Jawbone Icon (Rogue)
Manufacturer: AliphCom Part number: JAW_ICON_ROGUE
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Not only is the Aliph Jawbone Icon attractive and affordable with great call quality, but it is also highly customizable with advanced features that make it the most innovative Bluetooth headset we've seen to date.
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CNET editors' review
Jawbone Icon (Rogue) price range: $69.99
- Reviewed by: Nicole Lee
- Reviewed on: 01/17/2010
- Released on: 01/17/2010
The good: The Aliph Jawbone Icon comes in a variety of beautiful jewellike designs; it has a dedicated on/off switch; and it comes with several ear-fit options. It has many advanced features, including an iPhone battery meter, and is highly customizable with certain Audio and Dial "apps" via Jawbone's own MyTalk Web site. It has amazing sound quality and excellent canceling of wind noise.
The bad: The Aliph Jawbone Icon doesn't have a manual volume rocker and the ear fit could be a bit more comfortable.
The bottom line: Not only is the Aliph Jawbone Icon attractive and affordable with great call quality, but it is also highly customizable with advanced features that make it the most innovative Bluetooth headset we've seen to date.
We see so many Bluetooth headsets here at CNET that most of them seem the same after awhile. That's why we sit up and notice when a unique one comes along. Last year, for example, we were awed at the stellar audio quality of the Plantronics Discovery 975 and praised the design of the Aliph Jawbone Prime. Aliph, in particular, has been bullish in pushing innovation in its Bluetooth headsets, consistently making it on our top Bluetooth headsets list year after year.
This year, however, it appears that Aliph has outdone itself with quite possibly the most innovative Bluetooth headset yet. It's called the Aliph Jawbone Icon and not only does it come in an array of designs that look as if they belong in an art museum, but it is one of the first headsets in the world to have a built-in "operating system." This internal chip can be programmed to provide a far richer experience than other headsets can; for example, this lets it have a visual battery meter right next to the one on the iPhone. Also, this is the first headset we can think of to have its own line of Audio or Dial "apps" that you can install via Jawbone's own MyTalk Web site.
We do have a few issues with its design, but its outstanding features and improved quality definitely makes the Jawbone Icon the best headset of the year so far--and it's very competitively priced at $99.
Similar to its predecessors, the Aliph Jawbone Icon is unquestionably the most fashionable Bluetooth headset in the market today. The Icon comes in six fashion-forward designs, in different jewel and metallic tones and shapes. All of them have different names: the Ace, the Rogue, the Bombshell, the Hero, the Thinker, and the Catch. The one we looked at was the Ace, which has a clear lens and a mirror finish, resulting in a very jewellike look. In fact, it looks like a piece of costume jewelry when worn on the ear. These names also correspond to different voice "personalities," which we'll get to later in the review.
The overall headset is quite petite in size. Measuring only 1.77 inches long by 0.95 inch wide by 0.72 inch thick, the Jawbone Icon is lightweight as well, about 0.3 ounce. It is slightly curved to sit gently on the side of the face. On the top of the headset is the multifunction talk button. It's a horizontal bar that's wide enough to almost span the width of the headset, plus it is raised above the surface so it's easy to find and press. Next to the talk button is the charger jack.
Flip the headset around and you'll find a power slider switch. This makes it much easier to turn the headset on and off, which also helps conserve its battery life. Below it is a tiny nub that acts as the Voice Activity Sensor. It is best to wear the headset so the sensor touches your cheek to ensure that your voice comes through clearly to your listeners. The audio quality won't be harmed if you don't have it touching your cheek (thanks to Jawbone's new fail-safe acoustic voice detector), but it'll be much better if it is. Surrounding the sensor is a round LED indicator.
Also on the back of the headset is the ear piece. You can either wear it with a special looped ear bud that fits in your ear without a hook, or you can fit in a nonlooped ear bud, plus a hook for added security. You have a choice of ear bud sizes, so you can mix and match until you get your best fit. For us, we found the default looped ear bud works fine for the most part, though we did have to go through quite a bit of practice to get it to fit right. To do so, you have to place it in your ear pointing down, and then twist it upward so the mic points toward the mouth. We did wish the fit was more comfortable; we feel it leads to a bit of ear fatigue after hours of wear.
The Icon is also noticeably missing a volume rocker of any kind. Aliph's justification is the headset already has automatic volume normalization so it is unnecessary. Still, it would be nice to have a manual option.
