Aliph Jawbone Prime hands-on and unboxing
By Paul Miller 
posted Apr 22nd 2009 10:46PM
posted Apr 22nd 2009 10:46PM
Functionality
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR meant setup was a snap -- no PIN to enter -- and the device can up to 8 device pairings and 2 simultaneous connections.
Impressions
We found the new earbud tips to be very comfortable, and we felt totally safe using the headset without the ear loop. Sound was clear and loud on our end, and we didn't have trouble at all carrying on a long conversation indoors and out.
Noise cancellation is hard to test empirically, but subjectively we'd say it did a great job of blocking out a noisy Manhattan street, and it faced up to our non-scientific wind test (a fan straight in the face) with surprisingly good results. It's not magical by any means, but it's pretty good at what it does.
Wrap-up
Sure, it's expensive, and there are plenty of decent noise canceling Bluetooth headsets out there to choose from -- Jawbone isn't even alone on the fashion front -- but we'd say Aliph's done a lot to improve audio performance and comfort this time around, and little to diminish those best-in-class looks they're so well known for. Now if only we could get a free software update for this one by the time NoiseAssassin 3.0 rolls around.
They need a Blue one.
A jaw-bone of an ass provided Samson with a weapon for the great slaughter of the Philistines. Who is Samson and what are Philistines? I believe the Philistines are netbook PCs that will be slain by the righteous Apple tablet.
They need a black one so I don't look like a 12 year old.
They have "Blah Blah Black, Coffee Talk and Going Platinum" in addition to the fruity color editions that they call "EARCANDY".
in the order of magnitude of 1?
Uh? Your comment makes sense not, mos.
Order of magnitude generally means an extra factor of 10. For example, 10^2 would be two orders of magnitude.
Sorry. I was meant to say in the magnitude zero. Exam time kills my joke!
If something is better by an order of magnitude, it means the exponent next to the number 10 is incremented by one, which means 10x better.
Regardless, you still fail.
I think you all missed the point. By saying "order of magnitude of one" he meant that the there was no change in the order of magnitude (IE: 10^0 = 1).
I laughed, probably because I have been cramming all day as well.
hawt, it'll match my skittles
apple bluetooth is better
You mean the one that they dont sell anymore?
It wasn't bad, but I have my fingers crossed, waiting for them to release independent (not connected by a wire or cord to one another) Bluetooth stereo headphones/earpieces of a similar design (maybe a more comfortable in-ear part). Why are all wireless headphones either uncomfortable or ginormous? I haven't seen a major size reduction in the technology for half a decade!
It's like the Texas Instruments calculators from the early 90s; nobody gives a sh*t anymore (which is sad, because I use both things 5 days a week).
anthony909, merely the latest in an (all too) long line of Apple haters pretending to be douchebag Apple fanboy trolls, in an attempt to convince Engadget readers that Apple fans are mostly fanboy trolls. Sadly, they've mostly succeeded in their attempts, due to a distinct lack of critical thinking on the part of most Engadget commentors.
Proof? No genuine Apple fan who cares about Apple's reputation would be mentioning their bluetooth headset in April 2009.
Actually, Vanilla, I'm not sure anyone EVER cared enough to buy one.
Although anthony909 isn't serious, I'll admit I liked the Apple Bluetooth headset. It wasn't the most feature rich headset on the market, but it had some advantages. One, it didn't require a separate charger and it's battery level integrated with the iPhone itself. Not having to carry a charger on trips is a huge plus when you've already got so much crap to carry. Two, it is very, very small. You'd hardly feel it on your ear and it could slip into a sport coat pocket or a pair of jeans and be unnoticed.
When I'm ready to get a new one, the Prime is on the short list. Although I'd prefer a less noticeable design. I want my headset to be as invisible as possible, not a fashion accessory.
It's like candy for your ears!
Jawbone doesn't even have a volume contro! So you can't increase it's volume. So, if you are at a noisy place, how would you ear the other person? I mean, the other person (you are talking to) won't hear much ambient noise (thanks to jawbone) but how would you hear the other person when you are in a noisy place!
Actually it does have volume controls. They are just hidden like the rest of the buttons.
He never had a Jawbone.... maybe he never has a girlfriend either
Actually you use the Noise Assassin button on the end to scroll through volume levels. Clicking makes it go up 1 level until you reach the top at which point it goes back to level 1. It's pretty simple, quick, and not much of a bother unless you need to continuously change the volume
A) As others said, it has volume adjustment
B) It dynamically changes volume for you based on the background noise level
C) I felt two points were inadequate so I just made this up
@kamokazi: I LOLd.
