jawbone 2

I owned the original JB almost since the day it was released and never had a moment's problem with it. In fact it was my extreme satisfaction with it that prompted me to upgrade to the new model, expecting that I would receive the same or better audio quality in a smaller and lighter package. It was only after I began to receive complaints from callers that I began to suspect that there was a problem with audio quality.

As a test, I left a number of messages on my voicemail from using the New Jawbone, the standard iPhone headphones, and the iPhone itself. I was shocked with how bad the audio quality was on the Jawbone unless I was holding the sensor against my cheek. That's when I called Jawbone and tech support told me that keeping the sensor against the cheek was the most common complaint they were receiving at tech support.

It's possible, that the unique structure of your ear and face makes it easier for you to keep the sensor against the cheek than for some other people. But for you to imply that we don't know how to operate the device is a bit much, don't you think?

Good point.

It might also be helpful to know, from the people who are having issues, whether they are using the earhook or are using the JB2 without it. The earhook probably increases the "spring pressure" of the sensor against the cheek.

Having said that, I don't use the earhook and don't have the problem.

-Peter

Not using the ear-hook - no problem with the sensor/audio quality

dmweinst - not directed at you, and I agree, we all have different face/ear shapes.

I am however very suspicious of folks that have never posted before - then turn up writing long diatribes against a product, with some fairly outrageous claims, and amazingly candid quotes from said company's tech support people....

They are posting on an Apple forum, yet appear to not have used said product with any Apple product, and in fact continually refer to a non Apple phone.

So how/why did they come to be posting here??

And are they just here to Astroturf?

This may help:

I finally found my old Jabra clear gels and the one with the long "tail" really transforms the JB 2. It transmits sound very well (I had to turn the volume down a tad) but most important it allows you to position the thing properly in your ear.

This solves two things: the fit/sensor issue, and the need for the ear loop (though I still use it as a safety backup at times). Though it obviously does not cure the button-push problem, the much friendlier fit makes it a lot less necessary to be fussing with the unit, meaning the accidental button push problem is reduced to manageable.

Hope this helps,

-dan

I can't speak for the other posters to this thread, but I am a devoted iPhone (6th in line on 6/29/07) and Jawbone customer, having bought the my Jawbone 1 the first day they arrived at my local AT&T store. I really wanted to like the New Jawbone. I loved the design, the weight, the comfort. I had no problem hanging up calls accidentally. When I began to realize that people couldn't hear me, I posted here hoping to learn that I had a defective unit or was doing something wrong.

Given the nearly universal acclaim and customer satisfaction with the Original Jawbone, I think the fact that a number of people here have posted here about the New Jawbone with similar issues to mine, and the information given to me by Jawbone technical support, I'm afraid there is design flaw that can make it difficult for some users (maybe not all) to maintain proper contact between the sensor and cheek. It is clear that the spring-loaded ear loop of the original design performed this function very effectively. Perhaps Aliph felt that given the lighter and smaller size of the new version, they could dispense with this feature. My guess is that they are now regretting this decision.

Finally I would like to add that I hope that they quickly introduce a modification to the design that incorporates a (hopefully smaller and less obtrusive) spring-loaded ear loop that we poor souls who can't keep the darn sensor against our cheek can use. If and when this happens, I'll be first in line to snatch one up and sing its praises.

One more point - I tried to find the most appropriate forum in which to raise this issue, but didn't see any JB2 discussions anywhere else. Maybe the other posters had the same experience, even though they may not be iPhone users.

For the record, I'm CEO of a tiny biotech company and have pressed my IT people about switching our computers from Windows to Mac but they insist it would not be practical for our business needs. And I'm a Verizon user for my mobile who is quite solidly convinced Verizon is the best with cell phones just like Apple is the best at what they do -- I would never consider going to AT&T just to get the iPhone.

The way I found this forum was simple: Google "jawbone 2 disconnecting" (this thread currently comes up as the very first search result).

My original purpose for posting was, in fact, to try to find a place to help share with others the fact that the AT&T store manager had revealed to me that their entire first batch of Jawbone 2s were defective and had to go back -- it seemed like something somebody should share with the rest of the web community since countless people have surely been wrestling with that. This is the thread I found where it seemed as useful as anywhere else to help with that.

Then I got into sharing more... for mutual help.

I'm not sure why anyone here would care if I'm praising the Jawbone 2 or not -- last I checked it's not made by Apple anyway.

Interestingly, the manager at the AT&T store, who had a huge promotion going on for the Jawbone 2 with boxes at every register, said to me, "The one and only thing the Jawbone has for it is the excellent noise filtering. Take that away, and there are a number of other headsets that will work better in many ways."

