Jawboning With Bluetooth

Cellular phone users have been looking for the perfect Bluetooth headset for almost as long as the devices have been around. In addition, as more states continue to pass laws mandating hands-free calling while driving, the number of headset users is almost certainly on track to grow.

In late 2006, San Francisco-based Aliph launched the Jawbone Bluetooth Headset, with initial availability exclusive to Cingular (now AT&T) Wireless. Billed as the first adaptive Bluetooth headset with Noise Shield technology, which is the company's proprietary, military-grade version of noise cancellation, the Jawbone adapted the sound quality as the user's environment changed. Last year brought with it the new Jawbone, with allegedly improved noise elimination, this time called Noise Assassin, and a sharper, smaller design.

The Jawbone lineup has gotten good reviews for the company's technology over the past several years. The marketing folks may also deserve a good review here and there given the aggressive naming conventions they've used.

This year, for example, Aliph has rolled out Jawbone Prime -- the third iteration of the line, now with Noise Assassin 2.0, which the company claims has even better background noise elimination than the previous generations. CRN Test Center reviewers recently had a chance to evaluate Jawbone Prime.

Designed as much for looks as for functionality, Jawbone Prime is a smallerthan- average headset that has an industrial-looking pattern of dimples lining the entire front of the case. Standard colors include "Blah Blah Black," "Coffee Talk" (brown) and "Going Platinum." Soon after launch, the Earcandy series came out, which added the red "Frankly Scarlet," yellow "Yello!," green "Drop Me A Lime" and the purple "Lilac You Mean It."

The key to all Jawbones is something Aliph calls the Voice Activity Sensor (VAS), a small rubberized nub on the back side of the headset, near the microphone. When the Jawbone is positioned correctly, this nub rests gently on the user's cheek and is key to Noise Assassin's functionality. Using an algorithm, Jawbone Prime takes the best audio from its two electret microphones and uses the low-end frequencies received by the VAS to distinguish between speech and outside noise.

The headset also includes an Acoustic Voice Activity Detector (AVAD), which Aliph claims allows it to perform as good as, or better than, other noise-canceling headsets, should the VAS not make contact with the user's face.

Jawbone Prime comes with an assortment of earbuds and earloops to help the user get a good, comfortable fit. We chose to use the earbuds that have a small tab on the end to help keep them from falling out of our ears.

In testing, Jawbone Prime was extremely light and comfortable to wear (after we got used to the sensation that it was going to fall out). The small size and artistic design also make for an attractive device. On both sides of the call, sound quality was on par with other Bluetooth headsets we've tried. There was very little static and callers were clear enough to understand, but there was nothing extraordinary going on.

Where Aliph claims Jawbone Prime really shines is in extremely windy conditions, such as driving with the windows down. When we evaluated this feature, our first few tries resulted in a rushing wind sound being heard in the background. Unsure if Noise Assassin was working correctly, we switched it off in the middle of the next round of tests and, sure enough, the noise was so loud it drowned out everything else. While it doesn't eliminate wind noise totally, Noise Assassin does reduce it enough to make a conversation possible to hear.

Overall, we were a little disappointed with Jawbone Prime. Admittedly, our expectations were high, so we may have set ourselves up for disappointment. Still, we just weren't blown away.

As a Bluetooth headset, Jawbone Prime is up there among the best of what's out there. We're just not sure if it is worth the premium price of $129.99. On the other hand, if you typically use a cell phone in noisy (specifically windy) locations, there isn't a better option currently available that we're aware of.