Aliph Jawbone Icon, a new kind of headset

If you had to pick a technology, excluding software, that has caused the biggest transformation of personal productivity, what would you select?

Microsoft Office? Nope, I said not software … come on people!

Laptops? Possibly. Definitely a leading transformer for freeing us from being desk-bound, but the leading one? I think not.

OK, how about GPS? Nope, definitely huge but not the biggest. Pad- or tablet-style computers? Too soon to tell.

It would have to be the cell phone. Sorry, it is kind of prosaic, but given how much we expect to stay in touch wherever we are and how much business we do through and because of cell phones, this is perhaps the one and only truly indispensable high-tech tool.

Now, the one accessory to the cell phone that you need if you are going to make and receive calls while driving (which is definitely not recommended by me or, for that matter, by Oprah, is a headset. And what is the coolest headset? Bluetooth, of course.

Actually, Bluetooth headsets are only cool if you are in the car or on your bike. The problem is that if you go out shopping or to lunch wearing a Bluetooth headset with that flashing light stuck in your ear you're making a huge fashion faux pas; you are, in effect, announcing "I am a complete nerd," or maybe, "I wish I were on 'Star Trek'." Whatever it is you're saying, it's certain that your street cred will fall to zero.

<digression>We're in the process of selling our house. It was early evening and the light was fading and a realtor was showing a couple around. We all got talking and I realized that hidden under the realtor's hairdo was a Bluetooth headset because every few seconds, the hair on the right side of her head flared orange like a small fire was starting. The problem was that no one else could see it and I had to force myself not to start laughing because I starting wondering if someone with bad eyesight might assume she was actually on fire and whip out a fire extinguisher.</digression>

Anyway, over the last few years Bluetooth headsets have become progressively more sophisticated. Here in Gearhead I've covered a few products in the Bluetooth headset category, and the product line that has most impressed me comes from Aliph.

What makes the Aliph Jawbone devices outstanding is the company's noise suppression feature called "Noise Assassin". It works by placing a microscopic accelerometer on your cheek (it is part of the headset) to detect when you're talking. That allows the headset to measure and reduce ambient noise when you're speaking and mute the microphone while you're listening. The results are pretty impressive.

I previously reviewed two Jawbone models, the original Jawbone and the Jawbone 2 and I liked both of them, the latter being distinguished by its much smaller size.

So, what could Aliph do to beat its own success? Well, it released a new line, the Prime & EarCandy last year, which I didn't test, and then in January released the Jawbone Icon, which I've been testing for a couple of weeks.