Stories by: Aoife M. McEvoy

I don't know about you, but I get particularly grumpy if I have to concentrate when I put on a Bluetooth headset.

I was not a happy camper when I wore Samsung's SBH700 headphones. Despite extensive fiddling, I couldn't arrive at a comfortable fit. For starters, the earbuds were too big--the package lacks alternative bud sizes--and the squarish hooks did not sit properly over the curve of my ears. In addition, the SBH700's headband, which wraps around the back of the user's neck, felt heavy and imparted a sagging sensation. After wearing the headset for a while, my ears simply felt fatigued. (The Motorola MotoRokr S9-HD headset produced a similarly ear-stressing experience.)

When it comes to the comfort of stereo Bluetooth headsets, I'd choose an earpad design (that is, an earmuff style) over earbuds any day, thank you. And if you have the same preference, look long and hard at the Motorola MotoRokr S305. This set of headphones handles calls and music with aplomb. The product delivers great-sounding conversations and tunes, a comfy fit against the ears, and a light feel on the noggin.

The main attraction of the Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 headphones is their teensy size.

Parrot's Minikit Chic Bluetooth speakerphone sure looks purty with its silver and gray, flowery design. The $119 device, which is about the same size as an iPod Classic, comes with a built-in clip, so it's ready to slip onto your car's sun visor. When I tried it, however, the clip felt a bit chintzy and failed to pry open very wide. I had to mash it onto my visor to ensure that it stayed in place.

For its price, the Jabra SP200 is a great value. You get all of the basic calling features you'd expect (voice-dialing activation, call answer/reject, and redial, for instance). In addition, the bundle includes a USB charger (along with the standard in-car charger). A second charger is handy to have, but many speakerphones do not provide one.

If you rely on free video calls for work and for fun, and you need video-specific tools, such as three-way calling, consider ooVoo.

Dragon lets you send e-mail, dictate reports, and move around the Web and your desktop -- all by voice.

Though it does certain things well, this service's multipurpose approach doesn't work -- or is overkill.

SightSpeed Business offers an affordable and reliable videoconferencing service for business users -- no matter how big or small your company.