Having a good Bluetooth headset is a must for me. With the amount of time that I spend on the road or in the car having a headset I can depend upon is by far a top priority. I have been using the Motorola HS850 and it has served me well. Today, I recently received the Jawbone Bluetooth headset from Aliph.
What’s in the box.
The Jawbone comes with with four different ear buds, and four ear hooks (large and small for left and right ears) a USB charger cable and a wall plug. The Jawbone can also charge while it is plugged into your laptop which is a great feature. One less charger to have to carry when I travel is a big plus!
Initial impressions
When I first opened the box and saw the headset I thought it was quite large compared to the Motorola HS850, and looked uncomfortable. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the unit is very light and fit well over the ear.. I also noticed how comfortable it while wearing and you soon forget that you even have it on. Unfortunately the review unit I got was red, not my first choice of color but since I did not pay for it I can't complain. Pairing the headset is a snap! I switched on the Bluetooth radio on my iPhone and put the headset into discovery mode and the iPhone found it and paired with it in seconds.
Using the device
The unit has only two buttons, one is the talk button and the other a noise cancellation button. The talk button switches the unit on and off and is also used to pair the device. The second button is the noise cancellation button which raises and lowers the volume six levels. It is a nice design but it takes a little getting used to. The button is just a raised nub on the side of the device and it is hard to tell if you are pressing it hard enough. It is very sensitive and once you get used to it's not too bad.
I am not going to go into all the technical specifications of the device. Many times people get too hung up on the specs and not the performance. My intent is to let you know how well the device works and if I would purchase it.
The sound quality is great and definitely outperforms the Motorola HS850. I especially like the noise canceling feature of the headset. This is the first headset that I have been able to use with the windows open in the car. My initial test with the windows rolled down the person could hear me just fine and the sound quality, on my end, even with all of the ambient noise was very good.
The Jawbone is rated for 6 hours of talk time with the noise shield technology turned on. Standby time is 120 hours. I have used the headset non stop for the past few days without charging it for about 5 hours of talk time and it is still going strong. To fully re-charge the headset it only takes 2-3 hours which isn't too bad.
Con’s
What I did not like is the fact that the recharging cable is a custom connector which plugs into either your USB port or a USB wall charger that attaches to the end of the Jawbone. It would have been much better if it had a mini USB connector on the headset. I am for standardization and this is a perfect example of why manufactures need to adhere to a standard charging port.
Conclusion
This is a great headset. I would have to say that it is the best Bluetooth headset I have used to date and if I were in the market for a new headset this would be it.
As I mentioned in the review it is very light and comfortable as well as stylish. For someone who spends a lot of time outdoors or in a car this is the headset for you. I do, however, recommend that you get the black or gray version of this unit unless you absolutely love red!
The Jawbone headset is available at the Mobility Today Store. The Red version is $89.99 and the Gray $99.95. I am not sure why the Gray version is $10 more since they are identical except for the color.
Disclaimer: This review unit was not purchased by Mobility Today and did not come from the Mobility Today Store. This review unit was supplied by Aliph.
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