I have never used a bluetooth headset before, and would never have started if not for the new California Law requiring hands-free mobile phone usage while driving.
The Jawbone II with Noise Assassin is highly recommended. My ears are a bit small so earbuds are often painful and wearing glasses make my ears sore after a while. The Jawbone II is feather-light, fits perfectly in my ear (comes with three different sizes of earbuds), and the leather-covered earloop is extremely comfortable. I called my husband from indoors and outdoors, and he couldn't tell that I was using a bluetooth headset. He did ask if a car passed by couple times when none had, but I think it might be because I was smiling and my cheek probably rubbed up against the unit. The sound quality was very good (clear, not tinny, not piercing) and volume is easily adjustable.
I have not tried this headset in noisy nor windy places, but if you're looking for something to use in the car that is comfortable, discreet, and easy to use then this is a great product. Aliph Jawbone II Bluetooth Headset with NoiseAssassin (Silver) [Retail Packaging]
This headset is fantastic, but only if it stays on your head, and it stays in contact with your cheek. That is a real problem if you rely on the crappy earhook and rubber earpiece that Aliph provides. It is probably the reason for most of the poor reviews. For those who can make this headset actually stay on, they love it.
To address the fit issues that the standard earpiece accessories fail to do, I first tried jabra minigels. I was able to use the jawbone without the earhook, and I raked leaves with it on, no problem. So it seemed pretty good, but I found that the minigel irritated my ear canal after a day, and it did not always feel real stable.
I then ordered some eargels for the Plantronics Discovery 925 headset. THEY ARE PERFECT! Totally comfortable, channel the sound into my ear correctly, fit the jawbone 2 like a glove, and I can't shake the headset off no matter how hard I try. It keeps the jawbone firmly connected to my cheek no matter what I am doing.
I can't believe Aliph did not come up with this kind of solution. This is what the jawbone2 should have included. If you want the best Bluetooth headset solution out there, get the JB2, get the Plantronics gels, and throw out the earpiece junk from Aliph - you will never need it again.
Like it's predecessor, The Aliph Jawbone 1, this sleeker and lighter version has the same essential flaws. 1) It is simply not comfortable to wear and 2) because the technology was developed by clean shaven men (or women) the device must come in contact with the user's cheek to achieve best results. A man with a beard has something on his face that does not permit that direct contact - whiskers. The difference is appreciable, rendering this highly rated device all-but-useless for any man with a beard.
For a mere $20., the Samsung WEP200 is a far better and more adaptive device for day-to-day use.
I've had a few headsets and none had better have sounded than this. That said, I REGRET PURCHASING IT. To make it look better, the buttons that turn the headset on or off, as well as adjust the volume, are hidden under the dimpled surface. The earhook is useless. Unfortunately, this means that when you talk and your jawbone moves, the headset inevitably works its way out of your ear. When you try to re-insert it, you end up turning it off or adjusting the volume. At first, I thought I can learn to re-insert it without turning it off, but I've given up on it. I can't tell you how many important business calls I've inadvertently hung up on, some repeatedly. If this was simply made with a comfortable and secure loop behind the ear, it would be five stars. As it is, it's a $95 white elephant sitting in my drawer.
I bought this for my husband as an anniversary gift. Packaging is great but that is where the good ends. Fit is terrible and noise quality is unbelievably bad. Craking at both ends. Later found out at a retail store that there are many returns on this product. If you want to try, get it from retail store where return is easier. I am returning mine.
I purchased this as a replacement for the original after I broke it and had super glued it as many times as possible and finally accepted I had to buy new. I chose this model as I thought it would be even better. It isn't. I get numerous complaints of fading, people can hear background noise, it doesn't fit snug enough to my jaw to get the high quality of performance as the original model.
I am sending it back and replacing with the original style.
The ear hooks on the original style provide a far superior fit, they are very snug. The ones with this model are too loose and removing my glasses brings the jawbone with it. I tried using my original hooks with this one, but they don't fit in the hole (?), crazy.
The ear buds are not as comfortable either. It isn't a 'NoiseAssasin' to me. The lesson here is when you are satisfied, don't get distracted by the new shiny thing. Stick with what you know.
Simply put Jawbone II has great sound and quality. But the battery life is very poor. It only last 45min to 1 hr. I purchased mine in late Nov. 08 and it is early April 09 and the warranty is void. Cell Phone Shop only gives a 3 month warranty. Let the buyer be ware.'
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