Thursday
Dec062007
FREETALK Wireless Stereo Headset is already a bestseller on Skype.com
Thursday, December 6, 2007 at 2:38AM 
This article refers to the first generation FREETALK headset from ISS. The product is now in its second generation... follow this link to read about the new model. For the popular comment thread on the original, scroll down. Thanks! Ed.
Very good sign. The FREETALK Wireless Stereo Headset has been on sale since before Thanksgiving, but is finally in stock! It is already listed as a bestseller which is no suprise to me, since my prototype set has been a trustworthy travel companion for over 8 months now.
- For any business traveller who uses Skype, watches Slingbox, or listens to music in their hotel room... the FREETALK rocks.
- For any college student who does it all on the PC... the FREETALK rocks.
- For any players of World of Warcraft... the FREETALK rocks.
- And shhh... because it's a standard USB Audio device, for any users of Google Talk, Ventrilo, AIM, Live Messenger... the FREETALK rocks.
I am biased to be sure... one because I am modestly vested in the success of this product category, but also because I love this product.
Here is a quick troubleshooting guide for new users, from an early adopter of this unit...
- Those who may find the ear-cups not sitting just right, try twisting the wire portions of the band to get the right angle to match your ear. I did that 8 months ago, and it works like a charm. I'd have designed the headband a little different for fit, myself, but I guess it does kinda look different and cool enough.... my only gripe.
- Mac users, after you plug in the first time, you may need to go to audio control panel to manually select the USB Audio device. Successive uses, should automatically switch to the headset.
- To mute the microphone, simply tilt the microphone boom all the way up, you will feel a slight detent when the boom is all the way up. To un-mute the microphone, simply swing the mic back down. This muting takes place completely in the headset, so you will not see it reflected on-screen in the Skype call window
- In order to make the Skype call answer button work, for Windows version, you must enable hotkeys...
- Go to Tools > Options > Advanced > Hotkeys
- Check "Enable keyboard shortcuts"
- Check "Answer Call"
- Make sure Answer Call hotkey is set to "Alt-PgUp" (which is the default on most installs of Skype).
Enjoy! Comments welcome here. I am happy to add to the troubleshooting guide if needed.
Reader Comments (134)
Hey!
Could you please tell me your experience with the battery? How many hours do you get?
Thanks :)
Typically, I get about 6 hours. THe nice thing is, you can plug it in to recharge it while you are still using it. This prevents calls from getting interrupted in the worst case that the battery quits mid-call.
FYI... the charge cable is attached to the USB transmitter. So it is all pretty self contained. No extra power brick to lug around.
Oh that's great! Thank you :)
I am looking for a quality wireless 5.1 (ideal) or stereo headset with mic. This would be used for gaming and movies while I exercise. I have a quality elliptical (non impact) exercise machine and am using a wireless XBox360 Controller with Xpadder to remap the keys. When I workout, I am currently playing Guildwars.
The XBox 360 receiver uses the 2.4Ghz band. Are there any interference problems using the FreeTalk headset (or Avnera technology in general) and the the XBox 360 receiver?
Have you used the FreeTalk mic with voice recognition software? Does it work well? I would like to try Vista's voice recognition software, to further control my PC during the workout.
How well would the FreeTalk product work and hold up while engaging in a non-impact, cardio exercise environment? Are there other products using Avnera technology which I might want to check out?
LTB products appear to be using Avnera technology, but haven't been mentioned in the press releases. The FreeTalk headset wasn't either (at least in the press releases I read).
What is the Avnera "prototype KL-1"? Was this the Talkfree headset? :)
Thanks!
Bruinior,
Proto KL-1 was indeed the Freetalk. The only difference being that the proto was not capable of recharging while using. That thankfully has been rectified.
I am not quite sure if you are trying to listen to Xbox audio or what? Is Guild wars on your PC? Either way, from an RF perspective, they should not interfere. Our systems are happy to coexist.
As far as robustness in low-impact exercising... should be fine... my only concern is if you are a sweaty dude, the foam pads on the earcups will get nasty... but that's your deal, man.
