Entered CNET Catalog: 08/20/2008
SKU: 00009200049215
Manufacturer: JOBY Inc.
Manufacturer description
The Zivio Boom is the stylish headset you'll actually want to wear. A flexible extending boom mic adjusts to your face shape and improves quality for your listener. Zivio's removable ear support fits perfectly every time. But Zivio is much more than a pretty face - its insides impress your inner geek with Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and Multipoint, supporting HFP 1.5 and has 10 full hours of talk time - that's 300 in standby mode. It's just the thing for those pick-up-the-kids-meet-a-client-hit-the-car-wash-types of days.Product summary
The good: The Joby Zivio Boom is a stylish, futuristic-looking headset complete with easy-to-use buttons and a boom mic that extends. It comes with two kinds of earpiece covers in a variety of sizes.
The bad: The Joby Zivio Boom's audio quality suffers from the occasional static blip and a slight tinny effect. Having to use the extendable-boom mic can be a little fussy.
The bottom line: The Joby Zivio Boom is an attractive and comfortable headset that's also easy to use.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 08/19/2008
Editors' note: Our initial review unit was found to be defective. We have retested the performance and audio quality, and have swapped out that section of this review. We have also adjusted the overall rating.
Joby might not seem like a familiar name in the cell phone world, but if you're a digital camera enthusiast, you might have heard of its very popular GorillaPod flexible tripod for digital cameras. Still, it might surprise you to learn that Joby is now extending its inventory to include Bluetooth headsets as well. Indeed, the new Zivio Boom Bluetooth headset by Joby is one of the strangest-looking Bluetooth headsets we've laid our eyes on, and we have to say we like the design and the comfort. However, its audio quality doesn't quite match up to its looks. Joby's Zivio Boom is available now for $129.95.
As we mentioned earlier, the Joby Zivio Boom is one of the most unusual Bluetooth headsets we've ever seen. Sporting a very futuristic look, the Zivio Boom is long and lean (measuring only 2.1 inches long by 0.59 inch wide by 0.28 inch thick), and is clad in a soft-touch plastic on the front with shiny silver on the back. The key characteristics that add to its chic design are the three large and round silver buttons on the front. These three buttons correspond to the multifunction call button and the volume increase and decrease buttons. The multifunction button is decorated with eight perforated holes, which let the color of the LED indicator behind the button shine through.
Another thing that makes the Zivio Boom original is highlighted right there in its name--the Zivio Boom actually has an extendable boom mic built into the lower-left corner. The boom mic slides out like a radio antenna, and (all thin and spindly) it even looks like one. When fully extended, the boom mic adds about 3 inches to the length of the headset. It also curves slightly along the curvature of the face, which helps place the mic as close to your mouth as possible.
On the top of the headset is a dedicated On/Off switch and a charger jack. On the back of the headset is a bare earpiece, which you can then outfit with a slew of interchangeable earpiece covers. Joby provides two sets of three--the first set of earpiece covers consists of silicone tips that dip slightly into the ear canal to funnel the sound in, but are not meant to seal off extraneous noise. In fact, they look a lot like the eargel covers on the Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones. The second set of earpiece covers has the more traditional earbud look and fit just inside the ear. (Do note that you'll have to install a small earpiece adapter in order to fit this style of earpiece cover onto the headset.) We found both to be really comfortable. We also really like that Joby provided us with different sizes of each style, to accommodate different-size ears.
There's also a space for an optional ear loop, but it's not on the headset itself. You'll have to attach a small magnetized disc on the back of the headset, and the disc has a slot for the ear loop. This may seem a bit cumbersome, but we actually like this configuration, as it allows us to place the ear loop wherever we want on the headset. That said--we found we didn't really need the ear loop most of the time. Of course, all earbuds and the ear loop can be configured to fit either ear.
We paired the Joby Zivio Boom with both the Sanyo Katana Eclipse. In a first test of the Zivio Boom's audio quality, we discovered a lot of static and buzz, and thus rated it poorly. Since then, we've learned that our unit was defective, and have received a new unit from Joby. The audio quality on the new unit is remarkably different. It turns out that the Zivio Boom's claim of noise-cancellation rings true. Callers heard us loud and clear, even when we were at busy traffic intersections. On our end, we heard them just fine, although we did still get the occasional static blip and their voices sounded a little tinny. That said, we found that we needed to extend the boom mic almost all the time to get that high-quality audio, which is fine, but it might be a little fussy for some people.
