Headsets – Making Life Easier
Headsets – Making Life Easier
There was a time when anyone who used the phone regularly, particularly at work, was bound by the inconvenience of having to hold it to their ear, meaning that not both of their hands were left free to do other things such as type, or perform other-office based tasks during the call.
The arrival of cordless phones meant that people were no longer shackled to their desks while speaking, but the ability to walk around is, in some instances, rendered useless by the presence of a handset – how familiar is the sight of someone performing manual tasks while cradling the phone between their head and neck? A cordless handset, no matter how much pacing and leg-stretching it allows for, is nonetheless a hindrance when it comes to using a photocopier while making a call.
Thankfully, the problem had an obvious solution, with designers only needing to look as far as the humble personal stereo headphone for inspiration. While the technology inside is somewhat more complicated, the basic premise of attaching audio output directly to the ears by way of a headband remains the same.
Next came the means of including an input device – in other words, a microphone. Workers in air traffic control and police operations rooms had been using combined input/output headsets for years and as soon as the technology became cheap enough, the mass manufacture of headsets for sale in the general telecoms market began in earnest.
Today, hundreds of thousands of people around the world, working in call centres and offices use headsets on a daily basis, giving them greater comfort and freedom than they ever could have imagined while burdened by a handset. Plantronics headsets, Jabra headsets and others made by manufacturers such as Alphacom are among the most popular used in business communication by workers now thankful to have both hands free during calls.
Elsewhere, advances in mobile phone technology have meant that Bluetooth headsets are now helping people to hold conversations behind the wheels of their cars, something which is incredibly useful and important giving that holding a handset while driving is an illegal offence. These headsets can also be worn while on foot, leaving phone users free to walk around, make coffee or even play video games.
In the case of that last example, a whole new generation of headsets have appeared, popularised by the rise of online gaming and an ability offered by many of the latest online games, whereby players can speak to their competitors around the globe over headsets. Xbox 360 headsets are perhaps the most-used on the planet, with thousands – maybe millions – of gamers using them in games such as Call of Duty to co-ordinate team mates and taunt enemies simultaneously while staying in complete manual control of the game.
With headsets making such inroads into our everyday lives, one begins to wonder how we ever coped having to hold a phone. Can you imagine cradling a mobile next to your ear while trying to play Forza Motorsport? Headsets have made our lives immeasurably more convenient and whether used in the office, in the car or at home, we would be lost without them.
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