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Pairing
I tested the Plantronics Explorer 350 Bluetooth headset with Motorola's SLVR L7 handset for Cingular and Motorola’s E815 handset for Verizon Wireless. Before attempting to pair the headset, I made sure the phones' Bluetooth settings were activated and charged the headset for the recommended two hours.
The pairing process was very simple and I had no problems at all. With the Explorer 350 turned off and within proximity of my phone, I pressed and held the multifunction button for 6 seconds until the LED indicator began to alternately flash blue then red. At that point, the headset was ready to pair with my phone.
While the headset was flashing blue and red, I used the phones' Bluetooth settings to search for all available Bluetooth devices. Both the Motorola SLVR and E815 found the Explorer 350 within a couple seconds, displaying “3XXPlantronics” on the screen. I was prompted for a passkey and entered “0000”. Once the headset paired successfully, the LED indicator began to flash blue repeatedly.
Battery Life and Charging
 As with most Bluetooth headsets, you must charge the Plantronics Explorer 350 before using. It only takes 2 hours to fully charge, but it can get a minimum charge in just 20 minutes.
The headset comes with both a USB headset charger and a vehicle charging adapter, which is really convenient. Many Bluetooth headsets do not include a car charger, so this is a definite plus for the Explorer 350. In addition to the car charging adapter, there is also an included in-car charging cradle which can either be mounted (using the included adhesive) or clipped (using the included vent clip) to your air condition vent. The device does not, however, come with a standard AC charger which is disappointing, especially if you are unable to use the USB charger.
While charging at home, I plugged the USB charger into a free USB port on my laptop, and then the Explorer 350 to the cord’s other end. When charging in my car, I connected the charging adapter to the charging cradle, and then placed the headset in the cradle. The LED light is solid red during charging and will turn off when the headset is fully charged. When the battery is running low, the LED indicator will flash red.
The Plantronics Explorer 350 has a battery life which comes very close to meeting the 8 hours of talk time stated by Plantronics. While testing the battery, I was able to keep the headset powered on and paired with my cell phone for about 4.5 days before it began to die. Overall, the Explorer 350 offered a combined standby time of just less than 111 hours and a talking time of 115 minutes, or just under 2 hours.
Style and Comfort
 The Plantronics Explorer 350 Bluetooth headset has a sleek, narrow shape which is very compact and lightweight. Its casing is black and silver with a smooth glossy finish.
With a flexible rubber earhook that swivels 360 degrees, the Explorer 350 fits securely on either ear. The headset’s rubberized earpiece is extended to fit inside your ear. The earpiece happened to be a perfect fit for my ear, so I found it to be very comfortable. However, for users with different ear sizes, the earpiece may turn out to be too big or too small. It would be nice if Plantronics offered various earpieces to accommodate user’s varied ear sizes.
At 0.6 ounces the Explorer 350 is extremely lightweight. I wore the headset for hours at a time and wasn’t even aware of its presence. The dimensions are 2.6 by 0.8 by 0.5 inches, which is standard compared to other Bluetooth headsets. With regards to its overall design, I thought the Explorer 350 was one of the most comfortable headsets I’ve ever worn.
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