INTRODUCTION
It used to be only the tech savvy would be seen with
a wireless headset clipped to their ear. The
rise in Bluetooth enabled phones means more and more
people have the ability to purchase a headset.
This makes room for new companies to get in to the
headset game. SouthWing is one of these
companies seeking to get in the market along with
Jabra and Motorola. Up for offering from the
new company from Spain is the Neo-507. Can
this newcomer to the market hold it’s own against
the giants? Read on to find out!
The Neo-507 comes with
WHAT’S HOT
(all images
link to higher resolution)
3 different charging options (Wall, USB, Car) and
4 interchangeable color (Navy, Red, Grey, White)
faceplates for the headset. Talk time is around
7 hours, which is comparable to similar products
from Jabra and Motorola. Add in some unique
features like an audible battery level indicator
and 12 different ring tones and you’ve got a fairly
unique package to offer up.
Before you can use
SETUP
the headset you need to charge the battery. Plug
it into one of the chargers and let it soak up
some juice. It shouldn’t take any longer
than 4 hours to have a fully charged headset. A
charged battery will last for 7 hours of talk
time or 250 hours of standby time.
Shown above is the headset plugged into the
charger. Next you will need to pair the headset
with your phone. To set the headset in pairing mode just
hold the button down for 5 seconds until the LED
indicator flashes red and green. From here you
need to go into the Bluetooth menu on the phone and
have it search for the Neo-507 and then pair
the device using the passcode "1111". The headset
LED will flash green to indicate the pairing
is complete. You can set the headset as handsfree
device if it’s supported by your phone.
The Neo-507 has only a jog dial to control
PRODUCT FEATURES
the device. It can distinguish between being
moved up and down as well as pushing in on the dial.
The dial is along the underside of the device along
with the charger port. The headset itself is
fairly simple and has an indicator LED on the front
as the only type of display to indicate it’s status.
There is a small bud sticking out of the back to put
in your ear to pipe the audio into your ear.
The bud can be removed and switched around to allow
the headset to be used on the left ear.
The headset
is constructed of a light plastic which makes
it reasonably lightweight (16 grams). Overall the build was
solid and there were no problems despite it’s
lightweight feel. The
ear hook is flexible so it can be positioned
for a comfortable fit around the back of your
ear.
The ear bud itself was nothing uncomfortable and
doesn’t feel intrusive. It is a very
comfortable headset to wear, albeit rather large. I asked several
others to try it on and everyone commented on its
feel.
Above,the unit is hooked onto my ear. It sticks out a little but
the ear plug is at the back of the unit. The
front will flop around a little on you since it’s
only anchored at the rear.
The entire
input to the headset is controlled through the
jog dial. Holding
the button in for 2 seconds will turn the headset
on or off while not in a call. While the phone is
not in a call, pressing the button once will activate
voice dialing, twice will redial, three will
disconnect the headset from the phone, and four will
enter the battery indicator mode. Press the
button once to reconnect the headset if you
disconnect it or to exit the battery indicator mode.
During an incoming call pressing the button once
will answer the call and twice will reject the call.
While in a call, pressing the button once will hang
up the call, twice will mute the headset, three
will disconnect the headset and transfer the call
to the phone. Confused yet? The list goes on to
include how to accept an incoming call while already
in a call and putting the current call on hold
(Vol+ for 1 sec) and how to join all the calls
in a multiparty conversation (Vol+ for 3 sec) and
many other things. In the end it’s a lot that can
be done and unfortunately must be done through the
jog dial. It’s a lot to remember how to do.
Press twice to mute, twice to un-mute, and if you
miss a click either time — you’ve hung up on the
person you were chatting with!
What’s in the box: The
Neo-507 Bluetooth headset, the three extra color
covers, a wall charger, a USB charger, a car
lighter plug to USB converter, and the user guide
containing instructions in seven different languages.
