Mobile @ Home .... Coming Fast II: ...A Day of Wireless Audio Liberation
Ever since I first experienced Skype I (along with many other Skype users) have wanted to be able to talk on Skype via their PC without being physically tethered to their PC. And we always wanted to also have the flexibility to listen to our media players (Windows Media Player, iTunes, etc.) and the audio on our SlingPlayer. Oh, and did I mention all those YouTube videos?. But you always had to sit down near your PC, plug in a headset's mic and speaker jacks. And sometimes you had to play with Windows' Sounds and Audio Devices to get the correct hardware involved when switching amongst applications using audio. In my case that always sets me up for a physical disaster should the headset cable become entangled in my office chair and I move away too quickly. And, during a Skype call, "Excuse me, the dog is barking and wants back into the house"; "Fedex is at the door delivering the latest Nokia N-series phone". You get the picture.
Today is my day of liberation! Yesterday in New York I was provided with the ideal solution: the FREETALK Stereo Wireless Headset from those entrepreneurial hardware vendors at InStoreSolutions. Recall their philosophy of not only providing Skype Certified product but also the packaging to ensure easy adoption by, and sell through at, retailers. To cut to the chase, this headset is easily set up and provides excellent quality audio. So far I have used it for Skype calls, SlingPlayer audio, YouTube videos and am currently testing out the audio quality with a BBC recording of Beethoven's 9th which not only tests audio bandwidth but also dynamic range with its quiet phrases and choral fortes.. Oh, and when the dog needed to be let in during a call to Europe this morning, the call continued uninterrupted; in fact, the other party only knew I had left my desk because I was also sending him High Quality Video.
On opening the package you need to charge the battery via your USB port; turn off anything that's going to put your PC to sleep during the charge period of about 4 to 6 hours (this is my only complaint and minor at that). When you plug in the USB dongle Windows recognizes it automatically as an audio device; you may have to check Skype's Audio Options to ensure Skype has recognized it. Follow the simple pairing instructions (even easier than Bluetooth pairing) and you're ready to go. First test was with SlingPlayer; watching early morning television; then a 50 minute call to Europe on Skype. Takes full advantage of the latest Skype HD voice (and, as mentioned above, was also running High Quality Video to my European contact who was on a Mac). And now listening to BBC Symphony on iTunes. Just amazing!
Other features:
- Built-in noise canceling microphone
- Swing the mic boom up to a vertical position and the mic is muted.
- Press the pairing button in the right speaker for one second to answer a call; push it for two second to hang up.
- Volume adjust tab on the right speaker pad.
- Charge and Talk; if a recharge is needed, you can continue to use the headset while recharging.
OK, now it's time to pull the punch (you know there has to be a Skype issue somewhere). Most of you can buy this headset through your local Skype store ... but not we Canadians. Hello Don and crew in San Jose; as I once, in my role of a Canadian country manager, told a former boss when he misunderstood some geography, Canada is in North America! Arggh... Fortunately I was in New York yesterday and, unexpectedly, received one. Combined with the Eye-Fi Wireless 2GB SD Card on which I reported earlier today, this has been my day of wireless liberation for two of my most common activities.
OK, for the geeks -- by now you've got to be wondering:
- OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Mac OS X
- Range: up to 15 meters (16 yards for the U.S.)
- Listening time from full charge: up to 6 hours
- Standby time: up to 9 days.
- Charge time: 2 hours
- Audio quality: uncompressed audio for music (CD quality) and voice.
- Frequency range: 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz
- Distortion: <0.8%
- and, the question every geek is asking, what is the wireless protocol: WiStereoTM, for advanced 2-way digital transmission in the 2.4GHz frequency band.
- Note: all specifications taken from vendor's packaging and manual
Beethoven's 9th has finished now; the pianissimo phrases were soft, the chorale fortes did not distort; you could clearly hear every word of the chorus in the fourth movement. On finishing the first draft of this post I received a Skype call, answered the front doorbell and let the dog back in at the back door, all while continuing the conversation. At US$79 or £50, this is probably the one most useful new technology hardware item for everyone on your gift list with either a Windows or Mac PC.
Tags: Skype, Skype Voice, Skype Audio, Skype Certified, FREETALK 5091 Wireless Stereo Headset, Eye-Fi Wireless SD 2GB Card, Skype Store, SlingPlayer, Windows Media Player, iTunes, YouTube, InStoreSolutions,
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Comments
So what good is it to those of us who use Linux?
And if it works with Mac, why not Linux?
Posted by: John Bowling | December 25, 2007 10:58 PM
I just received the headset (I live in Canada and had to have it sent to my daughter in Hawaii and then on to me - Hawaii is really further away than I am but ...) But I do not receive audio through the headset. How do I set it up so I can receive audio through the headset? Nowhere can I find that information.
