Can’t Live Without Your Chic Bluetooth Headset?

Posted on March 17, 1986 Updated on September 28, 2014

Again another piece i found fascinating on the topic of radio accessory’s, what would you need to do if i didn’t post this ehh? you’d have to look at the initial article, and the chances you found it would be slim, so deem yourself lucky that i’ve shared this glorious article with you.

America has been invaded by cyborgs. You see them rushing to work on the trains, buses, cars, and motorbikes wearing their indispensable ear accessories. They are those creatures who appear talking to themselves and are always in a hurry to get somewhere. They’re the Bluetooth headset generation.

The wired generation speaks out

Have you ever wondered how the older generation survived without the mobile phone and the Bluetooth headset? Your grandfather will probably tell you that they had to make do with telephones that were permanently attached to a wall or a desk.

They also could not imagine a telephone in the car. It was entirely improbable for the average person to have gadgets they could only see in spy movies or read about in futuristic science fiction novels.

For them, a telephone had to have wires and stay put in the house, like a faithful Swiss guard at the Vatican gates. Your Bluetooth headset is a marvel to them, but they can’t understand why you have to wear it all the time.

The different Bluetooth headsets

Depending on your lifestyle, you can choose the following Bluetooth headset versions:

In the ear. This is worn in the ear and may or may not have an adjustable boom (microphone). Wearing these will eliminate hassles, like talking on the phone and writing down instructions at the same time. They are easy to wear and can be detached with ease.

Over the head. You either choose one with two earpieces (binaural), or one earpiece (monaural). The binaural is the better choice for those working in call centers because this blocks background noise. The monaural will allow you to hear what’s going on around you, even when you’re on the phone.

Behind the neck. This is ideal for those who prefer wearing a headset that is connected by a piece that is under the chin or behind the neck.

Convertible headset. With this type, you can wear this over your head or behind your neck.

Most people go for the Bluetooth headset with a loop around the ear, which is more comfortable than in-the-ear headset. In reality, there is no definite guarantee that wearing a headset is comfortable. Depending on how long you wear it, it will surely place pressure on the ear. To ease this up, simply transfer it to the other ear and vice versa.

Wireless chic

The Bluetooth headset is more convenient than the wired headset. It is lighter and, of course, affords you to be mobile.

Field agents find this headset convenient. They can accept a call, redial, and make voice dial calls without the fuss of digging for mobile phones. This is probably why you have the headset in your ear wherever you go.

The disadvantage of the Bluetooth headset is in the size. The smaller it is, the shorter the battery life of the headset. For business purposes, the bigger ones are recommended.

Explaining all these to your grandparents will make them understand that you and your Bluetooth headset are inseparable because of business and personal reasons. As a yuppie, you are in a hurry to get somewhere and do two things at the same time.

Posted on March 13, 1986 Updated on September 25, 2014

Some of these trained writers on the internet are at such a high level that i wonder if any of them have ever written a paperback? well occasionally i like to focus on these admirable articles and here is one i thought was fascinating the other day.

Sure, Google Glass is getting plenty of public ire now, but Bluetooth headsets have been around for much longer. If anything, the quick dismissal of hardcore Bluetooth users was a sign of things to come for wearable technology. The “Bluedouche” was the original “Glasshole.”

And yet Jawbone, which earned its reputation as a gadget maker with its first line of Bluetooth headsets, isn’t giving up on the sector. With its latest entry, the $130 Era, Jawbone is preparing itself for a potential wireless headset renaissance.

Smartphone users don’t just need a way to talk hands-free on the phone — they want more accurate ways to send voice commands to their devices and get information without looking down at a screen.

The Jawbone Era aims to be the Bluetooth headset for people who hate Bluetooth headsets. It’s tiny, sounds great, and ultimately proves Bluetooth headsets aren’t dead yet.

Jawbone’s slim new Era on the left, compared to the larger original model.

The good: The most seamless Bluetooth headset yet
Though it’s significantly smaller than its 2-year-old predecessor, the Era isn’t quite as tiny as the ubiquitous earpieces from the Spike Jonze film Her (which, surprisingly, contains some fascinating user interface concepts), but it’s almost as convenient.

It took me a few tries to position the Era correctly in my ear, but once I got a good fit, it was easy to forget I was wearing an earpiece. A single button on the Era’s rear lets you answer calls, pause music, and skip tracks.

For calls, the Era sounds crisp and clear in both directions. I never had any complaints about voice quality from people I was chatting with, and calls sounded slightly clearer compared to using my iPhone’s earpiece. I also noticed a few instances where Jawbone’s noise-filtering technology perked up to enhance my voice and block out external noise (a big help on noisy New York City streets).

Jawbone’s Era headset is so small it’s easy to miss.Jawbone

But I ended up using the Era more for commanding my smartphone than taking calls. It’s much easier to reach up, tap a button, and ask Siri for help than it is to pull out my phone — especially during frigid winter weather. When I asked Siri for directions, I was able to get to my destination simply by following the instructions piped into my ear by the Era. (Of course, you can do this with any pair of earphones with a built-in microphone; the Era just makes it that much easier and more elegant.)

The Era was also surprisingly useful for listening to light background music and podcasts. Sound quality was decent, though it wasn’t as loud as I would have liked. It was more comfortable than the wired headphones I usually wear while wandering around the city, especially since I didn’t have to worry about any cords. I still noticed the occasional look of disgust from other subway riders, though — yes, the poor Bluetooth headset still can’t get any love today, even though, ironically enough, many people are sporting earbuds or giant headphones of their own.

I’ve used several Bluetooth headsets over the years, and while I’ve liked plenty of these, I’ve yet to fall in love with any of them. Once the initial honeymoon period wears off, they typically end up gathering dust on my desk. The Era isn’t quite the Bluetooth headset of my dreams, but it comes the closest.

The bad: No battery life improvements; it still looks like a Bluetooth headset
On the one hand, we should praise Jawbone for keeping the same four-to-five-hour battery life as the previous, larger Era headset. On the other, it really stinks having to charge it in the middle of the day.

The Jawbone Era charging caseDevindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

Jawbone, at least, recognizes that sort of battery life doesn’t cut it these days — so while it couldn’t pack in more juice, it’s offering the next best thing with the Era: a tiny portable charging case. It’s no different from any other USB battery pack you can get on Amazon. It stores enough juice to fully recharge the Era, and it includes a USB output to simplify the charging process.

While convenient, Jawbone is also cheating a bit by including the battery pack. It allows the company to claim that you can get around 10 hours of battery life with the Era, even when the device itself only reaches half that. Jawbone isn’t lying, but the slight confusion around the Era’s total battery life when using the battery pack has tripped up many journalists. And if that’s the case, I’m sure most consumers won’t realize the Era doesn’t get 10 hours of battery life on its own.

Additionally, while the Era is one of the smallest headsets I’ve used, it still looks distinctly like a Bluetooth headset. So unfortunately for Jawbone, it likely won’t win over people who wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a headset. (But really, we won’t see something like that until there’s a major breakthrough in battery technology.)

Jawbone Era

The verdict: A Bluetooth headset for a new era
Unless you have serious moral and aesthetic reservations against Bluetooth headsets, the Era is worth a look. It does a great job with calls, and it’s convenient for speaking voice commands to your phone.

Now more than ever, consumers seem ready to accept Bluetooth headsets. Just look around at all the headphones the next time you’re out in public — we’ve trained ourselves to be connected to our devices physically.

Now, we just need to get used to doing so wirelessly.