[ Review ] Aliph Jawbone 2

By ahfunaki
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Grand Master

ahfunaki

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On May 15, 2008 Aliph released the follow up to their very popular Jawbone Bluetooth headset, the Jawbone 2.

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This new headset is about half the size of the original coming in at 2" x 0.5" x 0.5" and the original being 1.8" x 2.2" x 0.7". It's lighter as well, weighing in at a light 0.35 oz and the original weighing 1.0 oz. The only downfall spec wise of the Jawbone 2 compared to the original is that it is rated with a 4 hour talk time vs. a 6 hour talk time. Although the standby time went up from 5 days on the original to 8 days on the Jawbone 2. So on paper it looks like a good improvement, but in the real world does it work? Is it better? Read on to find out...

Packaging: 9/10

Well to any of you that owned the original Jawbone, you'll notice that the packaging is almost identical on the new one. The headset comes a nice, clear plastic box that shows off the headset very well when it's sitting on a display shelf in your local AT&T store. It definitely will grab your attention before any other headset will. The packaging is well thought out and fairly creative. I've never seen any other product that is packed up the way that this headset is. It's fairly hard to describe, so I'll let the pictures do the talking ( see below ).

Build quality: 9/10

Do to the fact that the headset only weighs 0.35 oz, it's kind of hard to say that the headset feels durable, but at the same time I do feel like if I were to drop it, it would hold up fairly well without shattering into a million pieces.

The ear hooks are covered with what seems to be leather with stitching around the outside edge, an interesting addition to bluetooth headsets. I don't see anything going wrong with this part of the headset either.

And the other thing that is greatly improved about build quality is the charger. With my first Jawbone I went through 3 different chargers before I received one that always clipped in properly and would always charge the headset right. Well they ditched the old design and now it's a magnetic charging base that seems to work much better than the old design. Only time will tell for sure though...

Ease of use: 9/10

Considering there are only two buttons on the entire headset, it would be odd to say this headset is hard to use.

The first button is on the back of the headset and it turns the "noise assassin" feature on and off. The headset comes with the feature turned on and I'll recommend keeping it that way, but if you ever want to turn it off hold the back button down until you hear descending tones indicating that the feature has been turned off. To turn it back on just hold the button again until ascending tones are heard and then the feature is back on. This button also can control the volume of the headset. All you have to do is tap it and it will cycle through the volume levels.

The second button is on the side of the headset and it can be used to pair the phone. In order to do that you just hold down the button until the hidden LED on the headset flashes red / white. The phone automatically goes into pairing mode the first time you use it anyways, so you might not ever have to manually do it. This button also can answer and end calls. And if you would like to call back the last number you called just tap it twice and it will redial for you.

Sound quality: 8/10

The sound quality that I hear through the speaker is good. Could it be better? Yes. But it's not like you'll be listening to music through this thing so for what it's intended for I think it's fine. The person on the other end sounds clear and they are easy to understand.

As for if that person can hear me I've used it driving in my car with the windows down, with music playing in the background and the person on the other end said they could hear me fine. They said they could still hear some background noise but it wasn't anything that would interfere with a conversation. I have no complaints here.

Comfort: 10/10

This is one of the main complaints I had about the original Jawbone, it wasn't very comfortable to wear at all. After I used it for a bit it was fine, but up until that point it was kind of annoying to have in my ear. Everything about the new Jawbone design is more comfortable. From it's nicer, normal shaped ( if you owned a original you'll know what I'm talking about ) ear pieces to the leather ( or what looks like leather ) wrapped ear hooks it is a huge improvement. I enjoy wearing this headset.

The verdict:

The Jawbone 2 is an excellent headset. Overall it is a well rounded headset that does everything a headset needs to do, and it does it well. The only drawback in my opinion is the $130 price tag. It is expensive, but if you are looking for a quality headset that works great this could be the one for you. I'd recommend it...

I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention some things, so if anyone has any questions about it don't hesitate to ask and I'll do my best to answer them for you.

And on to the pictures:

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Grand Master

PNWDweller

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Had version 1 didn't care too much for the sound quality. But then again, I am picky when it comes to that.

I will have to see if this one is better.

The leather on the ear piece is a nice touch. I never was able to get those to conform to my ear that well when I had mine. But sold it to my buddy who instantly had a great fit so, it depends on the wearer.

Nice thing about some of the AT&T Stores I have in my area, is that I can go in, and they have about 10-15 on display of different models and you can "Try" before you buy. Not too sanitary, but for basic fit and being able to hear the sound quality, it does help.

Grand Master

ahfunaki

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  • Author
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Great review, great piece of hardware. Do you have to get it at an AT&T shop? We don't have AT&T here but it looks like something I'd like instead my old, worn out kit.

I don't think you have to get it at AT&T, that's just the only place around me that has them right now. You can check www.jawbone.com for authorized retailers.

I want to get this so badly, but I want to wait for Best Buy to pick it up so I can get a discount on it. As it is now, my girlfriend keeps telling me she won't let me waste $130 on a damn bluetooth headset haha.

That's actually funny because I work at Best Buy as well and I'm just too impatient to wait for it to show up in RSS...

I bought my original Jawbone from AT&T months before we carried it at Best Buy also.

Plus I actually lucked out and was able to get it for $100 from AT&T, so really I only probably spent $20-30 more than what it would be with our discount anyways...

  • 2 weeks later...
Grand Master

ahfunaki

Posted
  • Author
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Sweet, BB should have it by the end of this month or beginning of next. I can't wait.

You would think with Best Buy Mobile around now we would be a little more on the ball with these things...

Here is my gripe with these Bluetooth Headsets; no matter what, you still look ridiculous wearing one.

Eh, you just get used to it. Just don't be one of those people that keeps it in their ear even when they aren't talking to anyone. That annoys the crap out of me...

Grand Master

kak

Posted
Posted

I have the original Jawbone and like it for the most part. The most annoying thing about it is that it is nearly impossible to shut off at times. I don't understand how it shuts up. The Jawbone 2 has the same buttons basically, so I figure the problem would persist with it as well. I'll hold in the button for several seconds, no dice. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Nothing. Then it will magically shut off after I've almost given up.

Grand Master

MightyJordan

Posted
Posted

?65 for a headset?! That's extreme! I paid ?11.49 for mine, and it's good quality. I just need to get it working properly on Metal Gear Online.

I must admit, I am impressed by the NoiseAssassin feature. I've seen a few videos on their site, and it's brilliant! They test it in some extreme environments (riding in a buggy, walking by a construction site), and it holds up very well at blocking out the noise.

Grand Master

Roger H. Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
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really nice review. I enjoyed reading it as i was happy to see that there was a version 2.0 out. I was going between that one and the BlueAnt Z9 (review to come soon i guess :) ) and the new Z9i that i have yet to see. I went with the Z9 because i couldn't find the Jawbone 2 anywhere near me (same with the Z9i) so we'll see. So far though the Z9 is good and gets lots of great reviews all over. I'm still testing.

  • 7 months later...
Collaborator

Solixis

Posted
Posted

Hey I just purchased the Jawbone 2 myself. It was $79.99 CAD on TigerDirect, similar prices should be available in the states. I bought it in bulk packaging, which means no fancy packaging, just a standard, non-descript plastic box with instruction manual and all hardware. First impressions from trying it, f***in awesome! One minor thing of note so far is that pairing is quite cumbersome to do as you have to press the NA key and talk button at same time which is difficult to press (design flaw?). Owners will know what I mean.

  • 1 month later...
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