Review: Jawbone 2 Bluetooth Earpiece
I’ve never been a fan of bluetooth earpieces. I always thought it was kind of weird to see people walking along and seemingly talking to themselves, or emitting a bright blue pulse from a LED on their earpiece. After hearing about the Aliph Jawbone 2 bluetooth earpiece all too much, I decided to see what all the fuss was about. If you live in California, chances are you will need to pick up a hands-free earpiece sooner or later to comply with the newest driving regulation so keep reading.
Why so popular?
First off, why is the Jawbone so popular anyway and why isn’t this the first time you’ve heard of it? Aliph’s original Jawbone was marketed as a stylish earpiece with remarkable call quality due to signal processing developed for DARPA that reduced background noise.
It’s called the Jawbone because each earpiece has a “Voice Activity Sensor” that rests on your cheek and detects if you are talking so it can filter out background noise accordingly. Now with the Jawbone 2, Aliph has taken two years of customer feedback and improved call quality and made it half the size. As you might imagine, the Jawbone 2 is at the high-end of the cell phone accessories scale and retails for $129 USD.
Unboxing
There’s not much in the Jawbone 2 box other than a charger, the earpiece itself and a few earbuds and loops to accommodate different users. The packaging is almost like the new iPods in their small plastic cases. After taking the earpiece out, Aliph recommends charging it for 50 minutes. The charger is travel-sized and the cable can be disconnected and plugged into a USB port for an alternative method of charging. The end of the cable that attaches to the Jawbone 2 is magnetic a la MagSafe so there’s no fidgeting with a latch as is often the case with other bluetooth earpieces.
Fitting
Getting the Jawbone 2 to fit properly on my ear was a bit challenging. I tried various earbuds and flexed the earhook several times to get it to stay put but it never felt comfortable. I would prefer some sort of in-ear earbud attachment, although I have a feeling that Aliph designed the Jawbone like this so that some external sounds are audible for safety purposes. It would be better if the earhooks provided were more flexible. They are the type that require a lot of force and even still tend to go back to their original shape.
If the earbud alone fits you perfectly you can take off the earhook altogether and just wear the Jawbone 2 by itself.
Pairing
Setting up the Jawbone 2 with my iPhone 3G was a trival process that involved turning on bluetooth, holding down the two buttons on the Jawbone 2 to enable discoverable mode and pairing it with the iPhone. The iPhone recognized it and when making calls gives the option of what audio source/output to use.
Features
There are two concealed buttons on the Jawbone 2. One takes care of basic necessities like picking up calls and hanging up on calls as well as turning the Jawbone on and off while the other controls volume and “Noise Assassin.” However, each button is multi-function and gives the user considerable control with minimal interaction - ideally. For me pushing the buttons on the earpiece often moved the earpiece, making me waste time putting it back in that perfect spot.
For example, tapping the rear button three times redials the last call while tapping it during a call will go through volume presets on your phone (unfortunately there is no direct control over volume on the Jawbone).
Performance
When it comes to call quality, the Jawbone 2 is no slouch. On my end I could hear people clearly with little static. Volume is adequate but it begins to crackle on the highest setting. On the other end of the call, people told me they could hear me well (good for my echo-y wood floored apartment) but they often asked if I was on speaker phone - 8 out of 13 people to be exact. I found myself speaking up and repeating myself occasionally but this seems to be a trend across most earpieces. Interpret that however you like.
For using the Jawbone 2 for a week, I only had one situation where the Jawbone 2 got disconnected from the iPhone for whatever reason while a call was still active.
I was able to safely wander 15 feet away from my phone with the Jawbone 2 before static was introduced. At about 30 feet the Jawbone 2 lost a connection with the phone. That seems to be right on par for bluetooth and is more than adequate for normal use.
Thoughts
I wouldn’t say the Jawbone 2 has changed my life but it is by and far a capable bluetooth earpiece. I keep it in my car now for picking up calls when driving but other than that I still use my phone normally. I don’t enjoy spending a minute or two each time I put on the earpiece to get it to fit properly. It never really felt at home in my ear. The Aliph Jawbone 2 receives 7.5 out of 10 Stammys. It would receive a 9 out of 10 with easier to use buttons and a more comfortable fit.
Do you use a bluetooth headset with your mobile phone?
Where did you get your blog layout from? I’d like to get one like it for my blog.
Hi Eric - I made it. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach me via my contact form.
Nice review, Paul.
I picked this headset up Thursday after picking up my iPhone 3G. I personally love it. After some adjustments the headset fits better than any I have owed (4 total). I like the option to use the wall adapter or USB to charge the phone. The battery life is decent as well; the headset lasted through a 3.5 hour conference call this morning.
