Specification and use
First and foremost, Jabra have applied the 1.2 BlueTooth™ specification to the BT500. This results in better connectivity and more reliable synching. On top of this, the talk time has also been extended to a quoted 8 hours, with a respectable 10 days standby. Given the flexibility of the charging options available to you with the BT500 it is still good to see such performance from the standard 2 hour charge time. The range of the headset is unchanged from the BT250v, at 30 feet (10 meters), which seems to be the standard for Jabra kit.
One of the complaints I had with the BT250v was the movement of the headset whilst in real-time use. This has been reduced thanks to the thinner profile of the BT500. It's still happening, but with the over the ear shape of the device it would be very hard indeed to completely eradicate the problem.
Call quality was excellent, much like the rest of the Jabra range, although particular note has to be made about the ability of the headset to perform in a car on the motorway at high speed. It's really very capable, which is a good sign considering this is where it will see the majority of its use.