Jawbone 2 in the wild!
By Paul Miller 
posted May 14th 2008 5:02PM
posted May 14th 2008 5:02PM
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Color me stupid, but what is so special about the "Jawbone" BT Headset?
A Few co-workers were talking about them like they were fantastic.
Because of a CA Law, I need to get a BT Headset before end of June or July and dont know which one to go with.
Thanks
A standard BT headset uses a microphone which has the tendency to pick up on all neighboring sounds. As a result, it can be difficult to maintain a conversation in windy conditions or in an area with significant ambient noise with a standard BT headset. A jawbone, on the other hand, actually rests against your...wait for it...jawbone and uses the principle of bone conductance to pick up sound. Effectively, it is translating the vibration it senses in your jawbone back into the sound which caused the vibration. The result is that the jawbone headset doesn't pick up wind noise or ambient noise, only the noise emanating from the user's mouth.
Now if Jawbone wants to send me a free headset for this explanation, I'm waiting. I would love to use one, but don't have $130 for a headset right now.
Jawbones are extremely noise resilient. You can be boating, flying, mowing the lawn or on a motorcycle and the person on the other end can still hear you. Maybe not well, but most other headsets get totally unusable very fast. The jawbone has a very small piece of plastic at the end of the headset (towards your mouth) that rests against your jaw and uses bone conduction to pick up the vibrations in your skull / mouth, and only sends sounds that sync with those vibrations.
Thats why I think the comments below griping about uninspired design and cheap Jabra headsets are hilarious. These guys clearly dont have the faintest idea that there is a distinct reason for being for this headset.
I dont believe the Jawbone directly converts vibration to sound, I believe it uses vibration to confirm which sounds it should be transmitting. Aleph is somewhat vague about what exactly their product does though, so its hard to be certain.
You can watch a demo ad at 31:44 in this episode of Diggnation: http://revision3.com/diggnation/2008-03-27foxnews/
It's way important to point out that the Jawbone cancels out noise, but NOT wind. I own one, and every time I step outside into wind, I hear crackling, and people on the other end can't hear me very well.
Wind is the achilles heel of the Jawbone, unfortunately. Now, if the Jawbone 2 can withstand wind, sign me up.
The jawbone knows when you are talking using the vibrations of your jawbone and then uses that information to cancel out other noises. I believe it was first developed by DARPA for the military in battleground situations. It works great.
This headset on the other hand by Nextlink uses bone conduction only and doesn't even have a microphone so it is the best for truly noisy environments.
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2006/07/07/nextlinks-new-bone-conduction-headset-goes-bluetooth/
Turn on your phone's speakerphone. I've tried virtually every bluetooth headset out there & always just go back to good, ole fashioned speakerphone- no fiddling, no forgetting, no having to charge two things...
I also just got SE's new visor speakerphone. It's just about as useless as standard bluetooth headsets.
Plus w/ the Nokia N95 (standard & 8gb) you get stereo on the sides so the phone can rest on your lap, but you don't muffle the sound.
Jawbone does nothing to cancel wind noise. Like other BT headsets I've owned, it picks up noise far more than a phone's built-in mic does -- probably because it is easier to shield the phone's mic from the sound, and not block your voice in the process.
The noise cancelling performance is nothing short of jaw-dropping. I simply can't use anything else.
I routinely use the Jawbone in datacenters that are so loud I can't hear my own voice unless I shout. Plus cell phone reception is terrible so it's nice to be able to place the phone somewhere that it gets good reception (up high on a rack) and talk hands-free while I type.
You can talk in a normal voice while in the datacenter, and the person on the other end hears you as clear as day, with NO background noise... but if the same person was standing right next to you instead of listening on the phone, they wouldn't be able to hear you over the noise.
Yes, it is that good.
Comfort level is not so good. Earpiece quality is okay. Not great, (not as good as my original Jabra actually, though that headset had a ton of static)... but good enough, and better than a phone in noisy environments since the speaker sits right in your ear.
Meh. Same boring design as the old one.
Meh,
129 is a bit much when you can get a jabra for abt $40/50.
Jabra? ROFL.
jawbra. for extra support.
The ear hook is VERY uncomfortable. It's annoying at best.
