Recommend Headset for Phone Calls?

[doubledee]

Can someone recommend a good Headset with Microphone to be used on my MacBook Pro to make phone calls either via Skype or using a service like http://voip.ms

Does Apple make any such Headsets?

Sincerely,


Debbie

 

[satcomer]

IMHO you would look like a dork wearing headphones while on a video call.

Instead get a good cheap USB microphone like the Logitech Labtec. Then to hear get a pair of headphones that go behind the head. This way the person on the other end of the call doesn't see your bulky headphones when they see you.

 

[phrehdd]

Can someone recommend a good Headset with Microphone to be used on my MacBook Pro to make phone calls either via Skype or using a service like http://voip.ms

Does Apple make any such Headsets?

Sincerely,


Debbie

Apple doesn't make headsets but do have their little phones for the ipod/iphone etc.

Unlike the other comment, I think there are plenty of light headsets that have a small microphone that swings down. There are professionals that do radio shows with video and the videos are released later and they wear those headsets with the swing down microphone. It really depend on whether that bothers you or not.

You have to figure out if your connection is USB or some other input/output. There are gamer headsets that should work well and that is what I believe you might want to investigate. They range in prices, size, and quality of both audio and the phones themselves.

 

[doubledee]

IMHO you would look like a dork wearing headphones while on a video call.

Instead get a good cheap USB microphone like the Logitech Labtec. Then to hear get a pair of headphones that go behind the head. This way the person on the other end of the call doesn't see your bulky headphones when they see you.

Except I'm not doing video chatting.

I am just looking into a way to turn my MBP int a mobile phone.

My concern is getting a headset that has good speakers and a good mic for maybe under $50 if that is possible?

Sincerely,


Debbie

 

[doubledee]

Is it correct that I will need to buy a USB Headset for the headset speakers and microphone to work with my 2012 MBP?


Debbie

 

[phoenixsan]

I had used.....

my fair share of headsets and headphones on my span as computer user/audiophile....or just for doing what you want: Use the Mac or computer as phone, albeit not always mobile.

For me, brands with nice headsets are Plantronics, Koss, Logitech, Senheisser. Even Microsoft makes a decent one: The LifeChat LX-something (sorry for not knowing for sure the model).Plantronics and Senheisser tend to be the most expensive, with Koss and Logitech in the mid-range and plenty on options/models.....

Or just browse the Skype shop for some of your liking :.......

http://shop.skype.com/headsets/#/ca...&price_range=~30|30~60|60~90|90~&page=1&mac=0

Hope this helps....

 

[doubledee]

phoenixsan,

What about this headset...

Koss USB Communication Headset CS100 with Noise Reduction Microphone​

Also, what do I have to do as far as configuring things like my Sound Preferences in Mountain Lion and tweaking SoundFlower and AU Lab and so on?

(Even though I record radio shows every weekend, I still struggle everytime I have to adjust OS-X's Sound Preferences, SoundFlower, AU Lab, and Audacity?!)

Not sure where to begin as far as making a headset work with Skype or VoIP...

Sincerely,


Debbie

 

[phoenixsan]

I am afraid.....

you have to adjust/tweak any app that control sound in and out in your Mac. I know, can be tedious.....


I dont know the KOSS model you are linking. But will look at it and gave you my opinion, if you want....

 

[doubledee]

you have to adjust/tweak any app that control sound in and out in your Mac. I know, can be tedious.....


I dont know the KOSS model you are linking. But will look at it and gave you my opinion, if you want....

Yes, I would like your opinion.


Debbie

 

[hallux]

Why restrict yourself to a USB unit? By doing so you are forcing yourself to stay attached to the computer. Look at Bluetooth units, with those you can get up and walk around while on the phone and the best benefit is that it will work with your cell phone also.

I never understood the stigma surrounding using a bluetooth headset, referencing the comment about "looking like a dork". Sure, there are the people that wear one ALL the time (including while being interviewed on TV) but I'm MUCH more comfortable using my phone through a BT headset compared to holding it to my head. I only wear my headset if I'm actually on a call, if I'm talking to someone else, off it comes. I work with someone that wears his ALL DAY, and when he's at his desk he wears TWO (one for his desk phone also). It's a practical device and looks less like a "dork" item than walking around holding a wire near your mouth so you can talk into a microphone and a lot safer driving since you can keep 2 hands available for the wheel.

 

[doubledee]

Why restrict yourself to a USB unit? By doing so you are forcing yourself to stay attached to the computer. Look at Bluetooth units, with those you can get up and walk around while on the phone and the best benefit is that it will work with your cell phone also.

I thought BlueTooth was pretty easy to hack into? (I have always heard that you should disable BlueTooth if you want a secure laptop...)

I never understood the stigma surrounding using a bluetooth headset, referencing the comment about "looking like a dork".

I think the comment was the opposite... That wearing a big, bulky, conventional headset looks "dorky", whereas I believe most BlueTooth headset's just wrap over one ear and therefore are not noticeable.

and a lot safer driving since you can keep 2 hands available for the wheel.

