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Jabra's EASYGO billed as the headset for 'Bluetooth beginners'
In a world where $70-plus Bluetooth headsets are common and $100-plus headsets aren't unheard of, it's refreshing to see a cheap model come out from a top-tier manufacturer, isn't it? Nokia showed its €20 BH-106 a couple months ago, and now we've got the $39.99 EASYGO from Jabra, a peripheral the company says is perfect for "Bluetooth beginners." Presumably, Jabra would love to see a customer graduate from this to something like a Stone2 when the time's right, but that doesn't mean the EASYGO is a slouch: it's got verbal guidance of battery level and pairing status, a feature that you don't always see in this segment of the market. If you're looking for a cheap stocking stuffer and you're trying to get someone to take their hands off their phone while they're driving, you're in luck -- it's available now.
Jabra Stone2 is out this week -- but AT&T and Verizon are carrying different versions
In the off chance that you have your fingers on the pulse of the Bluetooth headset industry, you know darn well that Jabra's curiously-designed Stone2 went on sale this week. What you may not know, however, is that the version you get depends on where you buy it. Turns out both AT&T and Verizon have decided to carry the units in-store, but AT&T went with a glossy black (pictured left) while Big Red opted for a "sexy, black leather finish" (pictured right). Both versions are the same $129.99 at the counter, so it really comes down to which design you prefer -- don't let any silly carrier preferences or undying brand loyalty get in the way. Just don't show your AT&T phone in the Verizon store or vice versa, lest you start a melee the likes of which your town has never seen.
Jabra debuts six touchscreen-paired headsets designed for Microsoft Lync
Microsoft's Lync, the supposed "next generation of unified communications" (a.k.a. the rebranded Office Communicator) just made its official debut this week, and it looks like it's already racking up some pretty big hardware partners. Among the first is Jabra, which has just rolled out no less than six new headsets that each come paired with their own touchscreen. Those all fall under the Jabra Pro 9400 and Jabra Go 6400 series, which each pack similar base units but come with headsets of varying portability, from a full-size set of headphones to a standard Bluetooth headset that you can also use with your phone. And just for good measure, Jabra has also rolled out its new Jabra SPEAK 410, which is the company's first USB-powered speakerphone. Of course, they all also come with some decidedly business-minded prices (upwards of $500), but it looks like they're all available immediately.
Jabra rolls out Stone2 on November 21st, just as UFO-like as the original
Bluetooth headsets look strange enough hanging off your ear as it is, so why not maximize the shock factor? Jabra's Stone is equal parts strange and elegant, and it would appear that the newly-announced Stone2 is making no attempt to diverge from that formula. Apart from some minor tweaks, the overall curved design and matching charging dock appear to be largely unchanged from the original model, but the Stone2's claim to fame is the fact that it's now a completely touch-free experience to use: if a call comes in, you just say "answer" or "ignore" and the phone will do your bidding. Never mind the fact that the people around you at the coffee shop are more convinced than ever that you're talking to yourself, we suppose. Look for it in AT&T stores on the 21st of this month for $129.99.
Jabra Wave headset coming to Verizon next month for $60
Sure, the Motorola Oasis might be an AT&T exclusive at the moment... but Verizon has its own accessory exclusives, too, as evidenced by Jabra's latest headset. The Wave, announced this week at CTIA, is a behind-the-ear design (a design Jabra's known for) and is touted as being both slimmer and "significantly easier to use than its predecessors," mostly thanks to its voice prompts and StatusDisplay -- Jabra's trademark for blinky status lights. It's also got fancy-sounding "three layer wind-noise reduction" aided with the usual DSP; pair that up with the fact that this puppy's got a boom mic, and we're willing to wager that it'll perform pretty well in the wilds. It'll hit Verizon stores in November for $59.99.
