First things first: the design. When i first started in looking at headsets I was disappointed at how ugly and bulky the majority of Bluetooth headsets were. Even looking at the old jawbone, I don’t know how people use them without dying of embarrassment . The Jawbone 2 is by far the nicest looking headset on the market today and was well worth the extra money for its light and compact form factor. The outside portion has a chic, designer styling with a great looking, low profile ear-loop wrapped in leather. If you look back at the old ear-loop design you can see how much of an improvement this is. Even looking at the Jawbone 2 picture here on Amazon doesn’t do it justice. I actually don’t mind wearing it away from the home or car. There is a 2 color led light (red & white) hidden on the ridge of one of the little diamonds on the face and all of the buttons are hidden underneath the casing. Someone noted that they didn’t like the hidden buttons because when they placed it in their ear the headset turns off. I have never had this problem once. It takes all of a second to put the headset in my ear – to turn the headset off you have to hold the button down for a couple of seconds. I usually place it in my ear from the sides anyways and maybe push inwards only for second to ensure a snug fit. The button commands were very easy to learn. Overall this is the best looking headset around.

Next up, looking at the fit: A lot of people seem to have problems with getting the headset to fit correctly. Maybe it’s just a case by case basis where problems occur, because after choosing the correct earpiece, not only does the earpiece stay firmly in place, but I don’t even need to use the ear-loop! I was looking into the whole deal where people are apparently using Jabra ear gels with their sets, but I don’t feel like its necessary. The fit is so snug that I can shake my head from side to side vigorously and it doesn’t move at all. And again, that’s without the ear-loop! It doesn’t hurt or anything but I don’t know if I would forget that it was in my ear. The longest conversation that I have had on it was 90 minutes and comfort wasn’t really an issue. Sometimes I put the ear-loop on if I’m walking for extended periods of time just as a safety precaution. I spent too much to risk letting it drop. The ear loop makes things a little less comfortable, but mainly because I’m in between the two sizes they give you. Why do they give you a medium size and an XL size but nothing in between? No idea, but I don’t use it often enough to need to worry about it. Fit is important to keep the vibration sensor pressed against your cheeck. If you don’t keep the sensor against your face the device won’t work properly. Sorry to the people with long side burns or beards, this product probably won’t work for you. Because everyone has different sized ears, I would recommend buying this product from a place like Best Buy so you can return it, no questions asked, if it doesnt fit properly. Overall I would give the comfort a 7/10.

See larger image Aliph Jawbone II Bluetooth Headset with NoiseAssassin (Black) [Retail Packaging] (Wireless Phone Accessory) List Price: $129.99 USD New From: $43.00 In Stock Release date June 28, 2008.

Now the sound quality. I actually just took a 30 min break from writing this review to make a call and make sure I write an accurate review. I checked with the other person multiple times through out the conversation if they were hearing me ok, they said “perfectly clear” each time. My volume was at a little less than half way which was more than enough to hear the other person perfectly clearl. No muffled sound, just crystal clear sound quality. Perhaps those people with problems have a defective unit. I’ve never had anyone complain, nor have I had any complaints, about the sound quality. One thing that I don’t necessarily like is how you change the volume. To change the volume, you press the noise assassin button to cycle up through the different levels. Once it reaches max volume it goes back to the lowest setting. My friend told me that when I pressed it a few times, from his side it sounded like aliens were invading — which is what it sounds like from my side too (think Space Invaders). The ringing sound and volume chime are pretty ugly sounding but aren’t really anything to get upset about. It’s just too bad you can’t hear your cell phone’s ringtone through the headset. One thing to note is that when you cycle through the volume levels, it’s not making a change within the headset hardware, but actually changing to volume on the cell phone itself. I don’t know if that’s how all Bluetooth headsets are, but I just thought it was worth a mention. Because my phone has a volume rocker on the side, I just click that if I need to change the volume. It’s usually set at the right volume anyways. One other minor thing is that the Noise Assassin seems to work from both sides. If the other person is in a noisy room, it will be really quiet when they aren’t talking, but when they are talking you can hear some of the background noise on their end. It’s hard to describe, but there’s something about going from noise…to perfectly quiet… constantly…that got a little annoying over time. Quick fix, I just turned off the Noise Assassin by pressing the back of the headset for a couple of seconds (it’s on by default). The Noise Assassin, by the way, makes it so quiet that if the person doesn’t talk for a couple of seconds I’m tempted to say “uhh…hello? Are you still there?” It’s dead quiet. As if they hung up the phone and you are no longer connected. I guess this could be considered good and bad in different ways, and Aliph probably designed the Jawbone that way, but again this can always be turned off.

