Aliph's New Jawbone is the successor to the Jawbone (now known as the Original Jawbone), an excellent high-tech Bluetooth headset I reviewed quite favorably last year (see review here). What makes the New Jawbone so high-tech? Its biggest claim to fame is that it adjusts and optimizes incoming and outgoing sound quality based upon the current audio situation. And, at least in my humble opinion, the New Jawbone does it better than the Original Jawbone, or any other headset I've tested for that matter.

Here's how it works: The New Jawbone contains a patented Voice Activity Sensor (VAS) that detects when you are speaking and accurately captures the frequencies of your speech, even in the presence of loud background noise. It also uses a pair of microphones to accurately model the noise environment, The audio is then processed by a powerful noise suppression algorithm called NoiseAssassin, which was developed by Aliph for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and was originally designed to make communications possible on the battlefield or in a helicopter.

The bottom line is that I am able to use my New Jawbone in noisier locations than any other headset I've tried. For example, I can now use my iPhone in the car with the windows down and the sunroof open, something I couldn't do with any other headset. And people tell me I sound loud and clear, even when there is a substantial amount of wind or other noise.

Notice that the New Jawbone has no visible buttons or switches. That "invisible button" concept is part of the design concept for both the Original and the New Jawbone's. You operate its two invisible buttons by lightly touching the outside surface (shown on the right in the photo above). It's different and takes a little getting used to, but it works quite well.

I tested the New Jawbone the same way I tested the Original. My wife, who knows what I sound like when I call her from my car using a Bluetooth headset didn't believe I was in the car or using a headset -- the sound quality was so good she thought I was in a quiet place speaking directly into the phone.

As with the Original, I walked out to my mailbox on breezy days while talking on the New Jawbone. If I did this with almost any other headset, I'd be asked if I was walking through a hurricane or a tornado. But when I did it with the New Jawbone, nobody ever said a word about noise or wind. And when I asked, they'd almost always say I sounded fine with little or no discernible wind noise. That just isn't the case with other headsets I've used.

Finally, I had a friend take my iPhone and the New Jawbone and call me on my land line. It didn't matter where he was -- in a car with the windows open, near my mailbox with the wind blowing, or standing at a busy intersection -- I heard him loud and clear.

I had two minor complaints about the Original Jawbone -- comfort and loudness. I'm happy to report that the New Jawbone fixes both. First, because it's roughly half the size and weight of the Original and has a redesigned round earbud that fits more securely in my ear, it's a lot more comfortable than the Original and noticeably louder as well.

Last but not least, in addition to the black model shown above, it's also available in gold and silver as shown here:

The Bottom Line

The New Jawbone is the best Bluetooth headset I've tested to date, especially when used in a noisy environment. It may not be cheap, but if you need to use your headset in noisy places, it's absolutely worth every penny.