Am I alone, I wonder?

A long journey on a train. In the middle of winter. A huge heavy coat, a big overfull rucksack. A laptop case. I struggle to put it all on, pick it all up. Finally I shove my MP3 / 4 player into my pocket and then stand still, unravelling the wires for the headphone. What a bloody fidget. Still, I get it sorted and start my journey.

I board the train and dump bags and cases. I go to take off my coat but have to find somewhere to balance the MP3 player because the headphones are still attached. I twist and turn, sorting it all out because it's the middle of my favourite song.

Finally I settle but for the whole journey, everything seems governed by the cord between my MP3 player and headphones. A trek to the toilet, a stroll down to the buffet car for another ghastly coffee. My phone balancing in my hand in case it rang and I don't hear it because I can't listen to both simultaneously. Pah!

Bluetooth thankfully has been the saving grace of those annoying days of old when I spent too many journeys without music because I hadn't been careful enough and had wrecked headphones by ripping them off accidently. What a miserable bunch of memories. I obviously haven't forgotten them ...

Hence my delight with this latest gadget – the Motorola MOTOROKR S9 Universal Bluetooth Stereo Headphones. What a monster!

Firstly, they look cool (this coming from a 37 something with a classic dress style...) Seriously, they do. Black, sleek, ergonomical, they make me look like I am seriously into my music. Which I am if it's 1970's rock.
A quick 2hr charge time and I am ready to try them out. Set-up is simple. I try it on four phones and they all pick up the headset within seconds. I find I like the on / off button on the headset. It's big and sensible although fully integrated and there's a sense of feedback so you know whether you're pressing it – little things like this can go a long way when you've a gadget that doesn't seem to be working quite right. Not that the MOTOROKR S9's did anything but work perfectly well.

Stereo controls are built in on one side of the headpiece and phone controls on the other. They're simple and effective and not at all difficult to navigate whilst being completely out of your line of sight. I try out the call quality, concerned as the microphone is invisible, tucked away by my left ear. I chat to a friend, not mentioning the headset and the call is faultless – unlike the antics of her ex-boyfriend. The git.

My phone is in front of me and at a less than ideal distance to the headset but the connection is perfect.

I end the call eventually and pop on some music. Ha, now the stereo really comes into its own.

"Thrilllllllllllllllllllllllerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Thriller!" I didn't know I had Michael Jackson on that phone.

I lean back in my chair and crunch the headset into my neck, catching my ear. Oops. Ok, so a little compromise is required. I am a virgin of these behind the neck systems. PI walks in and laughs. I think she thinks perhaps I am a little too old, a little too dated to be wearing these but I like them. A lot. They fit over my glasses and feel wonderfully secure. I shake my head about and jump up and down on the spot. I can see myself as Paula Radcliffe, crossing the finishing line of the New York marathon, nodding to a cheering crowd I can't hear because Freddie Mercurys "We are the Champions" fills my senses. The S9 has such a battery life that even if I don't quite match Paulas speed, I'll still be jogging along happily to the finish line.

I turn the device off but a few minutes later decide I want to play with it again. On turning it on, it links not just to my phone but to my MP3 player as well. Cool! I make myself jump as the volume control and track change buttons are hyper-sensitive and take a little getting used to but Bon Jovi at full volume when I was aiming for Pachelbel's Canon is ya know, ok.

Finally I stop playing and put it away, in its own bag that comes with to keep it safe. That's a bit of a fidget but I'm splitting hairs. I just wish they'd made a folding pair!

Would I recommend these... would I buy them? Yes, I would. I think as a device with dual functionality – linking to both a phone and an MP3 / 4 player, with how comfortable and secure they feel, with the fact that whilst still a little treble orientated, they've not done a bad job at all and certainly rival my other headsets – winning outright on secureness of fit.

Available direct from Motorola for £79.99. (Price may vary from other retailers.)

See www.hellomoto.co.uk for details of the entire range