It would seem pretty obvious that with so many people saying the main problem is the sensor not touching the face (and, no, the loop did not help in my case but actually hindered it from touching), the next logical step in the process is that people would be frequently grabbing the unit to re-position it in the ear better since that's the only way to get it to touch the face and stay touching -- and the "grabbing" is logically an invitation to touch the faceplate, even if only at the sides of it, and thus inadvertently depress the Talk button... thus disconnecting the call if you were on one.

I applaud Aliph for having a policy that allows if not supports their techs talking candidly to users about the main complaint being not touching the face and about the difficulty of maneuvering it into place without pressing the Talk button as being a definite design flaw. (Anyone who questions those statements can make a few calls to Aliph tech support for candid talks and see what comes up in the conversation).

I, too, am surprised at such little forum posting on this subject. I think most people are too busy. I certainly am, but now that I have a Blackberry that has a 3.5-mm jack (doesn't fit most standard corded mobile headsets) and it's time to get a Bluetooth - and I like my stuff to work and work right -- this became an issue, and I felt I should at least share what I was learning with others.

As it is, I did more and more searching on the web and came up with two products by top names in audio that seem to be possibly worth checking out: Sennheiser VMX100, and Bang & Olufsen EarSet 2. The former is about the price of a Jawbone 2, and the latter is actually more than twice that but has superb ratings from what I've seen so far (and my time searching has been a fortune).

Both have dual microphones which both claim allow them to do a great job as noise filtering, and both have a mini-boom that physically swings out to turn the unit on or off. I like both of those features. Both also offer mute as well, which I had been hoping to find in a good Bluetooth headset.

I called the Bang & Olufsen store in Miami, but they said they're out of them and it would be about 5 days to get. They have no other store in any close-by city. So, out of curiosity, I went into the local mall in Fort Lauderdale, where I live, just for kicks on the slim chance a specialty store might at least have the Sennheiser in stock, though I was resigned to having to get it online tomorrow. I knew for sure no store but B&O would stock the B&O, and was certain I'd have to get that online.

I wandered around the mall asking where to get Bluetooth headsets for cell phones... and was told to check out AT&T and MetroPCS... who I know would never have anything out of the norm... Then I remembered there was an Apple store in this mall. Who knows... can't hurt to check it out... maybe they have something interesting, though I can't imagine what. You never know. I know they carry the best, so let's check it out.

And there on the wall display was the Sennheiser VMX100! Also, a corded stereo headset from B&O... "But you guys obviously don't have the B&O EarSet 2 for mobile phones, right?" The saleskid said "No, we don't," but then he ran off to the back while I spoke with another saleskid... and in a few moments he emerged with... a Bang & Olufsen EarSet 2 for mobile phones!!!

So, now I'm charging both up and will report back.

I've been using the Jawbone 2 for a few weeks now. It's a great product. At first i had the wrong hoop and earbud, so the fit wasn't as comfortable. Then i made sure i followed the directions (keeping the white piece against my face).

It works great. I can answer calls or hang up by pressing the button, no problem. I can adjust it on my ear while on a call, no problem.

Maybe i ended up with a lucky one from the lucky batch or perhaps it's a revision A or rev. B Jawbone 2. Mine works great. Sound quality is phenomenally great...specially the noise cancellation feature.

I was rather pumped when the Jawbone2 came out. I still had a gift card from Christmas laying around so this made the price work. But I was disappointed. While in a call it seemed to work great. I tested it myself with the radio on and the driver's window half way down. I thought I was in heaven with this thing. But oddly when doing voice dialing it failed about 1/3 or more of the time and occasionally I would get static (some crackling sound) when starting to place a call. I was surprised by this as the Jawbone(1) was dead on with voice dialing. I contacted Jawbone through email and they asked if I had completed a soft reset on my cell phone so I tried it. I first deleted the Jawbone2 from the phone, did a soft reset on the phone, a factory reset on the Jawbone, paired the two and after that I could never get voice dialing to work correctly!

Jawbone never got back to me after that and they have always been responsive. I had actually called into support before emailing on this issue and the guy I talked to said to go back to Best Buy as the third time was a charm. Nice! I had tried two units and both gave poor results. I tried a third while still at Best Buy with the salesman in the cell phone dept. He was suprised to see the results. Again, the calls were fine but the voice dialing stinks. I wanted this for driving and this certainly doesn't help. My Samsung WEP200 has much better results for voice dialing.

(I mentioned the Jawbone 1 earlier. This one had been returned shortly after buying it as I could never get a good fit.)

Message was edited by: SBMongoos

Did you try re-recording your voice tags with the new Jawbone? On other phones/headsets I have had to do this when changing models.

Regards,
-Peter

Conclusions after MUCH searching and testing:

The Sennheiser VMX100 doesn't cut it.

