Good sound quality, average feature set
For most people, the most important feature in a headset is sound quality. Nothing else matters if the sound quality isn't good.
The Jawbone scores highly on this essential measure, and has the added value of working extremely well in a noisy environment. But don't play this feature out of proportion - most of us are seldom in a noisy environment, and when we are, the need to use our cell phone is not essential.
For normal users with normal needs, you'll find the Jawbone good but not great, and starting to show its age compared to the latest offerings now available.
What you Get
Aliph's Jawbone comes inside a regular cardboard box with a clear plastic window to see the headset itself. It is easy to open and get the unit out of the box. Surprisingly, perhaps, my headset came in a box that was branded with AT&T/Cingular rather than with the Aliph name on it, even though I bought the headset through Amazon rather than from an AT&T/Cingular store.
But maybe that makes sense. Almost no-one has heard of Aliph - it is a brandname with no value associated with it, even if it is a good company with a clever headset.
Note that just because the headset is sold in an AT&T branded box, it can work with all normal Bluetooth compatible phones, not just AT&T phones.
In addition to the headset itself, there is a brick style power adapter that has a USB socket on it, a cable that then connects the Jawbone to either the power supply or a computer, four different sizes of ear-piece (plus a fifth one already on the headset) and four different loops to go around your ear (two left side loops of different sizes and two right side loops of different sizes).
A user manual, a warranty card, and a warning sheet (about not having the volume too high) complete the package.
The warranty is for one-year and is non-transferable.
Using the Aliph Jawbone Headset
The first thing one notices about the headset is its distinctive styling. I imagine some people dislike its design, but I like it and it is a far cry from some of the incredibly ugly designs that were all too common when Bluetooth headsets first started to be marketed, or some of the glitzy trashy uglinesses that are being sold on a fashion/style basis these days.
When one picks it up and puts it on one's ear, the first thing one notices is how awkward it is to fit. And, before (and after) having it on one's ear, where do you put it to carry it? Its loose swiveling ear loop conveys a sense of fragility, and even if not fragile, it is easy to get it caught on other things in a pocket.
One more comment - it comes with a soft rubber protective cover that fits on the back of the headset to protect the charging terminals when not connected to the charger. This cover readily falls off and will be lost within a few days of use (I lost mine the first day), and Aliph says it is only there to protect the unit during shipping.
This is a bizarre statement on Aliph's part. The headset is securely held in place in a blister pack with no possibility of the charging contacts being short circuited by anything, either inside or outside the pack. Why would they go to the bother and expense of making this special part when it isn't needed for the stated purpose?
In use, the headset is convenient, and the default volume control seems to be fine. Quality is good, and the only detracting point is its uncomfortable fit and difficulty in putting on or off. Typically when I have a call coming in I answer it on my phone's handset, then while holding the phone and talking, try to fish out of my pocket, turn on, and mount my headset onto my ear. This is easy to do one-handed with some headsets, but much harder to do with the Jawbone.
The most impressive aspect of the Jawbone is its noise cancelling. I spoke to a fellow Jawbone user while he was driving in his car, with the windows open, on the freeway at 70 mph. Apart from occasional minor bursts of noise, it was difficult to tell the difference between talking to him in his parked car with the windows closed, and when he was driving fast with windows open on the busy freeway. That is staggeringly impressive.
The company that invented the Jawbone, Aliph, is a US company based in the San Francisco area, but the headset itself is made in China.
Connecting with phones
Everything worked fine with no problems encountered.
Summary
The Jawbone, which as been available since 2006, is starting to show its age. It no longer is the 'latest and the greatest' in any respect except perhaps for its noise control circuitry.
It doesn't have the latest Bluetooth 2.0, it has slightly below average battery life, and is larger and heavier than many of its more modern competitors. It has none of the increasingly common new features like simultaneously pairing to two phones, and even omits a simple standard feature like mute.
When first released, it was truly remarkable. Today, it is still good, but it no longer is the clear leader of the pack.
The Jawbone is also aging in one other important dimension. Bluetooth headset prices continue to fall, but with a list price of $120 and a street price of $75, it is still a premium priced product in a marketplace where it no longer offers so much premium to go with its price.
The Jawbone has a current (May 08) street price of about $75 through Amazon . This puts it in the higher price bracket and is appreciably more expensive than other units that perform almost as well.
So - bottom line - the Jawbone is twice the price of the other current best recommended high end headset (the Cardo S-800). Should you spent $75 for a Jawbone or settle for the S-800 for $40 less?
To find out the answer to that question, we've provided a comparison page highlighting the differences between the Jawbone and the Cardo S-800.
Chances are you'll be happy with either choice, and if your work or life-style requires you to be able to carry out phone conversations in unusually noisy environments, you would probably find the extra cost of the Jawbone to be money well spent.
Recommended.
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