Walk into just about any cell phone accessory store and you’ll be bombarded with a near limitless supply of Bluetooth headsets. People want to keep talking on their mobile phones without actually using a hand to hold the handset up to the sides of their heads. In fact, this is actually illegal to do while driving in certain states. As such, Bluetooth headsets are more popular than ever, making for a market that is highly competitive.
By far, the very best Bluetooth headset that I have ever used is the Jawbone by Aliph, a company based out of California. The Jawbone is far from being the smallest Bluetooth headset on the market — there are several offerings by Sony Ericsson, Nokia, and Plantronics that are quite a bit smaller — but the technology that goes into the Jawbone is what really sets it apart. It has an active noise shield, as well as a small rubber nub that makes contact with your cheek. In this way, it can sense when you are speaking (based on the vibrations in your jaw), effectively canceling out all other noise.
The net result is that the person on the end of the line can hear your voice in a crystal-clear kind of way, without having to filter through all sorts of background noise. The earpiece is equally impressive, ensuring that you can hear their end of the conversation too. Another major plus is that the Aliph Jawbone is one of the most comfortable headsets to wear, thanks to adjustable ear loops and interchangeable ear buds.
You can find the Aliph Jawbone at many cell phone accessory stores. The MSRP is $150, but you can usually find it cheaper than that.
Shelley
January 29, 2008 3:06 pm
It’s definately not as sleek looking as a number of bluetooth headsets out there but sounds like it has interesting possibilities. I have the Treo bluetooth headset and it’s definately not working for me. Won’t stay on, can’t wear it when wearing sunglasses and it appears to be made for someone with a much larger ear – not a smaller woman’s ear for sure. I used the Motorola bluetooth (which is lighter and smaller) but it won’t stay sync’d with my Treo :(
I haven’t been actively looking for another bluetooth as yet as I put up with the Treo one for the short drives that I usually make and use a wired headset with a boom for in the home office. I would be interested in other’s comments as to their experiences with bluetooth headsets and how they worked/didn’t work for them………before I go out and buy another one :)
allan
February 15, 2008 5:01 pm
I have the samsung wep 200 and it’s small and stylish and pretty comfortable, but outside the wind will affect it cause it doesn’t have noise cancellation, so I’m also getting the jawbone with my fido dollar’s.