Posted by: Kathy | December 27, 2007 04:30 PM
Make sure you have walked through the four "Getting Started" steps (including the "pairing" step at the top of column 2) on page 3 of the manual. Also this page has a list of items to check under the heading "No audio at the headset".
Posted by: Jim Courtney | December 29, 2007 11:45 AM
Jim:
I can understand that you can remain connected to skype without wires but how can we get connected to receive this novelty!
Posted by: max haroon | December 29, 2007 04:50 PM
Problem solved via a private e-mail exchange. After following the instructions in the manual go to Tools | Options |Audio in your Skype client and ensure that "Avneri Audio Device" is selected for your speaker and mic.
Posted by: Jim Courtney | December 29, 2007 05:15 PM
I have a problem in that the person I'm talking to cannot here me very good and it has static. All volumes has been checked out. In Store Solutions thinks it is defective but I cannot get a RMA #. Just want it to work. Any thoughts?
Posted by: Lyle | January 2, 2008 07:20 AM
I bought a Freetalk, then returned it. GREAT listening quality, music & wideband Skype. Really poor microphone performance. Not enough gain, noise & low sampling. Compared to my Plantronics DSP-400 mic, was garbage. Update to mic is is supposedly in the next version, due in March. Creative is building a similar headset with identical circuitry, including the updated mic, and selling as Tag Heuer.
1st gen Freetalk = great idea; just fix the microphone.
Posted by: Todd | January 2, 2008 10:24 AM
The headset will connect with Skype (turns out my internet connection here in Baghdad is too poor to work), and will play songs via I-Tunes. However, it will not play anything over Windows Media Player. I selected the Averna audio device. System sounds come through the headset, but no other audio. Any advice would be appreciated.
Posted by: Daneil Phillips | January 12, 2008 01:31 AM
@Daniel: Wish I could offer an answer. I have it working with iTunes, Windows Media Player, SlingPlayer, etc. (in addition to Skype, of course). Earlier today watched the first half of the Packers-Seahawks game on SlingPlayer. And checked out WMP; worked fine with both a recording and an Internet radio station.
Posted by: Jim Courtney | January 12, 2008 06:06 PM
After charging for over 10 hours with a working computer there is still no constant green light on the headset. Anybody have a idea?
Posted by: Anne Pieper | January 17, 2008 06:17 AM
@ Anne, did you follow all the instructions on page 3 of the manual? Including the fourth (last) one at the top of column 2: Pairing the headset to the USB Dongle. Even though it's not Bluetooth, the WiStereoTM protocol still requires pairing.
Posted by: Jim Courtney | January 17, 2008 02:48 PM
Turns out that Anne had a faulty unit. It has been replaced and she reports: "the headset works and without any effort. .... That was so easy no, just some seconds of pairing and that´s it."
Posted by: Jim Courtney | February 11, 2008 04:04 AM
Please help! I just bought the FREETALK wireless headset, but there are no detailed instructions. Does one leave it permanently plugged in so that it doesn't take ages for the steady green light to appear on the right ear phone. Why is it always red despite my pairing it regularly? My main problem is, however, that, for some reason the option of FREETALK is not even appearing in the drop down menu of the audio option in the 'tools', 'options' section. What should I do?
Posted by: Lucy | April 22, 2008 04:21 AM
@Lucy ... there is a manual in the package. I had to use it to get set up. You can download the manual in any of several languages here.
Posted by: Jim Courtney | April 22, 2008 06:07 PM
Thanks Jim. I have sorted out my previous problems relating to the FREETALK 5091, but now the microphone will not pick up my voice loudly enough for the Skype test call service to hear me. I have read my instructions thoroughly but it doesn't suggest anything other than 'is the mic in mute', which it isn't. Do you have any ideas please? I have tried to get it working many times over the past few weeks with no luck.
Posted by: Lucy | May 7, 2008 11:09 AM
My Freetalk headset does not work with iTunes, and the mic does not pick my voice up well during Skype calls. I am very disappointed.
Posted by: Sue | May 13, 2008 08:59 PM
Great idea, terrible mic. This is fine for listening to music wirelessly, but if anyone is thinking of using this for work - i.e. conference calls and the like, forget it. You will be asked to speak up constantly. The microphone is just terrible. Simply unusable for Skype calls. I contacted the manufacturer, but no reply. No sign of an updated version with a working Mic.
Posted by: Doug | June 5, 2008 12:56 AM
can i talk on Skype with these while listing to music or video?
are they duplex?
Posted by: charles roche | July 29, 2008 05:15 PM