nitroX X835 and X735 Bluetooth Headset

nitroX has introduced X835, bluetooth headset, and X735, stereo bluetooh headset/headphone, for people who simply hate wires. Let’s find out how well do these bluetooth devices perform in our tests.

INTRODUCTION

Blutooth technology has greatly changed the way wireless devices operate.  You can find Bluetooth technology in almost any portable device, ranging from cellphones to mp3 players. Bluetooth technology allows data transfer over short range, so it is ideal to be used for headsets.

nitroX has shipped us their X835, a Bluetooth handsfree kit, and X735, a Bluetooth stereo headset, for review. Let’s take a look at these Bluetooth devices for your portable player and cellphones.

nitroX X835

The retail box is very nicely packaged with a plain view of the device on the front. On the back, you get to see the detail specification and the features of the product.

Here we can see that the product is compliant with the latest Bluetooth v2.1 specification. It is also backward compatible with Bluetooth 1 and 2.0 specifications. What revision 2.1 brings to the table is a theoretical 3.0Mbit/second data transfer rate, enhanced inquiry response, lower power consumption, better encryption, and secure pairing.

The NitroX X835 operates at a radio frequency of 2402 to 2480 MHz with 0.25 ~ 2.5 mW transmission power. The device has a rated 10m distance of operation, in open space.

Features:

• Simple
  • Pair the X835 with all exisitng and future mobile/smart phone devices that are compatible with both Headset and Handsfree Bluetooth/wireless communication protocol. Slide it on your car’s sun visor and you’re ready to talk and drive – it’s really that simple.
• Robust
  • Powerful speaker and dual microphone system delivers excellent audio quality guaranteed by the DSP. Noise reduction and echo cancellation means the X-Free 835’s punches well above the weight of its light and elegant design.
• Innovative
  • The X835’s OLED display is automatically inverted depending on whether the device is placed upright or upside down. So it doesn’t matter which way up the device is positioned you can always see the information about your calls; including caller ID, Bluetooth connection, and battery level statuses.
• Intelligent
  • Looking for an intelligent device? The X835 comes with ‘Automatic Mode Switching’ that sets the best talk environment depending on where the device is used. If clipped onto sun visor, it automatically enters into ‘Car Handsfree’ mode and when placed on a table, it enters into ‘Speakerphone’ mode
• Sensitive
  • There’s no need to manually pair your phone with the X835 each time you want to use it in the car, thanks to a movement detection sensor that links the 835 to your device automatically.
• Longivity
  Go up to 400 hours in stand by without recharging the X835 or if you like a long chat talk continuously for up to 15 hours.

Open up the package and you can see that in addition to the handsfree device, it also comes with a sun visor clip, a USB cable for charging the device, a car charger, and the manual.

The bluetooth device is very compact. On the front, you get a very large speaker and microphone; unfortunately though, the speaker is mono rather than stereo. There’s a tiny OLED indicator that shows various information and also functions as Caller ID where it will display the caller’s phone number. The OLED display is angled, making it easier to read when it is clipped onto the sun visor. In addition, it comes with a sensor where if the unit is flipped upside down, the display automatically rotate the text so the characters always appears at the right orientation.

Sitting below the OLED display is a rather large single button for controlling the device. I like the large button because if the unit is to be used inside a car, it would be easier to press a large button then find a tiny button that is hidden away.

The nitroX X835 is slightly longer but narrower than iPod touch.

Flip to the side and you will find a volume adjustment rocker, a mute button, and a hold button. On the other side is where you will find the on and off button. Toward the front of the unit is where you can find the mini-USB port for charging the device.

nitroX is thoughtful enough to put a cover over the connector. Though, it may not be necessary, it’s nonetheless appreciated.

As for the battery life, the unit has an impressive rated greater than 400 hours of standby and greater than 15 hours of talk time. It is charged via mini USB port and nitroX also includes a car charger so you can charge the unit in the car.

