For years now I’ve been a big fan of the Aliph ‘Jawbone’ series Bluetooth headset. Not only for its stunning design, but for the quality product and sound clarity. Naturally, when Kevin asked me if I would like to do a review of the brand-new Jawbone PRIME, I was all over it like nobody’s business. In my review I’ll step you through the product and provide you with a few good pictures of the new device… and by the end you may even be convinced to pick one up (you won’t regret it – this is my favorite headset to date).

Side note: I’m not going to bore you with all of the initial setup instructions, how to pair the device with your BlackBerry etc… Lets face it, we all know how to do that, and if you don’t, I’m happy to report that both headsets here come with very clear instructions on how to do so. Let’s get down to it!

What’s Inside the Box

…And what a box it is! The packaging of the PRIME is very nicely done, as is to be expected. All of the accessories, power supplies, earloops, etc. are packaged in an exposed and front-facing manner. As soon as you crack the package you’re displayed with most options right in front of your eyes!

The Jawbone PRIME packaging contains the following:

• 1 Jawbone PRIME Bluetooth Headset
• 6 different earbuds (2 different styles)
• 2 earloops (including 1 ‘premium’ leather-wrapped style)
• 1 USB charging cable
• 1 wall charger
• 1 user welcome guide with instructions
• 1 safety informational pullout

Everything you need to go wireless is packaged perfectly into the box. Two big thumbs up for packaging and presentation of the device. Definitely first-class.

The Technology

Before I go any further I thought it would be appropriate to touch just a bit on the extraordinary technology built-in to the PRIME.

Aliph has prided itself for some time now in providing the best sound quality available in a Bluetooth Headset. The Jawbone PRIME comes complete with NoiseAssassin 2.0, which improves upon the previous generation. A quick description of the improvements made to NoiseAssassin from Jawbone:

Jawbone PRIME has even better background noise elimination than the previous generations. NoiseAssasin™ 2.0 delivers an order of magnitude improvement in the noisiest environments (6 to 9dB) extracting even more noise while keeping the user’s voice natural.

It’s important to note that both headsets come with an ‘Acoustic Voice Activity Detector’. This detection device provides a ‘fail-safe’ of sorts… When the detector isn’t in contact with your cheek/face, the Jawbone will perform as good if not better than most headsets available on the market. But when the detector is in contact with your face (as it should be!) it’s like getting a turbo-boost in performance.

A turbo-boost in performance indeed. I decided to test the PRIME’s voice detection and background noise elimination by performing the ‘head out of the car window’ test. While it looks absolutely foolish, I have tested all of my Bluetooth headsets by driving around with my head out the window while on a call. It looks absolutely foolish and is a tad dangerous, but for my purposes I had to do it. Suffice it to say, the PRIME outperformed every other headset I’ve tested. Background noise was nil, and the recipient of the call on the other end could hear me loud and clear.

Bottom line is the Jawbone PRIME packs some great technology into a great package. The device is light (feels slightly lighter than the Jawbone 2 to me…), background noise is all but completely eliminated when in use, and the acoustic voice activity detector works brilliantly in delivering clear and crisp audio to the device on the other end.

Finding the Perfect Fit

I’m pleased to report here that the Jawbone PRIME is the best-fitting Jawbone yet. This, primarily due to the new earbuds that come packaged with the device.

The new earbuds packaged with the PRIME have an extra circle of soft rubber sticking out of them… Looks a little odd for sure, but once you try them, I think you’ll agree they are a great improvement. The key is however how you insert the earpiece into your ear. With the new style of earbud on the device, point the Jawbone DOWN, insert into your ear, and then turn the device UP until the voice activity sensor (VAS) is touching your cheek/face. That’s it… The headset should now be very snug within your ear WITHOUT an earloop! Perfect!

I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be running around town with no earloop on my Bluetooth headset. The temperatures are warming up here, and it was/is always tricky to get comfortable with a headset AND sunglasses/glassed on. The arm of the sunglasses and the earloop of the headset would always battle each other on the side of my noggin’… Not a comfortable deal at all. If you’ve ever experienced this problem you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Thankfully, with the PRIME you can say goodbye to that problem for good. No earloop necessary. It’s awesome.

Two thumbs up to the Jawbone PRIME for delivering and unparalleled fit.

