| Customer Reviews: Average Rating: 3.5/5 |
| Disappointing coming off Plantronics Pro Bluetooth headset: Rating: 1/5 |
Well after having the Calisto out of the box and up and running for about an hour I am returning it.. I knew going in the reviews where not solid for this but I have been loving my PlantronicsPro bluetooth headset I figured I give the benefit of the doubt. Probably not the best idea.
First the overall quality is really poor for the cost. I really expected far better. It has a very "cheap" plastic feel to both the base, handset and headset. The headset itself I found a poor fit and sound quality not all that great. Interestingly I was able to pair my PlantronicsPro BT Headset (a product I think is simply amazing) to it which made the experience overall better but a cost that one should not have to be burdened with. The handset was surprisingly bulky.
In fairness it does work as advertised. I was able to get my landline, cell and skype working over it. The process to activate the headset is a little wonky. I also probably did not do my homework on the mobile side of this product but all it really does is act as a multipoint headset. You still need to carry around your mobile phone and the handset from the Calisto around the house if you want to take calls from either. You also need to initiate calls for Skype on your computer and then transfer to phone. Same for mobile. The big up sell was the idea on untethering you from the clutter but it really doesn't achieve that. You also can't switch between mobile and land/skype without having to disconnect. Again, it works and they probably don't make claims that it does anything other but I would suggest you have a clear picture on how you think you will use it and research fully.
The one other MAJOR issue for me was the current issue around the Software working on a Mac. They do not have a version that works with 10.6 and have made public statements that they have no plans to support the mac going forward. This really was troubling. I was able to get the software working just fine using Rosetta under 10.6 but in the end the idea that no further refinement is likely to occur for Mac users was troubling at best.
Given the Mac issue and the just overall poor fit and finish was enough to have me rethinking the high cost for this. I really think its a nice concept, PLantronics however would probably be better served if they made use of some of there really nice products, i.e. PlantronicsPro Headset. |
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| Calisto Pro purchase: Rating: 4/5 |
| I like the phone. The bluetooth headset needs modification. As has been stated previously here, it fits too loosely. I had to wrap the over-the-ear piece in medical tape to make it more stable. It should be adjustable because everyone's ears are different. It is too big for my ear, so the speaker sits a little too low which affects the sound quality. |
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| Disappointing in every sense that matters to me: Rating: 2/5 |
First of all, it was at least functional, until we upgraded to Snow Leopard. Now you can't even use it with Skype on a Mac.
The utilities are cumbersome. Why does it only hold 200 phone numbers? Why that small limit? If you have more in your address book, which many folks will, it just cuts off. So it's only partly functional.
The product was so poorly constructed that I've already had to have a part replaced. This after only very mild usage.
You are really a third class citizen here on your Mac. They claim to support it, but that's a very hollow promise.
I just don't recommend this device. It's not a good value for your money, even with a PC. With a Mac, it's 100% useless. And their support is not too helpful either. Frustrating. |
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| Good sound, bad features: Rating: 3/5 |
| The sound quality is good and that's extremely important, however we all want convenience too. My biggest complaint is that the phone does not save caller ID information, only the phone number, in the call history. I like the small size but it does mean the numbers are very small and hard to dial - however, I think the small size is worth it. The bluetooth headset works well but is not very comfortable for long periods of time. |
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| Not perfect, but pretty great . . . a few nits: Rating: 4/5 |
This is a pretty cool phone . . . and I'm a tough critic.
PROS: Sound quality excellent, you can walk REALLY far from the base and it keeps contact, the link with Skype/contact list is cool (but imperfect, see below)
CONS:
-- There is a weird 'lag' when you dial the key pad. Like the processor/whatever can't keep up. So it sometimes misses the first number you dial. I can't imagine why this would plague a modern device. Very odd. I hope they fix it in the next iteration.
-- The phone is linked via USB to your computer so you can talk via Skype and send contacts to your handset. But it would make so much sense (and be so easy) to allow you to DIAL numbers from your contact list. This would be SO AWESOME and so easy to implement, but it's not a feature.
-- The ear peace fit imperfectly, but it works. I wish it fit snugly against my face (if you move the wrong way, it will fall off).
If Plantronics could fix the above, I think it would be perfect.
That said, I am pretty happy with the phone and would buy it again, despite the issues listed above. |
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