When the battery died in my Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Headset after just over a year of use, I felt pretty ripped off. For $100, I expected years of reliable service. Researching the premature death of the headset online, I found comments by many users who said Plantronics neglected to tell all purchasers that the headset should never be overcharged. This was kind of a stupid recommendation considering there was no way to tell at any point how much charge the Plantronics Discovery 925 was carrying unless it beeped just before losing power.
My initial plan was to find a different headset from a different manufacturer, but I couldn't The Plantronics Discovery 925 was the smallest headset around, and I hated the thought of wearing a bulky model wrapped over my ear. Last summer, Plantronics came out with an unpdated version, the Plantronics Discovery 975, and I was willing to give it a chance, especially since it came with a charger box that included a tiny screen that would tell me how much the unit was charged so there would be less of a chance I would kill it.
I purchased the Plantronics Discovery 975 and was instantly impressed. The unit is smaller than the original Plantronics Discovery 925, which means it's even more comfortable to wear. The actual ear insert is the same as the Plantronics Discovery 925. It's a gel cap with a protrusion that allows the user to sort of position in the outer ear to hold it securely, instead of plugging it into the ear canal. I like this because anything plugged into the ear canal will tend to be painful in a short period of time.
Other features I really like are: 1) The advanced noise reduction technology allows the unit to receive and send superb sound; 2) The new unit has a voice, not just a bunch of coded beeps, to deliver alerts such as when it's running low on power or loses connection with the phone; 3) As mentioned before, the portable charger has a screen that indicates the charge level for the battery in the portable charger and the battery in the headset.
If you haven't guessed, I'm hooked on the Plantronics Discovery line. I don't like babysitting batteries, but to ensure my Plantronics Discovery 975 lasts longer than my Discovery 925, I'm being mindful of the amount of time the new unit sits in the charger. I'll let you know if there's any problem.
The Plantronics Discovery 975 charger port is located on the bottom of the unit. The unit is controlled by pressing a tiny volume button at the top of the unit. You answer, end and mute calls by pressing where the boom meets the headset base.
I'm counting on this new portable charger with small charge indication screen to keep me from overcharging my Plantronics Discovery 975. The charger sold with the previous model, the Plantronics Discovery 925, did not have a screen, so I never knew when I was overcharging the unit. Some users say overcharging is what caused my Discovery 925 to die after only one year of use.
