- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 380 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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4.5 stars
"The bluetooth headset to have"
Pros: Super small and light; great sound
Cons: Battery life moving in the wrong direction and buttons are hard to find
Summary: I am a hesitant buyer of bluetooth headsets, having owned several and been disappointed in each case (the last: Motorola H700). I most recently used a Plantronics wired headset and have been generally happy with it, but the reviews of the Jawbone and Jawbone 2 got my attention and, today, I purchased a Jawbone 2 at an AT&T store for $129.
The heaset is exceptionally small. I actually went into the store to get the older version, but the size difference was really dramatic. The headset fits very well and is so small the earloop is not needed. The trick is to be sure that the small sensor makes contact with your cheek. I experimented near a loud air conditioner compressor unit and, no kidding folks, you cannot hear it on the other end from a distance of 1 foot. I tried it in my car, driving with the window down... same result. In fact, it is odd that when you are near a loud source, there is no need to raise your voice even to the level that a person standing next to you would require to hear. I tested using my wife's assistance and then by leaving myself a voicemail. Turning off the noise assassin, the difference was huge--the other end could hear the air conditioner, the car, etc. Beyond the noise suppression, the sound quality was very good on both ends, and very loud. The higher volume levels are really too loud.
The headset comes with extra ear loops and earpieces--fortunately I didn't need them (I have read that others have had trouble getting a good fit). It comes with a USB charging cable (so you can charge it from any standard USB port), though the headset end uses a proprietary, magnetic connection (I would rather have mini USB, but thems the breaks).
Unfortunately, you have to know where the multi-purpose buttons are because there is no sign of them, and no tactile reference, on the headset. I am surprised that the battery life is LOWER than the pervious model, but 4 hours should be adequate for my use.
The headset is made of plastic, and is not as solid as it looks. It creaks when you push and twist on it, but that is not surprising given its light weight. I wore it for about 5 hours straight and did not experience any discomfort. The headset is designed to fill your ear canal, so your general hearing, while wearing the headset, will be monoaural.
The sound quality and noise reduction are so startingly good, I really think that the bad reviews of this headset are the result of defective headsets or improper wearing (it does have to touch your cheek). If you watch the video on Jawbone's website, you really can expect similar results at home/work...
On a lark, I paried the headset with my laptop and tried voice recognition software. The recognition was not good (from a wired-headset-99 percent down to maybe 60 percent with the Jawbone).
I am not a "fanboy" of Jawbone and I generally despise people who type long reviews, raving about their latest purchase in order to simply justify their own cash outlay. For whatever it is worth, if this headset had the same battery life as its predecessor (6 hours instead of 4) and was made of light-weight Titanium, it would be an easy 10. As is, I give it a 9 and will recommend it to friends and you.
Where to buy
Aliph Jawbone 2 (black):
$59.99 - $74.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$69.99 | Yes |
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$61.47 | Yes |
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$59.99 | Yes |
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$69.99 | Yes |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$74.99 | Yes |
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