The in car lighter plug to USB
converter. It works with other USB chargers as
well, I tested it along with my Audiovox SMT5600 and
it charged fine.
The LED indicator on the front of
the device is rather dim. It is somewhat nice
in comparison to a bright glowing blue light that
usually draw attention from strangers as you pass by
but it does make it hard to see to determine the
status of the device. "Is it on?" is something
I had to ask myself more than once. Even
without the beacon of light people will still think
you’re just talking to yourself.
A size comparison with
one of the aforementioned headsets with the
bright glowing blue light. They are roughly the same size,
although the Motorola headset’s mic does flip
inward to make it smaller.
One point I’d like to note is that
the Neo-507, with all it’s accessories, includes
nothing along the lines of a case or anything to
carry the headset. It’s rather disappointing
as it’s really the only accessory it doesn’t have.
While
on the topic of disappointments: almost every
person I called while using the headset complained
of a buzzing noise or an echo of their own voice. I tried it
with my phone, an Audiovox SMT5600, a friend’s
Nokia 3660, and let a few friends try it on
their various phones. Regardless of the phone, there was either
an echo or a faint buzzing noise. I had a
friend call me using the headset and I experienced
both of these. While the buzzing was minor,
cell phone calls aren’t the clearest as is, the echo
was aggravating at times. Everyone did
comment that I was loud and clear for the most part. From the person
using the headset’s end there was no problem
involved in the call quality. It is possible that these were just
issues with my unit or just the moons aligning
against me.
The rest of the audio was fine, I
could hear people with no difficulty or interference
and was rather pleased.
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The headset comes along On the whole I liked it. I spent
HELP SUPPORT
with a user manual. The manual is direct and
to the point in your choice of 7 different
languages. It handles most issues and I wasn’t
really left wishing for anything content wise.
The only issue I had at all, and this is really a
nitpicking thing, is that the grammar of the English
section has odd little quirks. I can’t
say how well the other sections are written as my
Spanish, French, and German are minimal at best
but from what I could gather it was fine. The
manual also contains a reference page to the
function list and ways to do them – this is
extremely handy when you need to brush up on how
to utilize the features of the headset.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
To use the
Neo-507 you’ll need a Bluetooth enabled phone, PDA, or computer that can
support a headset. This would be almost all Bluetooth enabled
phones and most PDAs. Any computer with the WIDCOM Bluetooth Stack
or comparable (Window’s own Bluetooth stack is not) should also work.
BUGS AND WISHES
There is really only one bug with the headset and
it’s in the call quality. This is the main
area that SouthWing needs to improve upon if they
want to play in this market. In terms of
wishes I have two. I want some type of way
to carry this, be it a case or a lanyard
or a clip anything is better than nothing. The
second wish is for a better interface with the
device. Having to use all of the functions
of the headset through a jog dial is just a
pain and a bit confusing. I don’t want
to have to memorize a host of functions carried
out through the jog dial.
PURCHASING
Seeing as this is a European product it is somewhat
limited in it’s availability here in the US.
Don’t expect to walk into BestBuy and pick one of
these up tomorrow. All of the suggestions on
where to buy from SouthWing’s website will only lead
you to UK sites. The only place I could find
selling it was
eXpansys USA for $69.95. For further product information, view the
SouthWing site.
PROS
options
CONS
buzzing/echo noise on other end
bit bulky to travel with
dial to control
Value
Ease
of Use
Features
Overall
OVERALL IMPRESSION
a long time using this device, trying to give it a
chance. I would have given it a higher score
if the call quality was better but it was always
the same. I tried it with multiple phones in many
different conditions and always got the same result. Without a doubt,
this is the most feature loaded headset I’ve ever
seen. The color
covers are a great idea that would allow a family
to have more than one of these and avoid a mix up. The
extra charging options are outstanding.
Overall, it’s a very nice entrance to the market
and they’ve defiantly set themselves apart with the
extra features.
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