Initial Impression: Jawbone Bluetooth Headset by Aliph
I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much hype surrounding a bluetooth headset - either before or after its launch. We’ve all seen the demo video on Aliph’s site or on YouTube and heard the hoards of praise…
“It’s the most amazing headset ever!”
“I use it in the middle of the block in New York City and it’s crystal clear!”
“I used mine on an airplane while waiting to take off and it was like I was sitting next to the person on the other end of the line!”
“The Jawbone cured my leprosy!”
It has been my experience that most of the time when a device has this much hype surrounding it, it tends to disappoint the more serious users at least until the second or third update/generation is released (iPhone?). Personally, I tend to stay away from products that are dubbed as the next messiah because I’m usually left with little more than bad impressions and lighter pockets. Despite all of that however, I somehow let all of the hype and praise get to me and I ordered a Jawbone earlier this week. Once again, the tech-dork inside me beat out the (much weaker) experienced and sensible consumer.
After less than one day of use I decided that I’ve gathered enough information to make my initial post on this little dynamo. Is it the greatest thing since sliced bread? No. Does it live up to all of the hype? Possibly. Will it cure your leprosy? Definitely not. Is it far and away the best bluetooth headset that I have ever used? Most certainly, YES.
To be perfectly honest I was blown away after using the Jawbone just one time. In my car at high speeds on the highway, my Nokia BH-800 had a lot of trouble getting loud enough for me to hear well. To its credit, callers on the other end were able to understand me well but because I could barely hear them - all they had to understand was me saying, “What? Huh? What was that?”
So I got into my car this morning and headed off to the office. Once I reached the major highway that I take each day I placed a call with my shiny new Jawbone. My initial reaction was pretty positive - the voice on the other end was loud and clear (at about 50% volume on my E61i) and they could hear me clearly. Oh, but that was before I engaged the Jawbone’s magical noise cancellation.
I held the noise cancellation button for a few seconds and the result was really nothing short of amazing. The demo video on the Aliph site is not an exaggeration - at all. Road and background noise disappeared from my right ear and the caller on the other end noticed it right away as did I. I may as well have been sitting in a library as far as he was concerned. The difference is not just noticeable, it’s spectacular.
How does the Jawbone do it? I’ve heard from reliable sources that Aliph’s noise cancellation technology is derived from a proprietary mixture of fairy dust and angels’ breath, but that is yet to be confirmed. What matters to me is that it works - and it works damn well.
But of course nothing is perfect so here are my preliminary pros and cons:
PROS
- Audio quality and clarity with noise cancellation engaged.
- Audio quality and clarity without noise cancellation engaged (even without noise cancellation it’s impressive).
- Weight - Very light and comfortable.
- Fit - Includes several in-ear fittings and over-ear fittings to accommodate a wide range of users.
- Wearability/Design - The design of the over-ear fitting mechanism is such that it swivels away from the body of the Jawbone when not on your ear. This makes it very easy to put on with one hand and also provides the slightest bit of tension (you do not even feel it) against your head to keep the headset snug while being worn.
CONS
- Size - I wouldn’t call the Jawbone ‘large’ but compared to most modern bluetooth headsets it’s a bit husky.
- Charger - The wall charger/USB cable (one in the same, like Apple) is WAAAAAY too short, the connection to the device is proprietary and there is no included car charger. Aliph’s online Jawbone store doesn’t even offer a car charger separately.
- Style - Of course this is a matter of preference but I don’t like the look of the Jawbone at all. I prefer understated and sleek.
- No dedicated volume buttons.
So would I recommend the Jawbone? It would be hard not to. The technology and implementation are superb and the price point is not outrageous at all. The MSRP is US$120 but you can find more reasonable pricing from online retailers such as amazon.com and ecost.com (where I got mine, thanks glas). There are plenty of headsets on the market that cost more and deliver far less. If you are currently looking for a new bluetooth headset, the search should end right here.
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