Digital Trends

Aliph Jawbone May 29th, 2007 | by Brandon King

Features and Design 

There was a time when the sight of a person mumbling and laughing to themselves meant only one thing - and use your imagination here. Once cell phones caught on, we learned to look for the dangling wired microphone before assuming psychosis. And now, even that telltale wire is gone, thanks to the ubiquity of Bluetooth headsets. What’s more, headsets have gone high-style, as $100+ USD options mark the luxury lines from each major manufacturer. 

A new company called Aliph, has built their first offering around what they call Noise Shield technology. The idea is simple — the headset should only care about sound when the person is talking, which requires moving their mouth (and thus, the name "Jawbone" for their first device). The headset extends over the muscle that moves the jaw so that when the mouth moves, a small rubber piece moves. This acts as a switch that tells the headset, “Hey, there’s someone talking here!” Noise that occurs without the wearer moving their mouth is greatly diminished. Ventriloquists will want to look elsewhere.

The Jawbone is slightly larger than most premium headsets, due to the need for it to extend over the jaw. This does not translate into weight, as the Jawbone is substantial, but light. There is an obvious amount of effort put into the choice of materials. The outer shielding is available in red, black, and silver. The activity light glows a diffuse white or red to indicate status. The remainder of the body has a glossy black finish. The only two buttons on the unit are completely concealed. The Talk button is hidden under the colored plate, and the Noise Shield button is the entire back-most surface behind the activity light.

Fit is everything with the Jawbone, which is why Aliph includes four ear loop sizes and three ear insert sizes. The headset can be used on the left or right side of the head by inverting these two pieces. A series of holes along the back of the headset fit into the charging cable, which is included in the packaging. A USB charging cable is supplied, which plugs into an AC adapter. 

Aliph Jawbone and accessories

The packaging of the Jawbone is immaculate. The clear plastic case shows off the headset on a custom molded pedestal, like a piece of art. The base of the box hides a box labeled “Customize Your Fit,” containing the earloops and earbuds, and a box labeled “Power Up,” containing the charging cable and adapter. The initial charge took around 5 hours and lasted approximately 3 days with moderate use.

Aliph Jawbone