Digital Trends Reviews the Aliph BT Jawbone Headset

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/review4374_main21878.html' target='_blank'>http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/re..._main21878.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"A new company called Aliph, has built their first offering around what they call Noise Shield technology. The idea is simple — the headset should only care about sound when the person is talking, which requires moving their mouth (and thus, the name "Jawbone" for their first device). The headset extends over the muscle that moves the jaw so that when the mouth moves, a small rubber piece moves. This acts as a switch that tells the headset, “Hey, there’s someone talking here!” Noise that occurs without the wearer moving their mouth is greatly diminished. Ventriloquists will want to look elsewhere."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ekkie_aliph_jawbone_digitaltrends_review_200706.jpg" /><br /><br />Late last year, we <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=53093">reported</a> on the newly-released Aliph Bluetooth Jawbone Headset, made available by Cingular. The headset aroused some curiosity with its "award-winning" design and advanced noice-cancellation technology. Well, Digital Trends has provided us with a review, so if you're in the market for an upgraded BT headset, check it out! As always, give us your thoughts if you've managed to try it.

[Vincent M Ferrari]

I've had it for 2 months and I totally love it. The sound quality is great, the volume is high enough to actually use, and the noise cancellation does a great job.

Expensive, but worth it...

[ntractv]

Expensive: Yes ($119), but this is hands down the best Bluetooth headset I have ever owned. And I have owned quite a few. Volume, clarity and noise cancellation is top notch.

[keirmeister]

I bought my Jawbone a month ago, and I can say it's totally Like Buttah! I love the fact that I come through VERY clearly speaking at a normal volume. I tested it in the streets of NYC and my wife couldn't tell I was outside.

My only problem is that it doesn't stay snugly in/on my ear - but that might just be me. Otherwise, the Jawbone is a fine piece of engineering.

My wife had to get one of her own after lusting after mine. Also, Best Buy and J&amp;R carry them.

[beq]

I've been waiting since January for Gennum's new nX6000 (http://www.nxzen.com/headsets/) to be available (review (http://www.geardiary.com/2007/03/13/the-gennum-nx6000-bluetooth-headset-review/), images (http://aving.net/usa/Exhibition/default.asp?mode=read&amp;c_num=33566&amp;SP_Num=53&amp;mn_name=exhi&amp;BTB_Num=7282)). Hopefully any day now.

Has anyone tried both? I know there had been previous comparisons between the Aliph Jawbone and Gennum nXZEN 5500 (with some people preferring one or the other), but I would like to see a new comparison with the Gennum nX6000...

[kzemach]

I had the 5500 and then got a Jawbone. No comparison. The jawbone is hands down, the most amazing headset, wired or unwired, I've ever used.

I was talking to a friend, turned on my COFFEE GRINDER two feet away from my head, left it on for two minutes, turned it off. Then asked. He never heard it.

Incredible.

[Eriq Cook]

I've been using the Jawbone BT for a few months now and it works great. My only issue is the ear loop which has broke already just pulling it out of my pocket recently. The Jawbone ships with 4 different sized ear loops (2 left side and 2 right side). I was nervous about breaking the last right-side earloop but I had no choice but to bend it to fit my ear again. So far no problems.

Just be careful with the earloops.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Man... you guys suck!

I might have to buy this now... :evil:

[beq]

I had the 5500 and then got a Jawbone. No comparison. The jawbone is hands down, the most amazing headset, wired or unwired, I've ever used.
That's too bad, as I prefer the nX6000's small size over the Jawbone's all-too-conspicuous presence on one's face :(

[kzemach]

That's too bad, as I prefer the nX6000's small size over the Jawbone's all-too-conspicuous presence on one's face :(

Ahh, yes, the infamous Jawbone Cheesegrater.

My main gripe with the Jawbone though is the proprietary charge cable. Sure, it's USB, but it'd be much nicer if the connector on the headset was a mini-usb, like my phone. Not that the 5500's proprietary connector was any better...

[whydidnt]

Man... you guys suck!

I might have to buy this now... :evil:

LOL -- I was thinking the same thing as I read these comments! :devilboy:

[beq]

BTW I found a recent comparison (saying a lot of the same things):

Shorter version (http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=199200176)
Longer version (http://www.smallbizresource.com/document.asp?doc_id=121662&amp;print=true)

[Don Tolson]

Our own Julie did a review earlier on her Gadgeteer...
http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/aliph_s_jawbone_bluetooth_headset

It includes sound bites of her voice as heard by others and what she hears.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Our own Julie did a review earlier on her Gadgeteer...
http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/aliph_s_jawbone_bluetooth_headset

It includes sound bites of her voice as heard by others and what she hears.