Won’t leaving it in the car affect the battery life over the long term? The interior of a car can get pretty hot during the summer…
@t - good question, although for me I park in underground garages most of the time.
Awesome. What manufacturers need to do next is design an earpiece that doesn’t make you look stupid when you’re wearing it.
Good, honest review Paul, I’ve always had the impression the quality of the Jawbone has been exaggerated a bit by some owner, at least I’ve never been too impressed speaking to people with it on.
But did you get a chance to test it out on the street much? That’s where I think its main advantage lies: Being able to walk down a busy road and still hear the other person…
I got rid of my v1 Jawbone - was too bulky and uncomfortable. Picked up a Jabra BT8040 which resolves both of those issues and cost much less than the pricey Jawbone 2. Call quality on both ends was decent while passing through Times Square on foot. No complaints. Regarding Jawbone 2, for that price point I expect a few more bells and whistles starting with multipoint pairing.
I totally agree with you, although mine didn’t disconnect yet at all. Range doesn’t count as a valid reason for disconnection.
I did some sound tests for the Jawbone while driving with windows open on the highway and some other stuff like that. I’ll be posting my review soon too. :)
Go jawbone!!
I use a Motorola H681. It rocks: great call quality, good battery life, good Bluetooth signal, and it’s tiny.
I own a Jawbone 1 and a Jawbne 2. I was never happy with the fit. So I bought a Blueant z9i, it is better than my Jawbone in fit and ease of use. It also allows you to use it on two phones at once and have up to 5 devices paired with it. It is more than loud enough and has excellent noise cancellation.
Great review Paul. I use the Apple iPhone Bluetooth Headset and I like it a lot.
Small: May be too small
Light: I don’t feel it - i am always scared to loose it.
Easy to charge on the same plug than the iphone : one less cable and charger to carry when I travel.
Like you I was not (really not) a big fan of bluetooth headset, so I surprised myself switching to it during a long phone call (hey mum!).
The only problem is when I speak with someone who is also on a bluetooth headset. Then the communication is really loosing quality.
If anyones interested in reading my full review on the Jawbone, I’m including a link below:
http://www.handsfreed.com/new-jawbone-2-review/
Good review. I’m in the market for another headset for the wife. I personally have a Plantronics 520 and love it. Its noise reduction feature is great. I can carry a conversation with the windows down at 60-70 MPH. Battery life is more than enough. I think I paid around $80-90 and just noticed they are only $42.99 on Amazon. Guess I’ll stick with what I know.
wow, 1000 blog posts.
Niiccee.. if I had an iPhone (which hopefully I will soon!), this would probably be my headset of choice.
Well, either this or some cheap one that I bought somewhere and still does the job (just about) but doesn’t do a quarter of as many features. Simply because I’m a cheapskate like that.. ;)
http://DarJon.co.nr
They are great bluetooth headsets. Their commercials are pretty crazy. Really some of the best commercials for a bluetooth/cell phone I have seen in a long time. Highlight the noise cancelling feature in a really twisted, sick, gruesome way.
http://handsfreelawinfo.com/jawbone-bluetooth-headset-commercials
I own both versions of the Jawbone. The original I was very pleased wth. The “new” version 2 is extremely difficult to keep fitted to your ear. The slightest head movement and out it pops. The actual ear loop is far too small and simple. I don’t have huge ears, but none of the four loops that come with it do anything but hang on you at best. Just not a good design. The original was great, why fix it if it is not broke! Mine is going back to the dealer.
very interesting to hear all these complaints on fit. I found the first version to be very difficult to put on in a hurry and it moved a lot if you turn your head. This new version I can throw on my ear and get a perfect comfortable fit instantaneously.
I find it odd that the light indicated on or off and other things is at the same location as the button itself. makes it difficult to know when you have turned it on or off.
Also, if i turn it on in the vicinity of the iphone 3G it is always connected nicely. but if I leave and come back without turning it on and off, the phone does not realize it is there when I place a call. anyone have that problem?
All I can say about this headset is that I ran it through the wash ( it was in a shirt pocket) then through the dryer. Assuming that it was ruined when I found it, I went out and bought another one since I like the new version so much. Well today I was going to throw it out but just for kicks I plugged it in to charge and it worked!! Calls and everything works as new. Any product that can survive a laundry machine and dryer has my vote!!
New Jawbone is fine. Leather-covered earloops didn’t fit at all well (wearing glasses), but skinny wire ones and small earpod make a perfect, stable, comfortable fit.