For the last few weeks, I’ve been testing a new Bluetooth headset: the Nokia J. Actually, “testing” might be too strong a word for what I’ve been doing. You see, the thing about the Nokia J isn’t that it looks sensational – it’s that it just works. Read on after the break for the details.
When you first charge the Nokia J up and switch it on, a voice in your ear talks you through the pairing process. This amounts to switching your Bluetooth on in your phone and choosing the device from a list. It remembers that it’s paired and this only has to be done one time.
From that point, you clip the little black holder onto your lapel or inside pocket and pop the headpiece inside. That drops the Bluetooth connection and puts the headset into standby mode. When you get a call, pull it out and put it in your ear: removing the Nokia J from its holder powers it up, switches the Bluetooth back on, connects it to your phone and answers the call. Almost magically. And thanks to built-in DSP noise cancellation, the sound quality is enough to cope with heavy traffic noise.
Battery life is good, too, with five hours’ talk time from a fresh charge – delivered through the same type of mini USB port that you can use to charge your phone. This is enough for a whopping ninety days on standby. For me, it lasted for just over one week of fairly light daily use before it needed charging.
One other point worth making is that the fit in your ear is very snug. There are six alternate-size ear buds in the case, but the default one is intended to fit the majority of human ears. It also doesn’t fall out unless you try really hard.
The last thing to mention is that the Nokia J is a really tiny piece of engineering – it weighs just eight grammes and measures 47.4 x 12.5 x 6.3 mm. But it’s also tough enough to survive bumps and drops without injury. The light weight is probably a factor here: it doesn’t hit the floor with enough force for anything to get damaged.
