Worth Reading?
+28 [36 votes]
When Aliph released the original Jawbone nearly two years ago, I felt as if I was the only person in the world that didn’t like the look, thought the design too bulky, and wasn’t all that impressed by the company’s “noise shield”. So how do I feel about the Jawbone 2? Well, let me put it in one simple word - WOW. Aliph had two years worth of customer feedback and, yes, it seems as though the company truly listened. As a result, Jawbone 2 is lighter, 50% smaller, has improved voice enhancing and even more aggressive noise-canceling technology, a simpler ear hook design and a sleek new look that leaves the predecessor in the Stone Age. Jawbone 2 comes at a hefty price of $129.99 and yes, I agree that’s extremely expensive considering most cell phones don’t cost that much - but if you want the ultimate in Bluetooth headsets, then it is worth every penny.
I was asked to share two features I love about the Jawbone 2 from a major competitor of Aliph. I’ll name you three: comfort, amazing sound quality and excellent materials/workmanship. Then they asked me to list two things I dislike about the Jawbone 2. Honestly, it was difficult to find fault, but if I were held at gunpoint I’d say that it’s still slightly thicker most Bluetooth headsets on the market and they use a proprietary charge connector. In Aliph’s defense, I just don’t know how they’d be able to slim it down anymore without cutting out a battery that offers up to 4 hours of talk time and/or 8 days standby. I would love for Aliph to utilize a more standard connector such as the microUSB port for charging, but not at the expense of battery life.
Similar to the first Jawbone, the Jawbone 2 was designed by famous industrial designer Yves Behar. I was never that crazy about the original’s perforated front, so I’m delighted he did away with it and opted for the beveled diamond pattern running throughout the front surface. The 3D surface feels smooth when you run your finger across it, as well as fending off fingerprints and preventing unwanted scratches. As stated earlier, the major difference from its predecessor is that it’s 50% smaller, measuring 2-inches long, 0.5-inches thick, 0.5-inches wide and weighing 10 grams. There are two hidden buttons, operated by touching the outside shield on the front, while Aliph’s patented Noise Assassin button is on the top; they control all the functions of the headset. The streamlined design can make it difficult to find the exact location of the talk button, and I found myself having to “feel around” for it. There’s a thin sliver of flashing white LED light that lets you know when the unit is powered on. Turning off the light is as easy as clicking the talk button five times.
I really love that fact that Aliph has made the ear hook optional on the Jawbone 2. What isn’t optional is making sure that the tiny white rubber nub is touching your check. It acts as the Voice Activity Sensor, allowing it to detect vibrations as you speak. I know the ear hook is optional and you may not like it, but for me the headset feels more secured with it around my ear. The ear hooks are flexible, allowing a more customized fit resulting in a much more comfortable fit than the first. The hooks are thin enough to even wear with glasses or sunglasses. The voice-activity sensor rests naturally on the side of my check. Great job in this area Aliph!
Finally, the best feature of the Jawbone 2 is its amazing noise-canceling technology. The dual microphone array help cut down wind noise, while the Noise Assassin and voice-activity sensor technology helps amplify your voice and cut out unwanted ambient sound. Unlike other noise-canceling technology, Noise Assassin leaves you sounding natural. I tested the Jawbone 2 in a noisy Starbucks, while driving with the windows down, and while walking around outside. My test subjects hardly noticed the extreme environments I was in and reported only minor background noise and the occasional shuffling or clicking noise. In addition, I had absolutely no problems hearing the callers. When compared to the sound quality without the headset my test subjects was able to tell a big difference, claiming the headset sounds much better.
The Jawbone 2 is by far one of the best headsets I’ve reviewed currently on the market, and it rates up there with the BlueAnt Z9 which I hold as the gold standard for all Bluetooth headsets.
Comfort: 8.5 / Design: 8.5 / Quality: 9
Click to view all images of the Jawbone 2!
Aliph Jawbone 2 Unboxing and Walkthrough video
I’m curious how good the wind cancellation actually is?
The author compares it to the Z9, which I own.