Despite the fact that the X835 supports Bluetooth A2DP stereo profile, it  only comes with a mono speaker. To make up for the mono sound, the device also supports echo cancellation and noise suppression via DSP. Furthermore, since it is designed to be used inside a car, it will auto-sense and re-pair when it senses the car engine has started. This feature probably will not work with electric cars since they often do not produce such vibration when the engine is started.

nitroX X835 Impression

Let’s start with the hardware itself. First of all, I feel that the volume rocker and the mute and hold buttons are a bit stiff. Because the buttons are also receded into the unit, they are a bit hard to press as well. With use, I am sure the stuffiness will loosen up after awhile.

What bugs me more about these buttons are the fact that they are way too small to use, especially the volume rocker. It is hard to adjust the volume with the buttons if you are in a car driving.

Now, the central button is easy to use and I really love the single large button design. I do, however, have one small complaint. The unit lacks any voice-command feature. What this means is that you can only use the large button to accept or reject incoming calls and to redial the last dialed number. It won’t let you make any calls using voice command. To make calls, you would still have to dial the number on the cellphone or fumble through the contact list. It’s slightly inconvenient that the unit lacks a voice command feature.

As for the voice quality, the speaker is loud, very loud. In fact, I had to turn down the volume a few notches, otherwise the recipient will hear a very loud background noise. This is good news because inside of a moving car, it needs to be loud. Not only is the speaker is loud, it is very clear despite the fact that it’s mono.

The microphone is also very sensitive, as it picks up the voice nicely within an arm’s length. However, if I place the X835 approximately 2 meters distance away, there is a noticeable drop in the audio reported from the receiving end. At a meter or so radius, the receiver reports that the audio is very clear and no major background noise is detected.

I found that one thing the handsfree does not do is send the phone’s ringtone to the speaker. The X835 has its own ringtone. Unfortunately, the Caller ID will only display the number (only unblocked number) and not the receipient’s name that is stored in your contact.. I would prefer to see the contact name, if it’s coming from a number that is stored in your contact list.

nitroX X735

I cannot live without my portable devices. Everywhere I go, I carry an MP3 player and my cellphone with me. One of the most annoyances with these devices is those wires that hang off the headset/headphone that always tangles together. I often found that some of these headphone are not well-constructed where I often will rip the cords off the earbuds by accidents. So having a wireless headset/headphone is definitely going to be appreciated.

The nitroX X735 is a very nice device where it function as both headset for your cellphone and headphone for your digital player. As most cellphone today also functions as a music player, you can use this device for both function.

The device is a Bluetooth stereo headphone. As you have already know, it connects to your device through Bluetooth; so for those without a Bluetooth device, you are out of luck.

The retail package of the X735 is very elegant. On the front, you will get a clear view of the device itself, so you won’t regret buying a product that looks different inside, than the box picture. On the sides and back you will find some marketing information about the product’s feature and specification.

This is what you will get:

• The Bluetooth receiver
• A headphone
• An USB cable for charging the device
• A manual.

The X735 supports A2DP, AVRCP, Headset, handsfree profile, and is compliant to Bluetooth v2.0. With the support of A2DP: for stereo audio streaming, and AVRCP, the headset can remotely control the music playback function. Though not all cellphones support these features. We did not have any issues using it with our HTC: Tilt 2.

The X735 headset is designed like a clip. It can be clipped onto your T-shirt or the strap of your backpack. The front of the headset has an OLED display where it shows the status of the headset and is used as the caller ID. It has a sensor where if the unit is flipped, the text will automatically rotate itself so it will always display at right orientation.

Next to the OLED display is where you will find the volume rocker. These buttons are multi-functional. If you hold the buttons down for a few seconds, it will skip forward and backward to the next song. In addition, in the phone mode, the + button also functions as a redial button and the – button serves as a voice dial button.

Next to the volume rocker is another single, multi-functional button. This button functions as accepting and rejecting incoming calls and also serves to hang-up a call. It also functions to play, pause, and stop music. If you press and hold the button for a few seconds, it will stop the music completely; and if you simply press it once, it will pause the music.

