Customer Reviews

Aliph Jawbone II Bluetooth Headset (Black)

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(31)
1 star:		(47)

 

 

Anyone looking at the Jawbone should ask themselves this question: Do I want the people I'm talking to to be able to hear me clearly no matter where I am and what I am doing? If the answer is "yes" then buy this and don't look back. If you don't care about those sorts of things, then there are probably easier-to-use units out there.

This is my second Jawbone; I used the original Jawbone for just over a year when it broke (turns out the warranty is only a year long!). I was actually kind of glad to get a new one because I wanted to check out the Jawbone 2. Well, the Jawbone 2 is smaller and, I think, easier to fit. It also makes more intuitive noises--the tones make it much clearer if you're turning it on or off. But the Jawbone 1 had certain things going for it that I miss. Most importantly, I like using voice dialing. With the Jawbone 1, you could just press the primary button to access voice dialing. With this one, you have to press the Noise Assassin button, which I've given up on finding. Even if I could find it, you would have to hold it down for two seconds, which is a lot less convenient than a single push. As far as I can tell the only reason why this change was made was to allow one to turn off the flashing light display by pressing the primary button five times in succession--a much less functional use for that button. Maybe the Jawbone 3 will fix this someday.

With each of my Jawbones, I left myself a voicemail while driving at freeway speed to gauge the quality of the noise reduction. The original Jawbone was good, but this one is better. At 80mph I was speaking in a normal tone and I even cranked the music so loud at one point that I couldn't hear myself talk. When I picked up the voicemail, I couldn't believe it--my voice was coming through perfectly understandably as if I was speaking in the quietest room of the house. The part with the music had only the very slightest bit of noise to it. In short, the noise reduction on this thing is incredible. I'm also pleased to report that the major annoyance with the original Jawbone has been fixed: you can actually turn up the volume loud enough to hear the person you're talking to! (The original jawbone is known for not putting out much volume.)

I disagree with other reviewers that the primary button is too easy to press when adjusting this unit to your ear. I like its sensitivity, and it's very easy to get used to handling it by the edges to avoid this issue. Let's keep in mind that the primary purpose of this unit is to get good sound quality and you get used to little stuff like this.

Please note that despite what one of the other reviewers said, this bulk package comes with everything it's supposed to, which is the unit itself, the charger, several ear pieces, and several ear loops.

I can only compare it to what I had before, it's my second bluetooth device but hands-down beats the pants off what I had - and I thought that was okay. One issue was the fitup in the ear. Fortunately I read other's reviews and got the Jabra softgel earpieces otherwise the Jawbone would almost be unusable for me. I've found that using the Jabra ear insert I don't even need the earloop on the Jawbone and it's as steady as a rock in terms of fit and function.

The Jawbone 2 is great, this is my second (I lost my first!) but this is just a note about the bulk packaging compared to retail. Despite assurances by Amazon call staff that the bulk package contains exactly the same merchandise as the retail version, it does not. The bulk package does not contain additional ear loops which are included in the retail packaging version. An additional ear loop did come in handy when I broke the original about a month after I started using the Jawbone 2. But the cost savings in this version will allow me to buy many many extra ear loops from the company if needed.

With this headset it's all about the fit. The microphone is located on the inside of the body of the headset and must be touching your jawbone to work.

I have been unable to get this unit to seat properly in my ear. I've tried every combination of ear bud and ear hook without any joy.

When the unit it pressed into the ear the sound quality is very good and the noise cancelling works well. However, I find I'm constantly pressing the unit back into my ear. And, because the connect/disconnect switch is located on the outside of the unit, just opposite of the ear canal, I end up disconnecting the call about one out of every three times I adjust the unit.

So, at the end of the day, I find this headset to be useless in the real world.

I loved my jawbone for it's remarkable noise canceling features but when it's paired with the Jabra EarGels - Clear it becomes the perfect headset. The headset is a bit uncomfortable after extended wearing durations, but after attaching the eargels it is the perfect headset. Best looking, best sounding, best everything. Period. (And yes, I've gone through my fair share of headsets)

As the title indicates, Jawbone has a new soft fit earbud and it actually works. I went to Best Buy to see if they had the gel things people are talking about and they handed me a Jawbone pack of 3 New Fit Earbuds. They are soft, pliable and really do work. If you are having any trouble with your fit, be sure to pick up a pack. My BestBuy hands them out for free.

