• Pros Stellar value. Good voice quality.

Streams music and podcasts in mono and stereo modes. • Cons Muffled sound quality and cable thump in stereo mode.

Nov 20, 2009 Can't find drivers for bluetooth headset. I have had problems with getting my bluetooth headset work after the 7000 build of Windows 7.

Noise suppression performance is just average. • Bottom Line The Samsung Modus HM3500 combines a good sounding mono headset and a capable stereo Bluetooth headset at a bargain price. The convertible Samsung Modus offers Bluetooth headset buyers something different: the ability to switch between mono and stereo modes at will.

It comes with a separate set of stereo earbuds for listening to music wirelessly. A few other headsets have tried this in the past, but the Modus HM3500 is the best one so far—it's one of the you can buy.

For a full compliment of features at a bargain price, the Modus is tough to beat, even though it doesn't quite match the call quality of top-notch mono headsets. Design, Fit, and Call Quality The Modus measures 0.7 by 1.9 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and weighs 0.4 ounces. It's made of glossy black plastic. A thin chrome ring surrounds the headset, and a triangular multi-function button dominates the front panel. A covered microUSB port sits on the back edge. The sides contain a hardware power switch, a multi-color status LED, and a volume rocker switch.

The package comes with the Modus HM3500, the separate pair of stereo earbuds, and an AC adapter, plus two extra mono and four extra stereo ear tips and a spare, clear plastic ear hook. It took three tries for me to find an option that was really comfortable, but eventually I went with the largest mono ear tip. I paired the Modus HM3500 with an ($199-$299, ), a ($199, ), and a Samsung Strive SGH-a687 without issue. Sound quality during calls was warm and detailed for the most part. Voices sounded loud and clear in the earpiece. On the other side, some folks could tell I was on a headset, but everyone said it sounded very good. Noise suppression was fine, but not up to the standards of class leaders like the ($99, ) and the ($99.99, ).

In the car driving with the windows down, one caller said he heard background noise, but found it unobjectionable. Stereo Performance, Other Features, and Conclusions The stereo earbuds are a matched set; you listen to them separately, with the Modus hanging on your chest as a pendant.

This prevents the disjointed look you'd get with the older ($149, ), which featured just one extra earbud on a thin wire. The Modus's earbuds were comfortable to wear. They sit halfway in the ear, in a compromise between regular iPod-style buds that tend to have poor bass response, and in-ear models that sound better but feel uncomfortable to some listeners. Alas, music in stereo mode was somewhat muffled and indistinct.

Stereo Bluetooth is known for its audio deficiencies. But Samsung seems to have steered around the usual crispy, phasey treble problem by eliminating the high end completely. The Modus was still good enough for casual or background listening, and I didn't hear any pops, clicks, or other unwanted audio artifacts. Still, audiophiles should stick with wired headphones.

A thumping sound when I moved the cable around meant the HM3500 wasn't the best choice for fitness buffs, either. Other features: the Modus pairs with two Bluetooth-enabled devices simultaneously.

It also mutes stereo audio during calls. In a boon for podcast listeners, the Modus can stream audio in mono Bluetooth mode, similar to the ($79.99, ) and ($129, ). A4 Flash Menu Builder Keygen on this page. Range was typical; I could walk about 12 to 15 feet away from the handset before static crept in. Battery life was average at 4 hours and 55 minutes of talk time. There are many Bluetooth headset choices on the market, but few models offer both mono and stereo compatibility in one device. For a dual-purpose headset, the Modus is the best balance of price and performance on the market right now.