Jabra Extreme

Jabra is currently in the process of unleashing a whole range of consumer VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)-specific accessories onto the market, including a mass market version of its, earlier, business-centric Speak 410 conference call-friendly speakerphone. Now that on the whole requires a USB connection to work, and is, conclusively, not wireless.

The company's mantra is that hands-free is king

As the company's mantra is that hands-free is king, so much so that its office in Denmark is a designated hands-free area in accordance with penalty of detention, it intrinsically has a range of Bluetooth headsets that work with Internet voice calling.

One of which is the new Jabra Extreme - For PC. Already available in the US, it is to make its way to the UK in the at once month to 6weeks, and is effectively based on the mobile phone offering with a similar name. It's as well Skype-certified.

The Jabra Extreme headset can as well pair with up to seven other Bluetooth devices, so you can as well use it with your mobile phone, Skype or no. And two at a time - a neat bonus. Plus, it can be paired with a PlayStation 3 - but at the time, that applies to any Bluetooth headset. Truly, there's an appeal in using it for multi-player gaming instead of bulky cans.

Its primary use, even though, is as a VoIP headset, and comes with full Skype-certification so you can be guaranteed it'll work with that specific service. It's in fact plug'n'play in that respect - it just asks if you want to use the headset from within the Skype browser.

Certainly, this is an important strategy for Jabra, as general manager of EMEA Mobile, Viggo Olsen, told Pocket-lint: "Skype is the world's largest international telecoms carrier with 25 per cent of all international calls.

The company hasn't skimped on features either

The company hasn't skimped on features either. During the headset itself is plain and simple to use it houses some of Jabra's top-end technologies, just as dual microphones and its proprietary Noise Blackout Extreme system, which filters out ambient sounds to leave clear vocal audio.

There is, on the whole, one slight problem. During the audio quality into the earpiece is excellent, we were less impressed with the sound coming out at the other end. It's no worse than peers in a similar price bracket and better than many Skype-certified handsets, however never as good as a dedicated microphone.

But at the time, that's not what the Jabra Extreme - For PC is meant to be. It doesn't profess to be adept at recording podcasts, nor will it replace a high-end webcam for a stationary position. What it does, is allow you to take calls via Skype or another VoIP service during remaining hands-free and mobile, and for that it warrants furthermore investigation.

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