Logitech Mobile Freedom Product Review

Setup (9/10)

To pair this Logitech unit up with your cellphone, you need to first turn the phone on, then off, then depress the multi-function button until the headset indicator light flashes blue and red. This takes about eight seconds. We had to try it a few times before we got it right, but once the headset was in pairing mode, our cellphone registered it without any problems.

Ease of Use (7/10)

The Logitech Mobile Freedom headset is very easy to use as it has only a single multi-function button which controls most of the functionality of the headset. By pressing this button for different lengths of time, you can make the headset do different things:

* Power on/off - hold button for 4 seconds
* Answer call - quickly press button
* Mute - hold button for 2 seconds

The unit also has a rocker switch which can be used to control the headset volume. Although the rocker switch is fairly sizable, you may miss it at first because it's not called out. Once you know it's there though, it's easy to find and use.

The Mobile Freedom headset uses combinations of LED flashes to indicate virtually everything on the phone. Unfortunately, in practice this is not very helpful as there's far too many combinations to remember:

There are too many combinations of flashing LEDs to remember with the Logtech Mobile Freedom headset.

This flashing LED scheme leads to a major annoyance with the unit: it's hard to determine if the headset is on or off. Pressing the button for four seconds turns the unit on, but because the LED is inside the multi-function button, it's effectively hidden by your thumb. The unit is emits a brief low-to-high tone when turned on, but this can only be heard if you have the headset mounted when you turn it on.

Sound Quality (6/10)

Sound quality was very good, with no static, hissing, or cutting-out. However, the volume was far too low as is common with headsets that use a large speaker that sits outside of the ear. This makes it difficult to hear if you in a noisy environment or outside.

On the positive side, the headset has a foam windstop glued directly to the microphone. This works very well at improving the sound quality of the microphone when outside. More headset manufacturers should consider incorporating this feature in their models.

Range (6/10)

The range on the HS-4W was worse than average and began to cut off around 10'. At 15' there was noticeable static, and at 25' it became very difficult to hear the conversation.

Battery Life (8/10)

Battery life on the Logitech unit is excellent, with between 6 and 7 hours of talk time. The company claims up to 250 hours on standby, but we were not able to confirm this in the timeframe of this review.

Comfort (4/10)

While this isn't an uncomfortable headset, trying to put this device on the ear requires a great deal of effort and then some. It hangs off the ear with no way to adjust it. The rubber ear piece doesn't pinch but it can be a little thick which will lead to ear fatigue for some. It almost seems like Logitech didn't bother to put this headset on enough people before shipping it out.

Style (8/10)

The Logitech Mobile Freedom is one of the better looking headsets out there. It avoids the cheap plastic look that other units have with an all-black casing, and its small form factor appears professional and elegant.

Additional Features (3/10)

This headset is very light on features and doesn't incorporate so much as an automatic redial. The only extras that ship with the phone are two replacement foam pads for the speaker cover, should the original wear out. This headset would be greatly improved if the company could figure out a better way to indicate the current on/off status of the unit and perhaps included an auto-off feature to extend the battery life.

Summary

The Logitech Mobile Freedom is a very basic, no-frills headset aimed at the low-end market. It is an attractive headset with good battery life, but the volume is poor and it doesn't sit firmly on the ear.