Aliph’s Jawbone Prime
Retail: $129.99
http://www.jawbone.com/

In the past, I have gently teased Bluetooth headsets and the folks that wear them proudly like a badge of honor: ‘I’ve finally made it in the professional world and have been deemed worthy of a device that makes me look like I’m talking to no one.’ Not to mention the soccer moms at the grocery store who may be talking to the cashier or to their best friend via a hidden headset – who knows?

And don’t even get me started on the sound quality of talking to someone on one of them. I’ve never had to physically concentrate on a conversation harder than when my husband calls me on his “safe-for-driving” headset.

Either way, it was going to take a pretty awesome device to change my mind about the Bluetooth headset. Aliph’s Jawbone Prime may just be the product I was looking for.

Let’s Talk First Impressions: The Jawbone arrived in a sleek hard plastic case that really did give me the impression that I was in for a treat. I tried the different options to wear the device and found my fit with ease: the smallest “new” bud with no loop. It felt secure, seamless and tight.

The included USB-style charger was a complete no-brainer to hook up to my computer, and the unit clipped in and began its charge immediately – no GUI fuss from the computer or special programs to install.

Making It Work: The Jawbone was simple to set up. Once given the initial charge, it was a breeze to – with the help of the instructions – to hook it up to my cell phone (an ancient Motorola Razr). It chimed pleasantly in my ear to let me know a call was coming in and, at least for the first 12 hours, was easy to click on and off.

After that, not so much. Maybe I was being over-exuberant in my testing, but after the first day the clicky button hidden along the length of the Jawbone started to lose some of its click. It didn’t stop working, but the satisfying pop of the button became more of a pressure thing than simply touching your hand the the device – as it was when I first got my hands on it.

Placing the unit in and securing it into position was simple and comfortable, and I never got the impression it was going to fall out. Well designed from that standpoint.

Can You Hear Me?: Sound quality was top notch, as expected; people didn’t know I wasn’t using a normal cell phone. The delay was negligible from a listener perspective, and the caller’s voice was loud, clear and without static, even when standing in the middle of a summer gale.

The Honeymoon is Over: Call me old-fashioned, but I’m not sure it’s a cool thing to go from silent to speaking to unseen entities in normal, everyday life. Case in point:

I took the Jawbone with me – totally excited and feeling an aura of cool by having the little device peeking out from under my hair – to the mall this past weekend. I was browsing when an incoming call chimed in my ear. I pressed the button with some difficulty (because it started to stick – more on that later) and answered. The conversation doesn’t matter – but the looks I got from the other patrons when a silent person suddenly began babbling right next to them were … uncomfortable. And, I was in Hot Topic – not really the old fogies’ home filled with techno-newbies.

And, I’ll be honest with you – IRL, it fell out a lot. Or, because it wasn’t quite tight enough in my ear socket, I had to keep turning it up.

Driving and Chatting: My recommendation for the Jawbone comes solely under the purview of hands-free driving. It was liberating to not have my cell phone pressed against my ear. I had free range of movement and could chat like the person was in the car next to me.

Well, theoretically. I’ll chock this observation of the Jawbone up to my own stupidity and lack of use with other Bluetooth devices: Yes, it was totally liberating – but I also found it SO much more distracting to talk this way! Especially driving, I felt my attention split in a way I’ve never felt with my cell charging next to me on vibrate. Again, probably just me, but unless I made the call myself, I’d rather not use the Bluetooth at all.

Recommendation: If you want a Bluetooth, get this one. It’s got awesome sound quality form the NoiseAssassin technology, it’s comfortable to wear and comes with tons of different options to help you find the right fit. Overall, I don’t think I as a person care for Bluetooth headsets, but that’s an entirely different review!

So, IMHO: Yes – it’s worth the money, if this is your thing.