10 passengers we love to hate: Day 7 — mobile phones and Bluetooth headsets

It is already day 7 of our 10 days of passengers we love to hate lineup.

Today’s annoying passenger is a relatively new phenomenon, and has been slowly going from bad to worse in recent years.

I’m of course talking about people who never learned basic phone etiquette.

As a geek, I should be more immune to these annoyances, but there is something about the loud Bluetooth headset wearing passenger that makes me want to punch them in the face.

For some unknown reason, as soon as some people clip their headset to their head, they turn into really annoying people. Even people who are normally quite quiet think the airport is the perfect place to make random loud calls to people they’d normally not talk to.

I have a theory about it – these people think that talking on the phone at the airport makes them look important. They see “real” business travelers around them, and have the urge to try and blend in and look impressive.

Well, I have news for you – if you walk through the airport wearing your headset and talking loud enough for the entire terminal to hear you – you are a dork.

The worst offenders are people who don’t hang up and remove the damn headset when they are talking to someone else. Ever been behind one of these jerks? They are in line waiting for a ticket agent, and kill some time on the phone with their stock broker/money manager/bookie/therapist. Then when it is finally their turn, they think it is cool to continue their phone call and try to have the ticket agent help them.

I love technology, and I think the Bluetooth headset is a great tool, but unless you are expecting phone calls 24/7, just put the headset away. Really, you are not that important.

Daily gear deal – Aliph Jawbone 2 Bluetooth headset for $40

Today’s daily deal is for the popular Aliph Jawbone 2 Bluetooth headset.

This noise canceling headset is considered to be one of the best options out there for making calls in a noisy environment. OF course, as with all Bluetooth products, whether or not you think the Jawbone is “pretty” is a matter of taste.

This headset normally retails for about $90, but is on sale for one day only, through deals site “dailysteals.com” for just $39.99.

Included with the Jawbone 2 headset is a charging cable and an AC adapter. Shipping is included in the purchase price.

You’ll find the deal here, just remember that when they run out of inventory, the deal is gone, and as with all one-deal-a-day sites, when the timer runs out, they will switch to a different product, so don’t wait too long to order.

Daily gear deal – MoGo Bluetooth mouse for $30

Today’s daily gear deal is for the MoGo Bluetooth mouse. This may be the second mouse I’ve posted this week, but the MoGo mouse is unlike any other mouse out there.

MoGo stores and recharges inside your laptop. Of course, this does mean your laptop will need a PCCard slot. To use the mouse, you simply pop it out of the expansion slot and unfold the small stand on the bottom. The mouse communicates with your PC using Bluetooth, so you will either need integrated Bluetooth, or an additional Bluetooth “dongle”.

The MoGo mouse normally retails for about $60, but is currently on sale at Buy.com for just $29.99. If your laptop is equipped with an Expresscard/54 slot instead of PCCard, you’ll need a different version ($10 more).

The 3 versions on sale are:

Shipping on these items is free.

Daily gear deal – Plantronics Voyager 855 stereo Bluetooth headset for $38

Today’s daily deal is for one of the highest rated Bluetooth headsets on the market.

The Plantronics Voyager 855 is a nifty 2-in-1 headset which can easily convert from a mono headset, into a stereo headset.

The headset features a sliding boom microphone, noise isolating earbuds and the Plantronics AudioIQ noise canceling system.

When “paired” with a compatible device, you can control your music directly from the headset. The iPhone and iPod touch will gain Bluetooth stereo support in their upcoming upgrade this summer.

The headset comes complete with a USB and AC MicroUSB charger, replacement earbuds, a mono ear clip and a stereo earpiece.

The Plantronics Voyager 855 is currently on sale at Buy.com
for just $37.99, with free shipping.

Daily gear deal – Jabra SP700 Bluetooth speakerphone for $30

Still driving with your head at an angle so you can keep your phone pressed against your ear? Then now is the time to invest in a Bluetooth speakerphone.

Any mobile phone with Bluetooth can connect to this Jabra carkit, but this unit also offers some very special features not found on most other Bluetooth units. Inside the SP700 is an FM Transmitter which means you can switch from the internal speaker, to your car stereo. And that is not all – compatible phones can even send music over Bluetooth to the unit and transmit that over FM!

The Jabra SP700 comes complete with a car charger cord, a bonus AC charger and a sun visor clip. The unit normally retails for $80, but you’ll find it on sale at Amazon.com for just $29.50 (+$5 shipping).