Thanks Don.

I'm starting to see that when this headset works, it works extremely well, but from reading the comments, the experiences seem pretty split with highly polarized opinions.

I'm in the midst of making a decision for a new BT headset as my old one (almost 3yrs old) doesn't work with my new Nokia. So I decided to go with a safe choice in the Nokia BH-800:

http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-BH-800-Bluetooth-Headset-Coffee/dp/B000G6QWCI/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-6709505-7541711?ie=UTF8&amp;s=wireless&amp;qid=1181002134&amp;sr=8-1

[Eriq Cook]

My main gripe with the Jawbone though is the proprietary charge cable. Sure, it's USB, but it'd be much nicer if the connector on the headset was a mini-usb, like my phone. Not that the 5500's proprietary connector was any better...

I almost forgot about that. That'd be my #1 gripe also. All of my devices and last bluetooth headset have used mini-usb. I hate having to buy yet another charger for my car or remembering to bring it!

[DaveSadler]

I tried out this BT headset and had nothing but trouble with it. I'm wondering if it was the iMate JAM that was the culprit. The people I was talking to would complain that my voice would cut out completely after about 2 mins of talking.

I also found that the interchangeable ear piece would not stay attached to the headset - i actually lost the one that fit the best and had to use one of the other ones that came with the set.

I'm wondering now if I should have accepted their offer to exchange the headset instead of returning it outright.

Is anyone using it with MS VoiceCommand? I'm currently back on the Motorolla HS850 ($40 at costco) and loving its size and battery life.

[iluvbeba]

I've had mine for two months now.... Yes I love it! Sound cancellation works great. I'll echo other complaints.

1. Non standard charging connector. I hate lugging around the extra cable in my allready packed laptop bag. In future revisions, i don't see why they couldn't include a standard mini usb connection.

2. My ears are a bit large ( I have strong facial features :? ). It took me awhile to find a fit that worked for me. What made it nice is that they did include an assortment of shapes and sizes of earbuds. I also had to tweak, bend and shape an earloop into something that worked for me. I ended up snapping the loop and but was able to bend the 2nd one directly to what fit for me. I should also note that the opposite loops are identical except that the last bend is an opposite one... All one would have to do is to manual bend it to the same angle in the opposite direction and you would have changed the orientation. So you could use all 4 loops on the same ear.

3. There are some apparent issues with verizon treo users. My brother in law had one of the latest window flavored treo's and there were some compatibility issues with the using the earpeice and a bluetooth gps at the same time. He called the jawbone company and they had allready known about the issue and gauranteed that it would be fixed in their next revision of the jawbone... due out in mid-july...

Let me say I've used it with my MDA, Dash and now my Wing and have had multiple bluetooth devices operation on each while in voice calls and have had absolutely NO issues. If I were to guess, I'd say his treo issue had something to do with verizon.

Customer service from the company is top notch. My brother in law had a battery issue (honestly, I thought it was user error from what he described to me) and they had another on his doorstep the next morning... no questions asked.

So far it looks as though they've got a good thing going. BTW, I like the form of the device and the way it looks.

Another odd experience... when my loop broke, I was still able to comforably use the device by sticking it in my ear like normal with the larger bud... It actually stayed rather well. If I vigorously shaked my head, it would finally fall out, but it was pretty functional without the loop... that being said, I wouldn't recommend loosing attaching $120 to your ear and hoping it stays... :wink:

I highly recommend!

[iluvbeba]

Is anyone using it with MS VoiceCommand? I'm currently back on the Motorolla HS850 ($40 at costco) and loving its size and battery life.

I can comment on this as well. Yes I am... I've used it with my MDA with both WM5 and a cooked WM6 ROM. Also on my wing.

It worked as expected in all three scenarios.

[stalymi]

And most people who had heard me using it (on the other end of my phone)said they noticed little from my Motorola BT when I was out side and it was windy. So much for great noise cancellation.

And its ugly!!!! Damn! Who wants a cheese grater for a BT Headset!!!

[scoopster]

I regularly use my Plantronics 640 with my notebook (Skype) and my mobile phone. I switch headset's connection between them with a press of a button - no re-pairing needed.

Can the Jawbone do this?

I've not understood why more headsets don't support multiple simultaneous (but not necessarily active) pairings. Is it a question of the amount of memory integrated into the BT module?