It's been almost a year since Aliph
last graced the Bluetooth headset world with its presence, and now it's back with the Jawbone Prime to reclaim the throne. The Jawbone Prime is only a minor update -- on the surface, anyways -- to its predecessor, and in fact the only visible change is a slightly different surface pattern and a minor indentation to denote one of the headset's two invisible buttons. Other than the quite welcome addition of Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR (multipoint connections, easy pairing), almost all the improvements under the hood have to do with the algorithm tweaks of NoiseAssassin 2.0 to improve noise reduction. It's really too bad the original isn't firmware-upgradable (we asked). The Prime will be replacing existing Jawbones at retail for the same old $130 pricetag, and comes in
Blah Blah Black,
Coffee Talk and
Going Platinum, while an "EARCANDY" edition is available in
Frankly SCARLET,
'YELLO!,
Drop Me A LIME and
LILAC You Mean It. Both will be available at retail on May 2nd.
posted Apr 22nd 2009 10:00PM
nice colors.
But the user still ends up looking like a Bluedouche.
Is it just me or did anyone else have to do a doubletake on those thumbnail shots to make sure this wasn't an article about a vibrator.....
Can't say that happened to me really.
But I guess we now know what other kind of articles you read.
I say it is just you whose mind is dirty-driven......
i admit i had to look twice too, .. the name jawbone doesn't help....
I wonder if the Bluetooth 3.0 spec will include the "this won't make you look like a huge tool" feature; the upgrade to 2.1 hasn't done much for this headset (or any of them for that matter).
Here's a Boondocks related moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7_06inJyto
Actually doesn't look to bad (black one, not really into all the colours).
Ouch on the price though.
I'm so glad they got rid of the ear loop. I broke all mine and was winging it without the earpiece. lol
They came out with new earbuds to allow you to use your normal Jawbone II with no earloop. I got mine and they are great, check out their site!
-Taylor
Forgot to mention, the new earbuds are FREE!
-Taylor
@ Taylor. Yes, Taylor.
Sorry, what was your name again?
That's awesome I just ordered some. Thanks.
They're called "New Fit Earbud"
I ordered the "new fit" earbuds but actually prefer the originals... I've been using a Jawbone 2 without an ear loop since the day I got it.
Where is it free?
I have the first one and it's pretty awesome.
I'm sorry, if you walk around with one of these in your ears, 9/10 people feel that you are a tool.
That's okay, I think people who drive around using speakerphone or with their headset pressed against their ear look like tools too.
Bluetooth headsets are sooooo 2006. It's three years to late to make them 'cool.'
Agreed. I don't even think they took out. I saw very few people with them and still see very few people with them. The people I do see are idiots. They seem to always wear them and they just look idiotic doing so. It's like, please take that crap out of your ear because you look like a dumbass. Your not cool - ask anyone.
Never liked them.
They really need to add a volume rocker.
How long b4 the price on these primers drop to $60
So did they include multipoint technology so I can use it with both my phones?
That's why I returned last years jawbone.
Own the non coloured variant of these and can safely say they are awesome headsets.
Not so sure i'd pay the full price for them though. I got mine with some special deal thing the Jawbone guys were doing with carrier employees.
Whats with all the cheesy (yet strangely compelling) slogans for each colour? 'Lilac you mean it'??
"Whats with all the cheesy (yet strangely compelling) slogans for each colour? 'Lilac you mean it'??"
MrTam, marketing says hi.
The colors are nice, but I like my pink motorola just fine. However, a present would be acceptable!
I've always liked Jawbones, but many Nokia, Samsung, Moto, etc. BT headsets are below $20 nowadays.
Have been nothing but happy with this company. Ordered a "New" Jawbone 1 from an unnamed website for $35. Device clearly did not look or operate as new. Aliph honored the warranty no questions asked and offered to upgrade me to the Jawbone 2. Got a new Jawbone 2 for next to nothing, and the quality of this thing is outstanding. Highly recommend this company!
Great marketing.
I've had a Jawbone and love it (although my older Jabra bluetooth was not only smaller, but also works great- just no noise reduction).
But I'll only pick up one of the new ones when it goes stereo, with a flesh color - I prefer to hide my toolness of chatting on my bluetooth while in line at Safeway.
You're probably right. It is good to look like a schizo.
When it would be avaible in Europe?
