One of the greatest dreams of a geek is to make everything wireless. Whether it's a remote control, a cell phone, or a wireless keyboard and mouse - geeks strive to go wireless.
It's in their blood. Seeing as the headphone wires are one of the greatest enemies of a geek (or a music lover geek), the want to free oneself from the tangled wires and annoying little knots - is only natural. Unfortunately, so far, it's been impossible. Most products were radio-based or infra-red based, and that made them not very practical. Fortunately, with the launch of Bluetooth 2.0 (also called: A2DP) and its adaptation into most cell phones and even MP3 players, opened up the market for AD2P-based wireless headphones. The Motorola S9 is one of them.
Goodbye Wires! Hello Groove! Boldly declares the Motorola website. Indeed, goodbye wires! If you have ever used wireless headphones, you'd find it hard to switch back to wires. The Motorola S9 is an in-ear set, which means that the headphones fit in your ear tunnel. Not all people like this; however, this means that the S9 is better suited for sports and outdoor activities, and in noisy environments, and indeed it is. Motorola promises that the S9 is water and sweat resistant (what's the difference?). And indeed, it is. I have tested it under heavy rain, and it didn't fail - I also practiced with it quite a lot in the gym, and it didn't have any problems with my sweat. I haven't dumped it in water, but you are welcome to try that on your own. The S9 is also quite light, weighting only 1.1 oz. It's also made from a rubber-like substance, which makes it very flexible. You can stuff it in your bag without worrying it'll break. Looks? It's definitely geek. While Motorola defines it as "discreet", they are very bold due to the large bar-like transmitter and battery pack, and attract constant attention from the public.
The S9 is more than a year old now, but this also means that it's not that expensive. You can get it for 70$-100$ in the US, and for about 150$ in Europe. And the features are quite interesting: it allows you to control volume and select tracks through the headset, and double function as a hands-free for your phone. Motorola promise a 6 hour play-time, which seems to be quite optimistic. In real life conditions, while keeping the cellphone in my pocket (Motorola specifically say that you shouldn't keep it in your pocket, for "optimal performance" - but I don't see any other place to keep it in) and the music set on a moderate volume, combined with standby situations and constant switching on and off, I have only managed to get about 2-3 hours of music from it. I've also used it in a double configuration, connected to my cell phone and an MP3 player. It worked flawlessly, stopping the music when I received a call and switching to the cell phone.
The S9 promises an excellent music quality, and delivers: I found the music quality to be excellent, especially for a Bluetooth headset. The sound is clear and accurate. There are occasional cutouts, but they usually happen when I cover my cellphone, which makes the transmission cut. However, when it comes to using this headset as a hands-free: I'm afraid it just doesn't work. Firstly, the sound is - weirdly - only on the left headphone (and that is not an issue with my specific headset). Secondly, the microphone is on the right side, and isn't very sensitive. Unless you speak in a sterile environment loud enough, people on the other side of the phone will find it very hard to understand you.
The headset itself wasn't too comfortable in the first couple of days. This might be due to the fact my ears are a bit small and I the earplugs were probably a bit large, although it comes with two differently sized plugs. However, after several days and a bit of adjusting, I got used to it. The position of the headset is quite natural, the battery and transmitter hanging on the back of your head and holding the earplugs in their position. However, when it comes to running with the headset: the transmitter, which is the heaviest part on the headset, is dangling and can make the headphones fall off if you don't wipe the sweat off it.
It's also very easy to use. On the right side of the headphones, you have the track controls (previous and next), and a play button in the center, that pauses and plays music. On the left side, you have a similar layout, with volume buttons and a call key that allows you to voice-dial and answer calls. Touching on the subject of keys (pardon the pun), there is a nice gimmick: they are touch-keys. They press and react very easily, without a need to physically push them - useful while running or on the move. Once you get used to them (very quickly), you can easily control the headset. Every time you make an input (raise the volume, for example) there is a background sound that confirms it. When you get a call, you will hear a ringing tone. Once you answer it, the music will stop. Once the call is finished, the music will continue to play automatically.
To conclude - if you intend to switch to wireless, the Motorola S9 is a good choice. This is a good set of headphones for the geek-on-the-go (anyone said GeeksToGo?), and can provide you with a good sound quality. However, remember that using AD2P is costly: you'll find the cellphone or music player battery draining faster than you thought. Remember that in order for the S9 to pair with your music device, the device will need to support Bluetooth 2.0 (AD2P), or, you can purchase a separate adapter which makes the whole setup a bit clumsy.
Technical Details
1.14 oz, 216mm X 130mm X 48mm, 180mAh lithium ion rechargeable battery (built in the headset itself, charges through an included adapter). Purchased at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport duty-free.
The package includes headset, charger, manual. Sources say it includes a Bluetooth dongle, but mine didn't.
