Plantronics T10 Corded Headset Phone

Installing this phone is child's play. A standard telephone cord (included) connects the small base unit to a wall jack, and the headset cord connects to the front of the unit. No power cord is necessary. Plantronics used a standard telephone jack interface for the headset but wisely used light headphone cable instead of bulky telephone cord on the unit. This helps keep the headset's already low weight to a minimum. They've also thoughtfully included a small alligator clip on the headset cord so you can clip it to a shirt pocket and keep the cord from brushing your face as you move.

As mentioned, the headset microphone and speaker unit can be attached to an ear hook or a headband. The headband is very light and highly adjustable, but we preferred using the ear hooks. Plantronics packages three different sizes of hooks with the device, so there's bound to be one that fits. The hooks sit on your ear instead of using a clamping mechanism, and the entire assembly is so light and unobtrusive that we were able to forget it was there after a few minutes. The microphone is the type that extends to your cheek instead of in front of your lips, so you don't have to deal with it bumping against your lips when you talk. For all these reasons, we were able to wear the headset all day without it getting in the way or making us look like extras from a bad sci-fi movie.

As for the sound quality, it was great under most circumstances. The microphone is so sensitive that it can pick up the hum of a computer if it's pointed in that direction, so this may not be the best solution for noisy environments. For typical office use, the T10 is great as long as you don't need a lot of advanced features on the base, such as two-line input or caller ID. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Very light and comfortable
• Microphone doesn't get in your face or brush against your lips
• Comes with all the accessories you need

Cons:

• The headset cord can get tangled in things if your desk is a mess
• Sensitive microphone can pick up too much background noise