蓝牙耳机和免提几乎已成为手机用户开车时的必备装置，在那些既要长时间打手机、又不想在双手做记录时颈部抽筋的人当中也颇受欢迎。
许多价格较低的版本要么很难与手机连接（或匹配），要么戴起来不舒服，或者电池寿命很短。还有一些音色尖细，或者不具备抗环境噪音(Ambient
Noise Reduction)技术——有了这种技术，{zh0}的耳机甚至可在嘈杂的场所使用。
但只需多掏一点钱，你就能买到一些出色的耳机。最近在美国上市的Aliph Jawbone
Icon（售价99美元）就是个中qc——该耳机定于下月在欧洲上市。为了比较，我还测试了另外两款耳机和两款车载免提，在我看来，它们都算市面上{zh0}的车载蓝牙设备。
Icon是第四代Jawbone耳机，与前几代产品一样，拥有Aliph独特的“语音活动感应器”(Voice Activity
Sensor)——即该耳机紧贴用户脸颊、帮助感知讲话内容的第三个麦克风。Icon还秉承了前几代产品的时髦造型，但更小巧、更轻便、戴起来更舒适。
此外它还拥有几项新特色，且更便于操作。电源开关设置在耳尖和旋钮状的语音活动感应器之间，感应器周围环绕着一个环形的发光二极管(LED)，用于显示耳机的状态。Icon顶部设有一个单独的多功能键，用于将耳机调到匹配模式、接听或挂断来电，也可实现其它一些功能。
Icon配有几个不同大小的橡胶耳塞和一个耳环圈，我感觉戴起来比我测试过的其它耳机都更加舒服和牢固。它还配了一条micro
USB数据线和一个用于充电的电源适配器。在我的测试中，该耳机的充电电池可保证4小时左右的连续通话。在待机模式下，电池可持续大约10天。
Icon很容易与我的BlackBerry Bold 9700和iPhone
3GS匹配——在匹配后，iPhone屏幕上甚至会显示Icon电池的剩余电量。与最近面市的大多数耳机一样，Icon可以同时匹配两台设备。因此，你可以一边在无线iPhone座充上听音乐，一边接电话。
Icon的音质也非常高。它的抗外界技术(NoiseAssassin
2.5)更为出色，声音清晰度更高，自动调节来电音量的技术也更先进。其它几项不错的功能包括，语音提示电池剩余电量，以及语音通知去电和来电。
Icon最有趣的特色之一就是，它是{sk}可以在线购买应用程序的蓝牙耳机。有些耳机允许用户升级其内置软件，但Jawbone的MyTalk网站允许用户个性化自己的Icon——例如，用户可以把语音换成男声或女声。用户还可以下载西班牙语、法语和德语语音。
用户还可以设置快速拨号，并通过下载其它应用程序，增添更多的功能。MyTalk服务目前仍为Beta版，也就是处于测试阶段，但前景光明。
其它两款堪与Icon媲美的耳机都来自缤特力(Plantronics)公司，分别为售价为99美元的Voyager
Pro和售价130美元的Discovery 975。二者目前都已在欧洲上市（英国售价80英镑）。
Voyager
Pro的语音和音质相当出色，这在一定程度上要归功于其内置的AudioIQ除噪技术、及其3英寸悬挂式麦克风设计。不过，它却很难xc风噪。与Jawbone一样，Voyager
Pro能根据环境噪音大小，自动调节音量和音质。尽管它突出来的悬挂式麦克风和挂耳式设计会让一些人止步，但它配的几个大小不同的凝胶耳塞和一对泡沫耳塞套，让我感觉戴起来极其舒服。
Voyager另一个主要特点是超长的电池寿命。充电电池安置在耳后的凸起内，能维持4至6个小时的通话，待机时间至少为5天。
与Icon一样，Voyager与设备匹配十分简单。Voyager上有两个按键调节音量，悬挂式麦克风上有一个按键用来控制通话。
Discovery
975则要小巧得多，也更时髦，但仍比Icon长一点。Discovery戴起来同样舒适，音质也非常出色。它对风噪的处理要好于Voyager。
它还配备了一个可作充电器的皮套，通话时间可因此增加2倍至12个小时左右。皮套还拥有一块微型液晶显示屏，显示电池和耳机电池电量、以及蓝牙当前状态。
该耳机的控制极其简便。一个按钮控制大部分功能，包括接听电话和重拨，顶部边缘处有一个更小的按钮，用来控制音量和开启、关闭状态指示器。
这三款耳机各有利弊，但我在开车时仍喜欢用蓝牙免提。在此我推荐两款，分别是派诺特(Parrot)售价70美元的Minikit Slim
Bluetooth和时尚典雅的BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone
VM-605——后者售价100美元，专门与黑莓(BlackBerry)配套使用。
二者都能卡在司机的防晒板内，设置起来非常简便，可免提使用。黑莓那款免提还包括一架调频(FM)发射机，让用户能够用车载音响听智能手机中的音乐。
归根结底，设备的选择主要看个人喜好，但有一点是肯定的：随着越来越多的政府部门禁止人们在驾车时打手机，这一市场将持续增长。
Many of the cheaper versions are difficult to connect – or pair – to the handset, uncomfortable to wear or suffer short battery life. Others sound tinny or lack the level of ambient noise reduction technology that enables the best headsets to be used even in noisy locations.
