I got the HTC BH M500 Bluetooth Headset at work to use first with my BlackBerry Bold and then with my Droid Razr Maxx. Before it was put in my hands, I'd never heard of this particular model before, and it looked to be on the cheap side. After using it for a while, it seems to be a decent, middle-of-the-road headset.The BH M500 is easy to set up and easy to use. Pairing it with a phone just requires holding the button down for several seconds, and once you pair it the first time you don't have to pair it again (as long as your phone saves the connection).
There is only one button on this headset, and depending on how long you hold the button down you can either call the last number you dialed, activate voice dialing, turn the headset off or on, or put it into pairing mode. If you don't use the headset on an everyday basis, you'll definitely want to hold on to the instructions so you don't forget how to activate each function.
The battery life of this headset seems to be good, easily lasting until I can charge it again. I haven't tried to run it down completely, but it starts to emit a short series of beeps when the battery is running low, and the beeps get closer together as the battery life starts to dwindle.
The speaker sound on this headset seems to be average. There is not typically a lot of static, and rarely is there a problem hearing the person on the other end, even in moderate winds or with other background noises.
The microphone sound is not nearly as good as the speaker sound. Several times I have experienced problems either with the person on the other end not being able to hear me, or with trying to use voice dialing. There is rarely a conversation where the person on the other end can hear me clearly.
This headset is not very comfortable in your ear. It comes with a cheap plastic ear guard that fits over the top of your ear, but for me the ear guard didn't fit right so I have to use the headset without it, which means it could fall out if I shake my head too hard or go over a hard bump if I'm driving, or even sometimes just from talking.
It's smaller than many other headsets I've seen, and not very attention-grabbing if you have it in. It comes in white and purple, and possibly other colors as well.
The button for this headset is large and easy to accidentally push, especially when you are trying to adjust the headset in your ear or move it around. It is a reversible headset, and can be used in either ear (with or without the ear guard).
The BH M500 is less expensive than many other Bluetooth headsets. It doesn't have any fatal flaws, and it's not at the very low end of the spectrum, but if you are shopping around for a new headset, you can probably find a better one for a similar price. However, if you are given this headset without a choice, you could do worse. Amazon.com currently lists it for $18.99 (eligible for free shipping).
(Originally published on Epinions.com, December 2012)
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