Fit and Finish

I have to admit, I’m no ‘aficionado’ of Bluetooth headsets, but I’ve seen and used my fair share. And, to this day, I’ve never put hands on a device as well put together as the Jawbone PRIME. For that matter, both the Jawbone PRIME and its predecessor the Jawbone 2 are put together to form a solid and well-built product. While I’m at it, I seem to recall the original Jawbone was up to this standard as well. The Jawbone’s are certainly on the high-end of the Bluetooth headset spectrum… And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few years when it comes to Bluetooth headsets… you get what you pay for! Once you have one you will probably never want to give it up!

So it looks good… But is it easy to use?

Using the Jawbone PRIME is dead easy. As I mentioned at the beginning of the review I’m not going to get into the initial setup and pairing of the device, but handy step-by-step instructions are included should you need them.

Answering calls is as easy as a tap on the ‘talk’ button, which is the main button on the outside of the device itself. Pressing the talk button will also answer an incoming call while you’re on an existing call. To reject a call simply hit the noise assassin button near the back of the device. The call will be immediately rejected. Finally, to toggle Noise Assassin on and off simply press the Noise Assassin button and hold for 2 seconds. Noise Assassin is always on by default.

The important thing here is to play/fool around with the device to get used to it. Because the buttons are ‘hidden’ on the device, the more you use it, the more familiar you’ll get with it… and before you know it using the Jawbone PRIME will be second nature to you.

Important side note: Before you start using your Jawbone, be sure to charge it up for around 50 minutes with the included USB cable or wall charger. The indicator light will change from red to white when the device is charged and ready to go.

Conclusions

You really can’t go wrong with the Jawbone PRIME. Ever since the original Jawbone from Aliph, I’ve been recommending them to friends, family and colleagues. The Jawbone 2 was another great jump forward, setting the bar for Bluetooth headsets, and now, the Jawbone PRIME has done the same. To borrow a line from countless movie reviews: ‘Two thumbs up… way up!’

Pros

• stunning design
• easy to use
• fantastic sound quality and background noise elimination
• great fit with no earloop necessary

Cons

• On the pricier side

Ratings

• Design and Function: 5/5
• Sound Quality: 5/5
• Aesthetics: 5/5
• Ease of Use: 5/5
• Comfort: 5/5

Price & Purchase

• Suggested Retail Price is $129.95. Available for less at ShopCrackBerry.
• The Jawbone PRIME is available right now at ShopCrackBerry.com >>

The Only Bluetooth Headset with the BlackBerry Name On It!

Innovative and sleek, the Blackberry HS-655 delivers Plantronics technology in a stylish BlackBerry livery. With 128-bit encryption for enhanced privacy and digital signal processing the HS-655 features advanced technology in one of the most attractive packages out there. The fact that it bears the BlackBerry logo means you can be assured it is optimized for use with most BlackBerry devices. It is also compatible with the BlackBerry Power Station, making for an ultra-convenient charging solution.

Preamble

The BlackBerry HS-655 Bluetooth headset has been on the market for a while now – it came out in 2006, but despite its “age” is still a great headset offering BlackBerry bang for the buck — especially considering you can pick it up these days for nearly half of it’s original list price ($69.95 @ ShopCrackBerry.com compared to $119.99 @ShopBlackBerry.com). Made for BlackBerry by Plantronics, you can also find the 655 in a non-BlackBerry branded version as well as Plantronics’ more recently released Discovery 665 headset, which was reviewed here at CrackBerry.com a few months ago.

Opening the box

No frills but all the bells and whistles you need

Not so much a box as a bag. The headset comes with the actual BlackBerry HS-655 headset, a pocket case/charging pod, three ear gels, ear hook, and a recharger chord.

Setting up the headset

As with most headsets, the process for setting up the Bluetooth is the same. Simply go to ‘Set Up Bluetooth’ icon on the BlackBerry. Ensure the headset is in pairing mode (hold down the big button for a few seconds and it will flash blue and red). Hit OK and the BlackBerry will start searching for devices. Once it finds the HS-655, simply click on that, enter the 0000 pin key and you are ready to go.

The headset

Sleek and stylish with performance

No doubt about it, the HS-655 is a seriously sexy looking headset. Its bullet shape is sleek and stylish. The matte grey and black look is a fashionable nod to the BlackBerrys with which it is paired. It is very modern looking. Large enough to do what it is supposed to yet not obtrusive enough to look odd or be a pain to use.

