The earbuds on the new headset are also very similar to those found on RIM's slightly older Premium Stereo Headset, but the horizontal section that actually extends into your ear canal is a bit longer, which enables the earbuds to block out sound slightly better. Other differences: you'll find multimedia controls built into the new buds' cord and a few thin-plastic plates that allow you to change the color of the new in-ear components. The cord on the multimedia headphones is slightly longer, though not enough to make much of a difference.

BlackBerry Premium Multimedia Headset, Premium Stereo Headset and Apple iPhone Earbud

The audio quality of the older BlackBerry Premium Stereo Headset, which ships with newer RIM devices like the BlackBerry Bold 9000, ranked very close to the new Multimedia Headset's quality in my tests--in fact, I believe they're identical. So if the new playback and volume controls aren't important to you, I'd suggest going with the Premium Stereo headphones; they're $40 cheaper than the $90 multimedia headset, and even a little boost in sound quality on its own is not really worth the extra scratch.

The replaceable earbud-plates are a nice touch, though, and they let you switch back and forth between red, black and silver, so you can match your headset to your device--or your daily outfit.

I also really like the BlackBerry-branded, leather-ish case the new buds come in; it's oval-shaped with a zipper around the edges that opens to expose a space sized perfectly from the new headset. Mesh pockets on the top and bottom flaps, when opened, can store the extra earbud-fittings and color plates, among other (small) things.

Now, for the not-so-good stuff...

Call Quality, Price, Compatibility

For quite some time--since the release of the first BlackBerry Pearl 8100 in September 2006, at the latest--RIM has shipped headsets with its consumer-minded smartphones. And because those headsets were meant to be used with devices that are also mobile phones, the company built small microphones into their cords so they could also be used as hands-free headsets.

The problem: though incoming call quality is fine through these headphone/headset hybrids, the callers on the other end frequently can't hear you very well. That's because the mics in the headsets aren't great, and the constant flapping of the cord, combined with environmental factors like wind and, if you're moving, physics, further confound the issue.

I still had the same problem with the new RIM headset. The company apparently hasn't improved upon the design or function of the product in this regard.