Reading aloud

Battery life is good – around five hours between charges – and you can recharge from flat to 80 per cent full in half an hour. There’s also MyTalk, a downloadable software system that delivers extra apps. Like caller ID by name. The Era automatically reads the number of the caller aloud – with this download it’s programmable to say up to 20 callers’ names, though this requires manually dragging names and numbers from your address book.

Pricey, but solid and sophisticated

MyTalk can also add an onscreen battery meter on BlackBerry and other handsets. You can even opt for different voices for audio prompts, though these are not as amusing as they think they are. The Era comes in bunch of demure shades that all look good ranging from silver through to black, some with a neat red underlay.

Verdict

The Era is the latest in a great series of Bluetooth earpieces. It’s small and light, powerful and, best of all, reliable. Once it’s paired, it stays paired. Once in your ear, it’ll stay put (though don’t just wear it indiscriminately, that just looks silly). Sound quality is outstanding and operation pleasingly simple. The additional features offered by the downloadable updates are neat too. By all means this is not a cheap Bluetooth headset, but it’s certainly the best. ®

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