Jabra Go 660 Bluetooth headset 'solution' pairs an Extreme with a USB adapter
Jabra certainly loves to trumpet the noise cancellation abilities of its Bluetooth headsets, and while our own experiences haven't quite lived up to the hype, we always look forward to the company's latest name for its noise cancellation tech. Disappointing, then, that the new Jabra Go 660 "headset solution" (with its Extreme ear jewelry) is said to be the company's "first Bluetooth headset with Noise Blackout Extreme." That's despite the Stone shipping with tech that went by the same name this time last year. Hopefully that system has been improved since then and will now actually live up to its name, putting background noise in a headlock and rendering it completely unconscious. In addition to the headset you get a USB Bluetooth adapter for a computer so that you can quickly go from VOIP to voicemail. The Go 660 is available now for $110, including the adapter -- which of course you won't need if your system is already down with the Bluetooth.
Jabra Stone goes exclusive in white for AT&T
Jabra's Stone is still one of the more stylish Bluetooth headsets ever to take on the market, but you know what makes anything more stylish? Painting it white. Sure enough, the white Stone looks pretty sweet in pictures, and it's an AT&T exclusive starting today for $129 in stores. That's a little steep for a headset, sure, but one small bonus is that buyers who complete a survey after picking it up will receive a $30 card good toward other products in the AT&T store -- so that takes the edge off the pocketbook sting, we suppose.
Jabra Clipper stereo Bluetooth headset gets official
Well, it just wouldn't be MWC without a few Bluetooth headsets to go along with the new phones now, would it? Thankfully, Jabra has come through with its new Clipper headset which, like Jabra's BT3030, packs a standard 3.5mm jack to let you pair it with your own headphones (although Jabra also supplies a pair of its own noise-canceling buds). Otherwise, you'll get some full, discreetly hidden controls on the clip itself, and a promised six hours of talk time and eight days of standby. No official word of a North America release just yet, but this one is expected to run £39 in the UK (or about $60).
Jabra Cruiser Bluetooth speakerphone and Extreme BT headset unveiled
There was a time when man and woman alike roamed the earth without large earpieces hugging the side of their head -- but that time has long since passed. Jabra's got a couple of new devices right up its alley. The Jabra Extreme Bluetooth features noise blackout extreme, dual mics with DSP and automatic volume control. The going price to slot into your canal is $80 and it should be available now via Best Buy. Less bionically plugged in is the Jabra Cruiser Bluetooth speakerphone for car usage. Noise blackout, caller ID via voice, the ability to pair two BT devices at once, remote MP3 control, and built-in FM transmitter for taking that lovely sound and playing it through your car stereo. That one's being sold online or via AT&T / Verizon for a cool Benjamin. PR is after the break.
Jabra Extreme promises to beat background noise to a bloody pulp
Holding a meaningful conversation in the middle of, say, a rock quarry or a steel factory isn't the simplest task in the world -- it requires a booming voice, a knack for picking out voices in the most distracting environments, and extreme patience on the part of your callee. Bluetooth headsets are particularly susceptible to call-killing background noise, giving rise to a number of technologies designed specifically to hush it; Motorola's CrystalTalk and bone-conducting HX1 are both good examples. Jabra rolled out its latest two-mic noise canceling algorithm -- Noise Blackout Extreme -- when it launched the Stone a few months back, and now it's taking that same tech over to the lower-cost (and aptly-named) Jabra Extreme. Pretty, it's not -- at least, not compared to the Stone -- but at $80, it's more of a function-before-form sort of deal. Look for it to hit stores this month.