Nothing says: "Pretentious douche" like the combination of iPhone and the Jawbone
I thought people that carry both an iPhone and an iPod Touch were pretentious douches. To each his own though.
Love my Jawbone but really hate having to carry around yet another special purpose charging cable. Aggrevates me to no end. Mini or micro USB has surely got to be an option - right?
You could always just buy another headset that supports the standards.
Those only look good if you're on acid, or if you happen to be a brightly colored model. Banana slug-colored lips ftw.
I have the older version of the jawbone. The earloops are very prone to breaking, I've gone through 2 of them in a year. I went to the website to see about buying more and they've been discontinued. When I called support, they told me if it was still under warranty (which it no longer was by 3 weeks), then they would send me free replacements, but that they no longer sell me them. So they have them, but they won't sell them to me. Basically I'm SOL.
I called back 2 more times (thinking I could get a different rep to sell me some) and got the exact same story each time. So they no longer sell replacement parts (a part that breaks WAY too easily) for something I purchased just over a year ago? I find that unacceptable.
Needless to say I will never buy anything from them again and recommend against them to all of my clients and friends.
Do yourself a favor and stay away from Aliph.
learn to use google:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW!-JAWBONE-LEFT-EARLOOP-REPLACEMENT_W0QQitemZ180344792550QQcmdZViewItem
and plenty of other places. You may not like spending $10 to replace something but how much is your time worth? 3 service calls? I'd rather spend a few bucks and get it over with.
Or do like EVERYONE ELSE (including me) and skip the stupid hooks and just glue on some $5 Jabra Mini Gels. Works way better at keeping it in your ear and it only takes a few minutes to do.
Finally if it worked for you before the hook broke, give the new one a try. It's half the weight so a hook isn't necessary either.
I like the names of the colors. More manufacturers should do that.
I should very well be able to get a GT-R in "Blue Right Past You" or my next iPhone in "Well Orange You Trendy?"
I just sold my new Jawbone II on CL. I hated it. Almost as much as I hated my Jawbone I. I don't expect these new ones to be much better. Why? Mostly ergonomics and human factors issues.
1) Battery life sucks.
2) Proprietary charging connector sucks, should have used mini or micro USB instead for wider compatibility with other wireless gear that people already own.
3) Magnetic connection to charger cable not strong enough. I was carrying JB hanging by cable and dropped it, almost lost it completely without knowing.
4) Lack of physical, positive actuation buttons, hides the actuation buttons inside the outer shell - if you're carrying the thing in your hand, and squeeze too hard, you can turn it on or off without realizing. If you are adjusting it on your ear to get better contact with your cheek, you can inadvertently turn it off or hang up on someone. Minimalism taken too far.
5) You have to stare at the thing and watch for the white LED flash to know if it's on or not. Long interval between flashes.
6) No visual indication of battery status. You never know how much charge you have left.
7) Earloops are flimsy and useless. Nicely made, but useless. The metal wire ones are not comfortable and too thin (I don't want a wire around my ear) and the plastic ones don't hold the unit against my cheek properly to get the "jawbone" functionality. As you talk and the jaw moves, the unit can drift away from your face and you lose communication.
8) Simply too expensive. NOT worth $130, much less the $70 I paid for it online. Get real.
9) The jawbone contact button that rests against the cheek is a stupid idea. I know it's supposed to engage the noise cancellation by sensing vibrations of the voice, but it is mostly hindered by the flimsy earloops. I did better by removing the earloops and just squishing the unit into my ear, but then it falls out easier. And, you're always having to readjust it.
10) Pressing the back of the unit to raise the volume and/or adjust noise cancellation is terrible design. You can't really tell by the audible beeps what level of noise cancellation you are set on, or where it's going with successive presses. The caller just gets quieter or louder, but that's about all you know.
So, in my opinion, this is a crapgadget. I have just purchased a Motorola unit which does not have ANY of these problems, and gives you instant battery status reading.
Lilac you mean it. Awesome.
After purchasing the previous 2 models that failed miserably they wont be getting my money this time, instead i will be joining the class action against Jawbone for the absolute crap they think they can peddle and get away with. see http://www.lieffcabraser.com/defects/jawbone.htm
i hate walking around with that thing in my ear, i feel like a douche. i found this thing called nuikea.com which is essentially a leash so you can where it around your neck and put it in as needed.