantronics bring out a better model. Here are some of my complaints.
The headset becomes uncomfortable when it is worn for an extended period. I have suggested to Plantronics that there should be an over the head option.
The dial pad buttons are badly designed, too small and annoyingly hard to use. The buttons on my Blackberry are smaller but much more user-friendly.
The lowest volume level on the handset (and through the headset) is too loud and cannot be reduced.
If you only use the handset with a cell phone it may be fine, but switching between Skype and Dragon Naturally Speaking and the handset and my Blackberry is fiddly and often does not work. If my Logitech Wireless keyboard can have programmable buttons, surely Plantronics could work out how to add programmable buttons to the handset and base unit to allow instant switching between programs.
The Bluetooth connection with my Blackberry is constantly problematic. It fails to connect at least once in every 3 attempts.
Finally, Plantronics provides software to transfer phone numbers from Outlook to the handset but it does not work. First, names on the handset can only be listed alphabetically by first name whereas I suspect most of us list by last name. There is no option to change this. Second, (and this may not affect many other users) I make many international calls. Inserting a "+" in front of a telephone number in a cell phone/Blackberry is an internationally recognized method of indicating to the carrier that what follows is an international call. But apparently this is news to Plantronics because their software deletes the "+"; I have had to reenter far too many international numbers in the Plantronics handset.
I am looking for a replacement.
Customer Review: Unit may not do what you think it should do
Summary: 3 Stars
When I purchased this unit, there were very few reviewers that specified the environment they were using the phone in. This turned out to be the problem and the reason why I gave this unit an average rating. So to be fair/clear, I intended to use this in my home office where I have a wireless hub ~6ft from the headset base. I bought this unit to replace the wired headset I normally use, hoping for more freedom to move about the office as I talk on the phone. The clarity of the wireless headset is much lower than the wired version and I experienced a lot of feedback with this unit. The new DECT system is supposed to be compatible with with wireless signals, yet I did not experience this. In no way am I an expert on this, but I had to do my own independent reading to understand how the different signals (internet vs. headset) interfere with each other. In most cases, say a large-ish office building, the wireless internet hub will be located far from your wireless headset, and then they are less likely to interfere (I have not experienced this firsthand, this is just what is said to likely occur). In reading and talking with a few other home office users, I had to conclude that in my case, the signals were overlapping and causing the annoying interference. I went back to my wired version. I hope the industry solves this problem soon, I cannot imagine I am the only one in a home office with a wireless internet hub wanting to use a wireless headset.
Lastly for general information, the screen is lame compared to the quality of phone screens these days (especially considering the price of this phone...a $50 cordless phone will have a brilliant full color screen). The screen is black and white, small, hard to read (low contrast). The dialing buttons are tiny, I think most people would find this annoying. I probably could have gotten over these nit-picky things if the wireless part had worked for me though.