Let’s start with a disclaimer — we don’t know any folks who really wants to wear a Bluetooth headset while they’re talking on their phone. And if we did, we would probably tell them to get over themselves. When we’re walking down the street and see someone rocking the headset as they cruise around, not even on a call, well, we’re not that kind of nerd.
That said, there are times where a headset is unavoidable — especially if you commute in a car. So, as much as you might want to avoid the ‘tooth, you’ve got to deal with it.
Which leads us to Aliph, and its Jawbone line. Ever since the company released its first headset in 2006, it has consistently produced the best-performing, least-annoying models on the market, with audio quality and design that make them a relative pleasure to use.
The company’s latest model is called the Jawbone Era. It improves on previous Jawbone versions, and, yet again, stands as the best headset we’ve ever used.
The same basics are there, including Jawbone’s Noise Assassin technology, which does the best job of noise reduction that we’ve heard on a headset. Even walking down a windy street, the people on the other end of the call reported that we were coming in loud and clear.
There’s also the MyTalk service that Aliph introduced with last year’s Icon model, which allows users to upgrade their headset as new features become available, and install apps that integrate with services like Jott, or Jawbone’s own Thoughts app.
So what’s new? Two big things. First, the Era has a much larger speaker than the Icon, but in the same size space. There’s some clever engineering that lets the speaker occupy the entire diameter of the ear stem. Bigger speaker = better sound, generally, and it certainly does in this case. Switching back and forth between the new Era and the older Icon, it was easy to hear the difference, with the Icon providing much richer audio.
The other big change is that the Icon includes an accelerometer. Which admittedly, sounds a little goofy. The current trend in electronics is to put an accelerometer in everything from your phone to your videogame controller, and it might seem like Jawbone is just hopping on the bandwagon.
But then you go to pair the headset with a phone. Rather than some esoteric button presses to get the headset into pairing mode, you simply shake it four times and you’re good to go. Clever! To answer a call, no need to press the button on the top (although you can if you like). Instead, just tap your finger twice on the headset.
When you talk to folks at Aliph, they clearly are hoping they can turn the headset into a fashion accessory in such a way that you won’t laugh at that guy on the street. We’re not sure that’s ever going to happen. But continuing to come up with cool new products that work terrifically — and bring innovation to a fundamentally dull category — is more than enough for us.
WIRED: Superior audio quality. Eight different fit options should handle about every type of ear. Using touch to control headset is surprisingly compelling, and updates could enable new gestures and interactions. Four different Yves Behar designs trump competition. Included bag helps you keep track of the darn thing.
TIRED: $130 is not cheap for a headset. But if you’re on it a lot, it’s worth it. Slightly heavier than previous model.
Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired
