Taking on the challenge of improving their original Jawbone headset, Aliph created the 50% smaller “New Jawbone,” and they have indeed succeeded. The smaller size is the most noticeable change, but it’s not the only one. The LED, which originally spanned the width of the headset, has been condensed so it occupies far less of the visible side. The leather ear loop is now much easier to put on, and it’s not as essential as it was with the heavier original. The visible side now features a geometric design instead of the vertical slits of its predecessor. But enough about design—let’s see if form and function can coexist.
The little nub, called the Voice Activity Sensor (VAS), which touches your cheek, is still present. Its underlying technology has been renamed from Noise Shield to Noise Assassin. According to the product literature, Noise Assassin has a more aggressive algorithm, though in practice I haven’t noticed much difference. That’s not a bad thing, since the original noise cancellation was already impressive. At my workplace, which has very large and noisy machines, calls come through without the other party hearing the deafening background noise. The only requirement is that the VAS nub touches your face to pick up vibrations from your cheek. Aliph offers a revised version of the earbuds to ensure proper contact, available from their site for just $2.99 shipping.
If you want to see how much of a difference Noise Assassin makes, you can turn it off by holding the backmost section of the headset nearest the ear loop for 2 seconds during a call.
Call quality is good. While it doesn’t have Bluetooth 2.0 as advertised, it is compatible with Bluetooth 2.0 devices. The headset may start to crackle beyond 5 feet from the phone, but this is more a limitation of certain phones than the headset itself. The volume range is good, from very quiet to very loud, with 4 intermediate steps. The loudest setting can be painful if the person you’re speaking to is yelling. One minor inconvenience is that volume is adjusted using the Noise Assassin button, requiring toggling through each step to reach the desired level.
The smaller size of this new headset results in lower talk and standby times compared to the original. Talk time is about 4 hours, with standby up to 8 days. The original had 6 hours of talk time with 5 days (120 hours) of standby. The increased standby is aided by a new power-saving feature that turns the headset off after 15 minutes of inactivity.
