By Melvin Seah, a freelance writer

WHEN I received this pair of Sony headphones for review, I thought Sony had mistakenly sent me an MP3 player.

The DR-BT100CX Bluetooth headphones look just like one, with a stubby body that is about the shape and size of many small MP3 players. There is even a joystick that controls playback and volume.

I paired the headphones with my Nokia E51 cellphone using Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) technology.
All I had to do was hit the pairing button on the headphones and set my cellphone to search for Bluetooth devices.

My phone found the BT100CX almost immediately.

Soon, I was enjoying my songs and I could play, pause, skip tracks and adjust the volume using the controls on the headphones.

Its in-ear earbuds isolate outside noise pretty well. I can hear details in my music without having to turn the volume up.

This nifty little gizmo doubles up as a headset, so if a call comes in while you are listening to music, you do not have to fumble for the cellphone.

All you have to do is press the multi-function button to answer the call or press on it a little longer to reject the call.

Thanks to noise suppression and echo cancellation features, friends I spoke to could hear me loud and clear.

Before you rush out to get a pair, check that your phone works with Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR, with HFP (hands-free profile) or HSP (headset profile). To ensure that the music playback and controls work, check that your phone works with Audio/Video Remote Control Profile.

The headphones also work with my notebook and I can use its playback controls with Windows Media Player.

Sony claims that its device has an eight-hour battery life. I managed to get about seven hours of usage with the gadget playing MP3 tracks from my phone.

Charging the battery is a bother. I have to plug it into my notebook?s USB port, which means I have to keep my computer turned on.

The earbuds are permanently attached to the headset, so you cannot replace them if they are damaged.
Also, a lock switch would have been useful as I sometimes hit the control buttons unintentionally.

Final say
If you use your mobile phone as an MP3 player, you will love the convenience that the BT100CX offers.

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.

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