You are right, the LTB products are using Avnera. In fact, they will even work with the Freetalk transmitter and vice versa. These will also work with the analog in tranmitter on the Acoustic Research AWD210. So some mix and matching is possible (though the AWD210 sender does not support the mic back-channel).
Check back here for announcements on more products which are on their way... and keep getting info not in "press releases" per se. (FYI, nothing I am telling you is not already "publicly discoverable," it's just not necessarily in our company's or customers' PR shtuff)
Thanks a bunch!
I am controlling the PC with the XBox 360 Wireless Controller. The wireless controller transmits to a receiver which is plugged into a usb port on the computer. Movies and games would be played off the computer.
After my first post I realized I could simulate 5.1 surround with a Dolby Headphone or CMSS-3D enabled sound card. I read somewhere that Dolby Headphone doesn't like to work with compressed audio. Avnera technology is a nice fit since it delivers audio without compression.
The Dolby Headphone/CMSS-3D would be input to the Avnera transmitter and output to the Avnera headset.
Are the foam pads easily replacably on the Freetalk headset? Also, how does it handle bass?
Does movement have any affect on the wireless connectivity and transmission (stuttering or interuptions)?
Thanks again for the info!
The wireless system actually uses diversity antennas on both sides, this means the transmitter and the headset each have two antennas. Even better, the headset has one antenna on each side of your head! The main thing this does is prevent against the effects of RF multi-path, which is a wave-based phenomenon that is the cause of the dropouts and interruptions in many system when you move about. Long story short, movement has no effect on our system unless you are beyond the transmission range, then multi-path may be the cause of the first dropouts due to a weak overall signal.
A user on the Skype forum who has a Freetalk headset says he's only getting 2 "listening" hours of battery life. You mention six. Why the difference? What can we really expect? And what kind of battery technology is used?
Thanks, Dan
Battery is Li-polymer. 2 hours sounds very bad. Either she was not getting a full charge, or sadly she may have a bad apple.
I repeat, I easily get around 6 hours of playback time. I only charge it about twice a week, based on my usage habits.
Hope you have better luck.
Hmm, my first try at posting this didn't seem to work. Hopefully this doesn't double post.
Thanks again mtc, you have been really helpful!
I noticed the gender difference (in the above 2 comments) and that she signed her post, Heather. :)
Found the KL-1 (interesting): http://www.electronics.globalsources.com/gsol/I/RF-headphone/a/9000000089057.htm.
Looked up WiStereo and found some more Avnera based products. :)
http://www.soundonusa.com/products/
I would be interested in hearing the lecture (sponsored by Avnera): "IEEE Seminar: CD-Quality Wireless Audio - Fantasy, Fallacy, or Reality?"
http://www.cpd.ogi.edu/coursespecific.asp?pam=2306
Is there any way to get audio or text from the lecture?
I just got one of these and I have a couple of questions:
1) When the headset beeps low battery and I plug it in, I lose my call. Is this normal? If not, is there some way to fix this or do I just have a defective unit?
2) I haven't done any rigid timing tests, but my battery life seems closer to two hours than six. Is anybody getting long battery life with the production units?
3) While the microphone works fine with Skype, I can not use SoundRecorder on XP. Any ideas?
Thanks for your help and yes, the sound is great!
My Freetalk headset sucks. It sounds great on my end and the wireless works well, but everyone i call tells me that I sound like a mechanical robot. I have tried it multiple times while i'm sitting right next to my computer, and still the output sound is horrible.
yellanybor, your comment doesn't make too much sense. why don't you try recording something using sound recorder? Also, you might try calling ech0123 on skype to see how it sounds. there are many reasons why the call quality is poor on the other end. if the sound is good to your ears, your link is solid, and voice link should be solid as well.
Have you heard about the new Logitch ClearChat Wireless Headset? Would you think it's better than the Freetalk? (It's cheaper in Germany, where I am.)
