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A Bluetooth phone headset? or a mini PMG?

Ever since the first Bluetooth headset appeared and turned out to be a gormless, heavy, ear-clipping lump with pitiful battery capacity, it's been obvious that the way to go with wireless is: with a wire!

Sony Ericsson has finally smelled the toast. The HBH-200 Bluetooth headset "consists of a small control unit which can be clipped onto the users' clothes or worn in a lanyard around the neck. The small earpiece connects to the unit with a thin wire which also hosts the microphone."

But this goes a bit further than just convenience. The headset actually has some functionality; it can even be used to place phone calls without getting the phone out. It starts to follow some of the functions of a Personal Mobile Gateway as espoused by IXI Software.

As you can see, this is as elegant as any iPod headset. But the short cable from the control unit to the ear won't find itself snagged on door-handles, or tangled up in itself, or wrapped around a gear lever or copulating with other cables. And best of all, neither is the phone tied up in a noose of stereo coax.

My own bemusement with the early Bluetooth "I am Locutus of Borg" devices reached its peak when someone bumped into me in the street. The flimsy clip which held the heavy device to my ear, simply released its hold. The device flew threw the air, and into a nearby drain.

This one will work. It will stay neatly and discreetly tucked away in a pocket or clipped to a jacket; if someone bumps me, the earpiece will fall out and that is all. I'll just pop it back in.

And best of all, it has extra functions "such as displaying name or number of the caller, and handsfree call handling," says the announcement. "The display on the control unit lights up when call comes in and shows the name or number of the caller."

It can also show the call list, which is synchronised with the telephone. This makes it easy to call any number on the call list by a few button presses on the HBH-200. The phone itself stays in the pocket, or even in the briefcase. The headset can also make a ringing sound - either from the control unit or inaudibly to others, through the earpiece - so there is no risk of missing a call if the phone itself is tucked away.

The HBH-200 has talk time up to 3.5 hours and standby time up to 70 hours and weighs 33 grams.

The full release includes some other basic information and contact details.