Yeah, I absolutely love the headseat but hated the provided ear hook. The solution is to pick up some $10 Jabra EarGels, which connect to the headset and rest comfortably and securely in your ear without the need for the ear hook. The headset has been invaluable for me at work, I can take conference calls in the car or at the airport and people have no idea I'm not sitting at my desk in the office.
what's so special about it?
it doesn't use a conventional microphone to detect your voice. instead, it uses a vibration receiver that picks up vibrations from ur cheek and converts it into a digital signal. in a way, its sort of a noise cancelling headset. my dad has one and when he's driving with the top down, you can't even tell.
CA Law is making BT headsets mandatory?
Actually, the original doesn't use jawbone conduction to send the sound, it has a microphone. But the neat thing is its noise cancellation. It is meant to work in noisy environments and isolate your voice and cancel the background noise. Check out the demo at the mfgr's web site: www.aliph.com
I'm not super impressed with mine however it is the only headset I've ever owned that passes the wife test (wife not screaming -- "are you wearing that headset? take it off and talk into the phone!) so it's what I use.
Hopefully the sound improves in terms of being louder and clearer in this new version.
For a person doing business from the road, $129 is well worth it if the product lives up to its hype.
Looks like they didn't fix the comfort part. I'll skip this version.
I saw a demo/ad of one of the Jawbone devices in an episode of Diggnation, and was quite amazed by its noise-cancelling performance. Any Jawbone users here who would like to share their experience?
Owned one, used it very rarely, then it got destroyed by a sand storm. Worked fine the couple times I biked around while on the phone.
Or you could just go the Jawbone website and not have to listen to Kevin & Alex goof off for 30 minutes.....
@Golferal: you can always skip forward, but you'll hurt Alex and Kevin a little bit inside. ;-)
PS: My real experience is similar to the demo. I can walk into a bathroom with all of the echo and fans running, take a leak, flush the toilet and no one can tell the difference!
@Golferal: sounds like it's the perfect kit for pretending you're working in the office overtime while you're actually having a pint in the pub.
Being self employed and all, I can do that without worry!
Along those lines, there's a Jawbone commercial for you - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sPQAgRSydU&feature=related
PS: Sorry for the "gayness" in that video if it offends!
@Golferal: OK.... that was VERY weird... I was hoping the two girls would make out instead of the two lads.
If that's what we're going to get from Jawbone, I'd rather have Dom Joly back with his upgrade: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RMI_iSW9L8
PS: no offence to gay men!
I dont believe the Jawbone directly converts vibration to sound, I believe it uses vibration to confirm which sounds it should be transmitting. Aleph is somewhat vague about what exactly their product does though, so its hard to be certain.
None of the comments above are correct....the Jawbone does NOT use bone conduction technology. It uses a sensor on the front of the headset that detects when you're speaking by using jawbone vibrations (and turns the microphone on and off depending on when you are speaking) but it uses traditional microphone and noise reduction technology after that.
Big drawbacks to this are always size, really poor wind performance, accidental activation of the microphones (therefore transmitting unintended sound), etc....
Bone conduction, instead, actually converts bone vibrations into acoustic sound....Jawbone does not do this....
I have a Jawbone, and I agree the ear hook is very uncomfortable. Also the earbud does not stay in the ear. I tried all the provided earbuds but none fit well. (They need an in-ear option) The noise canceling works good (have tried it on and off, and callers can definitely tell the difference), but the problem is the sound quality is so bad YOU can't hear anything. It doesn't matter how great the cancelation is on the other end if you can't hear the caller.
Would love to dump Jawbone...BlueAnt seems to come up alot. Anyone have experience with one, or know of another suitable replacement?
The sound quality on mine is as good as any other BT headset I've had (and I've had alot). Maybe yours is defective?
DO NOT BUY A BLUEANT! I owned one and returned it. It was AWFUL! No noise cancellation or isolation or anything! I live in NYC, and even when I would turn it's setting on high (cause it does have 2 settings, one for standard and one for max) and it STILL didn't work. I tried it out for 2 weeks, and right before the return period expired, I took it back. Only got store credit, but better than a loss. Not worth it at all. People preferred me to just talk into the phone, instead of using that thing. They said they could hear the traffic and street more than me! Unbelievable. Save your money.
