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: Right phone for me
Summary: 4 Stars
Stars in favor:
+2 for audio quality. Platronics never disappoints when it comes to audio quality. Basic need addressed.
+3 for Blue Tooth (BT) compatibility and BT headset. 3 stars because this is a huge $ savings as I spend hours together on the phone from home. Don't need to use my cell anymore just for the BT.
+2 for for built-in VOIP / Skype integration. This is pretty useful if you have broadband and use Skype. Don't need to be in front of on your computer and no airtime charges (for iPhone w/Skype app users).
+1 for good battery life
Stars against:
-2 for design - keys are tiny, you may find yourself fat fingering the keys more often that you'd like. Build is not sturdy, both the phone and BT feel flimsy (like plastic). Looks like Platronics wanted to build a 'cell phone like land line phone' with BT compatibility for home based business users and any others who spend a sizable amount of time on the phone but cut corners on equipment design and quality (something's gotta give?).
-1 for functionality - not the most functional cordless phone out there. You have to press OK twice and then Talk to redial (no redial button), Menu and screen are very basic.
-1 for price.
Net Stars: 4
Bottom line: Ideal for VOIP users who spend 6 - 20 hours a week on the phone at home. You will stop using your cell phone at home in no time and start saving on cell phone bills, that is, if you are willing to accept the (minor) flaws in design and pay a couple dollars hundred upfront for the equipment ;-)
It's been a while since this phone has been selling and yet there are hardly any phones out there with similar capabilities. I wonder why...
Customer Review: Love the bluetooth headset - but static and hum..
Summary: 1 Stars
Love the looks, and the bluetooth headset rocks! But, when you pay 200 bucks for a phone it should be of very good quality. I read reviews here where people stated static/hum was a problem but I thought possibly they had received defective units. When I received the first phone it had a bad static hum. I use dsl, had the dsl filter installed, I disconnected the phone line and activated the handset and it still hummed. Thinking this may be line noise being generated by some device on this circuit, I plugged it into a different circuit, same thing. My old phone still works but with very low volume and I did not have this hum. Sent the unit back for a different one. The new one had the same problem, albeit not quite as bad at first, but within a week the problem progressed to the same level as the first phone. I returned the second unit also and will try something different.
Now for my rant :) This product has a defective electronic component that is causing this static/hum, or a design flaw that doesn't handle normal electrical line noise. Because some reviews give this thing very high praise, but others do not, this leads me to believe that possibly Plantronics had units that were manufactured using a bad component or design, that they later resolved in new units, but are not pulling the defective/bad units from the market, and instead, are still selling them hoping people will just accept it. I'm not one of those who will, and in fact I will never buy Plantronics products again because they must be aware of this issue and are not being proactive in ensuring they are selling quality products. Far too common a practice these days.
If you buy this, good luck.
Customer Review: Love it!
Summary: 4 Stars
I love it! The reason for 4 stars is because the dial pad is hard to read. It's even harder to see when it is lit up. Wierd. Anyways I'm glad I bought it. I work from home, I'm in a lot of meetings and desk top space is limited. It's really nice not having a headset cord between me and a phone, even a cordless phone. I can't tell you how many times I've caught the headset cord on something and had it ripped from my head.
The sound quality is great. So far NO one has complained about not being able to hear me, that's good. I use a google number so calls are routed through googles voip (??) then to my phone and sound quality is still great.
I am not having any problems with entering PIN numbers, meeting pass codes, etc. when I am using the headset like some other reviewers have described. You can adjust the volume from the headset but cannot mute it from the headset. You can mute it from the handset. The clip on the phone stays secure to your waist, which is rarely true for other phones.
One annoying thing, I cannot figure out how to use speed dial. I have been able to add numbers to speed dial but whenever I try to use speed dial it calls my sister. We joke now that we are in the Speed Dial Twilight Zone. Speed dialing instructions are not included in the manual. I even googled and found a magazine reviewer comment on the lack of instructions for speed dial but he figured it out. Too bad for me that he didn't share what he figured out. Oh well, as I said, I'm using google voice more and more and can dial from there.
I highly recommend this product and you should check out google voice too :)
Customer Review: Exactly what I was looking for
Summary: 5 Stars
I've only had the phone for a week, but so far it is exactly what I expected... I can confirm that you CAN use this with Ventrilo as long as you get the updated PersonoCall software from the Plantronics website, it allows you to "lock headset radio link on" and allows you to use non-Skype type VOIP services just by selecting the right device in your control panel.
I work from home and am on the phone anywhere from 2-10 hours a day... the most I have used this device so far in one day was about 7 hours without recharging, however it was not completely dead yet when I finished my calls, so that's a good thing! The handset takes 16 hours for a full charge initially and the bluetooth headset recharges in 3 hours. My phone service is AT&T Callvantage running over a Comcast cable modem to the internet.
I have not had the issue that others reported with my conference call passcodes not working and have called into at least 3 or 4 different company's teleconference systems so far.
My only disappointment was that neither the phone nor the base act as a hub for your mobile phone, as with some of the other bluetooth enabled cordless phones. However, I knew this before purchasing it due to the other reviews and purchased it anyway. I have been able to clear 3 different items off of my desk... my old cordless, old headset with a 2.5mm jack, and my usb headset for gaming.
One other bonus is that you can use the "Outlook Phonebook" software directly without actually using MS Outlook... I'm using the software to update the phone's internal phonebook without having to program the numbers directly into the phone.
Customer Review: Kind of Cool and Kind of NOT
Summary: 2 Stars
I got this phone to replace my GE Dect 6.0 Cell Fusion Caller Id 2HSCordless handsets. I was looking for the same features as the Fusion with the addition of a BT headset and the ability to use Skype. What I did not realize is that the Plantronics Calisto link to the cell phone is not through the phone, but just an ordinary bluetooth headset for the cell phone. So, I can't dial calls through the cell via the calisto handset. I can't see the caller id of a cell call. You also can't be more than "30 feet" away from your cell phone to answer a cell call.
I am a little confused as to why this model is so expensive now that I understand what it is. It is a cordless single line handset with a BT headset and has a USB link to the PC which let's you use VOIP programs like skype. Hooking up the headset to my laptop to make skype calls is cool, but I don't need a $250 headset to do that. You can't make skype calls with the handset. If you already have a BT adaptor on your PC, you don't need the USB connection. You get the same capability with an ordinary BT headset.
The GE Fusion allows me to make calls through the cell anywhere in the house, answer cell calls anywhere in the house, and have more than one handset. What it did not have was a BT headset...or so I thought. I now have found a BT for the GE fusion. The problem with it is that it links to the base and not the handset. Foiled again. I will keep trying.
I am not one to return products, but I was completely fooled on this one.