Thanks, Bob! :)
The New Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth Headset
$129.99
I was one of the first ones to buy the original Jawbone. Although I was thrilled with their noise cancellation capabilities, I found the headset did not stay in my ear well and was very difficult to wear with eyeglasses. I was glad to hear that they introduced a new Jawbone that was half as large, weighed less, and was easier to wear with eyeglasses.
San Francisco-based Aliph, the makers of the Jawbone, use dual microphones, what they call VAS (Voice Activity Sensor) which is able to accurately detect when the person is talking and capture the frequencies of his or her speech even in the presence of noise. They also use algorithms that were developed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in extreme noise environments including battlefields and helicopter... far more brutal than what most of us will be in.
Specifications
• Weight: 10 grams
• Size: approximately 2-1/4” x 1/2” x 1/2”
• Talk Time: Over 4 hours
• Standby Time: over 8 days
• Range: up to 33 feet
• Supports Bluetooth 1.1, 1.2, and 2.0
In the box, the Jawbone includes: wall charger, AC to USB Cable, 3 earbuds (small, medium and large), 4 ear loops (two leather-medium and large and two slim - for use with eyeglasses- medium and large).
Pictures comparing the new Jawbone to the Etymotic EtyBlu headset:
Design
The new Jawbone has a lightly textured front versus the perforated front that the original jawbone had. There are two “hidden” buttons (three if you include the voice activity sensor button, which simply touches your jaw to distinguish your voice from background noise): a NoiseAssasinTM button which blends in with the top of the Jawbone and a talk button which blends in with the bottom of the Jawbone.
The charger easily connects with a slight magnetic connection to the Jawbone. The charging cord can be plugged into your computer’s USB port, an AC outlet via the AC charger, or a car’s cigarette lighter socket if you have an adapter.
Pairing
The Jawbone easily paired with my Sprint PCS Mogul. It automatically goes into pairing mode the first time you turn it on and will be indicated by alternate red and white LEDs. You simply press the talk button for 2 seconds and then enter the PIN 0000. If you need to pair it again hold down the talk button and noise assassin button for 2 seconds until you get the alternate red and white LEDs flashing.
Comfort and fit
The Jawbone is the most comfortable Bluetooth headset I have worn. I was happy to discover that it could be easily worn without interfering with my eyeglasses. Its small size makes it less unobtrusive than many other Bluetooth headsets on the market. The LED is unobtrusive. It is small and located on the top of the headset and can even be turned off by pressing the talk button 5 times while in standby mode. When charging the LED is red, when fully charged the LED turns white and the LED flashes once every 8 seconds when paired.
Sound Quality
In order to test the quality of this headset, I used the K7.net messaging service. Through K7.net, you can get a free phone number (with a Seattle area code) that accepts voice messages and faxes. These messages and faxes are then emailed to you as attachments. For all of the following samples, I simply dialed my K7.net number, and saved the audio file attached to emails sent to me by the system. The sound quality was very good. Even with the music on loudly the Noise Assassin “killed” the background noise. Unfortunately it was not able to suppress the wind noise well. I did have a couple of phone calls where the person on the other end said that I was hard to hear. The problem seemed to get fixed if I moved my phone closer to the headset but it was not far away to begin with (pants pocket). I am not sure if that is an issue with my phone or the headset.
Click on the text below to hear the test message:
New Jawbone
Summary
Aliph has come through with another winner.
Pros
• Magnetic connection makes charger easy to connect
• Ability to turn off LED
• Small and lightweight
• Superb noise cancellation
Cons
• Does not use mini USB to charge (yet another charger to carry around)
• Hidden buttons can be hard to find
• It is not inexpensive
Related reviews:
Gennum nX6000 bluetooth headset review
Southwing SH505 bluetooth headset review