Sorry to say, but that is one of the most *ignorant* comments you will ever make!!

Cellphones are dangerous while driving because they DISTRACT you - like when I watched a guy in a pickup - with a hands-free cellphone and both hands on the wheel - pull out in front of an oncoming car last Friday!!!

People who Talk and/or Text with mobile devices while driving should be shot.

If you can't grasp these concepts, then you are in a pool of over 50 million clueless drivers on American roads - assuming you are in the U.S.?!

But I digress...


Debbie

 

[hallux]

I thought BlueTooth was pretty easy to hack into? (I have always heard that you should disable BlueTooth if you want a secure laptop...)




I think the comment was the opposite... That wearing a big, bulky, conventional headset looks "dorky", whereas I believe most BlueTooth headset's just wrap over one ear and therefore are not noticeable.

Being hacked by Bluetooth - Sure, it opens another possible entry point but that also requires that the person trying to hack you is in range for Bluetooth. If you're doing this at home (if you're THAT paranoid I doubt you're doing this on public WiFi) you should be fairly safe in that respect.

Sorry to say, but that is one of the most *ignorant* comments you will ever make!!

Cellphones are dangerous while driving because they DISTRACT you - like when I watched a guy in a pickup - with a hands-free cellphone and both hands on the wheel - pull out in front of an oncoming car last Friday!!!

People who Talk and/or Text with mobile devices while driving should be shot.

If you can't grasp these concepts, then you are in a pool of over 50 million clueless drivers on American roads - assuming you are in the U.S.?!

But I digress...


Debbie

I didn't say it was perfectly safe, but at least with 2 hands on the wheel it's easier to take evasive action. IF I take a call while driving, I usually end up slowing down some AND increasing my "scan rate" around my vehicle. I'm not one of those that drops to a tunnel vision zombie mode while on the phone.

 

[doubledee]

Being hacked by Bluetooth - Sure, it opens another possible entry point but that also requires that the person trying to hack you is in range for Bluetooth. If you're doing this at home (if you're THAT paranoid I doubt you're doing this on public WiFi) you should be fairly safe in that respect.

I am using this out in public - that is the whole reason for turning my MacBook into a mobile device - because I am not at home and I don't have a cellphone.

But I would be using my AT&T Hotspot and hopefully WiTopia. Yet neither of those will protect me against Bluetooth's inherent insecurity.

Bluetooth is an option, I suppose, but I can live with a slim headset even if it has a tiny cord.

I didn't say it was perfectly safe, but at least with 2 hands on the wheel it's easier to take evasive action. IF I take a call while driving, I usually end up slowing down some AND increasing my "scan rate" around my vehicle. I'm not one of those that drops to a tunnel vision zombie mode while on the phone.

That's like saying, "When I drink and drive, I slow down and scan the road more..."

Studies have shown that people talking on cellphones while driving have reaction times slower than someone who is legally drunk!! (Not conjecture - fact!)

And you do realize that more Americans are killed each year due to distracted drivers than were killed on Sept 11, right? (Not conjecture - fact!)

I've know lots of people who think physics don't apply to them with driving and alcohol, and about 30-50% of the U.S. adult population feels the same way about their dumb ass cellphones while they drive, but it doesn't make it any less dangerous...

There is *nothing* more to talk about in 2014 than there was in the time of Adam & Eve.

So save your phone calls until you get to where you are going!

(Lame excuses persist, but facts are facts... )

Please consider that the next time you get in your car and endanger other innocent drivers and pedestrians while you "Talk and Drive"...

You are bigger than that!


Debbie

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

I am using this out in public - that is the whole reason for turning my MacBook into a mobile device - because I am not at home and I don't have a cellphone.

But I would be using my AT&T Hotspot and hopefully WiTopia. Yet neither of those will protect me against Bluetooth's inherent insecurity.

Bluetooth is an option, I suppose, but I can live with a slim headset even if it has a tiny cord.

What is 'Bluetooth's inherent insecurity'?

 

[doubledee]

What is 'Bluetooth's inherent insecurity'?

I'm not an expert on Bluetooth, but as I recall reading over the years, Bluetooth is fairly easy to hack. So for the "security minded", a wired connection is always better.

Here are some links...

http://blog.kaspersky.com/bluetooth-security/

http://www.darkreading.com/vulnerability/black-hat-reveals-bluetooth-ssl-exploit/240155572

http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=11663



Debbie

 

[hallux]

That's like saying, "When I drink and drive, I slow down and scan the road more..."

Studies have shown that people talking on cellphones while driving have reaction times slower than someone who is legally drunk!! (Not conjecture - fact!)

And you do realize that more Americans are killed each year due to distracted drivers than were killed on Sept 11, right? (Not conjecture - fact!)

I've know lots of people who think physics don't apply to them with driving and alcohol, and about 30-50% of the U.S. adult population feels the same way about their dumb ass cellphones while they drive, but it doesn't make it any less dangerous...