Using the headset

You will have to fit the ear loop and an ear gel. The ear gel snaps into place easily and seems to hold quite securely. Getting the ear gel in place can be a fiddly job for those of you with big fingers, and on one occassion I didn’t have the ear gel firmly secured and it popped out on me. It’s also fairly easy to knock off the ear gel if you carry the headset loosely (say in your pocket). The unit comes with three different sized ear gels so it takes a couple of tries to figure out which feels the most comfortable. The simple plastic ear loop actually fit me well (not always the case with Bluetooth headsets) and was comfortable to wear.

The headset comes in a cool-looking pocket-friendly case. It’s about the same size as a lipstick holder, which can be confusing if you have a large purse or you’re an on-the-go transvestite (my attempt at humor – don’t shoot me!). The pocket case also has a vibrate feature to indicate incoming calls and a clip that allows you to stick it in your top pocket (nerdy), the side of your BlackBerry case (a little less nerdy) or in your European man purse (retro nerdy).

The 665 features a snazzy pocket-friendly case

The HS-655 features three buttons. The large button, which also doubles as a power and connectivity indicator, is easy to find and press when connecting. The button also acts as a mute button or can access the voice dialing function in conjunction with your BlackBerry. The volume buttons are placed on the shaft of the headset and are also very easy to locate because of raised nodules. The volume buttons do require a bit of pushing to depress them, which can end up jamming the gels into your ear.

At just nine grams, the headset fits into the ear easily and seems very unobtrusive. It also feels very snug to the ear and has very little movement as a result. The headset can be worn without the ear loop but, frankly, I found that too loose to be comfortable. The ear gel is quite comfortable and fits well. The ear loop is also nice and rigid, which keeps the unit firmly in place.

A rubber pad keeps the unit away from the face

One feature that I thought was clever was the small rubber pad at the base of the headset that effectively kept the device from rubbing up against the side of the face. In some other headset I have tried, that rubbing of the microphone against the face, especially an unshaven one, can contribute to a lot of background noise. It just so happens this “rubber pad” serves a more important function as well — it contains the charging port for the headset, which plugs into the holding case which in turn plugs into the standard microUSB connecttor (the same one that charges your BlackBerry).

On the subject of noise, the HS-655 has a great microphone that picks up the voice easily and clearly. People I talked with via the headset indicated it picked up some background noise in both the car and outside too however. The unit features DSP or digital sound processing, which reduces background noise although if you’re using it in a public area be prepared for some background noise to be picked up.

Saving the best for last, the BlackBerry HS-655 Bluetooth headset offers a charging solution unlike any other Bluetooth headset — it has been designed to charge off of another great BlackBerry OEM accessory, the BlackBerry Power Station. The headset charging pod vertically clips into the BlackBerry Power Station, and from their the headset easily clips into the charging pod. All said and done, you have a convenient place to store your headset when not in use, and a failsafe means of charging it. It’s a great combination for any BlackBerry User or Abuser!

The headset charging pod with HS-655 clip easily into the
BlackBerry Power Station

Technical details

The BlackBerry HS-655 supports 128-bit encryption to ensure the privacy of your phone calls. Full encryption is available when pairing to a BlackBerry device using v4.2 software. The device also features DSP – Digital Sound Processing which is designed to reduce background noise and improve sound quality.

Lightweight and easy to carry in one hand
(note the charging port in the end of the case)

The HS-655 is compatible with all Bluetooth enabled Blackberrys — the 7100 range, 7290, 7250, 7520, 8700s, Pearls, Curves and 8800 series devices. Another key feature is the great roaming range for the unit. The technical specs claim a range of 33 feet. That seems about right and I maintained great connectivity and sound response wandering away from the connected Berry.

BlackBerry claim talk time is up to three hours and more than 80 hours standby time. I keep the headset in the BlackBerry Powerstation so I have yet to see it run down, although I had the unit out of the recharger for five days without running any calls through it and it was still functional.

Bottom Line

You’d think with the review I am giving I would look happier

Overall, this is probably the best headset I have personally tried to date. While its sound quality may be bettered by some of the latest high-tech headsets on the market I have read about, in terms of everyday usability I have no real complaints with the HS-655. The sound quality is good, the unit is small and very comfortable and it looks good. I liked the styling and the ease of recharge. And the holder is a nice touch, especially if you use it inconjunction with the BlackBerry Powerstation. Much like BlackBerry smartphones, this headset just works!!