LG’S HBM-570: The Only (And The Funkiest) Bluetooth Headset at CTIA 2009
Oct 8, 2009 01:51 AM EDT by Dana Wollman 
Where there are cell phones for show, accessories aren’t usually far away. But at this fall’s CTIA, I’ve seen shockingly few headsets (I think, in general, apps might be the new accessory). In fact, the only earpiece I’ve seen is by LG, whose HBM-570, announced earlier this week, is on display.
And it’s interesting looking. Not like the Aliph Jawbone, which is made of medical-grade plastic, but instead, with a brushed metal, thumb-sized body and glowing blue LED that takes up a third of the headset. I can’t decide if I would wear it, but I appreciate the design nonetheless. I prefer it in silver, as pictured, but you can get it in three other colors, including purple, pink, and black.
The other interesting thing: the price. At $69.99 it’s one of the few mid-range headsets left (for the most part, the category has splintered into budget headsets, selling for well under $50 at retail, and high-end headsets with suggested prices of $100 or more). So, while it has a higher suggested price than any budget headset, it’s inexpensive for a headset that offers both noise and echo cancellation. It’s the budget of premium headsets
The headset supports Bluetooth 2.1, which is designed to pair with devices more easily than previous generations of Bluetooth. It also claims a fairly average talk time of 5 hours.
February 25th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
will this work with any cell phone or must it be bluetooth?
thanks,
james
March 7th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
No not ANY cell phone. Yes it must be Bluetooth capable 0-===nimrod
May 19th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
I bought the LG HBM-570 at a Verizon store and it didn’t work out of the package. It was replaced but within a week the plastic clip that holds the device on your ear broke while I was carrying it in a fanny pack. Not a great beginning. I am looking for a replacement click and I don’t think it will be easy to find one. Anyone have a suggestion?
June 30th, 2010 at 7:31 am
I found a replacement ear loop on Ebay for $3.99 – seemed excessive for such a small plastic thingy, but I found it nonetheless! Mine broke within 3 weeks of wearing.
July 8th, 2010 at 9:40 am
what is the pairing code for the LG hbm 570?
July 8th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Phil –
The pairing code for Bluetooth headsets is almost always 0000. Hope that helps.
July 20th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Anna Attkisson: great tip!! Thanks for your insight… it worked…!!
July 22nd, 2010 at 12:01 pm
I love the blue tooth, but have already been through 2 clips! Very poor design on the clips. The bluetooth itself is awesome! I”m going to write to LG to see if they will replace the clips. The local cell phone accessory store wants over $12 for ONE!
August 2nd, 2010 at 10:38 am
I purchased this product off of newegg websight for 14.00 i have a htc hero with the 2.1 upgrade this product has compatability issues with this upgrade. Every time i try to pair it puts in its own code and it won’t allow me to put in the correct one. My wifes earpiece broke also. If you need a nice quality headset for a good price go to new egg.com
September 8th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
My plastic earpiece broke as well. I went to 2 Verizon stores and they could not help me they sent me on goose chases. I am not happy with this product. If you are looking at this product do not purchase it. It is my first experience with blue tooth and I am not happy. All over a piece of plastic.
October 9th, 2010 at 8:51 am
My plastic earpiece broke as well, Verizon store had one (from a return) gave it to me and it broke too….cannot find a replacement ANYWHERE! Can anyone help?
November 4th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Same problem everyone else is having with the plastic earloop breaking and can’t find other ones. Given what everyone is saying and given the poor quality of the earloop, I can’t imagine anyone not having this problem, with no reliable way of fixing it or replacing it.
January 19th, 2011 at 6:59 am
I went to one of those sites that sell you cell phone items for cheap. The ear clip I bought two years ago is still going strong. whatever the material the LG uses to make the ear clip is prone to break. Mine broke within the first 2 weeks. went back to Verizon and got another one, it broke, go figure. But I’m happy with my clip now, it’s more of a rubber material.
July 18th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
As for the cheaply made earloop, I gave up and made one out of a paperclip! Since I have a silver unit, it even looks OK It will not break easlily and is equally easily replaced.
That being said, I do have issues in pairing a previously paired Lg HBM 570 to a new cell phone. I can get the phone into “discover” mode, but don’t know how to put teh reapiece into “discover mode”.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
July 16th, 2012 at 8:24 am
My husband called LG and they are sending 5 new ones, free. Apparently they realized this was a poor design. But I’m sure I will go through them in no time and will try to design one from a paper clip.