Features of the Zivio Boom include the typical capabilities to answer, end, and reject calls, as well as last number redial, voice dial support, three-way calling support, and the capability to transfer calls from the headset to the phone and vice versa. The Zivio Boom comes with a USB charging cable, an AC adapter, the aforementioned sets of three earpiece covers, two optional ear loops, and three more extra earbud covers.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12out of 12 user reviews
Great sound - Bad design
Pros: The boom mic is absolutely wonderful on this headset. This unit has the best sound of any bluetooth headset I've ever used. It is very easy to pair as well. My first unit was DOA and Joby got right on it and replaced it in a very short time.
Cons: Even though it has 6 earpieces and an ear hook this fairly heavy unit WILL not stay on if I move my head at all. I am very active and the longest I can get the unit to stay on is about 30 seconds, 4 minutes if I'm driving and not moving my head much.
out of 12 user reviews
Will NEVER buy another one!
Pros: Boom feature is nice for when you must talk low. Fit nicely in ear & overall look is extremely unique.
Cons: None of them lasted longer than 30 days.
I didn't expect that for $100+ dollars, it would end up in a drawer faster than some that cost 1/4 of the price. I don't abuse my headsets, so for them all to suddenly stop working makes me wonder what type of QC was done to the final product.
I wanted to really like this Zivio Boom. I purchased the blue one which was only available as a direct buy through their website.
It LOOKS cool which is sad when thats what it turned out to be- something that just looked good. I'm sorry I recommended it to so many people.
out of 12 user reviews
Nice Design, Bad function
Pros: The custom ear piece and selection of parts makes for a super fit. The boom mic is great. Great battery life.
Cons: The Bluetooth connection is finicky on 2 different phone HTC touch pro and Touch Pro 2. Can't use it, customer service would not replace it. It sits next to my collection of cool but useless technology.
out of 12 user reviews
Bearly usable.
Pros: The design is interesting and it seems well constructed.
Cons: The audio quality on the receiver's end is horrible. There is a lot of static and a terrible echo.
I can't even use it. The person on the other end cannot hear me clearly and complains of a persistent echo. While the audio quality on my end is good, I've had to disconnect during several conversations because the person I'm speaking to begs me to use my headset alone.
I have contacted customer service and hope they will replace my unit as it is an expensive piece of useless electronics.
out of 12 user reviews
Great Product, but OUTSTANDING customer service.
Pros: Incredible battery life, great volume, excellent noise cancellation.
Cons: Slightly tinny sound quality.
When I first got it, I had one of the magnets break within 24 hours. I contacted support, and received not only a quick response, but a new magnet in the mail within days. A few months after owning the headset, the mic went out. I contacted support, and in less than a week, they sent me out a new unit.
Not only is the product exactly what I was looking for, but the company stands firmly behind it. Their customer service is the best I have seen in consumer electronics, and nothing but a pleasure to deal with.
The headset is comfortable, the sound quality is great, and most importantly loud. How loud? I drive a Porsche convertible, and the engine is right behind my head. No other headset has been loud enough on BOTH ends of the conversation for me to use the phone while driving. That includes driving with the TOP DOWN!
I rarely make recommendations this strong, but I encourage everyone to take a close look at this headset when looking for a new one. Joby simply stands behind their product, and it is a great one at that.
out of 12 user reviews
Simply awful contruction quality
Pros: Wonderful customer service. They have sent me two new units at no charge with free shipping and return postage. Excellent controls and sound. Many fit options with the xceltion of the stick on magnet and earloop, which falls off on a regular basis.
Cons: Extendable boom mike is very fragile. I have treated it with extreme care on two units. In both instances the boom separated from the housing. On the first unit, the movable earbud mount became completely loose in the housing.
out of 12 user reviews
Excellent, used two part silicone makes perfect ear fit
Pros: Excellent Sound Quality both my end and the callers, With my custom two part silicon ear piece I can hear callers perfectly even in noisy environments
Cons: Have to be careful when eating, not to bite the boom mike. ;-)
out of 12 user reviews
Finally, a bluetooth headset I can use... and love.
