Poly Plantronics W740 SAVI 3-In-1 Convertible Headset System, DECT 6.0 - Black

The product description makes it sound like this thing would be complicated to set up and use. That's not the case if all you want to do us plug it into a telephone jack, and also use it with your cell phone. I was up and running in under five minutes, and I didn't read anything other than how to set up Bluetooth (hint: push the button with the Bluetooth icon, and then it works just like every other Bluetooth gadget out there). Your cell phone and the Savi's base station remain on your desk, while you roam around your home/office with the headphones the same way you would with any other cordless, DECT handset. The Savi is much smarter than an ordinary handset, however, because it "understands" how to deal with up to three input streams. I'm using mine with a Nexus 5, and the two devices pair up and connect quickly and reliably. Shockingly so, in fact. If you work from home, get this thing and put your Bluetooth earbud back in your car where it belongs. Really. Update 3 Feb 2014: Turns out, you can't ACTUALLY plug the phone jack from this thing directly into a phone jack in a wall. It's not even a "jack" per se, but rather a connection that allows it to sit between a phone base and corded handset (using the services of an "EHS cable", sold separately). So my wording above is inaccurate, but I'll let it stand in the interest of journalistic integrity. :-) Update 5 Feb 2014: You CAN plug this device directly into a single-line, household-style phone jack. And I'm an idiot, AND Plantronics customer support is apparently too polite to tell me that. The one time I get a truly professional CSA, ... Anyhow, the Savi 740 I ordered comes with a "generic" EHS cable, which I had set aside and forgotten about. That cable has a 4-conductor RJ plug on one end, an 8-conductor RJ plug on the other, and a little blob in the middle with a stencil of a phone handset right next to a 4-conductor RJ socket. You merely put the thing right between the handset and base of your analog phone, or between the handset and wall jack if your phone's handset and dialpad are integrated into a single unit. I just tested this with the digital "phone" service of my cable modem, and it worked first time. (The little switch in the Savi base remains in the "A" position.) For future reference, the first four pins of the 8-conductor plug on the EHS cable are one-to-one with the four pins of the 4-conductor plug at the other end of the cable, and I suspect that the other four pins go directly to the 4-conductor socket. So if you are a little handy, you can build your own cable if you want to: it's just a simple "splice" into the analog phone line. I did that, actually, because I let Google Voice do all my dialing and ringing. I don't have a dialpad or traditional telephone handset on my desk. The Savi doesn't have a ringer circuit, however, so you won't know you've got an incoming call if it's the only thing hooked to the line. That's just fine in my case.

Pricey headset, but totally work it for the reliability. Love that it works so well with desk phone, cell phone and computer connections. Great to get rid of all the half baked headsets and replace it with this one great quality one.

Initially reluctant to purchase due to price, I was tired of blowing through the cheap BT ear pieces...nearly one a month. This headset has been one of the best purchases I've made in the last several months and well worth the price. I've used all connectivity options with great success (USB, traditional phone and BT) but use the BT connection nine calls out of ten. Have not had any range issues either and have been able to run downstairs to the kitchen for a snack without issues. (kitchen is right below the office on the 2nd floor) Battery life is acceptable and as long as I remember to dock it every night to charge, it will last me a full workday. My only complaint is if you choose to use the optional headband instead of the earclips, hanging up / docking the headset can be awkward since the headband gets in the way of anything that may be near the dock on your desk. I will sometimes pop the set out of the headband before docking it (which is very easy to do) but I hesitate to do this every time as I'm sure the plastic will eventually fatigue. It's only a minor complaint and can be dealt with fairly easily. **Update** 05.19.2018 Still very happy with this purchase. In earlier review I said I was worried about plastic fatigue of the headset... this has not been an issue at all. Consistent daily use and the battery is still going strong lasting nearly a full day with I frequent breaks and even longer if I dock it after each use, even for 10 or 15 minutes between calls. BT to cellphone and USB to softphone on PC are my primary connections and both continue to work very well. Also worth mentioning that for a few weeks I was forced to move my wifi access point to within about 18" from the base and was worried about impacting signal but I didn't have any issues. **Update** 11.28.2024 Everything still working fine. Frequent use M-F, only issue is battery life. Needs frequent charging and I've purchased a couple of replacement rechargeable batteries. The headset itself is still great, continued high quality audio, no ear pad degradation, no broken plastic, ongoing software support, etc... other than battery life (expected after many years), I'm still very pleased with this product.

I love it. Easy to set up. Intuitive to touch. Can connect to phone, cell and computer. Lots of talk time.

This was one of those products that I was really excited to get - but it ended up being a bit of a let down. At this point, I'm probably going to send it back before I've had it too long. My intention was to use the W740 for both Google Voice on the PC as well as for my cell phone. I don't really have a land line to hook it up to - so that feature didn't matter. There are some really great things about this headset: - I tried all the different fitting options and found the "over-the-head" option to be most comfortable for me. In fact, it is probably one of the most comfortable headsets I've worn. - The base station is intuitive and easy to use. It's easy to see which device I'm connected to - as well as whether I'm on mute mode or not. - The controls are also very easy to use. Volume, mute and call connect/disconnect functions are all quick & easy - unlike other headsets, which often require multi-second combinations to come out of mute... - The DECT 6.0 range is amazing! My office is at home, and I can wander all over the house & yard with this headset. For me, that's not just a test case since I often have to run out to the shop when I'm talking to customers. - It connects quickly to my cell phone. With my previous bluetooth headset (also from Plantronics) it blanks out for a couple of seconds whenever it switches to the headset - which can be irritating. This W740 switches almost instantly so I don't miss anything or have to hesitate and resume the conversation. I hope it's obvious that this headset has a lot of potential - and will probably work great for a lot of people. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me because of these reasons: - I use Google Voice as my business line and this headset doesn't play well with Google Voice at all. Whenever I get a call, I have to answer it on the headset and then click on the Google Voice app and answer there as well. Since there is no remote answer, I can't just answer a call when I'm in the shop - which is a total deal breaker. This headset does support remote answer with some of the VOIP providers - just not with the one I'm using... - The microphone is over-sensitive to wind noise (including breathing). Honestly, the breathing can be overcome by just readjusting the mic; but, it's a bit harder to cover it up when I walk out to the shop since there is often a breeze outside. It also picks up ceiling fans and I end up with that faint "wind hiss" in the background. - At the end of the day, the most important thing is that my customers can hear me and we can have a conversation without constantly repeating ourselves. I have found that I can hear them better than ever with this headset - but I've never had so many complaints from people who can't hear me. Overall, I think I may just not be the correct target audience for this headset (although I wish I were). Between the lack of support for Google Voice and the poor handling of wind noise - it just doesn't work. I did, however, give this product 4 stars since I think people who work primarily in an office & use either another VOIP provider or a standard phone will probably love it.