Of course, the Jawbone Icon has many of the features on today's Bluetooth's headsets. It can answer, reject, and end calls, plus it has last number redial, voice-dialing support, and multipoint technology that lets it connect up to two devices simultaneously. But the Icon has more than just those features in store. It now has spoken alerts and custom audio tones for certain functions. For example, it'll read out incoming caller ID, and when you press the Talk button while not on a call it'll tell you the estimated remaining battery life. It will also speak when you pair and connect your phone, and let you know when you're redialing or voice dialing.
Perhaps the most exciting feature of the Jawbone Icon is its new "mini computer on a chip" that lets Aliph build custom applications and features for the headset. One benefit of having an operating system on the headset is that when you pair the Icon to an Apple iPhone, you can actually see the headset's battery meter located right next to the iPhone's battery icon. This way, iPhone owners can easily tell when their headset needs charging. Even though it seems like a small thing, we think this is a very cool feature that makes the Jawbone Icon almost a must-have headset for iPhone owners.
Another big benefit of having this advanced chipset is that you can customize the Icon with Audio or Dial "apps." You can do this via Jawbone's own MyTalk Web site. Simply log in to the site, attach the headset to your computer via a USB cable, and the MyTalk Web site will automatically recognize your headset. You can then select which Audio or Dial application you wish to associate with your headset. The Audio applications are basically just custom audio profiles with different voices, and they are named after the six shield designs we named above. They range from a deep baritone male voice (the Hero), to that of a sultry female (the Bombshell). You can also choose a language; right now Aliph offers English, French, German, and Spanish.
As for the Dial applications, you can essentially map a speed-dial number to a particular service, which you can then access simply by holding down the Talk button. Currently supported services include Voice Dial, Directory Assistance, Jott Assistant (a service that lets you dictate notes, reminders, text, e-mail, and even Twitter messages), 1-800-FREE-411 (free directory assistance), and Dial2Do, which is a service similar to Jott. Both Jott and Dial2Do do require you to have an existing account with them. Though it's a bit of a stretch to call these things "apps," we do appreciate this level of customization that almost no other headset can match.
Another benefit of being able to sync and customize the headset in this way is that Aliph can easily send out firmware updates to the Icon. If Aliph decides to add A2DP functionality in the future, for example, it says it can do so via this method. We're really very impressed with the MyTalk service overall.
We paired the Aliph Jawbone Icon with the Apple iPhone 3G. Its call quality was excellent. We tested the calls in a variety of situations: in a quiet home environment, a moving vehicle with the radio at full blast, a busy city sidewalk during rush hour, a crowded cafe, and in front of an indoor fan. We were very impressed with the call quality in almost all situations. The Jawbone Icon does a good job at minimizing background noise and emphasizing the voice, which was a great help in a noisy environment. In the busy sidewalk for example, our callers could still hear the rushing traffic a bit, but it wasn't a distraction, thanks to how clear and natural our voice sounded. We did detect some crackling and static at times, but that could be contributed to the iPhone and AT&T instead of the headset.
Surprisingly, the Icon also performs quite well in windy conditions. When we reviewed the Plantronics Voyager Pro (and the Discovery 975), we mentioned our callers could hear us perfectly even though we were talking in front of a fan. They could still hear the wind, but it sounded more like heavy rain. With the Jawbone Icon, callers could hardly hear anything aside from us. They did hear some swooshes of wind in the background, but it was not a big deal. Our voice sounded loud, clear, and natural. It seems that Jawbone has done a very good job with its NoiseAssassin noise-reduction technology.
On our end, callers sounded great, with good volume, natural voices, and clear audio. We did complain about the lack of a volume rocker, but it does seem as if we didn't need it. According to Aliph, this volume normalization is especially helpful in conference call situations, where all callers will have the same volume levels.
The Aliph Jawbone Icon has a rated battery life of up to 4.5 hours of talk time, and up to 10 days of standby time.
