Those who grew up with cordless phones and cell phones might not be aware of corded telephones with their traditional handsets at all if it wasn’t for pay phones and syndicated television. Whether it was Marcia Brady of The Brady Bunch flipping her hair aside to speak into a handset, or Commissioner Gordon calling Batman on the red BatPhone, the handset has created a place for itself in history and in pop culture. It’s even novel to own one again, except this time it's a Bluetooth® handset you can use with your mobile phone.
A Bluetooth® handset is a separate apparatus for speaking on your cell phone. It connects to your Bluetooth®-enabled phone through a personal area network (PAN) established by a Bluetooth® network. The handset, which contains a microphone and speaker for listening and talking, pairs itself with the phone. When a call comes in you can use the handset to answer and chat, rather than using the phone.
Aside from the novelty of talking on an untethered, retro-style handset, there can be perceived advantages to using a Bluetooth® handset. If the electronics in the handset are good, it can actually create a better experience for listening and talking than the cell phone.
Cell phones are also small and must be held to the ear, making hands-free use awkward to impossible without using the speakerphone feature or an earpiece. A Bluetooth® handset can be cradled on one shoulder against the jaw, allowing both hands free for limited amounts of time. If you don’t have an earpiece you can talk on a Bluetooth® handset while going about other business at work or home as long as you stay within range of the paired cell phone.
Bluetooth® handsets have become so trendy they are available in many styles including a red BatPhone handset, a 1960s Soviet era handset, and the standard classic handset. Some people are making their own Bluetooth® handsets by incorporating a Bluetooth® headset (earpiece) into an article of choice. One online example is the fake banana handset. If you decide to make your own Bluetooth® handset, read the experiences of others to get ideas on how you might improve your design and avoid problems like echo by using insulating foam when needed.