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Stereo Bluetooth Would Be Awesome If It Didn't Stink

The idea of stereo Bluetooth -- streaming your tunes from your phone to a headset sans wires -- is highly appealing. But it still needs a lot of work.

If there's anything that I find annoying, it is wires. The fewer wires in my life, the better. Wires that are actually attached to me are even more irksome. That's why I really like the concept of stereo Bluetooth.

Rather than use standard headphones that are tethered to a device via wires, stereo Bluetooth streams music to a wireless headset. The lack of wires means more freedom to move around.

Stereo Bluetooth is found in nearly every midrange and advanced phones. It has become a standard feature to have. I have to ask, why bother including it if the technology still isn't mature?

I've tested three different stereo Bluetooth headsets with three different PCs and countless phones. The experience is almost always the same. Pairing with phones is generally a snap. Pairing with PCs is a little bit more involved, but in no way painful.

It's playback that's the issue.

When using stereo Bluetooth headsets, I have yet to get through a single song without the sound cutting in and out. What is going on here? Songs stop and start. And there's fuzzing, hissing, and other weird noises intruding on your attempt at chilling out. This has been the case with every single phone I have tested, and every single set of stereo Bluetooth headsets I've tested.

Why does this issue exist, and why does it persist? How is this poor level of service passing quality control with the companies who manufacture all the gadgets?

I know the Bluetooth Special Interest Group is always working to improve the Bluetooth standard and advance the short-range wireless technology. I would suggest to the SIG that it work more closely with its technology partners to get this protocol working properly.

Because at this moment, I've wasted a few hundred dollars on technology that doesn't do what it is supposed to do. And that's just not right.

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