 A
telephone headset performs the functions of a telephone handset.
It lets you talk, and it lets you listen, but it's worn on your head rather than
held in your hand. |
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Handsets are OK for brief conversations; but if
you're "on the phone" for a long time, or you need your hands for other tasks, a
headset is a much better choice.
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How did headsets come about?
Years ago, all telephone calls were routed through manual
 telephone exchanges. Calls were connected by an operator who used plug-in cables to physically patch lines together at a switchboard. Headsets made life
easier for the operators, by enabling them to use both hands to to insert and remove plugs, and write down information about phone calls on billing
tickets. |
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The hands-free format was very convenient, and headsets became common in TV studios, airplane cockpits, submarines, space ships, race cars, fast food restaurants, football stadiums, and everywhere else.
They're attached to telephones, and lots of other things. Kids use them in school. Moms use them in malls. |
How have headsets changed over
the years?
Headsets were originally heavy,
bulky and
 uncomfortable.
But advances in technology, including lighter and stronger materials, have
enabled manufacturers to develop more comfortable, better-sounding headsets. The
best of today's headsets are lightweight and comfortable, and sound as good as
-- or better than -- a handset. Many recent headsets work without wires between
your ear and your phone; and some let you roam hundreds of feet from your phone.
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