Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is my third bluetooth earpiece, after the Plantronics Voyager 510 and the Plantronics Voyager 855. For its primary function (phone calls) I would give it the edge over either of those earpieces because of the excellent reception and noise cancellation, but if you are strongly interested in using A2DP to listen to music or podcasts, then the Voyager 855 is very competitive.
- Appearance: The Jawbone Icon is tiny and light, and shows clear design influence. Even the frickin box is beautiful, and the whole thing is something you might expect to see at Target - clearly mass produced, but still distinctive and attractive instead of merely functional. This model is "The Rogue" - two shiny black squares, with subtle red undertones. There are five other models, each with its own color and pattern. After a few weeks in my pocket, there are a couple scratches on the finish, so you may want to carry yours in an altoids tin or something.
- Sound: Here is where the Icon wins. The reception is great, even when my phone is in my pocket, at least on the same side. With the phone in my opposite side pocket, it's occasionally choppy. The Icon also has the latest Jawbone "NoiseAssassin" technology - basically, a piece of the phone touches your cheek to help the phone figure out what noises are coming from you and what is external. It's not perfect, but it is *much* better than anything I've used before. I can walk through a windy parking lot or talk while my car radio is on, and the noise cancellation eliminates most of the external noise. Icon also has automatic volume leveling, which seems ok, although some calls are still a little loud.
- Connectivity/Software: The Icon charges and connects to a PC through a microusb port, which is nice, and has the capacity to download software from Jawbone's app store. It has voice responses "I'm on and ready to go" or "Call from 555-..." instead of beeps, and you can actually select the voice you prefer from the app store. There are some apps for iphone integration -- for example, one app works with an iphone app to display a headset battery meter on your iphone, and apps for software upgrades like A2DP.
- Controls: There is a single control button on the back of the earpiece and an on-off switch on the inside. This simplicity is consistent with Icon's slick design philosophy, but I would have liked some extra buttons for functions like volume.
- Fit: The fit is not perfect. If you look at the picture, you will see a soft circle at the back of the earpiece. That circle presses up against the back of your ear, and the front presses against the front. Because the earpiece does not actually sit in the ear canal (like the 855), it doesn't block out as much exterior sound, and unless one of the three included circles is a good fit for your ear size, the fit may not be perfect. Alternately, there are earloops included too. I like the ear circle when it fits, but I've had the medium fall out a few times, and the large seems a little too big.
- Other: The battery claims to have about a four hour charge, and the voice will tell you how much you have left when you push the button. I've left mine on overnight without much loss in charge, and it seems like I get at least a few hours from it, maybe four. Multipoint bluetooth connectivity is good - I connected this to a Blackberry Curve and Nokia Nuron with no trouble, although I haven't been able to get A2DP and multipoint to work simultaneously.
- A2DP: As I said, you can install A2DP from the Icon app store. This allows you to use the Icon to listen to podcasts or music on your phone, and to use voice to control some phone apps. (Of course, music through a bluetooth connection in one ear only is not a Bose-quality experience, but sometimes it's still nice to listen to tunes without people knowing it.) The sound is good, but I still think the Voyager 855 is better for A2DP - the 855 has extra controls that let you adjust volume more precisely and to skip tracks, and the 855 has a second earpiece that you can connect if you want to go full stereo. (Update 4/8/11 - my understanding is that Jawbone now ships these with A2DP standard, but you can still install it from their app store if you don't have it).
- Comparison: Currently, this unit is twice the price of the Voyager 510 and is at about the same price level as the 855. On the other hand, it's much lighter than the 510, and is better looking and has much better noise cancellation than both. Overall, I'm happy I have it, but IMHO, the choice is close enough to depend on your specific needs and budget.
Update October 28, 2010: five months later, I love this earpiece more than ever. The fit still isn't perfect, but I love how light it is. (Between 9-10 grams according to my kitchen scale). I also love its design sense, and while the A2DP also less than perfect, I have happily listened to about a hundred podcasts since getting this thing. On balance, it's far and away my favorite bluetooth earpiece to date.
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