The Bang & Olufsen EarSet 2 is absolutely AMAZING! It is THE headset for anyone who cares about how their headset functions in ALL areas, not just noise reduction but every other aspect of functionality and practicality. (Note that on the Apple online store the Jawbone original had an average user rating of 3.5 out of 5, while the B&O had an average of 4.5 out of 5. Last I checked, though, the Jawbone wasn't offered on the site any more, while the B&O still was.) First, let me point out it is darn expensive: $350 big ones! And if you care how it works, it's worth it! Where to begin... How realistic the other person sounds is unmatched by ANY other headset, period; how realistic I sound based on tons of feedback is pretty much tied for first with perhaps one or two others; how well it handles background noise is in the top three of all of them; how realistic I sound is great although for very small periods of time the other person hears minor shifts in the audio as the device adjusts for the voice and background noise, which it does very well; handling wind is about as good as anything I've tested, period; the way it fits is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT no matter what your physical shape is like (the ear loop adjusts every way possible and stays in place where you put it: it's on a spindle that adjust upwards -- you can even hear the super-high-quality "internal gear" as you adjust it up or down -- and then on a 3-way ball joint, and it's solid metal wrapped in rubber for a strong fit and total comfort); and one of my favorite features is the fact that the small boom swings out to turn it "on" and in to turn it "off" -- which prevents accidental dialing (so it doesn't become an unintentional "bugging device" like Bluetooth headsets can tend to do); it fits nicely in my pocket, and also has a super functional carrying case that also is the charging case (fits magnetically in the case). It's just a dream come true! It's not "perfect" at reducing background noise but is up there with the best of the best. With normal low-level ambient noise I sound superb, and I also sound superb even when there is background noise that "somewhat" comes through. It prevents the background noise from being a problem for others to hear me. And it seems best of any in the wind from what people have been telling me.

There is another secret device I discovered that rivals the B&O, and that's the Plantronics "Calisto" headset. It's a relatively new device and is really only available as a "replacement" headset for the expensive office phone system. I had the senior people at www.headsets.com turn me on to this, and after much testing I have to say it's a close tie with the B&O depending on conditions. It's not nearly as high-quality construction or sophisticated electronics, and it's not nearly as practical for carrying around -- indeed, a big plus for the performance is the fact that it is very long with a boom that puts the mic right by your mouth, just like a corded office headset would do. Yet it's very comfortable fitting on the ear with the ear loop, which is perfectly designed with pivots to swing out and up for very easy and very flexible fitting (and it can go on either ear). Our many tests revealed that the sound that I hear is not as good as with the B&O but is fine and is plenty loud, and what others hear is very good and natural sounding -- not quite as good as with the B&O with normal low-level ambient noise but pretty close, and not nearly close to the B&O for handling wind, though in environments where there was considerable background noise the Calisto did considerably better at masking it to where it was barely audible to the person I was talking with -- surely rivaling the Jawbone in this one key area!

I end up using the B&O mostly all of the time now, due to the many advantages it provides. I throw the Calisto in my bag anyway, though, in case I plan to be talking for long periods while in my office and/or if I ever need really good masking out of loud background noise.

I'm on my second JB2 and still have the many reported problems of noise in the background that my callers can hear. I just think that a product that claims "Noise Assassin" technology would come close to discriminating my voice from the background. Well, it doesn't. I'm just about ready to give-up on this second one. I had the first one for a week and now I will give this one the same amount of testing time. I have tried the different ear loops and rubber grommets and have the plastic sensor touching my cheek. Still cannot make a clean sounding call. Any suggestions would be appreciated. As, I really would like this to work. Nicely designed and small are the pluses.

Message was edited by: skical

In order for me to appropriately convey the quality of the B&O EarSet 2, and also of the Plantronics Calisto headset, one simple bottom line should go a long way in illustrating how good these two devices are: Everyone I talked with, under all conditions, said both sounded considerably better than the phone itself did (especially with the B&O except that the Calisto reduced the volume of background noise better than the B&O).

And for me to listen to the other party I could usually hear them better with the B&O than with the phone itself.

I use a BlackBerry Curve and am with Verizon.

Again, even with substantial background noise, the B&O did a superb job of making my speech come through excellently well; the only difference between that and the Calisto was that, due to the physical orientation of the Calisto putting the mic right at the mouth, it reduced the volume of background noise better than the B&O -- but even with the B&O the person I was talking with always said they heard the music or traffic in the background but still always said emphatically that I was coming through exceptionally well -- very loud and crystal clear -- "above" the background noise.

Interestingly, the B&O touts the fact that its software attempts to produce as "realistic" sound as possible (while using advanced two-mic "directional" noise reduction technology to eeparate your voice from background noise), and therefore they tout the fact that the device even fills in the "space" between your speech with reproductions of the background noise so the person on the other end hears a natural sound and not choppiness like with an intercom (or like with the Jawbone?).

I have already returned one Jawbone 2 and am still having the same sound quality problem; people tell me that I sound like I keep turning my back on the phone and then it starts to echo. Tech support keeps telling me that I am not keeping it next to my face - not. So do I return it for a third one or trash it?