DO NOT BUY A BLUEANT! I owned one and returned it. It was AWFUL! No noise cancellation or isolation or anything! I live in NYC, and even when I would turn it's setting on high (cause it does have 2 settings, one for standard and one for max) and it STILL didn't work. I tried it out for 2 weeks, and right before the return period expired, I took it back. Only got store credit, but better than a loss. Not worth it at all. People preferred me to just talk into the phone, instead of using that thing. They said they could hear the traffic and street more than me! Unbelievable. Save your money.
I’ve tried literally dozens of BT headsets including the Blue Ant Z9. The Z9 is TERRIBLE. I keep coming back to the Jawbone. It isn’t as comfortable as I would like, and the noise cancellation is not entirely perfect (the efficacy of the noise cancellation has a lot to do with how snugly you can get it attached to your head), but it is definitely the best of what’s around. The only thing that I have found that comes close is the Motorola H12 Pure. It’s a lot more comfortable than JB, but it isn’t as effective in noise cancellation. Still, it’s pretty good. If you just hate the look/fit of the JB, you may want to give it a shot. The difference can be summed up thusly: I can have my car window rolled down and the music playing and still be heard by others with little to no interference with the JB. With the H12, I have to roll the window up and turn the music off. With anything else, I might as well just pull over somewhere to have the conversation.
Also... keep in mind that the type of phone you're using makes a difference... especially if you're using a Blackberry. BB's have some built-in features that actually hinder the quality of the call instead of help (echo control, I'm lookin' at you). Just turn that off and things for any BT headset get better. I also seem to have less problems with BT 2.0 phones with the JB (even though it's a BT 1.2 product). All in all, if you really just hate the Jawbone, give the H12 a try. Best Buy has a very liberal return policy, so you can try it out and see if you like it.
I also recommend doing some testing... Call a line where you can leave some messages, like a home phone or your work voicemail or something. Leave a few messages under varied conditions, such as driving with the window down, radio on, etc. and also without the headset. Make sure you talk long enough to be able to analyze the nuances of your call quality (20 seconds of general conversation should suffice). By doing this, you can make your own judgement about the quality of the product instead of relying on someone on the other end to tell you if it sounds ok or not. Hope this helps!
I have had version 1 since the day it came out and have not even thought of buying another headset since. Yes the styling kinda sucks and the ear loop bites monkey balls, but as a previous poster said an little superglue and a Jabra eargel and that problem is solved (I no longer need the ear loop at all).
I may even buy 2 of the new ones so the wife can have one too. I am soooo tired of hearing all of the ambient noise on her Motorola unit.
If you need a headset and want true noise cancellation technology, don't even bother with any other brand. The Jawbone is the shiznit!
i much prefer the 8040 over the jawbone of course i'm only 5'10" and don't have ogre ears
looks like incremental changes to an existing product. looks better for a more low profile look. it's tough to say more without a full review.
i wonder if there'll ever be a giant leap forward on bluetooth headset advancements or if we continue on this path of +1 incrementation.
until they fix the busted a$$ charger the Jawbone is dead to me. DEAD.
I currently own a jawbone headset and its garbage. After a few months it won't charge, or attach to the charger well at all. If you google it, you will see how many compaints they got for it. I have contacted support via email when i first got it, no response over and over. Its the most money i ever wasted in my life on a headset . So i will not purchase the new version, i suggest if you want noise cxl headset look else where.
It has its own garbage? Intriguing.
Biggest drawback of Jawbone 1 was the goofy proprietary charging cable. Unless this is mini or micro USB... FAIL!
engadgetmobile.com says the connector is different, but they didn't say if it's a standard.
Check the article on Engadget when it went to FCC, it shows the charger interface, which is smaller, different, but NOT standard.
Still looks like a PIA to get on a normal size ear
sorry piTa
All bluetooth headsets make you look like an idiot. Only a douche would wear one unless required by law while driving.
I have had the Jawbone for 1 yr and 4 months.
My charging cable still works. It still holds charge.
It has the least amount of fatigue on the ears than the other dozen top of the line headsets that I have tried. That means it does less damage to your ears over long periods of time at similar listening levels.