As for how I like my Jawbone II, if there were more than 5 stars I would have chosen the full count. This device is everything they advertise and more. I can talk to someone while I'm in a very noisy environment and they tell me they think I'm talking from a quiet room. It's just amazing.

My Jawbone II is lightweight, good looking and with the New Fit Earbuds it just flat works perfectly.

Here's what the New Fit Earbuds look like. http://us.jawbone.com/fitearbud.aspx

at first i was amongst the people who were VERY disappointed with how uncomfortable this $130 earpiece used to be. that was until about 3 months after i bought it i got an email from aliph saying there was a new fit earbud. i believe the subject line was "the world's best bluetooth headset just got better," or something along those lines. the new earbud comes with the new jawbone (jawbone PRIME). when i first got them they were free to order, just paid for S&H. now they are $10. i got the email because i registered on the website. i guess there are perks when you registered for products. because if it wasn't for that i would still be having sore ears from the uncomfortable hooks and sore inner ear from the hard rubber of the original earbud. the new earbud is SOFT and best of all YOU DON'T NEED THE HOOK! it has a piece on the back that not only holds it's place in your ear, but it pushes the sensor towards your face so that it's always touching!

my nephew flushed my original jawbone 2 so i had to order this as well as new set of earbuds. they come in 3 different sizes and i gave the mid sized one away. they small one won't hold it in my ear. it probably would with a hook, but they're just too uncomfortable for me.

I own the Jawbone I. I decided to "upgrade" to the Jawbone II due to its low profile. BOY WAS I DISAPPOINTED. I had two major problems:
- Whenever I would touch the unit to adjust the position, it would hang up. No matter how light the touch was, it hung up. Seems like wherever you touch the shell, it pushes the control button down. Horrible design.
- When I tested this on my voicemail, and then, subsequently talked to anyone, my voice came across as "muddy" or "muffled". These were the comments I got. One person asked me if I was on a bluetooth and requested I get off it because they could barely understand me.

I sent the unit back and ate the shipping. I don't get all the hype and great reviews. Maybe I just got a lemon, but I was VERY disappointed in the transaction.

I drive a convertible and have been looking for a bluetooth that would work while driving. The Jawbone 2 works very well. Overall the performnce is excellent, both from hearing and being heard. The minor problem is: in order to put a good seal in the ear, you must press the unit into the ear channel. But the place where you would press is also near the off button (on the textured surface). So, I often turn it off when I want to hear the caller better. Oops. I am used to it and am more careful now, so it is ok. The charger is AC only, so you cannot charge in your car.

Be aware!: The bulk packaging does NOT come with additional earbud sizes or additional ear loops, as another reviewer stated. The package only inludes the headset (with one earbud and one ear loop already on it,) the USB cable for charging, and a wall adapter. This means that, unless the earbud and ear loop already on the unit fit you correctly, you will have to purchase additional ear loops or ear buds! (At the time of this review, Aliph is offering free "new fit" earbuds for the jawbone II directly from their website - you only have to pay shipping.)

That being said, this is my second Jawbone II (I lost the first one,) and the headset functions perfectly. When you first start using the headset, it might take a little time to find the earbud/ear loop combination that gives you the best fit, but once you figure it out, the rest is smooth sailing.

Regarding complaints about the main button being too sensitive - it really is not an issue. To push the unit into your ear during use, simply grasp the unit's sides between thumb and forefinger, and push the unit securely back into place - you won't have to worry about pressing on the button. Cycling through volume levels is less convenient than having a volume rocker or toggles, as with many other headsets, but this is only a very slight grievance.

Overall, I highly recommend purchasing the bulk packaging version, as, even if you do purchase the additional earbuds and ear loops straight from Aliph, the total cost of this unit is still a much better deal for the same fantastic functionality. I use my Jawbone with a Motorola RAZR V3xx, and the two work perfectly together - outgoing quality is almost flawless (unless the rubber nub is not making proper contact with your face,) and incoming sound quality is very good compared to most other bluetooth headsets. I have been up to 30 ft away from my phone while wearing the unit, and it still sounded great!