User reviews
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aliph fails to respond
by scott burgess on February 28, 2010
Pros: eclipsed by acompany that has bercom a nightmare of poor design, bad or absent customer service, poor quality control,
Cons: no vol control auto vol fails no a2dp updating sofware will not install cutomer service missing
Summary: I have owned at least one of every jawbone made. The company has bercom a nightmare of poor design, bad or absent customer service, poor quality control,
Week 3 with ...Summary: I have owned at least one of every jawbone made. The company has bercom a nightmare of poor design, bad or absent customer service, poor quality control,
Week 3 with Jawbone icon. No earloop with original package, no reply from support after 2nd inquiry, lack of volume control design sucks, now volume just drops off mid call to whisper, oh sorry cannot download updater dns error please contact us so we can forget to respond with another fix that will not work, and oh sorry we cannot respond because you wrote us from a different email address, oh sorry we need the serial number that takes an electron microscope to read..
.2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great headset with nice features
by argonstudios on February 8, 2010
Pros: Great fit in ear
Nice set of features with MyTalk - looking forward to that growing
Love the talking in your ear and the volume is just right, not too overbearingCons: The Charger. Prefer a charging case of some sorts. The micro USB is a little clunky to fit into the headset. I feel like I am going to damage when I plug in. Only complaint and while clunky, certainly not a deal breaker with this headset.
Summary: This is my 3rd jawbone. Lost my last prime so I went out and purchased the latest Jawbone Icon this past weekend. Very cool from the start. Partially charged so ...
Summary: This is my 3rd jawbone. Lost my last prime so I went out and purchased the latest Jawbone Icon this past weekend. Very cool from the start. Partially charged so I could use it right away. Paired up with my iPhone without even needing to enter a code, super easy! I have also paired it up with my Calisto Pro (office phone) and I am anxious to see how that works. Noise cancellation has improved from my last Jawbone and callers can tell a huge difference when you turn off Noise Assassin during a call.
The fit is very nice. Comes with an assortment of ear pieces and the over-the-ear hook. Hooks are not my thing and I found this hook to be hard for me to put on. Much better hook than previous models however as I kept breaking the hooks on those designs.
Using Dial2Do with this headset and it works great with the exception of a couple of RSS feeds that take a bit to get started. Can text, email, review calendar and more with the Dial2Do app and it is just a touch of the button with the Jawbone Icon.
Excellent headset, works great with iPhone and very excited about the ability to update the features using MyTalk with the headset in the future. Great buy and worth the $99. Would have given it 5 stars, but the charger slowed me down on that.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Call cuality degraded to beyond useless in 1 year.
by corcel2000 on March 27, 2012
Pros: Nice modern design, small, good fit.
Cons: Call quality is horrible. Firmware upgrades render the unit useless. Customer support useless.
Summary: I use this headset for business, and have owned it since 12/2010. After the last Jawbone firmware upgrade, the call quality on the unit has gotten beyond awful, I ...
Summary: I use this headset for business, and have owned it since 12/2010. After the last Jawbone firmware upgrade, the call quality on the unit has gotten beyond awful, I find myself muting my end on conference calls (people hear static noise being generated). All I hear on my calls with customers is "you should choppy", "you keep cutting off", "you sound like you are inside a hole". As soon as I go to the regular handset everything is normal. I can even hear Siri on my iPhone cutting in and out while it talks to me. This unit is going into the garbage soon. I contacted Jawbone and they ran me thru the usual BS reset this and the other twice, but when it came time to replace the unit, THEY WOULD NOT, they offered me a 25% discount coupon, BUT CAN'T USE IT FOR THE ICON HD, so they expect me to buy the same deffective ICON unit. Dissappointed, do not buy this if you will you use your headset for business.
Get a Plantronics headset instead, those are built for business use. -
Unless fit is improved,waste of time.
by brabey on September 14, 2011
Pros: Good features
Cons: Bad fit!!!!
Summary: Try it first very bad fit. Tried everything. Now using just an o ring. Fits better but will hold against jaw so contact can't here me. Unless improved don'...
Summary: Try it first very bad fit. Tried everything. Now using just an o ring. Fits better but will hold against jaw so contact can't here me. Unless improved don't buy.
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THE BEST HEADSET ON THE MARKET!
by cecilj209 on July 26, 2011
Pros: This is the best bluetooth headphone on the market! True story: My Jawbone Icon was accidently washed in the laundry, then dried in the dryer. I just knew that I would need a new bluetooth headset after that. But to my surprise the headset worked after be
Cons: EARPIECES DONT FIT MY EAR. HAD TO PURCHASE JABRA EARGELS FOR A PERFECT FIT!
