Customer Reviews

Jawbone Noise Shield Bluetooth Headset (Black) [Retail Packaged]

5 star:		(164)
4 star:		(147)
3 star:		(91)
2 star:		(87)
1 star:		(127)

 

 

I have had this headset for about 3 months now. The noise reduction is remarkable. I can be in a airport and no one even knows I am out of my office.

Wind is a problem with this headset as with any other headset. The noise reduction does not reduce wind noise. If it's a windy day you are out of luck but I don't know of any headset that works that way.

Sound - The sound is a little tinny but you get used to it pretty quickly.

Comfort - I have owned at least a dozen Bluetooth headsets and this is by far the most comfortable. There are different clips and ear pieces that come with the headset. I have worn it for over 8 hours straight and don't even know it's there.

Charging - Propriety USB charger that plugs into the back of the phone. They also supply a plug for an outlet so you can charge it without your computer. I bought 2 chargers one for home and one for my laptop bag.

Battery - Very good battery life. I cannot remember exact times but I use it often every day and have not run out of charge yet.

Storage - This is the one thing that is a pain. It does not come in a case and putting it in your pocket is a real pain. I know this is trivial but I wish there was a case for it when I am not wearing it.

Overall I really like this headset and can honestly say this is the best one I have owned.

All the reviews and marketing I've heard for Jawbone, including the Demo on their website, tout how great the sound quality is. What they don't tell you is that it's only great for the person to whom the Jawbone user is speaking. But the sound is no different to the Jawbone user than any other Bluetooth headset.

The charger attachment is cumbersome, and although I've only owned my Jawbone for 4 months, is already coming loose.

Also, the Earloop is terrible. It's difficult to put it on, very uncomfortable, and breaks monthly. In the 4 months I've owned my Jawbone, I've had 4 Earloops break. And Jawbone doesn't allow you to buy just the replacement part that is right for you. Instead, you have to buy their full 4-pack, which has 2 different sizes for each ear. So to get the size that is right for you, you have to either buy a full 4-pack monthly (very expensive over time), or suffer as I have with Earloops that are not right, thus not confortable for you, for 3 of the 4 months, until you're forced to purchase yet another 4-pack. This may be great for their balance sheet, but it's unnecessarily expensive and very frustrating for the user.

This product is great if your main concern is how well the person to whom you're speaking can hear you. But for yourself, there are better products out there -- like the Jabra headset I used to have.

After using the Jawbone for several months all I can say is I completely regret ever buying it. The sound quality is good, but nothing particularly special either despite all of their claims. The sound quality is a bit better than my previous $50 Motorola bluetooth headset.

The main problem with the Jawbone, as many others have said, is the terrible fit. I typically wear the Jawbone for both legs of a 30 minute commute to work and at least half the time the Jawbone begins falling out of my ear requiring constant adjustment. When talking I usually have to hold the Jawbone into my ear with one hand so it works properly. Kinda defeats the purpose of a wireless headset.I've tried various combinations of the included earpieces and ear loops with no luck in finding a good fit.

Not recommended.

The Jawbone bluetooth headset is not really made very well and is a lot worse than people seem to give it credit for. Parts fall off after a short time and it is very cheaply made. It looks metal but really is cheap bendy plastic material.

Further, once you set it up, you can only use it on one ear. Other headsets (like Plantronics ones for example) allow you to swivel the earloop to switch ears if you get tired of using it on one ear. The Jawbone doesn't do this.

While the Jawbone's noise cancellation does seem good that's about all it has going for it because your voice still sounds muffled, soft and digital-like. Further, the Jawbone is too big and bulky to comfortably put it into a pocket to take with you.

But my main complaint is with the Aliph Jawbone company customer service itself-they are absolutely horrible. They advertise on their website that the Jawbone has a 1 year manufacture warranty to the end consumer. But, my Jawbone broke and when I contacted them about getting warranty service on it, they rudely informed me that they only provide warranties on units bought directly from their own website. If I bought from some other retailer, it has ZERO warranty! I'm not sure whether or not this is even legal, but do believe it reflects very poorly on the company that they don't even stand behind their own products.

I would never recommend buying this headset or any other made by Aliph.

