ALIPH Jawbone

The nicely designed Aliph Jawbone offers the best balance of comfort and sound quality of the half-dozen headsets I have tested recently.

At 2.25 inches long (the length of my thumb), this shiny device isn't the smallest one around, but it looks smart; you can buy it in any of three colors: black, red, or silver. The thin band of the LED indicator is unobtrusive, but the Jawbone's design may be too minimalist for some. You can't see the talk button or the noise shield button, which controls the technology for eliminating background noise. Pressing certain portions of the Jawbone's perforated surface--which reminds me of a cheese grater--activates these functions. Once you find them, by touch, the buttons are easy to access and require little finger muscle to press.

The Jawbone is comfortable, thanks to an included assortment of earhooks and earbuds that includes something for almost anyone who isn't Vincent van Gogh or a Vulcan. Pairing the headset, with a Motorola Razer2 V9 was quick and easy as was charging the headset. Aliph bundles the Jawbone with AC and USB chargers, and claims a talk time between battery charges of 6 hours; my tests with the device gave me no reason to dispute that number.

Audio quality was solid: I could hear well in both quiet and noisy environments. My callers could hear me very clearly, too, even when I was spelling out words in noisy environments. One observation: I always felt as though the person I was speaking to was sitting alone in an amphitheater--the conversations had a tinny sound.

Overall, this comfortable, top-quality headset sounded great, for a reasonable price ($80 as of February 15, 2008). For me, that unique combo makes the Jawbone worth the investment.