Aliph Jawbone Review

Design:

The Jawbone looks like nothing we've seen before and the design is made by the famous Yves Behar. As a founder of the Fuseproject Designer Studio, the Swissman is known for his work for companies such as Swarovski, MINI, Nike, Toshiba, Hewlett Packard etc. He has received many international prizes for his marvelous creations.


The device, which we have, is entirely made of a black glossy plastic, with Aliph offering options with red and silvery front panel. It is larger than the one we are used to see and with size 58 x 28 x 20 mm / 2.3 x 1.1 x 0.8 in. Jawbone is among the largest on the market as its weight of 19 gr. / 0.67 oz. (with earbud and earloop on) places it next to the heaviest devices. With respect to these parameters it resembles Nokia’s BH-900.


At first sight we do not find any control buttons or even a charging plug on the headset. Naturally, they are in the set, but are cleverly disguised so that they do not stand out from the receiver’s design. On the front side there are a talk button and a noise shield button, which stay hidden, but when one presses a certain place they are activated. The buttons are separated from the LED indicator, which stretches along the whole width of the device and shines in two colors (white and red) depending on its state.


The talk button area is the larger one, as it is made entirely of small elongated holes (perforations). The button is activated, by pressing on the protruding relief part with the forefinger and holding the device with the thumb and the middle finger. Working with it is very difficult and requires the use of quite some force, but has a good tactile feedback. On the other side of the LED indicator is the area, where you can find the Noise shield button, and you can easily work with it by pressing the sign „Jawbone”. As a whole, this set is not the easiest one to work with we've tested so far. This feature is a precondition for a serious discomfort, and if you have more conversations, it will probably irritate you.

The charger’s plug is integrated in the upper oval part of the device, as it constitutes four metal contact plates, with a reset button in the middle. This designer’s solution is a very good one, but we hope that in some time there will be no need to clean these plates from dust, stuck on them. The same applies for the holes on the talk button, which are also dust magnets and you will have to clean them from time to time.


The Voice Activity Sensor is located on the inside part, as its function is to find out exactly when you are talking so that the device can “separate” your voice from the surrounding noises. The mic is located close to the Voice Activity Sensor in the lower part of the headset.


The earloop is made out of hard metal and does not allow bending. In order to provide comfort when worn, the earloop is partly wrapped in a soft rubber and on its inside there is another rubber part, which duplicates its shape in a way. You are able to remove the earloop and replace it with the one that fits best. There is a spring mechanism so it fastens steadily and tightly. This mechanism helps press the Voice Activity Sensor to the cheek tighter.

The earbuds, which fasten by turning, are of different sizes and shapes, so that you can choose the most suitable for yourself.