Amazon.com 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 red, but it's also available in black and gray. 
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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Customers Reviews
2008-07-05
Jawbone Review
I bought this item and it worked exactly as advertised. Although a new model is out -- I like the feeling of this one. The noise reduction also works fabuously in the car. If you need a great bluetooth device - I recommend you test this out.
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2008-07-05
doesn't live up to the hype
After reading so much about this product I bought it. I thought I did my research but sadly I made a mistake.
Although the earpiece has been a negative for some time I could not realize how much so until I owned it. None of the included interchangeable earpieces feel comfortable. Apparently there are earpieces from other manufactures that are better but that adds to the cost of the whole.
Probably the most disappointing is the earpiece sound quality. It is very tinny lacking midrange and low end sound. I find it very annoying because you really lose a lot of frequencies that help you discern speech in crowds or loud surroundings.
Lastly the design is a bit bulky and I knew this going into the purchase. I was willing to forgive this point had the other shortcomings been absent. However, collectively the above issues make for a poor product in my opinion.
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2008-06-30
Excellent Product, hope it lasts
This is my first phone bluetooth. I have had this bluetooth for about one month and i am very pleased with it.
These are few pros I found:
- Clear sound on headset
- People I have talked have not made any complain about the sound, but a small hiss when I am driving and have the window opened. So do not open the window while driving
- Connects quickly to my cellphone. Sometimes I have had to press the headset button to reconnect, normally when I had taken away the cellphone from the headset.
- Battery lasts quite long, not sure if this is similar to other headsets
- Has a nice look
- Can be charged from your PC through a USB port or through a charger
- Comes with several ear buds and ear clips for left and right. Different sizes too.
Cons:
- Takes a bit time to put it on, sometimes I cannot get it placed correctly on my ear that quickly
- One time, It would not reconnect to the phone at all. I had to reset the headset. Has not happened again.
So far, never had any problem with Amazon. I bought it for 75 and within a week the price dropped to 65. After a call, Amazon reimbursed me 10 dollars. Great deal.
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2008-06-30
Not quite as good as I thought it would be
Fit to ear is unsatisfactory. Tried combinations of earpieces and clips, "settled for" "least unsatisfactory." Outgoing audio is hit & miss; most callers complain they can't hear me as well as when I switch to handset. Incoming audio not as loud as handset (possibly attributable to mediocre ear fit). I wish the periodic "I'm on" flash could be bypassed so I don't look like a beacon at night (taping it over seems like a cheesy move). Not recommended without extensive trial period.
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2008-06-28
Jawbone
The jawbone is superior to all hands free heads allowing the caller to communicate clearly in noisy situations while also giving the best comfort around as if were not even there.
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