We’re not going to rehash all of the details from our prior naviPlay review here, because the underlying technology (Bluetooth 1.2) is the same, the iPod Adapter is the same, and the performance is the same, so you can read more about them there.
#Bluetooth adapter for mac headset with microphone Bluetooth#
(Intriguingly, TEN’s package shows that a pair of naviPlay Bluetooth Speakers is in the offing, and that the Adapter can be used to broadcast directly to them – or a car with a Bluetooth stereo system – as well.) Recharging this component requires you to connect your iPod’s Dock Connector cable to a port on its rear both the iPod and naviPlay can recharge at the same time.
You can stand any iPod up on its bottom with the Adapter attached, or make it recline thanks to a pop-out stand on the Adapter’s back. It works with every Dock Connector-equipped iPod – 3G, 4G, 5G, nano, and mini – thanks to an included set of six plastic clip-style adapters. The other part, called the naviPlay iPod Adapter, is mostly unchanged. An included USB cable lets you recharge the headphones between uses you’ll get around eight hours of playback time at maximum volume from a short (under 7-foot) distance, and less time at greater distances. iPod play/pause, track forward/backward and volume up/down controls are found on the left earcup, along with a phone call button a mini power port and recharging light are on the right one. With the Wireless Stereo Headset Kit, TEN has dropped the unique white box from the package – actually, all of the white plastic parts have been replaced with glossy black ones – and instead integrated its technologies into an “old school” headset with padded earcups and an internal microphone. We applauded this versatility, and later noted that no competing product offered all of its features in a single package naviPlay was also the only major Bluetooth product to remain viable when Apple stopped including top-mounted accessory ports on iPods. Additionally, naviPlay could be paired with a Bluetooth-ready telephone, automatically interrupting iPod music with calls and using its integrated microphone to let you talk. You could connect the white box to your stereo and use your iPod as a remote control up to 30 feet away, or connect the white box to your favorite earphones and toss your iPod into a backpack, or use an optional pair of wireless headphones and skip using the white box altogether. Both components included rechargeable batteries.
To backtrack for a moment, the original naviPlay consisted of two parts: a white audio transmitter that connected to the iPod’s Dock Connector, and a unique little white box that combined a remote control, an audio-out port, and a microphone. Now, a year later, TEN has released the naviPlay Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Headset Kit ($200), a version of the earlier product that includes its own pair of wireless headphones. Since mid-2004, we’ve reviewed 10 different Bluetooth wireless audio accessories for various iPods, noting that only one of them – TEN Technology’s naviPlay Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Kit (iLounge rating: A-) – has reached our high recommendation level. Unlike the white original, our review unit is black, matching the newly popular second iPod and nano color.
Now TEN has released the naviPlay Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Headset Kit, which updates and simplifies the original offering, incorporating iPod controls into an included wireless headset, and packing in clips for all current iPod models. In retrospect, TEN Technology’s original naviPlay not only nailed the concept of an iPod Bluetooth wireless kit before anyone else could do so, but also incorporated almost all of the features its competitors would later split into different products.