I have the toughest test in the world for a Bluetooth headset that claims to be “noise canceling,” and this one passed the test with astonishing alacrity.

What’s the test? Speech recognition in a noisy environment. When I connected this bluetooth headset to my laptop (an easy, almost immediate task, by the way), it aced my Nuance NaturallySpeaking application with near-perfect accuracy, performing as well as the multitude of specialized, wired USB headsets I’ve tested over the years. That is no small feat.

Then I connected it to my iPhone, turned the music up to 11, and held a telephone conversation in such a cacophonous din I couldn’t even hear my own voice at all. The person I was talking to could hear me so clearly, she couldn’t believe what she thought was “that soft music in the background” was actually blasting at a rock-concert volume level. We could also clearly hear each other talking at the same time we each were talking (known as dual duplex). Remarkable.

Beyond that, the headset is so comfortable I almost forgot I had it on, and it’s nice and light but doesn’t look or feel cheap. I love it. No wonder this product is aimed at truck drivers. It would work with the loudest truck in the world rumbling underneath you. It’s a keeper. Buy it.

I’ve never seen a belt like this, and now I wish all belts were made this way. It looks cool, has a substantial and futuristic-looking buckle, and the faux leather is convincing. I was concerned that it might be difficult to set up and use, but it’s not. In fact, as I gradually started to understand how it’s designed, my smile got bigger and bigger.

The best thing about this cool belt is its rachet closure and customizability to its wearer’s exact size. I put it on and noticed that it easily clicks into place. It’s easy to let it out in tiny increments after a big meal, too. That comes in handy when I go off my diet for a day, eating everything in sight. Now I want to get a brown one, too. Good product, clever design!