Pros: Great mic, even in noisy places. VERY comfortable. Terrific volume and sound quality. Highly customizable, with an ingenious magnetic ear loop.
Cons: It ain't free.
Until now I've used wired boom telephone headsets to achieve my minimum standard. The Zivio is the first wireless bluetooth that is comfortable and features good audio transmission AND reception.
out of 12 user reviews
FINALLY!!!
Pros: Great headset, long battery life (10 hours), great noise cancelation, excellent sound quality (both what you hear and what the caller hears), easy to use buttons, the best headset I've tried so far. I'm done looking - thanks Zivio!
Cons: the only complaint I have - none of the earpieces that came with were a comfortable fit and the extendable boom mic is very fragile so you have to be very careful with it (respect the boom).
Jawbone - not comfortable
Apple iphone bluetooth headset - terrible pairing (lots of static) tried two of these and same issue on both.
Motorola H12 - comfortable, but limited battery life and after a few months bad sound quality. Callers were complaining of what I sounded like.
I was done with bluetooth headsets and had been using the "wired" headphones/mic that Apple provides with the iphone, but hated the cord getting in the way when driving, etc. so I decided to give the bluetooth headset thing one more try. Read great reviews on Amazon, Ebay and Cnet about the Zivio Boom. Ordered the headset, nice packaging, they give you lots of adapters for fitting it in your ear and also an optional magnetic over the ear clip. Did not like the magnetic overear clip because it kept coming off when I would try to remove the headset, and it doesn't go over your ear as far as I would like. Out of the many attachments that Zivio provides, none felt comfortable or worked well for my ear. I settled for one of them, but it got to be a tiny bit uncomfortable after several hours of wearing. I just received the Jabra EarGels that everyone talks about in the mail today and they fit perfectly over the Zivio and are extremely comfortable. This I believe is the best combo, most comfortable fit, great sound quality (you'll have to keep the volumne low on your phone as these Jabra's work good). I only wish that Zivio would work out a deal to provide the Jabra Ear Gels along with the Zivio Headset and you have the best solution out there. Noise cancelation works extremly well - I turned on the radio very loud and called my wife and she could not hear the radio, said I sounded good (couldn't tell I was on a headset). Another thing I love is that the battery life is nearly 10 hours!!! This is great. I'm on my third day of using it and haven't had to charge it yet and I still have battery life left. I appreciate the feature that allows you to turn off the blinking light so you don't look like a tool. If you are able to keep this headset out of children's hands, and can be delicate with the extending boom mic this is the best headset out there on the market in my opinion. This small company has built a quality product and should be a contender in the bluetooth arena if people give them a try. I read they have great customer service, but do not know first hand yet as I haven't had any problems.
out of 12 user reviews
Only Bluetooth headset I've owned that actually works!
Pros: Great mic, cool styling, noise cancellation actually works. Very comfortable. Luxury feel (unlike Jawbone 2)
Cons: The earbuds make the sound a little fuzzy and I couldn't get the ear gels to fit. Operating LED rosette is a little gaudy.
I'd given up on Bluetooth and was back to using wired headsets when I found this headset. I'll never go back. This device is the first one that actually delivers on the promise of Bluetooth across the board.
Oh, and the voice recognition on a Windows Mobile device is _cool_!
out of 12 user reviews
This unit is stellar.
Pros: Best Bluetooth headset by far. Extendable boom REALLY helps in a noisy environment. Fits well, extreme long battery life, (days, not hours!), and Joby has a winner with this unit.
Cons: Distance from phone to unit matters, so keep your phone in the pocket on the same side as the Zivio, you'll be fine. That's it! My only complaint!
It is light, comfortable, sleek, trendy, stylish. Easy to pair with, connects every time, controls are simple and intuitive.
