Exciting new bluetooth headset! JAWBONE

[tenthirty2]

I'm sure some of you have heard the buzz, but I didn't see a thread on it so I thought I'd start one. The new Aliph Jawbone bluetooth headset is here, and if it lives up to it's advertising propaganda, it should be kick arse! Check out an independent review from a gizmodo.com reader here:

http://www2.gizmodo.com/gadgets/jawbone/

Or how bout I just cut & paste it instead!

Reader Revanche gave us his take on the Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth headset last week, and we thought it was good enough to share with the rest of the class.

Style:
Yes, it looks like a cheese grater but I didn't hear anyone complaining when Apple used that style in their computers. The truth is that there is just no good way to stick something on your ear without looking like a tool. The Jawbone tries it's best by using a soothing white LED instead of the bright blue one that is common on headsets nowadays and keeping their branding to a minimum. You get a combination of earplugs and ear pieces for a snug fit although they all look pretty much the same when you take them out of the box. Charging is done through either the USB port or plugging the USB cable into a power adapter. Thankfully, the power adapter also doubles for plugging in other devices that charge over the USB port (such as my Blackberry), although the manual does not encourage this.

One interesting thing to note is that the earpiece actually springs inwards instead of staying flush with the headset. This is to ensure to ensure that the sensor of the phone actually fits snugly against your face.

Comfort:
After about an hour or two, it starts to get a little sore but no more or less than other headsets I've tried.

Usage:
I'll say this much, I was able to sit in front of my laptop with Tiesto cranked all the way up and the caller on the other end was none the wiser. When quizzed on the issue, the best they could do was to detect a faint bass in the background but far from anything noticeable or annoying. Actually, I think the most annoying thing about this headset is the constant queries you'll pose to the person on the other end of the call asking them about the noise. It's difficult for me, at least, to sit there with the car window down, the music comfortably up and carry on a phone conversation without worrying that my friend things I'm an asshole for not quieting things down. In reality, he couldn't hear anything beyond my voice.

Listening to calls is a bit of a different story. I didn't notice the headset ever adjusting the volume of my phone calls although it would have been helpful. There are also no easy volume up or down controls from the headset, although there is a method to do it. Unfortunately, I found myself turning off the noise shield instead of tweaking the volume quite a few times. The manual actually recommends first to set the volume from the phone itself, but we all know how far that goes. Nothing that really impairs the ability of the headset, just a nuisance.

At the end of the day, it's not a perfect headset. It won't filter out the strong head-on wind that your walking into or let you talk to your friends from the middle of the dance floor. It will, however, make your every day conversations a lot more pleasant while eliminating the need to apologize for the noises that interrupt them. For me, it came down to being able to talk to clients in the airport without finding a quiet corner, having conversations on a busy street or just keeping the windows down as I drive. As long as you keep the expectations in check, you'll end up with a very rewarding purchase.

Thanks Revanche!

Our thoughts are pretty much in line with Revanche's. You can literally sit in a car or at your desk with your music pumped up and the other side will have no idea. Sure, there's wind noise, so you may not be able to walk outside when it's gusting or roll down your car windows.

Although we think the headset looks nice, quite a few did not. There's not really a Bluetooth headset implementation that will please everyone, but this does look nice to us. ? Jason Chen

And check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/v/MrRx805JqM4

I think I've got a handle on a few for like $125 shipped if anyone's interested. I'm not tryin to sell anything, just lettin you guys know. They're goin for like $150 or more on Fleabay. I'm gonna get one as soon as payday rolls around, so if you wanna wait for my review, feel free. I'm pumped though. I've had a Jabra, a Bluespoon AX2 (which sucks with the 6700), the Plantronics Voyager 510, the Samsung WEP-200, Motorola HS-850, Motorola H700... I've spent as much money on bluetooth headsets as I have high end phones! And I don't think I'm very hard to please! These things are either great on my end but the person I'm talking to can't hear me, or it's great on their end but I can't hear a freakin' word they're saying. Anyway, I'm gonna crash out, later...


~KC

[BiGMatTFRomJeRSeY]

that thing is sick.

[mohamie]

wheres the review?????

[Big D5]

Ok I have got me one of these and with just one day of use I have to say the Jawbone has the best sound clarity going. I still don't know how to use everything correctly I am still experimenting.

Forum factor, the size is a little on the large side of most bluetooth devices. It comes with several accessories to make the fit more custom to you, it has 2 sizes of ear hooks, small and large, has separate hooks for left and right. If you like to change ears during the day you will need to carry an extra ear hook with you to change. There are 3 different ear peaces available. I am using the round ear peace and the large right ear hook. The Jawbone is light and comfortable on my ear and I was able to keep it on for several hours at a time. I wear glasses so ear hooks that rest on the lower ear cause problems with my glasses, but this ear hook seams to sit high on the era lobe and doesn't interfere with my glasses like some others do. It takes a while to get used to putting the Jawbone on the ear, you have to slide the hook over the ear like putting on glasses you cant just drop it on and this caused me to miss a couple of calls because I didn't get the thing on my ear quickly enough. With a little practice I got it figured out.

Using the Jawbone, the answer button is cleverly hidden behind the flat surface of the main body so it is easy to get to. There is a button to turn of the noise shield, I think this is there just to show off the quality of the sound, you get 6 hrs of talk time with the noise shield on so why would you turn it off. The callers I tested on tell me they can hear me without any problem even while driving with the windows rolled down. The Jawbone has no buttons just for volume the noise shield button is used to adjust the sound level there are 6 levels and each touch of the noise shield button takes you to the next level. As the background noise rises the jawbone has auto volume that will adjust the ear peace sound so the volume steps are just to set the base level. The reaction time of the auto volume is a little slow and I would miss a few words as the auto volume would come up but I am still testing this and I could be doing something wrong.

Conclusion, I like it so far, remember after only one day, I would recommend to anyone who needs to talk in loud areas this is the device for you. This is a must have for me, I am never in the office and conduction business while working or in loud areas is an every day thing for me. The best thing for me is I don't have to yell to get the caller to hear me. I hate when I know other people are able to listen to my conversations, with the jawbone I can just wispier while I am talking and the caller can hear me. I am very happy with the Jawbone and despite the high price, $119 is what I payed, I would recommend this Bluetooth device.

[jamaa124]

it an ugly looking cool thing.

[FieldTech96]

Have had mine for about 3 weeks now since they were first put out at Cingular Retail Stores. Works as described and no problems yet.

I did end up using the Ear Gels from my Jabra C200 to get a more comfortable fit over the stock Ear Gel.

[tenthirty2]

Thanks for the reviews guys, I really appreciate the feedback. I have held off on buying it because just when I thought this one was the bluetooth to beat, I came across what appears to be possibly an even better find, but I don't want to get off topic, so I'll save that little bit of info for a future post. I still believe the Jawbone to be one of THE bluetooth headsets to beat for '07...

[Drez]

I just returned the Jawbone. For some reason, I had a very difficult time with it pairing up to my 700wx. When it worked, it worked well. It just took about 10 minutes of tuning on and off the headset and the phone to get it to pair up. Anyway, just purchased the Nokia BH-800 and no problems.

[Big D5]

Originally Posted by Drez

I just returned the Jawbone. For some reason, I had a very difficult time with it pairing up to my 700wx. When it worked, it worked well. It just took about 10 minutes of tuning on and off the headset and the phone to get it to pair up. Anyway, just purchased the Nokia BH-800 and no problems.

I have the 700wx and my Jawbone works flawlessly. You must have just gotten a bad one. I really like everything about the jawbone it is even better than my nexzen

[Mrbonner]

Best headset available now! hands down