I read all the reviews here before I bought my Jawbone, so I was a bit worried that I might have some of the problems people described with the earbud not fitting or the charger not working properly. I'm happy to report that I experienced neither of these problems. The headset fits perfectly around my ear, it doesn't slip even when I'm moving, and I'm barely aware that it's there. Also, the charger fits snugly into the socket and I haven't had any trouble with loose connections.

Sound quality seems to be great, the people I talked to say they can hear me fine even in loud environments. As mentioned in other reviews, this headset does not cancel wind noise, probably because wind noise is highly variable. So, don't expect to use this on a gusty day or while riding in a convertible.

My BIGGEST COMPLAINT with this product is the clunky charger. Why does every electronics company insist on introducing their own charger socket standard when there is a perfectly fine standard (Mini USB) already out there? Motorola phones, BlackBerries, most PDAs and many other headsets all use this standard charging socket. This means I don't need to lug around an extra charger, as I can charge my phone and headset off the same charger. Unfortunately, the Jawbone charger is completely nonstandard... I can't even get an iGo power tip for it. Finally, the charger itself is poorly designed. It's another "huge brick" that takes up two power sockets. The rubber cover that covers the socket on the headset when you're not charging removes completely and I'm sure I will lose it within a month. You'd think that a company that could design such a cool headset would put a little more thought into the charger.

However, you buy a headset to talk clearly and on that point this one delivers.

I purchased this product a couple of months ago from a major retailer, and just yesterday returned it. Sorry to disagree with your other reviewers, but I find this product fragile and poorly designed. It's a rare thing with me to give a bad review of a product, but I feel I must do this so you don't waste your time and money buying it. Other, cheaper units perform better. Here's what's wrong with it:

1) The much vaunted noise rejection is not all that is cracked up to be. In windy conditions, other parties could not hear me. At times there would be echoes of my voice. In general, the sound is also quite tinny.

2) The ear clips are fragile and break easily. I had the product for 2 months and they had already broken twice. Yes, there were two more spares, but at that rate they wouldn't last long.

3) The unit as a proprietary charging dongle that you must use. That's a big thumbs down. Should have been a simple USB like other manufacturers use.

4) The charging dongle began to "stick" to the main unit and pull the unit apart. By this time, the unit was on life-support as far as I was concerned.

5) It is difficult to turn off and on, adjust the volume, etc., as compared to other products like the Motorola H700. Overall, its trying to earn style points with its appearance and functions, but in fact it is really just a bad design.

There's more, but I should hope that this is enough.

Quite simply, the Aliph Jawbone Noise Shield Bluetooth Headset totally rocks! Believe me, I've gone through quite a few Bluetooth headsets in the last couple of years, and so I have quite a few to compare this one to.

First off, the design of it looks a bit off-putting. It uses military-grade noise reduction technology and the look of the headset makes me believe that this particular headset may have been originally intended for such use. It's not exactly the most attractive headset out there - definitely not the most feminine.

But to be completely honest with you, after trying a number of `prettier' headsets that either break easily, lose their pairing with the phone frequently, or just plain don't work as well I am all for sacrificing form for function.

All that said, while it may not be the most aesthetically pleasing Bluetooth headset, it is not the ugliest either. It is interesting to note the design differences in the newer Jawbone model that Aliph just released, however. They've presented a much more attractive version with a sleeker, less obtrusive style, seemingly proving that the manufacturer recognizes the customer's desire, frivolous though we may be, for a headset that is pleasing to the eye.

Now for the important part: how it works. The Jawbone was simple to pair with my cell phone (HP iPaq 6945 Unlocked Cell Phone with Wi-fi, GPS, MP3/Video Player, SD--U.S. Version with Warranty (Silver)), as most Bluetooth headsets are. More importantly, I've paired it once and it has maintained that pairing without issue ever since, unlike the previous headset I owned which lost its pairing at least once a week, usually while mid-conversation. This is annoying, certainly, but for a user that won't use their cell phone while driving without a hands-free device, this is very unsettling. If I wanted/needed to continue a call while on the road, I disconnected the call, pulled over to re-pair the two devices, and then started my call and my trip again. This is a major issue for me, so I am extremely appreciative of Jawbone's reliability.

Next feature: Noise Reduction. Aliph makes a big deal about their noise reduction technology, and having now used it with amazing results, I understand why. They DESERVE to tout their success in this arena. Yeah, it is that good. Watching the videos they have on their website demonstrating the quality made me curious, but I admit to having my doubts that it could really eliminate background noise to the extent that they promised.

