Every day I see a dozen people on the streets wearing Bluetooth headsets that make them look subtly like Borg, the cybernetic alien menace of the Star-Trek persuasion.

These cyborg-look-alikes, however, are smug in the knowledge that, no matter how silly they may look, they essentially have a fully functional phone conveniently hooked over their ear with all the real jiggery pokery electronics tucked away in a jacket pocket or bag.

When it comes to Bluetooth headsets I admit to being skeptic, simply because of the odd appearance they lend to wearers... a bold fashion statement they are not. So, when Logitech dropped their mobile phone headset in the post for us to take a look at I decided to abstain from using it in public places and employ the wonders of makeshift lab testing to put it through its paces.

The Mobile Freedom Headset is just like any Bluetooth headset. It looks like a cybernetic implant, clips over your ear, and delivers audio without the need for clumsy, old fashioned things like wires. The headset also boasts a fairly substantial wind-noise-reducing microphone dubbed the WindStop™ by Logitech, fortunately I also boast a large floor-standing tower fan to put it to the test with.

The Mobile Freedom Headset also includes one multi-function button with red and blue status LEDs, and a volume control for- you know -adjusting the volume. A nice compact charger also comes in the box, with the plug surprisingly being no larger than any ordinary one making it extremely portable.

To ensure a good thorough test I paired the Mobile Freedom headset with my Mac mini and a Motorola A1000- both of which offered compatibility with Bluetooth headsets. Note: Mac OSX 10.4 (Tiger) is required for Bluetooth headset support.

On the Mac iTunes and Skype formed the test platform, covering everything from Podcasts to general music listening and two-way voice-over-IP conversations.

iTunes Music - Like the next man I have a bulky music collection, I like to play my music, and I like to play it loud. Unfortunately I also have neighbors who would rather not listen to sporadic bursts of loud Finnish power metal; at least not the kind of loud required to fill my entire house with music. Bluetooth headsets are not known for their sound quality, but I found the Mobile Freedom Headset to be quite listenable not only in close proximity to my Macintosh, but all around the house. The feeble and limited range of Bluetooth reared its ugly head in a few black spots, but overall I found the range quite impressive with the sound suffering crackling and distortion at the extreme edges. Whilst the Mobile Freedom Headset obviously is not designed for roaming music listening it does work, but I would certainly not recommend it for any lover of high fidelity sound.

iTunes Podcasts - You must know what a Podcast is by now, but for those of you who have been locked in a cold stone cellar for the past few months it's basically Internet Radio only not real-time. This means you can download a Podcast episode to your iPod or PC and listen to it any time, any where. The Podcast variety of Internet Radio consists mainly of talking, and lots of it, and if there is anything the Mobile Freedom Headset is designed to cope with, it's speech. The coverage for Podcast listening was, of course, identical to that of general music listening, however speech suffers far less from poor sound quality than music making the Mobile Freedom Headset a great accessory for roaming Podcast or general Internet Radio listening. Now, if only the one multi-function button on the headset could be used with iTunes as a play/pause/back/next button somehow.

Skype - Skype is an application I have not touched before, but found quickly when searching for a suitable Mac VOIP application. It immediately detected and utilized the Logitech Mobile Freedom Headset and allowed me to talk to my sister in Canada who reported clear sound. The sound stayed clear even when I walked downstairs and started pacing around the house in the fashion I tend to do when engaging in phone conversations. Suffice to say it was basically a free phone call that left me free to type, and roam to my hearts content. My skepticisms died here.

Mobile Phone - On the Motorola A1000 I again had the opportunity to try out the music "listenability" which may be important to some of you who can afford fancy mp3 playing phones (which, these days, is almost anyone). The sound quality was acceptable, and the range, again, was surprising although it will vary from handset to handset. In fact, I spent several minutes trying to get the headset to work with my Mac for some quick Podcast listening before I realized it was actually paired with and controlling the A1000 which was downstairs, albeit in the room directly below me. Again, speech is perfectly listenable and my test subjects reported clear sound.

The Mobile Freedom Headset certainly holds its own as a Bluetooth headset. It is fairly easy to pair with multiple devices although I had to unpair/turn off one device to use it with another unless I was absolutely out of range (out of the house, in other words). The sound quality is acceptable for music and fine for speech even when roaming around the house and the microphone delivers clear sound. Logitech, however, claim that their WindStop™ microphone will "Minimize annoying wind noise," and this review would certainly not be complete until I put that to the test. With skype at the ready I stuck the tower fan onto its maximum setting to simulate "a bloody windy day"

Now, it has to be noted that I have done a similar thing entirely by accident when using Logitechs Gaming Headset and the complaints came in full force as people remarked that it sounded like I had a fan blowing on my microphone... which, of course, I did. I was reluctantly forced back to using push-to-talk so I would stop broadcasting the awful din to other Ventrilo users. I will call this situation the "control". The Gaming headset is, of course, designed for use only indoors and does not come with any WindStop™ protection, I had nothing else with claims to wind-stopping fame handy and no other Bluetooth headset to act as a control so run with me on this one.

With the Mobile Freedom Headset donned and fan at the ready I flicked Ventrilo's push-to-talk function off and waited for the complaints to flood in. And waited. And waited. Looks like that WindStop™ really does work! Scientific though my test is not, it looks like the Mobile Freedom has passed with flying colours. Suffice to say you may experience different effects in different situations but I think the WindStop™ protection will at least dampen any unwanted wind-noise, if not stop it altogether.

Overall, it's mobile, it's Bluetooth, it has a fair battery life and is a synch to charge. It works with my mobile phone (even from upstairs), with my Mac, and with my PC/Ventrilo wind testing combination. The range is impressive to say the least, considering nobody using a Bluetooth headset will have their phone further than a trouser pocket it's downright loopy but does open up some indoor possibilities. With my Mac/Headset combination I could roam the house and chat on Skype, what more could you want? Until they build mobile phones that hook over your ear (and fry your brain?) then Bluetooth headsets are the only way to go hands free at a fair range without the inconvenience of wires. If you live anywhere remotely windy (or hot and full of desk fans) then you might want to give the Logitech Mobile Freedom headset a look.