With the Z9, if I step outside in a moderately windy environment the headset becomes virtually unusable. Voice Command can’t hear me at all, and I need to all but scream for the other side to hear.
Rolling with the windows down does not cause wind as much as noise, so this isn’t really a good wind test.
If the author is ranking this “up there” with the Z9, then perhaps its ability to deal with wind is sub-par as well?
I had to return my new Jawbone 2. I just could not get reliable operation. My outgoing voice was garbled, and broke up probably due to inconsistent contact by the front sensor on my cheek. I also noticed, in the short time that I had the device, that it would disconnect or shut down. Then when I would place a call the headset would not activate. Restarting and keeping it active through use seemed to prevent this from happening. If I held the device against my cheek it seemed to improve the outgoing voice quality. When I returned it, I offered to try another one to see if my problems were unique to the particular item. The store clerk told me not to bother, they were getting a lot of returns. I have the first version and have been very pleased with its performance. A little uncomfortable to wear, but great voice quality and reliable operation. The JB2 was really comfortable, but unfortunately did not duplicate the noise isolation and voice quality of JB1. I hope they get it fixed.
I have just taken delivery of the Jawbone 2 and was eager to try it out as was so impressed with the videos on the website - don’t believe the hype. My unit will be going straight back as I paired it to an HTC THTY II and gave it a go. The unit buttons kept swapping so when I tried to use the noise cancelling button to make a voice call, the unit shut down. The battery life was not up to anywhere near expectations. Voice calls seemed to dial any number so it was like a lucky dip as to who you would actually end up calling. The noise cancellation works a treat except that no-one can actually understand a word you are saying either. Maybe I’ve just got a dodgy one but reading the review above would suggest that there are a lot of dodgy ones about.
Very Disappointed so don’t waste your money and time
This is pure self promotion but I am trying to save you money. If you wanna get this headset on the cheap check it out here:
http://www.gadgetreview.com/20.....ipped.html
I’ve owned the original Jawbone for almost a year, and have been relatively happy with it. But I have been frustrated by the fit and weight, because it usually moves out of position and I frequently have to adjust it. So I was anxious to try the new version. Some reviews have said the noise cancellation and audio quality are inferior to the original version. I can somewhat understand those complaints – I do think the original Jawbone has the edge on audio quality, both incoming and outgoing audio. But the difference is slight, and not enough to make a real difference in use. I made numerous tests from my truck and other noisy environments, calling my home answering machine. The noise cancellation on the original Jawbone seems more complete, but again, the new version is very usable, and far better than noise cancellation on any other BT device I’ve tried.
I’ve read some reviews that complain about the lack of tactile feel for the button locations. The buttons are much easier on the new Jawbone than on the original – easy to locate and easy to press. The two buttons are in different locations (the front and the top end), so it’s not like you can easily get them mixed up. If someone can’t quickly sense where the buttons are by position, I’m not sure what to say.
I did notice a lack of one feature – the instructions don’t indicate a way to transfer a call from Jawbone to the handset. You can achieve it by turning the Jawbone off, but otherwise you need to accomplish this by using the handset. Which I guess really isn’t a problem because if you’re transferring the call to the handset, you’re picking it up anyway.
The primary reason I’ll be keeping my new Jawbone – the fit. The new unit is so much lighter, and fits me so much better. That alone is enough reason for me to keep it. I’ve driven with it (the original Jawbone vibrated out of position), I’ve shaken my head (the original Jawbone instantly flew out of position), and I’ve worn it for several hours. I can’t claim I forgot I had it on, but it was comfortable and didn’t become bothersome.
Overall, this is the best headset I’ve tried. It’s not perfect, but I prefer it over the original Jawbone primarily for comfort and fit. The small amount of difference in audio was only noticeable by direct comparison. I’d recommend you give it a try. Just make sure you can return it if you’re not happy with it.
Adjusting the fit makes all the difference. Good contact with your cheek helps your voice quality a lot, and aim towards your mouth. After finding the best fitting ear bud, I bent the hook towards my face, that made the jawbone mic fit more solid. Still not as good as the phone itself but I drive a loud truck, I still have to roll the windows up. This works way better than any of the other “cheapies” that I’ve tried. not as good as the sites video but about half that good.
