Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth Headset Grey [Bulk/Generic Packaging]

Editorial Review
These days, it seems that wireless Bluetooth headsets are a dime a dozen, but Aliph's Jawbone stands apart from the pack not only due to its unique looks but also thanks to some seriously amazing noise canceling technology. Originally developed for DARPA (The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to create a communication headset that would pick up voice in hostile environments, the Jawbone offers some of the best clarity from a Bluetooth headset we've experienced. This version comes in gray, but it's also available in red and black.

Sophisticated modern industrial style meets the next step in audio technology with the Jawbone Bluetooth headset.

It can be worn on either ear, and you can customize your fit by choosing from one of the included earloops and earbuds.

The first thing you notice about this headset is its rather chunky size and cheese grater-like texturing on the exterior. Designed by Yves Behar, an award-winning industrial designer who also contributed to the design of the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child, aka the $100 Laptop), the Jawbone certainly has that iconic modern look that will be copied for years to come. It's also a bit large on the face (due to the embedded technology and speech sensor), which reminded us of Lando Calrissian's assistant, Lobot. But then there's no easy way to disguise a Bluetooth headset, and it's probably an advantage as passersby won't think you're just muttering crazily to yourself.

The Jawbone can be worn on either ear, and it comes with four earloops of varying sizes to fit your lobe. Made of solid metal with a rubber cover, they're fairly comfortable around the ear. The trick, however, is getting it on over the ear, and this is the Jawbone's biggest disappointment. Because it's so stiff, you literally have to use both hands to try to slip it on over your ear. And since we don't wear our headset constantly, we missed a few calls while performing this dance. Also, the metal frame does bend (as we found after carrying it in our pocket), which can be viewed as an annoyance or as a feature--enabling you to form-fit the frame to your ear. It also comes with five ear pads of varying shapes and sizes, and we tried one of the teardrop shaped pads to secure the Jawbone inside our ear sans metal frame--it was comfortable and worked for awhile, but isn't a solution if you're moving around a lot.

As with Steve Jobs, Behar is not a fan of protruding buttons. Thus, the Jawbone's two controls are hidden within the headset, requiring you to press either the front or back of the unit to answer calls, adjust volume, or turn on/off the noise cancellation function. While we've read some reviews that complained about these hidden controls, we had no problem in accessing them and appreciated their tactile response. The Jawbone also comes with a custom-fit recharging cable that can either plug into a PC's USB port or into the included wall jack. We enjoyed the flexibility of the USB charging, but wished the cable could have been a more standard USB mini-jack (for those times when you forget to bring the cable along).

But the true test of the Jawbone is how its "noise shield" performed. First, a little about this technology. The Jawbone has a small piece of rubbery plastic that protrudes from the bulbous microphone and sits flush against your face, and this sensor tells the Jawbone whether or not you're speaking and can remove background noise from your ongoing speech signal. It can also dynamically adjust the volume of the incoming audio from your call.

We tried the Jawbone in a number of different situations, and for the most part it worked flawlessly. Sitting at our desk with the stereo volume cranked up while playing The Chemical Brothers, our call partner was none the wiser. She didn't hear any of the music coming through, and our voice came through strong on her end. While standing on a street corner, the undulations of traffic noise never made it through to our caller, while we noticed an uptick in volume with an increase in traffic noise.

However, the Jawbone wasn't perfect, as it doesn't do a great job in windy situations. Still, for the good majority of situations you'll find yourself in--from busy airports to talk-heavy coffeehouses to traffic-laden city streets--the Jawbone should perform very well, masking the surroundings to improve fidelity for you call partner as well adapting your ear volume to the surrounding environment. We just wish the ear frame was a bit more flexible.

Pros:

Amazing background noise masking capabilities--even when faced with loud, thumping music
Outstanding adaptive volume as the environment around you changes
Options for customizing the fit

Cons:

Metal earloop frames are hard to quickly put on
Non-standard USB connection is a bummer if you forget the cable at home

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Customer Reviews

Great headset but...

2008-06-18
I recieved the bluetooth headset promptly as expected when dealing with [...]. Right away I encountered problems with the rubber like cover that goes over the charging port of the headset. I realized that with out proper care this piece would be lost very quickly. I was able to keep it for almost two weeks. The design of this cover is very poor especally for people who wear glasses. Also living in a desert environment made it more difficult to keep this rubber/silastic piece in place. I was taping it in place when using the headset. I lost it somehow last night and I believe one of my dogs thought it was something to eat. Another problem I encountered was one of the left ear loops broke just where it flattens to fit into the ear piece so I am down to one ear hook, I am a left ear phone user. I tried multiple silicon inner ear pieces and finally did purchase the Jabra ear gels after all. Do yourself and buy the ear gels when purchasing this headset and save yourself time and grief. Other than the issues that I have stated this is the most remarkable headset I have bought out of many. The best feature is that it works with an extra large phone battery. Aparently, the problem I have had with other bluetooth headsets is that the larger battery blocks the internal antenna which is not a problem for this headset. People I call who have hearing aids do not have the usual problems with this product. The few problems I have described can be worked out. I now use black electric tape over the charging pinholes to keep hair, dust and debris out of the unit. I do not want anything to happen to it. It was a great purchase as I have bought and tried many different types and styles of headsets, bluetooth or not. Thank you, PCA

Meaningful upgrade...

