For those who think “Who the hell is VXi” – no kidding.     They are not very well known,  and 2 years ago at #CLUS I ran into their tiny little booth.    I was actually a big fan of one of their products – I was actually disappointed to see such a small both – this company really needed some marketing muscle!

 

First, these guys make the best headset – I have ever owned.    This little baby is the BlueParrott (by VXi) B250-XT – a bluetooth headset that has insane battery life and the best darn noise cancelling on the market today – PERIOD.

I am not kidding when I say high performance – I drive in a Jeep TJ, no top and no doors – and I can actually take phone calls.   How about a modified Subaru STi with a loud exhaust – no problem, have a business call, everyone thinks I am in the office.

The only complaint?  You look like an air traffic controller wearing it – but I will be honest, for the performance – bring it on!

Everyone I tell about this wants one – everyone loves them.  The biggest problem – no marketing!

Last year they launched the revamped B350 version of the product, but now big news from the VXi camp.

VXi Aquired By Jabra / GN

Jabra has acquired VXi Corporation, inclusive of the VXi and BlueParrott brands.  The idea is that they will share channel, and gain portfolio.  Personally this has got to be about VXi’s IP – because no headset works like the BlueParrott – nothing.     From the news relase “It also gives GN Audio the opportunity to leverage VXi’s best-in-class expertise within “high noise”communication environments”

This is also about marketing and channel space – Quote ““We are delighted to have reached an agreement with VXi. The acquisition further strengthens our position on the North American market, where we have shown strong progress in recent years. We will build on VXi’s strong presence and reputation in the US and combine it with the international reach and professionalism of GN Audio and the Jabra team,” said Paul Hamnett, President for GN Audio in North America.”

This is great news – someone like VXi with great products needs the power and marketing arm of someone like GN/Jabra.   My only hope is that what made VXi great – is not lost at GN.

VXi Launches B450 Flagship Bluetooth Headset

A few new features on this B450 BlueParrott next gen headset,  first the charging cord, the old B250 had a barrel connector, which was a pain – because i had to use THAT charge cord – now they have changed it to Micro-USB which means all my existing charge points can be used and commodity charge cables.   More buttons which can also be programmed for functions I want.  The close mic noise suppression design is still there.      They have added VoiceControl to the headset itself – I have this feature on one of my other headsets and never use it – I will be honest, I just use SiRi on the iPhone, or on Android I use the speech rec on there – I’m not sure this feature is really required but as a check box against the competition – it is there.

The ear pad is WAY more comfortable than the B250, yes the unit is larger, but more comfortable – hey you already looked like an ATC operator with the B250 – nothing is changing and now it is more comfortable.   My only concern with the extra size is portability, before I could kinda fold it up and it it in my bag, not sure this will be as portable.

As of this print – I have not had a chance to try the B450, and I only had a chance to try wearing a B350 – right now no B450’s exist here in Canada – I am trying to get my hands on one and when I do – I will get you a review side by side right here on the blog.