I see. I own the first generation Jawbone. I didn't know they introduced volume control in newer iterations. I guess it's finally time to buy a new Jawbone.
@RedBengal
Obviously you need to RTFM or you actually don't own a Jawbone. The original ones also have a volume control. It's the same button you press to pair the device in the first place.
Direct from the manual:
"Noise Shield Button: Press and hold 3 seconds for pairing
(Jawbone must be off)
Press and hold 3 seconds for Noise Shield On/Off
Press once – volume up"
That last line is important.
Haha maybe they shouldn't hide the buttons because people won't realize they exist.
fu*** A! I didn't even know this. Yes, I never read the manual! All this while I've been increasing volume using my BlackBerry's volume control.
fuc** A!!! I didn't know that. All this while I've been using BlackBerry's volume control to change volume.
Anyway, I just tried this. Jawbone was on. I pressed it for 3 seconds and it turned off (instead of noise on/off). Is there a particular position there where I need to press? I usually press the center of Jawbone's black surface.
Love how creative they are with the color names. I've been looking into buying a jawbone for some time now for both my ps3 and iphone. Looks like it's time to take the plunge.
I am going to skip this one. I bought Jawbone 2 but it never worked right.. until I lost the receipt and then it died completely. How do you take one apart?
How the the UPS or Fedex guy deliver the Engadget unit so quick? Darn, that's some express shipping for some Jawboning unboxing experience.
I'd like to sign up for that kind of shipping ....... kind of impressed..Or May be Aliph 2009 Open Alliance Headset Conference is currently going on somewhere in the Western Hemisphere that I'm not aware of.
Well that was fast. 46 minutes after the initial announcement post.
nice avatar I lol'd
On a side note, may I pls. know when Engadget will be gifting this out as one of the Recession freebies? as we're still in recession last time I checked.....
According to Apple's profits, we're not.
Ick, proprietary charger.
When is micro USB going to be universal?
in a few years
also wish it were microUSB
I wish, for once, a company would put their product in a simple brown cardboard box and not make me pay for packaging design.
You can actually buy the Jawbone in bulk packaging which get's rid of all the fancy packaging. Check out newegg or tigerdirect.
Is the reception any better with the iPhone? I had a Jawbone 2 for about a week, but wearing it in my right ear with the iPhone in my left pocket was too much interference to have a clear conversation. Has anyone else had similar problems?
hell yeah i love the jawbone 2, but i have the same issues with mine and my iPhone. Even if im walking and the phone is in my hand i get crappy reception.
I always hang up on people when I adjust the darn thing in my ear if I just happen to barely touch the middle of earpiece (facing away from face) - I HOPE they changed that from the Jawbone 2.
The ones with the loops though, work great. Too bad they're still sub-par compared to the Plantronics (925 for example) ones.
I have the same problem...noticed the problem immediately, made me wonder what kind of user acceptance testing they did before release...
Adding to it, I recently snapped my ear loop (and can't find the spares), so now every time I absentmindedly reach up to push the thing back into my ear, I disconnect the call.
wow, looks like they changed up the earloop on this one. After repeated FAIL on the first design.
I contacted Aliph for replacements - they were defective as a design flaw, not from abuse. I am still waiting on the ones they promised me a year ago.
At the time they didn't even have a phone contact # on their website. Great customer service Aliph. Notice I am not buying a new jawbone?
I am still using jawbone 1 and i think it work much better than the 2nd one. The only thing is hooks break on the first version and jawbone doesn't offer replacement. I called them, they said to look online, came accross a website that sells jawbone 1 hooks. jdog, maybe you can get few here if jawbone still hasn't shipped you yours http://www.msgdigital.com/productdetail.asp?productid=46041
I've never used the Jawbone 2, let alone this one, but I have the original Jawbone.
Fit could be better, it's a bit heavy, being the old style.. but HOLY CRAP it works well. My favorite use for it is to make phone calls from the datacenter. I can't even hear my own voice talking at a normal volume in there, but the person on the other end hears me as clear as day.
That is a sexy looking headset.
When would it be avaible in Europe too?
THANKU30 will give you $30 off this new Prime.
It works! Thanks!