Aliph introduces accessories for the Jawbone
Jawbone's new fit earbuds are among the new accessories announced by Aliph.
(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET)Accessories for a Bluetooth headset may seem a little much, but Aliph has recently announced a few new add-ons to its popular Aliph Jawbone 2 Bluetooth headset. First, it addresses a few complaints about the Jawbone 2 fit with these new fit earbuds. These rubber ear cushions come with an additional rubber loop made to fit securely within the folds of the outer ear, so you won't need the Jawbone ear hook any more. Aliph also claims that these new ear cushions will make it easier for consumers to place the Voice Activity Sensor correctly.
The Jawbone car charger has a USB cable.
(Credit: Aliph)Next is the Jawbone car charger with USB cable, which is exactly what it sounds like. Nothing much more to say about this silver-looking bullet, except that it will cost you around $29.99. The aforementioned new fit earbuds are free with any new purchase of the Jawbone 2; we're currently checking to see if existing customers will have to pay for them.
UPDATE 11/11/08: According to Aliph, the new fit earbuds will be available around the end of November, free of charge to new and existing customers.
Nicole Lee is an associate editor for CNET, covering cell phones, Bluetooth headsets, and all things mobile. She's also pretty geeky--she likes World of Warcraft, comic books, and shiny gadgets. E-mail Nicole.
I provided them with the Crave web address and when the looked at the picture, they proceeded to tell me that they are the same, and that someone at CNET/Crave must have placed them in an order so that it looked like they were new (and shaped like a number 8) but that they are the same ones that they originally shipped with. I am not sure, maybe they just have 8 year old 13" CRT monitors at Aliph and just can't clearly see them but I assured them, on my monitor, they are clearly different and why would CNET/Crave report that they were new and being included if they were just the same old thing.
Really, just want to make people aware that even though the Jawbone 2 is a great product, and it is great to know that 'eventually' they 'may' have the New Fit Earbuds, don't waste your time trying to get them now, the customer service group doesn't seem to know anything about them, they try to make you think you're crazy and that they are the same ones even though they look different and are being advertised as a new improved product being sent out for free.
Pretty bad PR and customer service Aliph, would you agree? ...and CNET, not sure who you were talking to but you may want to call them back and get an actual release date when they'll be included for free or see how fast they can make sure their representatives are brought up to speed with a product launch, no matter how small.
I called Jawbone and also inquired about the new and improved earbuds. The representative I spoke with (chris) did confirm the new ear buds do exist and is having them delivered free as stated on cnet. However, they did want proof of purchase (receipt) and an approved product number (found on the earbud base for which the rubber buds attach too). The product number they are looking for starts with an "8". Until the receipt is faxed and the product number is labeled as a 'good' number, they will not send the earbuds.
By the way, the email I recieved back from them indicated the ear buds were 'beta' buds. Apparently they are still trying to figure the fitting issue out. This may be why the person who wrote on Nov. 10 may have been told differently. So, as of Jan '09 you shouldn't get this problem with getting the free beta earbuds. As a side note, I did recently purchase my jawbone ii about 2 weeks ago so I don't know if they will be making them available to people who purchased them months/years ago.
I'll let you guys/gals know how they work for my ear/face type.
~Spence
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by dr-ducati
February 2, 2009 3:35 PM PST
- ok ok ok, so here is the scoop. I just received the new ear pieces for the jawbone ii. there are three sizes. The material is silicon...softer than the original ear pieces.
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(3 Comments)At the moment, all I can say is that it has successfully pushed the silicon button on the jawbone ii onto my face far better than the original pieces that came with it. It appears that the extra ring (handle if you will), assists in doing what the old spring loaded earloop had done in the original jawbone.
The silicone button, which used to hover just above my jaw bone, is now securely pressing against my skin (to the point where I can barely see it anymore as I look into the mirror). Perhaps now, I can see how the unit works with all the feedback mechanisms working the way they are supposed to.
For all you oval/narrow faced guys whose silicone button never quite reached their jawbone, I believe this may be the answer to our problem.
I'll let you know if the new button pressure, made possible by these new ear pieces, will make any difference in the receivers end of the call. I'm certainly optimistic at this point.
~Spence