Aliph Jawbone Noise Shield Bluetooth Headset (Black)[Retail Packaged]

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

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

I like the Jawbone Noise Shield! But I'm having problems with the ear piece breaking off right where the ear piece ties into the Jawbone headset! All four of the ear pieces have broken!

This seemed to be the best headset ever. It had the most crystal clear sound I have found in a bluetooth. But it broke and so did my mom's and my friend's. My mom and my friend went and exchanged it for the new jawbone, but the sound quality on that is horrible, no one can even here them. Too bad, it was a great product except the flaw.

I purchased this original unit in black. The unit performed well for about four months, with the exception being bad fit, fragile earloops and earbuds. At this time I began to experience issues with charge life. The unit went from operating for four+ days on one charge to surviving less than 10 hours on a single charge (standby time). Upon reporting this defect to the manufacturer I was sent on a horrendous 4-month oddessy in order to solve the problem which included a couple of useless troubleshooting suggestions, several dialog exchanges in which the same information was requested at least three times, an offer to replace the 'orignal' model with the 'new' model for an additional $40 and culminating with a replacement unit (original) which was more defective than the originally purchased unit. Finally, Aliph (the unit's mfg.) offered to replace the unit at no charge with a 'new' model. I am awaiting the arrival of this model, but not anxiously. I am so disgusted with Aliph and their lack of accountability about their much-flawed design and their lack of committment to customer satisfaction that I already began exploring the purchase of a 'functional' unit and plan to give the 'new' model to a relative or friend.

I would not wish the ordeal that I have experienced on anyone and I would STRONGLY suggest anyone considering purchasing this company's product, look elsewhere.

Ronald Albritton
Atlanta, GA

This is my second purchase of the this headset (one for me and one for my wife). I have tried several other headsets, and this is by far the best for the money. It does require some fine tuning for propper fit, but sound quality is outstanding.

All I can say is that this devices is too fragile for everyday use. The earbuds glue gives out over time and you must purchase replacements. But worse, the ear loop that holds it in your ear, bend very easily and the slightest twist in your pocket will snap it in half. These cannot be replaced outside of the warranty period. Now for the function of the device, I have yet to have it work as advertised. Most people on the other end complain that the sound quality is horrible either with or without the sound cancellation. Great marketing gimmick, but does not work. Save you money and look for a better, long-lasting product!