It is also the only one, that people can not tell when I use my handset, and when I use the Jawbone.
The original On/Off button takes getting used to, but once you are over that hurdle, it is fine.
I never had the charge issue... but i've broken A LOT of the ear clips. if they don't fix that i'm not getting another jawbone. What good is a headset that you can't put in your pocket without breaking the ear hanger and rendering it useless until you can get another one?
I think superglueing it to your head is a bit extreme.
harhar
Owned the original one for a week before the metal earpiece tarnished which prompted me to return it. It worked very well, but I was disappointed with the metal earpiece. It would appear the new one is covered so it's less prone to said effects.
And if your wondering how it can tarnish, mix sweat, oils, water, and heat and what you get isn't a pretty picture.
Cnet has a review here: http://reviews.cnet.com/headsets/aliph-jawbone-2/4505-13831_7-33018086.html?tag=box
According to them, it's going to be on sale tomorrow.
This sucks, I just bought the first gen recently before the prices went down.
I'll be getting one the second it hits the stores.
I've had the JB1 since it came out, and LOVE it.
Even more so, that I ditched the ear hook, and the UNcomfortable
Ear buds and got a custom fit ear piece from a place that makes ear
pieces for hearing aids, pilots etc. Yeah, it was expensive (70 bucks), but
when you wear a BT 8-10 hours a day for work, nothing beats comfort
Ok, i have read many posts on this and let me put my 2 cents in this. I have owned the jawbone for 3 months and i am finally ready for my review. I have owed several in the past 10 years and by far this is the best in sound quality, battery power and simplicity. I have been in the wind, extreme background noise and no one has complained about not hearing me.
The bad thing which i am surprised noone has really focused on is the very bad ear piece. I am a big guy and i tried all of the different ear pieces for days at a time in denial hoping that it would "adjust" but all of them suck!! So i went and read different suggestions. I fell for one that said to order gel ear pieces from Jabra. Don't even bother and save your $20. They were even worse! .
So, i did more reading and i found the solution! I went to www.averysound.com where they sell custom molded ear pieces for cell phones and they specialize in jawbone ear pieces. So after sending off about $60 i was sent a custom modling set that i had to put on my ear and let it set and then send it back to the company. I was a little apprehensive when the molding arrived, i thought about the extra $60 i was spending. After it arrived i was little paranoid of not getting it right but the company was so friendly and they offer a guarentee that you will get the best fit possible. What did i have to lose?
After about 2 weeks, i was in possesion of the finest custom ear piece i have ever worn!! You will not need the ear loop the Jawbone comes with, you can literally use the Jawbone with no earloop!! It fits that snug and the sound is incredible and it looks sleek! You would want to go this route if you truly want the most out of your Jawbone. True it jumps the cost up considerably but it virtually guarentees satisfaction. That is priceless. NO, i do not work for averysounds.
Sorry for the long comment but case closed!!!
i just got the new version of the the jawbone 2.0 as they call it now, and it is amazing. It is comfortable to wear for long periods. The sound quality is amazing and the noise canceling feature is awsome and blocks out noise. It is worth every penny and i bought 2 of these one for me and one for my girlfriend and she loves it.
It is much smaller than the last one which is a big plus and love the style of the new one now.
Tried the Original JB... Receive Audio was just ridiculous to say the least.
...got the Motorola H12...
I was enjoying the Motorola H-12 until I had to take it back to the store, after the audio faded into oblivion so that even with the volume all the way up, I could still barely hear anyone. (This is only after a bit more than a month in use).
...Just got the new Jawbone 2...
The noise cancellation on the Jawbone 2 is better than the Motorola H-12. Everyone says that my voice is very clear, even in the data center they can understand me. The Audio from the other end for me is “just ok” as far as quality, but I have to say that it is very easy for me to understand what everyone is saying even when I am in noisy environments. The charger is a new magnetic version of the proprietary JB type, so no more trouble with unplugging… but still no mini-USB though (I loved the Motorola H-12 Charging system and still miss that, especially the extra charger for USB). The ear-clip is a new leather covered version, and feels just as comfortable as the Motorola. (Trust me… I need to wear mine “all” the time). So far I like what I see and hear in the new Jawbone 2. Hope this helps. I will update with more after more testing.