Summary: This is the best bluetooth headset that your money can buy.
Summary: This is the best bluetooth headset that your money can buy.
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Unsurpassed noise cancellation
by jkirk1626 on July 2, 2011
Pros: Noise cancellation is excellent. The other caller is unlikely to hear background noise -- even from a car radio or rolled-down window in a moving car.
Cons: Volume to hear on your end is weak and not bassy enough. The caller on the other end can hear you fine, but in noisy environments, it can be harder for you to hear the caller.
Summary: Very sold performance. The price is reasonable, more so no since this isn't Jawbone's latest and greatest. Jawbone's customer care support is phenomenal. They'll call you ...
Summary: Very sold performance. The price is reasonable, more so no since this isn't Jawbone's latest and greatest. Jawbone's customer care support is phenomenal. They'll call you back and got out of their way to address and fix your concerns. I left a message about new earpieces when I temporarily lost mine. I got timely response and helpful info. Defly rec the product and company.
At the 2 year mark of ownership, I am upgrading because its volume is insufficient even at full blast. The weak volume was an issue with both my Verizon Motorola Droid OG, and now, with Samsung Galaxy Nexus LTE.
Updated on Mar 8, 2012
The noise cancellation is still first rate. I have not had people on the other end mention any background noise, even with the car window down at highway speeds. Jawbone's noise cancellation surpasses even Plantronics' in my experience.
The ICON has been a sturdy unit. It's survived falls, rain exposure and high temps in a closed car in the summer.
I'm upgrading to Jawbone's ERA even though the ERA's bad reviews have me worried. Don't let me down, Jawbone.
While some reviews have been critical of Aliph's cust service, my experience has always been positive. I've never failed to be impressed with their accommodating responsiveness and promptness. -
People can hear me and not annoying background noises.
by megabeth33 on July 1, 2011
Pros: Nice headset, great call quality, compact in size, and it looks great. As a small boned female, this headset is perfect because it actually touches my cheekbone like it's supposed to - noise cancellation is great. I can also hear the person I'm talking
Cons: A bit of a problem with the ear-bud fit, but this is nothing new for me, and it does turn downward the longer I wear it. I have friends that can wear the earpiece all day with no problem. There is only one pushbutton which is dedicated to performing all
Summary: I've gone through many bluetooth headpieces. I owned the very first bulky Jawbone (which was still a great product). The Jawbone Icon is the best I've tried thus ...
Summary: I've gone through many bluetooth headpieces. I owned the very first bulky Jawbone (which was still a great product). The Jawbone Icon is the best I've tried thus far, hands down. Small boned women will like the Icon due to its size and appearance. The actual earbud itself does become uncomfortable and rotates downward after wearing for a bit of time. Another great product from Jawbond
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Excellent headset at a reasonable price
by jdhuiz2 on June 10, 2011
Pros: 1. Fit: One of the main criteria I have when selecting a new bluetooth is the ability to wear it without a hook. I leave my bluetooth switched on and setting on my desk frequently and need to be able to put it in my ear quickly when a call comes in. Th
Cons: Battery life: Honestly, the only slight con for this product is that the battery life is only 4 or so hours. Realistically though, how often are you on the phone for more than 4 hours in a day? Even if that's a concern you can just charge it over your l
Summary: The bottom line is this is a fantastic little bluetooth headset. I always do a lot of research when I'm about to buy a product like this because I ...
Summary: The bottom line is this is a fantastic little bluetooth headset. I always do a lot of research when I'm about to buy a product like this because I use it on a daily basis and this one has really worked out well for me. I highly recommend this product for just about anybody who's on the market for a bluetooth headset.
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Lightweight, Good Sound Poor FIt
by Nuke11 on March 12, 2011
Pros: Good Sound, Lightweight Headset, very good noise cancellation good quality build.
Cons: My only real con is the fact that the headset drops out of position quite easily because the ear loop and ear bud rotate so easily. Once this happens the headset's performance suffers. I also don't have much luck with voice dialing.
Summary: If you don't wear your headset for long periods of time you will find this head set works very well. If you want to have a headset that you ...
Summary: If you don't wear your headset for long periods of time you will find this head set works very well. If you want to have a headset that you can put on and wear for the day you may find that the fit on this headset may not fit the bill and will become annoying.
