Editorial Review:

Item Description:
There are cell-phone headsets that appear, well, like cell headsets. Bulky things that hang off the ear like some grotesque jewelry. Others fit directly into the ear, almost invisible. JawBone Bluetooth Headset Cellular Phone Edition is a statement of refined art. There's something exciting and unique about the striking design. So sleek and elegant, it was featured in an exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It manifests more than contemporary sensuality for mobile professionals and socialites whose lives are immersed in wireless technology. The Jawbone headset represents the fine balance of form and function. Within the mass market of phone headsets, the Jawbone represents excellent sound, conscious energy efficiency, and personable beauty. It earmarks your individuality - subtle yet prominent. Jawbone - People will talk about it, but most of all, they'll love using it as their exclusive headset for mobile communication.
The Jawbone Bluetooth headset virtually eliminates background noise so your calls are clearer. The device's Noise Shield technology uses an advanced, military-grade noise-canceling system that continuously adapts to the users' changing environment to deliver and receive unparalleled audio quality. Combined with its award-winning design, the Jawbone headset is perfect for those on the go and for those who need the convenience of Bluetooth in challenging environments. Embark to delightful new destinations in mobile communication with Jawbone from Aliph. Package includes wall charger & USB cable Compatible with any Bluetooth equipped device including Blackberry - 7130c , 8700c; Cingular - 3125 , 8125; LG - CG300 , CU500; Motorola - L2 , RAZRV3 , L2 , RAZRV3I , L7 , RAZRV3; Nokia - E62 , 6102i; Samsung - C417 , D807 , SGH-ZX20 , C417; Sony Ericsson - Z525a

Amazon.com Review:
These days, it seems that wireless Bluetooth headsets are a dime a dozen, but Aliph's Jawbone stands apart from the pack due to its unique look and some seriously amazing noise canceling technology. Originally developed for DARPA (The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to create a communication headset that would pick up voice in hostile environments, the Jawbone offers some of the best clarity from a Bluetooth headset we've experienced. This version comes in black, but it's also available in red and gray.

Sophisticated modern industrial style meets the next step in audio technology with the Jawbone Bluetooth headset.

It can be worn on either ear, and you can customize your fit by choosing from one of the included earloops and earbuds.

The first thing you notice about this headset is its rather chunky size and cheese grater-like texturing on the exterior. Designed by Yves Behar, an award-winning industrial designer who also contributed to the design of the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child, aka the $100 Laptop), the Jawbone certainly has that iconic modern look that will be copied for years to come. It's also a bit large on the face (due to the embedded technology and speech sensor), which reminded us of Lando Calrissian's assistant, Lobot. But then there's no easy way to disguise a Bluetooth headset, and it's probably an advantage as passersby won't think you're just muttering crazily to yourself.

The Jawbone can be worn on either ear, and it comes with four earloops of varying sizes to fit your lobe. Made of solid metal with a rubber cover, they're fairly comfortable around the ear. The trick, however, is getting it on over the ear, and this is the Jawbone's biggest disappointment. Because it's so stiff, you literally have to use both hands to try to slip it on over your ear. And since we don't wear our headset constantly, we missed a few calls while performing this dance. Also, the metal frame does bend (as we found after carrying it in our pocket), which can be viewed as an annoyance or as a feature--enabling you to form-fit the frame to your ear. It also comes with five ear pads of varying shapes and sizes, and we tried one of the teardrop shaped pads to secure the Jawbone inside our ear sans metal frame--it was comfortable and worked for awhile, but isn't a solution if you're moving around a lot.

As with Steve Jobs, Behar is not a fan of protruding buttons. Thus, the Jawbone's two controls are hidden within the headset, requiring you to press either the front or back of the unit to answer calls, adjust volume, or turn on/off the noise cancellation function. While we've read some reviews that complained about these hidden controls, we had no problem in accessing them and appreciated their tactile response. The Jawbone also comes with a custom-fit recharging cable that can either plug into a PC's USB port or into the included wall jack. We enjoyed the flexibility of the USB charging, but wished the cable could have been a more standard USB mini-jack (for those times when you forget to bring the cable along).

But the true test of the Jawbone is how its 'noise shield' performed. First, a little about this technology. The Jawbone has a small piece of rubbery plastic that protrudes from the bulbous microphone and sits flush against your face, and this sensor tells the Jawbone whether or not you're speaking and can remove background noise from your ongoing speech signal. It can also dynamically adjust the volume of the incoming audio from your call.

We tried the Jawbone in a number of different situations, and for the most part it worked flawlessly. Sitting at our desk with the stereo volume cranked up while playing The Chemical Brothers, our call partner was none the wiser. She didn't hear any of the music coming through, and our voice came through strong on her end. While standing on a street corner, the undulations of traffic noise never made it through to our caller, while we noticed an uptick in volume with an increase in traffic noise.

However, the Jawbone wasn't perfect, as it doesn't do a great job in windy situations. Still, for the good majority of situations you'll find yourself in--from busy airports to talk-heavy coffeehouses to traffic-laden city streets--the Jawbone should perform very well, masking the surroundings to improve fidelity for you call partner as well adapting your ear volume to the surrounding environment. We just wish the ear frame was a bit more flexible.

Pros:

• Amazing background noise masking capabilities--even when faced with loud, thumping music
• Outstanding adaptive volume as the environment around you changes
• Options for customizing the fit

Cons:

• Metal earloop frames are hard to quickly put on
• Non-standard USB connection is a bummer if you forget the cable at home

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Rating: - * jawbone ... I dont think overall this turned out to be worth what i paid for it which was $140.. people seemed to be able to hear me fine but I cant always hear them very well. i cant tell if the noise shield is on or not, because there no indicator light or anything indicating that. I tried several before i got this one. Im an over the road truck driver and there is a lot of noise in the truck so i couldnt just use any old bluetooth. it came down to this one and the blue eagle in the end and i took this one because i liked to be able to eat and talk on the phone at the same time which with the blue eagle this is nearly impossible. i also ended up getting the jawbra eargell piece to replace the ear loop which worked well but i guess the technoligy is not quite there with these deal yet but i would still use it over holding the cell phone up to my ear anyday. Rating: - * Alipha Jawbone ... This is the second Jawbone I have owned and I love it. it is the best in high noise locations that I have found. I have owned three other brands and they do not compare. it is so comfortable that I forget I am wearing it. The reason this is the second one I own is I damaged the first one and it looks too bad to wear. Rating: - * it broke a week after using it. ... I had to contact the company about it. IT broke the ear piece from the base a week after getting it. Upon calling the company I was informed that this product is no longer being made and that it is only in red and silver now. And do I want to upgrade to a more expensive model of this piece. It is also costing me money to send it back to them and receive another one. SO NOT WORTH IT. I still do not have the earpiece. Rating: - * Not good ... Came with three left ear hooks (two 'standard' length and one 'long' version) and only one 'long' right ear version, but the 'long' right ear version didn't fit. So I bent a standard length left hook and it snapped. Also, it only "paired" 80% of the time and the battery seemed to only last 4 hours of talk time, shorter than advertised. Not the quality instrument you would expect. Amazon was great about an RMA for refund though. Rating: - * This headset was NOT NEW ... I was sold a used headset. It was dusty and was missing parts. At very best maybe it was a display, but still not expectable.