I don’t know about you guys but I owned the original and so far the 2 has had no complaints. everyone says they hear me pretty clear and with very little noise or none at all. Love it. I asked a few store clerks and hands down said it was better than the z9
Tried the Jawbone 2. Did not like it. Nearly every person I called complained that they could not hear me or sounds hollow or breaks up, etc. It was a complete disappointment. I took it back after 10 days. I do not recommend it. I am told the blueant z9 is much better. I will try that one.
I bought the Jawbone 2 two days ago. The biggest problem I’ve had with trying to find a good bluetooth headset is the background noise. Mostly because of driving with the windows down in my car. I went for a drive yesterday and called my girlfriend to see if the noise was bad. I was surprised when she said she could barely hear the background noise. I had the windows down and the fan in my car on full blast. I must say that its noise assasin definitely works and she said she could hear me clearly…until I stopped driving. I found that when there is no background noise you have to turn off the noise assasin feature in order for the other person to hear you unless you’re talking very loudly. Not that big a deal… Even more surprising was that I could hear her much better than with the original Jawbone which I returned to the store after one week.
But even with all this great technology that shocked me because it actually works, I will be returning it to the store today because I cannot get the thing to stay in my ear!! I tried every combination of the earloops and earbuds in both ears. Even sitting perfectly still and talking it for about a minute it will slip out of your ear and dangle. And forget about smiling when you’re using it…it will pop out of your ear instantly. Not a very good feature when the joystick is supposed to be touching your cheek for the device to work properly. I am so disappointed that I have to return this headset for such a stupid reason. I cannot believe that they have engineers that can create such a sofisticated electronic device but can’t figure out how to create a clip that actually holds it to your ear (and cheek) securely. Motorola and Cardo have clips that keep their headsets on your ear not matter what you do. I have literally shook my head back and forth as fast as I could and they didn’t move even a little bit. It’s too bad their noise cancelling technology doesn’t actually work as they claim or I would have kept either one of them because their earpieces were crystal clear.
So, to the engineers at Aliph I say, get to work designing a STURDY ear clip that snaps into place and stays in place. It can’t be that hard and it doesn’t seem like a lot to ask.
i have been using original jawbone for almost a year. it does have good sound, i had much less complaints from folks on the other end about the sound quality. i am a large guy, so size of it was not much of concern. i was very pleased with battery life. but! it was very awkward to use, will not stay in the ear, due to spring loaded yoke, and i had to continuosly re-plug it into my ear. due to my work, i move my head a lot, and it’ll just dangle on the yoke in no time. comparing to plantronics i had before, it was total pain in too-too fit wise. plus, as of late, it started throwing a fit - will “lose” the phone by itself, or will provide speaker sound but mike will not pick up my voice. hard resetting phone bluetooth will fix it, but why?
so, i did my reserch, and for a moment considred plantronics 520, simply because i had such a nice fit with it. but then i leaned towards the 2nd jawbone, simply because of the audio quality.
i have it in my ear for about half an hour as of now.
here’s some word for the jawbone folk: it does fit and feel MUCH more comfortable. that it does. i can’t even tell i have it on. i have just called my buddy and he could not tell i am on bluetooth.
but! there’s always that but. when you switched to cancealed buttons, now they are operated by the shield itself. of course, you made them very sensitive. BIG MISTAKE! by the time i had jawbone inserted into my ear properly, my fingers have activated those buttons some dozen times, as you really have to PRESS ON THE SHIELD to insert it into the ear. so i had it turned on and off, making all kinds of beeps into my ear, etc. also, Noiseassassin button appears to disconnect me from a phone call when pressed for volume adjustment. ??? it’s supposed to do it only when the phone rings, not when i am talking to someone.
i have little doubt i’ll have more surprises coming, so i stick to the receipt well. in general, for $129 + tax, i think it should have been without such a hassle, don’t you? figures, i’ll have to shut it down to insert into my ear, THEN turn it on, otherwise, i have no idea how the buttons won’t be activated as you have to push on the shield to insert it into the ear.