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Good for my needs
by kerflumper on September 25, 2010
Pros: Multiple phone support
Ease of use
Customer serviceCons: Earpiece fit
Summary: I got the Jawbone Icon because I needed a bluetooth headset that would work with two phones. It certainly does that. When I first received my Icon, it was DOA. ...
Summary: I got the Jawbone Icon because I needed a bluetooth headset that would work with two phones. It certainly does that. When I first received my Icon, it was DOA. I called Aliph and they sent me out an advanced replacement - no credit card or anything. I was pleasantly surprised. If I had dealt with the place where I bought it, it would have taken twice as long to get a new one.
So far it works well. I like the fact that I don't need to use the earloop. It's easy to wear but I do worry that it will fall out of my ear.
I've paired it with an iPhone 3GS and a Blackberry Bold. I haven't done a lot of testing, but it seems like concurrent calls even works. I've had a Jabra and a Plantronics Explorer 245 and this is the best so far. I've had problems with others in the car or in noisy environments. This one seems to do well with background noise.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: AliphCom
- Part number: JAW_ICON_ROGUE
- Description: Jawbone ICON is a smart, comfortable, and small Jawbone ever created. ICON boasts lethal NoiseAssassin 2.5, voice tones, and six stunning jewelry-like designs.
General
- Product Type Headset - Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
- Width 0.7 in
- Depth 1.8 in
- Height 0.9 in
- Weight 0.3 oz
- Additional Features Multipoint technology,
Voice Activity Sensor (VAS),
NoiseAssassin technology Headphones
- Headphones Type Headphone - Monaural
- Headphones Form Factor In-ear ear-bud (with over-the-ear mount)
- Connectivity Technology Wireless - Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
- Bluetooth Profiles Hands Free Profile (HFP),
Headset Profile (HSP) - Active Noise Canceling Yes
Microphone
- Type Built-in
- Microphone Technology Electret condenser
- Microphone Operation Mode Mono
Wireless Link
- Transmission Range 33 ft
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included 1 x USB cable - External
- Included Accessories 3 ear tips,
4 earbuds,
Earloop - Compliant Standards FCC Part 15,
EN55022 Class B,
EN 60950,
RoHS,
UL,
WEEE Power
- Power Device Power adapter - External
- Battery Headset battery - Rechargeable - Lithium polymer
- Run Time (Up To) 4.5 hour(s)
- Standby Time 240 hour(s)
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Product series
-
Manufacturer: AliphCom
Specs: Headphone - Monaural,
Headset,
In-ear ear-bud (with over-the-ear mount),
0.3 oz,
On/off switch,
Voice caller ID,
Multipoint technology,
Voice Activity Sensor (VAS),
NoiseAssassin technology,
Battery level indication,
Limited warranty - 1 year -
Manufacturer: AliphCom
Specs: Headphone - Monaural,
Headset,
In-ear ear-bud (with over-the-ear mount),
0.3 oz,
Multipoint technology,
Voice Activity Sensor (VAS),
NoiseAssassin technology,
Limited warranty - 1 year -
Manufacturer: AliphCom
Specs: Headphone - Monaural,
Headset,
In-ear ear-bud (with over-the-ear mount),
Black,
0.3 oz,
Multipoint technology,
Voice Activity Sensor (VAS),
NoiseAssassin technology,
Limited warranty - 1 year -
Manufacturer: AliphCom
Specs: Headphone - Monaural,
Headset,
In-ear ear-bud (with over-the-ear mount),
0.3 oz,
On/off switch,
Multipoint technology,
Voice Activity Sensor (VAS),
NoiseAssassin technology -
Manufacturer: AliphCom
Specs: Headphone - Monaural,
Headset,
In-ear ear-bud (with over-the-ear mount),
0.3 oz,
On/off switch,
Voice caller ID,
Multipoint technology,
Voice Activity Sensor (VAS),
NoiseAssassin technology,
Battery level indication,
Limited warranty - 1 year -
Manufacturer: AliphCom
Specs: Headphone - Monaural,
Headset,
In-ear ear-bud (with over-the-ear mount),
0.3 oz,
Multipoint technology,
Voice Activity Sensor (VAS),
NoiseAssassin technology,
Limited warranty - 1 year
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse AliphCom products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:AliphCom
- Address:
8000 Marina Boulevard, Brisbane, CA 94005 - Phone: 1-866-529-2663
- Email: info@aliph.com
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