2008-05-08
The Jawbone replaced my Motorola H-700 headset. In comparison, the Jawbone is better built and designed than the Motorola, which is incredibly flimsy and cheap in appearance (and also ages very poorly...mine died after a year's use).

On the downside, the Jawbone is larger and heavier than the Motorola, but it works far, far better, providing a clearer call with higher volume. It's even better for those on the other end of the line due to the noise-reduction circuitry: I went from my office, outside, to my car and was driving for 20 minutes before I mentioned to my wife that I had changed locations; she told me that she had no idea that I'd been moving, and had assumed I was still in the office. Excellent performance.

Battery life seems fine (bear in mind, I've only owned the thing for a week). I'm glad I upgraded: It's more expensive, but it's worth it.

Great when it works - a paint when it doesn't - it's sitting in my desk from now on

2008-05-01
I read all the reviews and have tried to love this product. I purchased this two months ago and I can't get it to work for me. When I am in the car or in a rush and try to put it on I can't get it to sit correctly against my jawbone and this causes it to not hear me. The biggest problem is that you don't even know it's not sitting correctly until you are on the phone with someone and you can hear them but they can't hear you and they hang up on you.

When it works - it's great. No one can hear your surroundings and the quality of the speaker is good. I just can't get it to work consistently.

Long story short - I tried to make this work but cannot rely on it so it's now sitting in my desk drawer as I search for a new headset.

Works well, design could use improvement.

2008-04-16
Overall, I thought the product performed admirably. The person I was talking to never had a problem hearing me, except when I was out pumping the gas on a windy day.

I do have trouble keeping the device in my ear, even after trying different ear plugs and loops (Which I've had to replace). Ear plugs fall off way to easily. The volume sometimes doesn't get loud enough to hear over the road noise.

More recently, the back button cover has broken off. I can put it back on, but it becomes a pain to recharge the device because the charger relies on that back piece and most of the time, the spring loaded connectors push away causing the button cover to fall off. Poor design, in my opinion. I think it would have been better to have the standard USB connector. I hate having to carry around yet another wire to charge my devices.

Until the design is improved, I can't highly recommend this device, though that doesn't mean that I can't recommend it. I originally purchased mine from Cingular/AT&T Mobile.

returning this immediately

2008-04-09
When it connects, the sound quality sucks. I don't understand why it is supposed to be so great, my other headset sounded better. I have a Blackberry 8700 and apparently this combination is to be avoided. It connects for a short time, and then the connection cuts out randomly. I have to go into the settings and tell it to reconnect every time I want to use it, and then it only connects for a short time if at all. My other bluetooth devices work fine. I am totally disappointed in this headset.

Jawbone Bluetooth Headset

2008-07-06
Very happy with the Jawbone. The noise assassin works perfectly. Great for someone who works around loud backround noise. Comfortable on ear. Highly recommend.

Great Speaking/Listening

2008-07-06
Only complaint is in the feature department. My last earbud allowed you to mute right from the headset. Also, I'd like an audio confirmation that I've ended a call (like a beep). Currently, when I end a call, it just hangs up, and I invariably have to look at my cell phone.

But in terms of the clarity for listening and speaking, this is unparalleled.

disappointed

2008-06-29
I am disappointed in this product. It claims to have great noise reduction, but is not any better than my previous headset that cost half as much. The sound quality leaves some to be desired. It can be a pain to fit. It was not comfortable or very secure with the ear buds included so I purchased the gel ear plugs. This made it more comfortable but even harder to fit in the ear. My occupation is outdoors and very active and I fear losing the headset because the headset becomes dislodged from the earplug which stays in the ear. The ear hook is very poor. I wish I had made another choice.

Good, but could be better!!!

2008-06-27
In addition to the Jawbone, I've owned two other Bluetooth headsets from Motorola (HS 810 & HS 850).

Likes: Overall, the old Jawbone is the best one yet. It fits better, sound quality is better, and is more comfortable compared with Motorola headsets. The noise reduction of the Jawbone is superior.

Dislikes: It's bulky. The rubber earbud makes my ear itch like crazy sometimes. The earloop is not easy to quickly put on your ear and I've broken two earloops already in the past year of ownership. (it comes with 2 for the right and 2 for the left).

Fortunately, Aliph has just come out with the new Jawbone, which is slimmer, smaller, and the earloops look easier to slide on your ear. Check it out at http://www.jawbone.com

Also, Aliph still supports the old model. You can buy spare earloops and earbuds. Trust me, you will need extra earloops. I'll keep replacing them until they stop supporting the old Jawbone. Then I'll probably pull the trigger on the new model.

Save your money!

2008-06-24
Bought this on advice from a friend - good thing is, he's still my friend. This is a great sounding piece, but the ear clip and rubber inserts are terrible. Broken two ear clips already - they snap off if you look at them bad. The rubber ear insert does not lock tightly into place, and is always falling off (never put this thing in your pocket!). To switch ears, you have to dismantle it (remove ear clip - which may break).