Jabra STONE Bluetooth headset review
Finally, the teaser's over. The latest delivery to Engadget's UK penthouse is the Jabra STONE Bluetooth headset due out in the US on 8th November, and we took no time to extract the pebble from the transparent cylinder. In front of us are the two parts of the STONE: an earpiece of a breakthrough form factor that instantly makes you pity its rivals, and behind it is the accompanying portable charging base which serves as an external battery. The latter is equipped with a micro-USB port and an LED indicator -- simply green or red -- to show whether there's enough battery juice for one full charge. It's a pretty neat idea as this is the only feasible way to fit eight hours of talk time (or twelve days of standby time) into such tiny package: two on the earpiece and an extra six from the surprisingly light battery base -- our scale reckons it is just under one ounce. We also dig the auto-off function when you dock the earpiece and vice versa. Docking and undocking are pretty straight forward too: just snap in for the former, and poke your thumb through the bottom hole of the base to push the earpiece out. The generic click button hidden under the Jabra badge is easy to access and responds well. Above that is the invisible vertical touch strip for volume control and similarly it responded nicely to our strokes. What's left on the earpiece are the two LED indicators on the underside for Bluetooth connectivity and battery. So far so good, but what really matters is the ear-on experience and the audio quality -- listen for yourself after the break.
Jabra STONE Bluetooth headset brings extreme noise blocking, $130 price tag
Okay, so this thing is way more "traditional Bluetooth headset" than "a round object that looks nothing like a Bluetooth headset," but we'll give the marketing team credit -- STONE sure got us looking. Jabra's newest Bluetooth headset has just become official, bringing with it a behind-the-ear design, a wireless portable charger (which doubles as a carrying case) and Noise Blackout Extreme technology to keep things quiet when your yammering. There's also a "nearly invisible touch-controlled volume pad" on the outside of the headset, a battery good for 8 hours of talk time (or 12 days in standby), dual BT pairing support and A2DP compatibility. Unfortunately, you'll have to waltz into an AT&T retail store starting on November 8th to get one, and worse still, you'll walk out $129.99 poorer. But hey, you'll leave Stoned. (Sorry.)
Jabra Stone to bring 'new shape' to Bluetooth headset field
C'mon, cut us some slack here. We're suckers for teasers, and our intuition says that you are too. Jabra, who has definitely done a thing or two for the Bluetooth headset realm, is apparently looking to reveal a "new shape" on October 20th, though it'll only be sold through AT&T (at least initially). Heck, there's even a countdown timer over on the outfit's teaser page for those who'd like to watch every second from now till then tick away, not to mention a brief video that tersely details the forthcoming excellence. So, got any bright ideas about what this thing could be? The second coming of the BT headset? Just another tchotchke?[Via Electricpig]
Jabra's HALO now ready to make stereo Bluetooth look a little less ridiculous
By its very nature, stereo Bluetooth gear is never going to look quite as cool as its wired equivalent -- but if we look back on the early days, we're making progress. Jabra's new over-the-ear HALO should appeal to some with its relatively convenient folding design, and as an added bonus, it kinda looks like you're wearing a futuristic hair beret when you slip it on. How can you argue with that? Following an announcement earlier this year, the HALO's now available at Best Buy locations for $130 promising 8 hours of music playback, 13 days of standby, seamless transition between calls and tunes, and an innovative corded mode with a 3.5mm jack. It's tough to say whether you'll get odd stares wearing these day in and day out -- but if you're not willing to find out the answer to that the hard way, we certainly are. Selfless, we know.