A few other things worth mentioning: The headset comes with small, medium, and large ear pieces and 2 sets of ear-loops (2 sizes, 2 plastic and 2 leather covered). Make sure you try them all out to get the best fit. For me, the medium earpiece was more comfortable, but large gave me a more snug fit (important for keeping the sensor on your check) and better sound. If I’m just sitting at a desk or driving, the medium ear piece works fine and I forget that its even there. Too much movement causes problems in quality from the other end though. People with problems might want to try going up an earpiece size. It also comes with a nice charger that has a plug with USB input, and a USB cable with a magnetic charging head. When you plug the headset in you lose the Bluetooth connection and the jawbone turns off. This means that when you receive a call you have to unplug the jawbone, hold the outside button for 2 seconds until it turns on and wait another second or two for the connection to be made. I’ve missed calls this way and usually just answer the phone and tell the person to hold on for a sec.
The Bluetooth signal is pretty strong. Some people mentioned that they had problems with dropped Bluetooth signals, but I havent had one yet. I live in a studio apartment and usually just keep the phone docked, headset in my ear, and even walk around the studio while on a call without any signal loss.

Price wasn’t really an issue for me, but might be for others. Even with its high price, I feel like it was well worth it. Other than price, and a few other minor dislikes (nothing worth lowering score for), I’m very happy with this headset and would recommend it to anyone.

Specifications

• Talk time: Over 4 hours
• Standby time: Over 8 days
• Range: Up to 33 feet (10 meters)
• Weight: 10 grams (0.35 ounces)
• Supports Bluetooth 1.0, 1.1, 2.0
• 80 percent charge in 35 minutes (full charge in less than 1 hour)

What’s in the Box

• The new Jawbone with NoiseAssassin by Aliph headset
• Magnetic USB cable and wall charger
• 3 earbuds
• 2 leather earloops
• 2 slim earloops
• QuickStart Guide

I was immediately impressed with the Samsing WEP200. It synced as easily as any other headset I have tried – no problems whatsoever.

The design was a little puzzling, especially the loop extended out from the primary speaker area. I tried unsuccessfully several times to ram the thing into my ear. All I got was a sore ear and no working bluetooth headset. Nonetheless I THEN followed the instructions using the middle size ‘loop’ and with a little finesse, I put it in my ear, gave it a little twist as instructed and it stuck perfect hanging off my ear, just barely resting on my jaw-line.

I then fired up my phone and it sounded GREAT. There was no static and after a few test calls I realized that I was hearing my calls better than ever before and that my callers were also hearing me well. I’m used to trying unsuccessfully to talk in noisy environments. This little magic unit was helpful in allowing me to have conversations on the phone that other headsets couldn’t handle.

See larger image Samsung WEP200 Bluetooth Wireless Phones Headset (Black) (Wireless Phone Accessory) List Price: $49.99 USD New From: $24.00 In Stock

I do have occassional trouble getting the headset to set properly in my ear. It is frustrating, especially when I am in a rush when it just won’t set exactly right and it wiggles and feels like it might fall-out (which it sometimes, though rarely does.)

Because of my experience with other headsets and the love-hate relationship that usually ensues, this is a winner.

If you need a bluetooth headset, I strongly suggest that you pick-up this little marvel.

Product Features and Technical Details

• Bluetooth version 2.0 + EDR for enhanced data rate, faster pairing and connection, improved call quality and lower power consumption. Also compatible with Bluetooth version 1.2 and 1.1 devices.
• Bluetooth Class 2 wireless connection to Bluetooth compatible device up to 30 feet away
• Supports Bluetooth Handsfree and Headset profiles
• Omni-directional microphone that clearly picks up your voice
• Multi-function button to controls various functions including answering and ending calls
• Integrated volume up/down control
• Transfer between calls between phone and headset (if supported by phone)
• Last number redial (if supported by phone)
• Supports voice dialing (if supported by phone)
• Call reject (if supported by phone)
• Call holding and waiting (if supported by phone)
• Microphone mute function
• Color LED indicates status of connection and headset
• Detachable ear hook fits either ear
• Ergonomic design combines light-weight and comfort
• Battery: Up to 4 hours of talk time or 70 hours of standby

What’s in the Box

• Headset
• Travel charger
• Charging case
• Headset hooks
• User manual

Speaking of batteries, I charged the headphones for a couple of hours when I first got them. I believe I’ve had them for about 10 days now, and have used them extensively, and they still have a charge and are working just fine.

