EDITOR'S CHOICE: The New Jawbone BT Headset

THE GOOD
- Background sound elimination is amazing
- Conversation sound quality is richer, smoother
- Smaller, lighter more stylish package
- Refined materials, controls & surfaces
- Great battery life

THE BAD
- The new earloops are a tad small for Big Guys (or just big ears)

BOTTOM LINE
Take the greatest BT headset and make it greater in almost every way...what's not to love?

When Aliph introduced their Original Jawbone BT Headset (click on the link for my Long-term Road Test), it changed everything.
Here was (literal) ear jewelery that brought fashion sense and cutting-edge technology to untethered communications. The fusion of style and unprecedented conversational clarity created believers by the thousands; and, upped the ante for what a BT headset had to deliver.

Aliph has not been resting on their laurels...no, indeed. The good folks over there sent me one of their brand-new Jawbone headsets; featuring their latest killer technology: NoiseAssassin TM. This new paradigm is touted as being able to virtually remove all background noise, while delivering your voice clearly to your callers.

I felt that I had to take these claims sitting down...in my beloved 1991 Mustang convertible.

I took the 'stang (and the new Jawbone) for a top-down spin on New Jersey's incredibly noisy highways. The results were really amazing: even travelling at 65mph, surrounded by cars, SUVs and 18-wheelers, I was able to hear my callers quite well; and, they could hear me perfectly.

The new Jawbone has some immediate differences from its predessessor:
Its 50% smaller and lighter. The speaker is also given a much larger opening; which has translated into better sound for the user. The controls respond to a much lighter touch then the Original Jawbone, which addresses one of my only issues with that excellent device.

(this photo shows the new and original Jawbones actual size)

The controls aren't the only thing that has been refined on the new Jawbone: the materials are noticably richer. The plastics on the outside of the device are of an even higher quality then those on the Original Jawbone; and, it includes 2 different sized leather-wrapped earloops. Instead of the side-to-side LED bar on the Original, the new Jawbone hides its much smaller LED within the diamond pattern.

Even the charging process has been simplified and refined: the new charging connection is magnetic, and frees the user from having to line up a multi-pin connection as on the Original. My wife found these touches compelling enough to want one herself (she found my Original Jawbone required a painful amount of pressure on the control surfaces, and she could never properly connect the charger). She also likes the way both the new leather loops and slender metal loops allow her to get the Jawbone on/off her ear much easier.

I found the battery life to be (at least) comparable to the Original Jawbone. Despite using it 5-6 days per week, it never needed to be recharged more then once each week.

As with the original, there are 4 earloops and 4 earbuds included with the Jawbone; so that each user can get a very custom fit. The new earloops are my only complaint about the new Jawbone. I am a tall, large fellow; and, the larger earloops on the Original Jawbone placed the device's speaker at an optimum position within my ear. The larger of the new earloops is somewhat smaller; and, does not allow me to get a comfortable alignment of the speaker to my ear canal. For this reason, I recommend the Original Jawbone for Big Guys.

The Jawbone retails for $129.99 (USD); and, is a worthy investment when compared with the cost of fines for talking directly to your phone while driving. In fact, Aliph has taken pity on all the poor saps who have been ticketed/fined for that very faux pas: The Hands Free Ticket Processor

Go to the Processor, enter the state where you entered the ticket, and the ticket number. Once you do this, Aliph will generate a $20 discount towards the purchase of a new Jawbone BT Headset. Who said crime doesn't pay?

Aliph is partnering heavily with Apple; targeting the new Jawbone as a 'must-have' accessory for the new iPhone 3G. In fact, Apple Stores began to carry the Jawbone as of last week.

THE VERDICT
The new Jawbone takes everything that was revolutionary and superb about the Original, then enhances it within a smaller, easier to use and better looking package. The product delivers beef instead of hype; and therefore provides users with the safest hands-free experience outside of a steering-wheel controlled system.

For all of the above reasons, I name the new Jawbone BT Headset a Smartphone Editor's Choice.