Aliph Jawbone 2 Bluetooth Headset Review
Ted Kritsonis
The hands-free experience on your mobile phone might look a little more stylish with Aliph's Jawbone 2 Bluetooth Headset. Instead of a hulking bluetooth headset flashing a big blue light for everyone to see, the Jawbone 2 is more discreet and refined as it rests on your ear.
Unlike the previous Jawbone, this bluetooth device has a smaller form factor that's almost half the size, featuring a diamond-style design along the front. The ear hook is bound by leather that feels comfortable when resting on the ear, and is definitely not as finicky or itchy as its predecessor. And as an added bonus, the hook can be removed and placed in a hole on the other side for those who prefer to have it on their left ear.
Aliph also changed the name of its noise-canceling technology from "Noise Shield" to "Noise Assassin" because it does a better job of keeping out all the ambient sound. The biggest reason this works is the tiny Voice Activity Sensor that rests on your cheek and is designed to pick up your voice from the vibrations in your jaw when you speak. The Noise Assassin technology also adjusts the volume automatically for you based on how much noise there is around you.
You probably will either love or hate that the Talk and Noise Assassin buttons are hidden beneath the surface. The Talk button is directly under the small indicator LED light, which is only a small sliver, so holding the button down to turn it on or off can actually cover the light. The Noise Assassin button is at the tip of the headset and holding it for 2 seconds toggles the noise-canceling technology on or off. Tapping it adjusts the volume, but only at set levels, so you can't go up or down.
It takes about an hour to fully charge the Jawbone 2, but only 30 minutes to get 80% battery life. Talk time is about 4 hours, with up to 8 days on standby. It comes in 5 colors: silver, black, gold, blue and pink, and retails for $129.99.