There is *nothing* more to talk about in 2014 than there was in the time of Adam & Eve.

So save your phone calls until you get to where you are going!

(Lame excuses persist, but facts are facts... )

Please consider that the next time you get in your car and endanger other innocent drivers and pedestrians while you "Talk and Drive"...

You are bigger than that!


Debbie

Thanks, mom. But what makes talking on a phone any different than having a conversation with someone that's in the car with you when the phone is being used with a hands-free device? When there's someone in the car with you you're more likely to take your eyes off the road to look at them, something you don't need to/can't do on the phone! I have to wonder how the "distracted driving" numbers would stack up if it was actually tracked back in the 80's or even 90's. Any texting I do is done at red lights, my phone reads my incoming texts to me and I can make a call without even looking at my screen. Heck, my phone can even read me the subject of incoming emails if I ask it to, never taking my eyes off the road.

BUT, that's taking the thread off topic for this section or the original question.

 

[doubledee]

Thanks, mom.

Now is not a time to be flippant.

But what makes talking on a phone any different than having a conversation with someone that's in the car with you when the phone is being used with a hands-free device?

That kind of ignorance is why it's dangerous.

Try reading up on "Inattentional Blindness" and maybe you'll better understand.



Or this...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_and_driving_safety

Drivers holding conversations on cell phones were four times more likely to miss the highway exit than those with passengers, and drivers conversing with passengers showed no statistically significant difference from lone drivers in the simulator.[28] A study led by Andrew Parkes at the Transport Research Laboratory, also with a driving simulator, concluded that hands-free phone conversations impair driving performance more than other common in-vehicle distractions such as passenger conversations.[29]

Or this...
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/get-psyched/201204/the-truth-about-texting-and-talking-while-driving


It's not to hard to find study after study after study that supports it is dangerous.


Being an idiot is one thing. Risking the lives of innocent people is another...

Sincerely,


Debbie

 

[hallux]

My last comment on the phone use while driving. What you failed to read in my original comment on it was the "IF". It's MAYBE once a month, I usually initiate the call, and usually as soon as I leave from work - it takes me 5 minutes on private roads to get to public roads so the conversation is usually just ending as I hit public roads.

 

[doubledee]

My last comment on the phone use while driving. What you failed to read in my original comment on it was the "IF". It's MAYBE once a month, I usually initiate the call, and usually as soon as I leave from work - it takes me 5 minutes on private roads to get to public roads so the conversation is usually just ending as I hit public roads.

Here's what happens when people are talking on their cellphones on "private" roads before entering onto a public road...

Distracted Driver Accident





Debbie

 

[hallux]

Here's what happens when people are talking on their cellphones on "private" roads before entering onto a public road...

Distracted Driver Accident





Debbie

Yup, that driver's not using a hands-free headset. I DO It GREATLY improves the ability to move your head. I don't care what YOU say, the once a month I actually DO use the phone while driving (handsfree for the phone of course) I AM a different driver. I'm also a different driver when there are others in the car with me. That wasn't a private road like I'm talking about (see the signs giving distances to cities in either direction? that driver with the trailer was coming off a PUBLIC road, they don't put those up to tell people that information when turning off a PRIVATE road). By private road, I'm talking about the areas within an office complex/manufacturing facility, areas police don't patrol.

You make all these statements about "distracted driving" related to cell phone use but do they make a distinction between using a handsfree and holding the phone to your face? I'll say it again, I see using a cell phone with a handsfree no less distracting than having a conversation with someone in the car with you, in fact it may be SAFER because you're not tempted to turn to look at them.

I'll create a topic in PRSI it can be discussed there...

 

[stridemat]

MOD NOTE

Please use the PRSI thread for discussion as to the pros and cons of using a headset while driving. This thread is for recommending a particular make / model/

 

[phoenixsan]

At least....!

MOD NOTE

Please use the PRSI thread for discussion as to the pros and cons of using a headset while driving. This thread is for recommending a particular make / model/

Thanks MOD for intervene.....

Debbie: The KOSS headset you linked sounds well to me. Itself touts as easily and quick connected to PC. 8 ft long cable, adjustable headband, handsfree comunication and ideal for PC voice comunications. Seems like a good set of features. And no pricey....

The ideal test would be to try out a range of headsets and choose the model where you were more confortable. But this is more easily said than done...

Hope that helps....

 

[doubledee]

Thanks MOD for intervene.....

Debbie: The KOSS headset you linked sounds well to me. Itself touts as easily and quick connected to PC. 8 ft long cable, adjustable headband, handsfree comunication and ideal for PC voice comunications. Seems like a good set of features. And no pricey....

The ideal test would be to try out a range of headsets and choose the model where you were more confortable. But this is more easily said than done...

Hope that helps....

Thanks for the thoughts.


Debbie

 

[phoenixsan]

My pleasure and....

Thanks for the thoughts.


Debbie

you are welcome.....