I've purposely stress-tested it in some pretty noisy situations. First of all, my own vehicle. I have an older car, and it seems to pick up all of the outside noise there is, even with my windows up. If it is raining, my callers could hear the rain on the windshield when using other headsets. When a semi drove alongside my car, the noise of the big truck distracted my callers from our conversation.

Aliph's Jawbone headset changed all that. My friends and family no longer even suspect I'm in the car when I use it. If they call me while I'm in a grocery store or department store, they hear neither the hubbub of the store nor the announcements over the building intercom. Then I went to my favorite wing restaurant, which keeps the music pretty loud. I stood directly under one of their speakers and asked my friend if she could hear it. She thought she heard some people speaking faintly in the background. She had no idea I was standing under a speaker with music blaring at me.

As for the fit of the headset, it is very secure on my ear. Like most others, it hooks over the ear, which makes it fit a bit oddly with sunglasses or eyeglasses, but it isn't uncomfortable. When I get a new headset/earpiece, one of the first things I do is to put it on and shake my head around a bit to test how securely it fits my ear. This one didn't budge. For me, this is a very important factor. If I can't move my head naturally as needed while driving, then the headset impedes my ability to drive and I won't have that.

Some of you probably want to know about how it charges. I use mine quite a bit for both personal and business, and it isn't rare for me to wear out the charge before the day is out. I've only managed to drain my Jawbone twice, and it charges so quickly that I was able to use it again within an hour or so. It comes with a cable that can charge through an electrical outlet or a USB port on a PC. It does not have a car charger, but since I have a power inverter for my car, I can simply use it to charge it while driving should the need arise, so this isn't a deal breaker for me.

All in all, I highly recommend the Aliph Jawbone Noise Shield Bluetooth Headset. When I finally break or lose this one, I will look at replacing it with another Aliph model before any other manufacturer.

Most recent Headsets I've used:
Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Headset - Black
Jabra BT250v Bluetooth Headset with Vibrating Alert [Retail Packaged]
Logitech Mobile Freedom Bluetooth Headset
Motorola H300 Bluetooth Headset

With all due respect to the other reviewers I can't get what could possibly be wrong with this device. I was worried about the purchase when I read some of the other reviews. At check out the store clerk said "You are going to love this!" I knew something was up then.

Bottom line it is the best sounding headset ever. The first night I got it I was driving home in the pouring rain, highway speed, airconditioner on, in Atlanta traffic radio on softly. Called my wife and she said it sounded like I was sitting in my office at work. Unable to believe this I rolled down the back windows to had more noise. While I was having trouble hearng myself talk, she said I still sounded clear and she could only hear slight background noise like soft rain. WOW!

I think Amazon is the best source for product information because it is written by real users. I try to never overrate or hype a product because I know people may buy in part due to a recommendation. That said, I don't know how it gets better than this one.

After reading here about the quality control problems, I spent a little extra to buy from the manufacturer, so I could return it if there were problems. Sure enough, I got one with the ear post improperly molded, so the earbuds fell right off. Others have reported this problem. Aliph first sent me replacement buds, because they said some buds were also defective. They also fell off. So they took the Jawbone back (they paid for return shipping) and the replacement works just fine.

Great design. Great sound (both directions). Terrible quality control.

I purchased this headset a month and a half ago and returned it half a month ago.

Pros: The call quality was stunningly phenomenal - absolutely unparalleled by any headset or even phone that I've ever used, wired or wireless. Calls were crisp, clear, and loud, with volume adjusting automatically based on ambient noise. Folks on the other end reported equally impressive sound. The design is slick, chic, and post-modern. It looks terrific.

Cons: This is a VERY large, heavy piece. That might not bother some, but forget carrying it in your pocket. It is obtrusively large while you're wearing it: it looks like you practically have an entire phone dangling from your ear. Dangling from your ear, that is, if you can get the thing to stay on - a feat I never managed. It dangled, it flopped, it fell off, no matter what the combination of ear hooks and ear inserts I used. This was a total deal breaker for me. What's the point of a "hands-free" headset that you have to hold onto your ear the whole time?

Might work for you but I hated it.