I've definitely heard of the ClearChat. See article here: http://www.wirelessaudioblog.com/archives/147. I should refrain from any qualitative comparisons. However, the deal you have in Germany sounds pretty good. In the States, the Freetalk is 20 bucks cheaper than the Logitech.
mtc, (or anyone else who wants to join in),
Regarding HEADSETS for sale in the "SKYPE SHOP" ... any comments on why FREETALK keeps appearing, then disappearing, then reappearing only to disappear again from the list of headsets available for purchase (as a matter of fact, from "the list of BEST SELLERS")???
I started to buy the FREETALK headset towards the late part of 2007 (it was a BEST SELLER then). I spent a day or so doing some research on FREETALK before spending my money on it. When I returned to the Skype Store Web site a day or two later to buy FREETALK (the BEST SELLER) it was gone ... not available for purchase. I figured that as a new product, it had unforseen problems and was getting too many customer complaints and was pulled from the Skype Store.
I really HATE wired headsets/headphones (I also DO NOT LIKE BLUETOOTH), so I was glad to see FREETALK show up again in the Skype Store. I thought, "well FREETALK has solved their problems and fixed the reasons for the customer complaints." Again, after I spent some time researching, I came back to the Skype Store, and FREETALK was GONE AGAIN.
Is this product just "not ready for prime" or what?
As for me, I think L'll stick with an internationally known brand like LOGITECH, and get the Logitech Wireless ClearChat. The fact that FREETALK is $20.00 cheaper dosen't mean much to me if I can't find or contact the company that makes/distribues/supports FREETALK because it (the company and the product) keeps appearing, then disappearing, then reappearing only to disappear again.
Thanks in advance,
jwc
JWC, The is not quality related. The issue is supply. When it is posted, they sell like crazy, and sell out. This is what happened to the first two lots. The manufacturer assures me that this problem is being rectified. I presume as a matter of course, Skype store throttles demand by de-listing the product. I think they do this on a region by region basis, but I am only guessing based on what I observe.
Keep in mind this is a very new product category, and the interest I think was simply underestimated early on. Something I hope our customers realize in the future. ;-)
MTC, Thanks for your response. I sheepishly and humbly apologize for jumping to an incorrect conclusion regarding the quality of FREETALK. I might even be one of the first ones in line to purchase a FREETALK from the next lot made available in the SKYPE STORE!!
And saving $20.00 is ICING on the CAKE ...(although, I really DO think the look of the ClearChat is very very cool!!)
Thanks again MTC
jwc
Does the call answer button work with MSN Messenger and other programs like GTalk?
Please reply to my email address as well, I'm surfing.
thx!
Hi, all.
I have purchased this device, and appreciate the sound very much.
I've used it with Skype, and the fact that it's wireless makes life easier.
After about 5 minutes' talk time, however, the microphone or microphone subsystem begins to generate a low-frequency hum that is not evident in the speakers. In a few more minutes, that hum increases in volume and frequency until the listener at the other end cannot hear anything else.
I purchased this product through Skype, but they are not offering any type of support or warranty service.
With whom do I need to address this issue?
Thanks! I love the product otherwise!
Phil
I need a owners manual for the Free Talk How can I down load one. I love this headset it's the best one I have ever used. When I have a few extra bucks I want to get a spare.
I just let my mind wander, and it didn't come back.
Lyle Hensley
Enjoying Every Breath
Retired US Army
1957 – 1978
My Blog
http://valleyman7.blogspot.com/
i've been reading posts dating back to nov 2007. today is april 11 2008. as of today what is the latest on the poor mic quality of the FREE TALK using the macbook pro w/ tiger? have they made a gen2 or offered a download to fix the input problem?
anyone?
thanx gr1
hey there, i'm deciding between this and some of the headsets listed on the nuance website, as i need compatability with dragon naturally speaking 9. do you know whether this is compatable with that product?
This does work with Dragon... It's been tested with numerous voice recognition programs including OneVoice... but also real-time gaming programs like Navy Seals, etc that use voice command.
Hi,
I live in Canada. Skype shop quotes in British Currency for me and there doesn't seem to be a Canadian skype shop. Any other sources to buy this?
thanks for your input.
sang-gye