As far as range/quality, I’m highly impressed at the quality of sound these headphones produce, and am pleased at the volume level they can generate.

Pros:

• I’m very satisfied with battery life. I left it on (accidentally) for 2 days on standy and I still got several hours of use out of them without a recharge.
• The sound quality is excellent.
• The noise-canceling is excellent to the point where my wife hates me having them on because I can’t hear her (that could be either a pro OR con depending on how you look at it).
• Call quality is great — both on the headphone and microphone side. People on the other end have no problems hearing me.
• If I’m listening to music via the analog jack from my sound card, and I get a call on my cell phone, the headset automatically switches over when I answer the call, and automatically switches back to the music when the call is over.

Cons:

• I have a slightly bigger head that some people I suppose, and these headphones feel tight to me. Because of this, my ears begin to get sore after about an hour of use.
• The supplied audio cable is only 2-3 feet long
• There is no analog microphone jack to use this set with non-bluetooth devices like my desktop computer. This is remedied by a cheap usb BT adapter, but would have been an easy feature for Motorola to implement.
• Battery takes about 4 hours to charge fully, and is not charged on purchase. If you buy these, be willing to wait for 4 hours once you unbox them to try them out
• Headphones are not operable during recharging

Technical Details

• Up to 17 hours play time
• Circumaural ear interface
• Speakers 40mm diameter Neodymium
• Music controls: Jog dial – track/ volume – push button- call answer/ play-pause
• Noise, echo and wind cancellation; Wired connection for use with all stereo MP3 players

See larger image Motorola S805 Bluetooth 2.0 (DJ Style) Stereo Headphones (Electronics) List Price: $72.10 USD New From: $98.95 In Stock Used from: $89.99 In Stock

Among all these, I decided to keep the Motorola H710. It is _nearly_ perfect in all aspects, the only minor drawback compared to its predecessor, the H700, is that it has a micro-USB charging connector rather than a mini-USB one (I have tons of mini-USB peripherals, including my cell phone, camera, etc…)

The Jawbone CAN be a good and comfortable fit, if the anatomy of your ear agrees with it. I was lucky that way, it was actually the most comfortable headset I have used. Even for me, though, it was not “instant love”, it took a bit of training to learn how to put it on correctly in a hurry (i.e. when receiving an incoming call). The ear loops (4 different ones included in the package) are very stiff, and I can see how they would easily break after a while. The sound quality was excellent while in my car driving – even across a noisy concrete bridge there would be no way for the other party to tell. Also, incoming sound quality was great – the volume adjusts based on background noise, and the ear plugs are rubberized and block most other noise. It is also a good-looking headset; it matched my phone (a black Nokia N95 8GB) quite well. My main two issues with it were the charging connector (a proprietary one, and only a USB charging cable was included; also not that easy to plug/unplug), and the fact that the power-on time (from off to connected) was a bit too long (timing it, I got anywhere from 9 to 13 seconds..). I prefer to keep my headset turned off when not in use (battery life, connection-time issues.. etc.)

The Plantronics was also great with respect to sound quality; I would say though that it did not quite beat the Jawbone while driving in a car.. (I did not try either one while walking outside in wind though). I did not quite like the large size though (my pockets are full enough already with my cell phone, keys, wallet…), and as someone mentioned, it would seem that it could easily wear out after prolonged pocket-use… Finally, I did not like the proprietary charging connector. (Give me standard mini-USB please; or else micro-USB will work too).