Jabra Go 6400 and Pro 9400 with capacitive touchscreen base redefines overkill, want
Here's what you get when a manufacturer tries to justify a $199 price tag on its newest headsets. The Jabra Go 6400 (pictured above) and Pro 9400 look to be standard noise-cancelling Bluetooth and DECT headsets, respectively, with a multifunction button to answer/reject/redial/mute calls and adjust the volume. However, these headsets are paired with an industry first touch-screen base for call management. The 2.4-inch capacitive LCD displays caller ID, call records, and lets users switch between their mobile, desk, and corporate softphones via a spin of the carousel. Fun sure, and exceedingly geeky, but hardly worth the $199 to duplicate functions already built-in to the headsets or accessible via the displays on the devices it connects to. Then again, these are aimed at office professionals (read: corporations) when they launch in September and $199 is nothing when you're spending someone else's money. DECT configuration pictured after the break.[Via SlashGear]
Jabra HALO hands-on
Finding awesome stereo Bluetooth hardware is challenging. There are a few good reasons for that: one, you've got to somehow pack a battery inside the headset itself, two, you've got radio circuitry in there, and three, it's all got to last a bunch of hours between charges. We're not saying that Jabra's just-announced HALO is for everyone, but it's an awfully interesting product -- probably one of the best A2DP sets we've seen -- and unlike most on-ear sets, it folds small enough to carry with you pretty much everywhere you go. The jury's out on audio quality and fit until we get our hands on an actual review unit (they're showing some pretty loose pre-production prototypes at CTIA) but considering how the HALO looks and works, we're cautiously stoked that this is going to end up being one of the better multimedia accessories of the year.
Jabra intros HALO stereo Bluetooth headset, SP200 speakerphone
Jabra's making the wireless music game just a little bit more interesting today with the announcement of its stereo Bluetooth HALO headphones, featuring six hours of playback time on a single charge, AVRCP support, Jabra's Noise Blackout circuitry for improved clarity when making calls, and micro-USB charging. Conveniently, the HALO folds for storage, which also toggles the set's power. Staying in the Bluetooth theme, the company is also showing off its SP200 speakerphone -- a great way to avoid the fuzz, we figure -- with 10 hours of talk time, 23 days of standby, and active noise reduction. The HALO hits in May for $129.99; the SP200, meanwhile, gets real in April for $59.99.
Plantronics, Jabra intro Discovery 925, BT4010 Bluetooth headsets
Those in the market for a new Bluetooth headset now have a pair of new options to consider from two of the big handsfree players, with Plantronics and Jabra recently introducing their new Discovery 925 and BT4010 models. For its part, Plantronics looks to be after the more style-conscious user, with its 925 headset boasting the company's trademark VFrame design and your choice of Onyx Black, Alchemy Gold, and Cerise Pink colors. On the specs front, you can expect up to five hours of talk time, and AudioIQ noise reduction technology, along with a carrying case that also doubles as a charger. Look for it to set you back $150 when it hits stores next month. The Jabra, on the other hand, keeps things more conventional-looking, with a handy LCD display offering a bit of an upgrade over the usual blinkin' LEDs. Otherwise, you can expect a decent six hours of talk time, and so-called e-SCO technology, which promises to improve voice transfer from headset to phone. Jabra's promising to deliver this one sometime in the spring for $60.Read - Plantronics Discovery 925Read - Jabra BT 4010 [Via Phone Arena]
Jabra's BT3030 Bluetooth headset mimics dog tag
Falling somewhere before the BT8010 and BT8040, the BT3030 most definitely takes the crown for clever design. Jabra's latest Bluetooth headset, as you can glean from the image above, was crafted to mimic the traditional dog tag, and specifications wise, you'll find Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, HSP, HFP, A2DP and AVRCP support. Additionally, you'll find six buttons useful for sending / ending calls and controlling music playback, and yes, it will lower the volume when detecting an incoming call from your livid mother-in-law. Ditch that ear critter and pick up something slightly less appalling late next month in Japan (or right now in the US) for ¥8,980 ($90). Check out the gallery over on Engadget Classic.
Jabra launches luxury JX20 Pura Titanium Edition
Jabra launched this sleek thing at CES this week, with a body crafted from Titanium and glossy black accents, it is definitely looking the business. This new offering was designed by Jacob Jensen, the same fella who created Jabra's JX10 headset -- though this venture has way less gold. The device's specs are posted as having up to 6-hour talk time, Bluetooth 2.0, auto pairing, USB charging -- this is a must in our opinion -- a couple ear hooks , and a goodly assortment of ear gels. Though, with an MSRP of $179, we're thinking this will find its way onto a limited collection of ears.[Via PhoneArena]
