Motorola really blew it last year with the MotoPURE H12, a misguided early attempt at offering a noise-canceling Bluetooth headset. The noise cancellation circuitry simply didn't work on our tests. The headset itself didn't sound all that great, either; one person our reviewer called with it asked if he was speaking from the bottom of a swimming pool.

The company is up at bat again with the MotoPURE H15 ($129.99 direct) MotoPURE, the H12's slightly smaller, sleeker, updated successor. Motorola has also released the lower-cost ($99.99) H780, a fine headset with dual-mic noise cancellation and Motorola's patented CrystalTalk technology. For the extra $30, however, the H15 offers a smaller design with a folding boom mic that acts as a power switch, a new RapidConnect feature, and additional wind suppression.

The H15's design is certainly unique: It looks like a black plastic bean. At the top there's a volume rocker, while a large multifunction button takes up most of the front panel. The small metal boom folds in and out on a sturdy hinge; when it's extended, the H15 is powered on. The H15 comes with a small, flexible plastic earhook and an array of five separate rubber ear cushions, two of which feature extra rubber loops for a more secure fit. In the box you'll also find an AC adapter and a docking station, but no extra ear hooks. I found the H15 to be more comfortable than the Aliph New Jawbone (our current Editors' Choice) but not as easy to wear as, say, the Plantronics Voyager 835 for extended periods, given its slightly loose fit.

Motorola's aforementioned RapidConnect technology speeds up the pairing process. In my tests, The H15 paired in just a few seconds after being turned on, whereas the H780 took almost 15 seconds to make a connection to the same handset. However, Motorola's RapidConnect wasn't appreciably faster than the Aliph New Jawbone's pairing process, although both were among the fastest I've experienced. The H15 lets you connect two devices simultaneously, like the Plantronics 835 does. I repeatedly paired the headset with two BlackBerrys, a Curve 8330 and a Pearl 8130, with no issues.

Fortunately, the H15 is a solid-sounding headset as well. I wouldn't qualify it as significantly better than the company's lower-priced H780, since both feature Motorola's CrystalTalk technology with its good sound. But the H15 manages to make voices sound a touch less robotic to other callers than they do on the H780. That's especially impressive given that the built-in microphones need to be shrunk to fit in a smaller casing. In my own ear, voices on the H15 sounded clear and punchy, with plenty of gain.

In quieter environments, however, other callers did note that I still sounded as if I were on a headset with the H15. I confirmed this in separate voice mail tests as well. I've yet to run into any device short of the Aliph New Jawbone, our current Editors' Choice, that can consistently fool callers into thinking I'm speaking directly into a cell phone—that is, when the New Jawbone is fitted properly. I emphasize this caveat because, unlike most Bluetooth headsets, the New Jawbone works correctly only when its tiny gel mic just touches your face. When it was positioned in this way, I always heard a warmer, smoother vocal timbre through the Jawbone than I did through the H15. Still, the H15 is one of the better-sounding models I've tested recently' if not the best.

You also get excellent noise cancellation and wind suppression. While I was out on a walk, moderate breezes were inaudible to callers. One caller in particular had no idea I was passing by a loud leaf blower running at full blast, even when I stopped and specifically asked if he could hear it.

Range was about average for the class; I was able to walk about 10 feet away from the handset before I began to hear static in the earpiece. On a continuous talk-time rundown test, the H15 lasted 3 hours 55 minutes. That's almost identical to the Aliph New Jawbone's 3:47 result, but far shorter than the 6-hour class average. Be sure to plan your charging accordingly. The H15 also features the same cool battery test as the H780: Hold down both sides of the volume switch for a few seconds and the LED will change color (green, yellow, or red) to reflect the level of remaining battery life.

At this price level, the Motorola MotoPURE H15 has some solid competition, such as the New Jawbone; the high-tech, voice-enabled BlueAnt V1; and the dual-mic, multipairing Plantronics 835—all of which fall in the $120-to-$130 range. In this high-end group, the H15 acquits itself well. The Aliph New Jawbone retains our Editors' Choice award for now, because we've yet to find a headset that matches its sound quality. But if you like its unique, fold-out design, the H15 is a solid choice—and a welcome comeback for Motorola.