The boom makes a HUGE difference. I have tried a few different BT headsets, and this one is easily the best I've ever used. Callers all say I sound like I'm on the phone, even in high wind or a loud environment, and not on a headset. It slides out easily, and is slightly bendable, so you can have it right at the corner of your mouth, without it being in the way or getting hung up on things.
Everything you need is in the box, which is itself very stylish. It would make a GREAT gift for that executive in your life that has everything. You get two different length USB chargers, a whole handful of ear pieces to choose from, and instructions sheets.
Their customer service is even BETTER! Any time I've ever called, it just a few minutes to get connected to a real voice, and they always have time to answer questions. Emails are answered just as quick, too.
Buy one now, I did, and will never be without one again.
out of 12 user reviews
Perhaps CNET tested a bad unit - the Zivio is fantastic
Pros: Incredible outgoing sound; Solid incoming sound; Well designed unit, accessories, and sleek packaging; Buttons are easy to find while wearing, easy to click; Earpieces are extremely comfortable
Cons: - Weak Bluetooth range compared to other headsets in the market; Slight electronic hiss generated by speaker when volume strength over 30% (which can be resolved)
Strengths:
- Outgoing sound: I tried various settings... both in my office, car, and outdoors, with the mic fully extended. I'm amazed at how well this unit performed, filtering almost all background noise out. Even when I cranked the music in my car, most of it was filtered out. The mic works well, when following the instructions of keeping it a 1/2 inch from the corner of your mouth. My voice sounded natural (FINALLY) with this BT headset, even in noisy settings. Heck, it performed even better than what my Centro's mic delivers. The only shortfall was my voice sounded a little quiet on the other end vs. the handset mic or my tried-n-true Jabra JX-10 II.
- Design: the unit, accessories, and packaging are well thought out. Reminds me of when I first opened up my JX-10 package, and the products I purchase from Apple. Sleek, innovative, and durable. As others have said, the boom should be retracted when not in use, as I suspect that could break if extremely bent. The unit feels a little on the heavy side, but hey, I'm coming from one of the lightest BT headsets out there (JX-10).
- Buttons: easy to find while wearing, easy to click. And finally a headset manufacturer designs the "blinking while talking feature"... you can set it to never blink while you're wearing the Zivio (even after turning it off & back on), thereby avoiding the BORG look.
- Earpieces: extremely comfortable. The mushroom design is exactly the same as the infamously comfortable earplugs found on Sony's EX-71/81 wired headsets, which are designed for hours of listening to music. However, the Zivio's weight tends to make the mushroom plug rotate in your ear, unless you also wear the optional ear loop. Like others, I prefer the clear ear plug and no ear loop, which is very comfortable. However, I ended up with an even better option, which I'll explain below.
Weaknesses:
- BT range: complaints about static are well founded -- this unit has poor range compared to other BT headsets I've owned or tested. Joby can hopefully improve this in the next iteration.
- Incoming sound: overall, the unit performs well in this area, but I list it as a weakness, given the slight electronic hiss generated by the speaker when the volume is anything above 20-30% strength. But alas, I fixed this as well, which I'll explain below.
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Making A Great Headset Even Better
Long ago with my Jabra JX-10, I found that the earpiece options that came with the unit were good, but not perfect. Outside of getting a custom ear mold (which is REALLY perfect), many folks have spent 5 bucks on a set of clear Jabra eargles, which fit on the JX-10 just right. And guess what... another great fit on the Zivio as well. They not only improve comfort for me... here's what the Jabra eargel does for my Zivio:
- just like on my JX-10, incoming sound is slightly louder and now acceptable at the default level, given the audio is piped directly into my ear canal more effectively.
- the electronic hiss is GONE. Yes, even without having to turn down the volume, the hiss is largely removed with the Jabra eargel. Once you see how the noise is funneled through in the Jabra eargel vs. a big open hole with Zivio's earpieces, I think you'll understand why the difference.
- better fit & support for the boom style of the Zivio headset (for me anyhow... each person's ears are different, so see for yourself).
You can pick up Jabra eargels at many places -- do a quick Google search for a set.
With this setup, I must admit that the Zivio is the clear winner above all other headsets (including DSP heavies like the Jawbone and z9 and longtime standard 510), and the Zivio will be my primary device for business calls, for some time to come.