I am not often a manual reader, but I definitely suggest you read the manual on the headset; because the multi-functional button can be a bit tricky to use.

The side of the headset is where you will find the mini-USB port, used to charge the unit. The unit has a rated standby time greater than 150 hours, up to 6 hours of audio connection, and up to 7 hours of voice connection. We would actually love to see a longer playback time, becasue most music players have more than 24 hours of playback time. Luckily the headset uses a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. When the battery dies, you can still plug your headphones to your cellphone or music player and continue to enjoy the music.

With the included mini-USB cable, the X735 can be fully charged within 2 hours. It’s very nice to see such a short recharging time.

The back is where the on and off button is located.

As mentioned earlier, the headset used standard 3.5mm headphone jack and nitroX also includes a headphone. The top of the headphone jack is where you will find the microphone. The headset supports a microphone boost feature. It can be enabled by pressing the + and – buttons simultaneously (or simply press the middle section of the volume rocker).

Impression and Sound Quality

Pairing up the X735 to my HTC Tilt 2 is extremely easy. I simply have to press the single multi-functional button and turn the unit on, and my cellphone automatically detects the device. I found that the stereo audio won’t automatically re-pair with my HTC: Tilt 2. I am not sure if this is an issue with the HTC: Tilt 2 or the headset, as the stereo headset profile did get recognized.

Upon pairing of the headset to my phone, I received the following prompt “device won’t support volume adjustment”. Despite such warning, I had no issue adjusting the volume with the headset. Nor did I encounter any issue with the headset’s other functions such as pause, play, fast-forward, and rewind.

I do have a small complaint about the X735 and that is with its button design. Since the handset uses the volume button as the dialing button, I sometimes will press it by accident and ended up making a call. The headset does not provide any indicator as to whether it is in the phone mode or stereo headset mode, so it is difficult to know if you press the + will redial the number or turn up the volume.

After some practice, I got the hang of it. To playback and stop music, you should always hold the middle button for a few seconds. If you press it only for 1 second, it will just pause the music. If you are playing music, you will not be able to make any calls. You must first stop the music playback (by pressing the middle button for a few seconds) and then press the voice command or redial button afterwards.

Luckily, accepting incoming call is easier. When there is an incoming call, the music playback will be paused and the headset will display the caller’s number. To accept an incoming call, simply press the large button on the front. If you press the button for a few seconds the call will be rejected. To hang up, simply press the button again. The music resumes immediately after the call has ended.

Unfortunately, the caller ID will only display the caller’s number instead of the name stored in your cellphone. I also would prefer the OLED display to show music information, such as title and artist information.

The sound quality of the X735 is very good. It produces very clear sound in both music playback and on phone calls. The Mic is very good at picking up your voice during calls. I did not have to hold the Mic next to my mouth for it to receive good sound quality. I was able to use it with the headset clipped onto my shirt, in front of the chest, and the sound quality is excellent.

CONCLUSION

X735

The X735 is a great little Bluetooth stereo headset. The audio quality is excellent. I like the fact that it functions as both wireless headphone and headset. The stereo audio quality is amazing in both voice and music playback. The microphone’s reception is also very sensitive.

I only have two small complaints about the headset. One of them is the 6 hours of  audio playback time. In addition, its button configuration takes quite while to get used to.  Despite that, I have learned to work with it after using the headset for a period of time. I feel that the nitroX X735 is an excellent headset for anyone who use their cellphone as a music player.

X835

The X835 also has an equally impressive sound quality as the X735 despite its mono speaker. We loved the short recharging time (3 hours) and 15 hours of rated talk time. The included car charger is definitely appreciated as well. Though we did have some complain with its lack of voice command dialing option and the button placement and sizes can be improved, its audio quality and the microphone reception ultimately let us overlook these minor annoyances.

If you are in the market to add a simple Bluetooth speaker phone to be used in your car, we definitely recommend you take a look at the nitroX X835.