Back last summer, when I got my hands on an Aliph Jawbone 2, I really thought I had reached the top of Bluetooth Everest. There couldn't possibly be a headset that would charm me like that one did... sexy designer looks, awesome "NoiseAssassin" technology, plus it was already considered a status symbol. There was just one problem. The more I used it, the more I hated using it.
Surprised? Well just think about it this way. When you are reviewing something, you pretty much take it for several test drives and then put pen to paper, so to speak. For me, throughout the summer and fall, I found myself either struggling to get it on my ear or more often than not, hitting the wrong button thus inadvertently hanging up on the caller. Plus the "benefit" of having hidden buttons was lost on me, quite literally. Turning it on and off was too much work.
That's why I was curious to try out the Jabra BT530. The company claimed it had "Noise Blackout" technology for reducing unwanted background noise without any compromise to natural voice quality. Clearly, they were positioning it to compete with the Aliph Jawbone 2, so what the heck?
The first major difference between the Aliph Jawbone 2 and the Jabra BT530 is its straightforward packaging. Nothing fancy per se. The headset itself was mounted on a little plastic stand and enclosed in a plastic case (think square dome where you just need to gently remove the base from the top to get at the headset).
That's what you see in the display window. Below it is a square box containing all the extra "goodies": 8 ear gels in three different sizes, 2 ear hooks in two different sizes, an AC charger, a USB charger and a mini quick-start manual which is ideal for those who don’t read manuals.
The design on the packaging was attractive and really emphasized this headset's key feature: Noise Blackout ™. Jabra made sure you knew from the packaging that this was one of their SMART series products, which uses cutting-edge technologies to "set you free and bring you closer to perfect sound, comfort and connection." On the other side of the box, it touts SMART BENEFITS that include:
* Noise Blackout™ with Dual Microphones
* Crystal clear sound and voice (DSP)
* Ultimate comfort Eargel™
* Ear hook
* Up to 5.5 hours talk time
* Up to 250 hours standby time
The packaging tells a great story. I guess Jabra has a leg up when it comes to point of sale materials.
Charging it up for initial use was easy. The AC charger that comes with it is one of those skinny ones that doesn't take up too much space. It also can be charged via a USB port or using one of my favorites, the Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger.
My first thrill was to find that turning it on involved simply sliding a button that was located on the underside of the headset. Yes! No more holding down buttons wondering if it is on or not.
Pairing was a snap too. The very first time you turn the headset on it automatically goes into pairing mode. So all I had to do is make sure my Centro's Bluetooth Wireless Technology was set to "On." Once my Centro saw the BT530, it was very easy to complete the process doing the usual: hitting OK and typing in the generic pin.
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