The IT Nerd

I seem to have horrible luck with Bluetooth headsets lately. My Jawbone Icon got lost on a recent trip to the US. I’m guessing that it was lost at airport security. That required me to buy another headset. I decided to stick with the Jawbone brand and decided on the Era model. This Jawbone has 25 percent more audio output than previous models, an updated version of NoiseAssassin noise cancelling technology, an onboard processor and flash storage. It also allows you answer the phone or pair it to your phone by shaking it. All of this is slick and I have to admit that the headset performs well. It sounds good (both listening and speaking). It’s easy to use and it looks good given that you have a number of color choices to choose from. One other feature I should mention is that it has 5 hours of talk time. One hour longer than my last Jawbone. That comes in handy as I’m often on the phone a lot. Other than that, it’s a lot like the Jawbone Icon that I lost. You can check out its review here and see the features it has and copy and past them to this one.

So, here’s the bottom line. If you’re looking for a Bluetooth headset, check out the Jawbone Era. It’s a step or two up from the Jawbone Icon, but it’s well worth the money.

I recently lost my Bluetooth headset so I went shopping for a new one this week. I ended up going with the Jawbone Icon and boy am I glad that I did. First of all, the sound quality is outstanding. I had no problem hearing anybody in any environment. The key to this is finding the right earpiece to fit your ear. It comes with several as well as an ear hook. Once you do that, you’re good to go. Next you have to find a position where the Voice Activity Sensor can touch your cheek. That’s because the Jawbone headsets according to the company “are the only Bluetooth headsets with a Voice Activity Sensor (VAS) that literally feels your speech vibrations. As a result, Jawbone ICON delivers unmatched speech quality and eliminates virtually all background noise.” Based on my tests, I can say that this is the case. Now if you don’t have it touching your cheek, it does have a real microphone. But your voice won’t sound nearly as good. One thing that does help your voice sound good is the fact that it has what the company calls NoiseAssassin technology which the company describes as “a proprietary technology that eliminates unwanted background noise when you talk on the phone. It gives you the freedom to enjoy quiet phone conversations in places you previously couldn’t.” All I can say is that it works.

A rather unique feature is the fact that this headset can be programmed to add or modify functions. For example, I changed the voice on it to one with an English accent as well as updating the base operating system to add voice dialing. You can also download apps for your iPhone or Blackberry to put a battery meter on the phone so you can see how much juice you have left. All of these apps are available at a special website that you have to sign up for. This same website can also help you set up the options on the headset so that you can function the way you want it to.

Bottom line, If you are looking for a Bluetooth headset, the Jawbone Icon should be on your list, if not at the top of it. It has a unique list of features as well as great sound quality and the ability to customize it for your needs. I’m pretty sure that your going to find it to be an excellent choice for the car, or anytime you want to be hands free. Oh yeah, it’s not only Mac friendly, but it works with Firefox. Nice!