See larger image Motorola Bluetooth H710 Headset [Retail Packaging] (Wireless Phone Accessory) List Price: $99.95 USD New From: $56.99 In Stock

The Motorola H700 and H710 were for me the answer to nearly every grievance I have with bluetooth headsets. You unfold the microphone boom to power it on (and automatically answer any incoming call); fold it back to power off. Simple, elegant. No confusion about whether or not the headset is already powered on or off when an incoming call arrives (I.e. no “Do I need to hold the power button down for a while to power it on, or a simple tap to just answer?” quandries). The power-on-and-connect is also one of the fastest I have seen on any headset (about the same as my old H300, and way faster than either the Jawbone or the 510). Sound quality is exceptional in either – though maybe more so with the H710 (better noise reduction, and, like the Jawbone, it adjusts your ear volume automatically to accommodate for background noise). Since you would normally keep these turned off, as opposed to leaving them on standby, a single charge will normally last you for weeks and weeks (depending on usage of course). Another plus is that they use industry standard charging connectors (mini-USB and micro-USB, respectively), so you can easily share wall/car/computer chargers with other peripherals. Finally, they are an easy fit – no one should have issues getting them on in a hurry (though for me, I actually preferred the “firm” fit of the Jawbone…).

My only issue with the H700 (and this has been fixed in the H710) is an extremely short range; if I left my phone in my pocked while talking on the headset, I would hear some subtle crackling; take the phone out and hold it in my hand and it was OK. While OK for “car use”, I ended up returning it and getting the H710 mainly for this reason.

Good Luck in your own quest for perfection.

Product Features

Comfort:

I’ve seen a few reviews where this headset is less comfortable. Compared to the Motorola H500, I think it’s much more comfortable as it’s more flexible (doesn’t look like it in the pictures though). The grasp of the ear clip is not as strong, and that means it might feel a bit less secure on your ear, but it’s also wearable for long periods of time. The Motorola H500 was tight enough on my ear that after 30 minutes, the pressure on the back of my ear was painful – not good when conference calls are usually over 30 minutes long. Additionally, with 3 sizes for the ear-piece, once I got the correct size attached to the Voyager 510, it helped make the whole set fit more snugly and securely.

Listening Quality:

With the Motorola H500, major static was present even with the phone held right next to the headset. None of that is present with the Plantronics Voyager 510. I should note that in terms of volume, the Voyager was significantly less loud until I got the right ear piece in. Not that the ear piece is snug (and not a few millimeters away from my ear) I can hear just fine. As the Motorola comes with a single ear piece, I never got it quite so dialed in.

Transmission Quality:

Often people who I called complained about the incredibly bad quality of my signal with the Motorola H500. When I was in a perfectly silent room, the H500 was ok. When in the car, it was almost totally unsuable if I had to speak. I’m not sure if the Plantronics noise reduction really works, but people don’t complain about my voice quality, and I certainly don’t have to yell to be heard.

People noted that they received me louder with the Motorola, but were happier with the Plantronics as I didn’t cut in and out.

Range:

Range was poor on the Motorola. If I had the phone clipped to the belt and the H500 on the opposite ear (so my body was between the phone and headset), the reception would cut in and out. If I walked more than 10 feet away from the phone, the H500 would cut in and out. With the Plantronics, I can walk up to 20 feet away without problems. The only issue is if there is a wall between the phone and the Plantronics. Otherwise reception and range are much better than the H500.

Controls:

Yes – everyone is right about the on/off button being poorly placed and not user friendly on the Plantronics Voyager 510. That said, I don’t use it anyway in favor of just controlling functions from the phone. The only headset functions I use on the headset are increasing the volume control which works well and easily. One nice feature of the Plantronics is the ability to switch a call back to the phone. This was not available on the Motorola. User friendly controls go to the Motorola in this case, but just barely because of the way I personally use the headset.

Overall I obviously am keeping the Plantronics. It’s larger than the Motorola by far and less stable on the ear. However, it’s more comfortable, has much better reception and transmission quality. 2 thumbs up!!

Specifications

• Talk time: Up to 6 hours
• Standby time: Up to 100 hours
• Bluetooth version: 1.2 (supports headset and hands-free profiles)
• Wearing style: Over-the-ear; boom swivels for wearing on either ear
• Headset controls: Volume, mute, call answer/end, voice-activated dialing (must be supported by your phone)
• Adaptive Frequency Hopping: Yes (helps to avoid interference for co-existence with Wi-Fi/WLAN)
• Supports analog and digital office phones: Yes