But, for a bit more money, some excellent headsets are available. The Aliph Jawbone Icon ($99), which went on sale recently in the US and is due to launch in Europe next month, is a good example. For comparison, I have also tested two other headsets and two speakerphones for the car that I believe are among the best Bluetooth devices available.
The Icon is the fourth Jawbone headset and, like its predecessors, features Aliph’s “voice activity sensor” – a third microphone that touches the user’s cheek to help pick up speech. It has the sleek styling of its predecessors but it is smaller, lighter and more comfortable.
It also has several new features and is easier to operate. The power switch is positioned between the ear tip and the knob-like voice activity sensor, which is surrounded by a circular LED that denotes the headset’s status. There is a single multi-function button on the top, which is used to put the headset into pairing mode and to answer or end calls, among other functions.
The Icon comes with several rubbery earbuds of different sizes and an earloop, and I found it more comfortable and secure than other headsets I have tested. It also comes with a micro USB-cable and a power adapter for charging. The rechargeable battery powered the device for about four hours of continuous talktime in my tests. In standby mode, the battery lasts about 10 days.
It was very easy to pair the device with my BlackBerry Bold 9700 and an iPhone 3GS – the iPhone even shows an onscreen battery meter when paired with the Icon. Like most recent headsets, you can pair it with two devices simultaneously, so you can listen to music on a wireless iPhone dock and take a call, for instance.
The sound quality is also high. The Icon has better external-noise suppression (NoiseAssassin 2.5), better audio clarity and technology that automatically adjusts the volume of incoming calls. Several other nice touches include a voice that says how much battery life is left and announces outgoing or incoming calls.
One of its most interesting features is that the Icon is the first Bluetooth headset with online apps available. Some headsets allow users to upgrade their built-in software but Jawbone’s MyTalk website allows users to personalise their Icon – for example, by changing the voice to male or female, and users can download Spanish, French and German-speaking voices.
You can also program speed dial numbers and add more features by downloading other apps. The MyTalk service is still a beta or trial service but shows much promise.
Two other headsets most worthy of comparison with the Icon are both sold by Plantronics – the Voyager Pro, which costs $99, and the Discovery 975, which retails at $130. Both are available in Europe (£80 in the UK).
The Voyager Pro has excellent voice and sound quality, thanks in part to its built-in AudioIQ noise cancellation technology and its 3in boom design, although it does struggle with wind noise. Like the Jawbone, the Voyager Pro automatically adjusts volume and timbre in response to ambient noise levels. While the obtrusiveness of the extended boom microphone and over-the-ear design will deter some, I find the Voyager very comfortable, helped by the availability of several sizes of gel earpieces and two foam tips.
The Voyager’s other key feature is its long battery life. The rechargeable battery is in the bulge behind your ear and provides power for up to six hours of talktime and for at least five days in standby mode.
As with the Icon, pairing is straightforward. Volume is adjusted using two buttons on the headset while a button on the boom controls calls.
The Discovery 975 is much smaller and more stylish, though it is still a bit longer than the Jawbone Icon. It is comfortable and delivers very good sound and voice. It handles wind noise better than the Voyager. It also comes with a case that doubles as a charging cradle and triples talktime to about 12 hours. The case has a mini-LCD that shows battery and earpiece battery levels along with current Bluetooth status.
The controls are admirably simple. One button handles most functions including call answer and redial, while a smaller button on the top edge controls volume and turns the status indicator on and off.
Each of the three headsets has advantages and disadvantages but, for use in a vehicle, I still prefer a Bluetooth speakerphone. Two I would recommend are Parrot’s $70 Minikit Slim Bluetooth and the elegant and sleek $100 BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone VM-605, which is designed to work with BlackBerrys.
Both slip on to the driver’s sun visor and are easy to set up and use hands-free. The BlackBerry device also includes an FM transmitter that enables users to listen to music on a smartphone through the car stereo.
Ultimately, the choice of device is largely a matter of taste – but one sure thing is that, as more authorities ban holding a mobile while driving, the market will continue to grow.
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