iPhone Accessory- Jawbone Icon Essential or Obnoxious?

Bluetooth fanatics dump fortunes into baubles that have the lifespan of a housefly.  I have been trying these devices for years, hoping to find those that make life better.  Some of the headsets have been god-awul- large and loose, and not in a good way.  Agree with someone you are talking to on the phone?  Be careful, don't shake your head or the headset goes flying.  The reason for a bluetooth headset is possibly the best reason for bluetooth- no cable.  No more getting in the car and ripping it out of your ear, no more turning your head and having it tug you back like a puppet on a string.



The Bluetooth community is an active one, but small and a bit crazy.  The place to get information is on Bluetooth forums, until you realize these people are addicts.  They put the list of headsets they own in their signatures, and think nothing of dropping a few thousand dollars a year on them.  All of them, as they come to market. I couldn't keep up.  Most reviewers reinforce the perception of Bluetooth headset users, they go on and on with assertions and "tests" of how the headset sounds- to them.  How good does it handle the wind noise of my Porche on the Santa Monica freeway?  Occasionally they mention the caller, but that is secondary to size, sound and cool.

What do you need?  What you need is to sound good to those who are on the phone with you.  And battery life.  And ease of use.

I have been using an Aliph Icon.  It is good.  Acid test first, then the embellishment.  My dear mom, at 89 deserves to be respected.  Talking to her requires she is comfortable, and can hear me, without strain and without repetition.  The Icon has never been detected by her when I use it.  And I do like to use it.  I can carry it with me, and when a call comes in, flip it on, have it detect and hook up with the iPhone, and be inserted in my ear before answering.  Perfect.  It then stays put while I walk around, get in and out of the car, in the wind and rain.  The little hookless loop-tab is the key.  Many higher end headsets use these, for good reason- they work.

The standby time on these is up to 10 days.  And talk time?  4.5 hours, more than I can handle in a day, but less than some people need.  I run mine for hours listening to music if I am waiting for a call.  The cool thing- I can see the battery life on my iPhone up there, by the iPhone battery monitor.  Cool.  But, not as cool as pressing the button on the rear of the Icon (the only button other than the simple on/off button), and hearing the headset tell me how much talk time is remaining.

I have my Icon paired with both our iPhones so Mrs ExecHobo can use it too.  We both pace and multitask on the phone.

The Icon comes in colors, and this is actually a good idea.  Not everyone believes black is the only color that matters.  There are also a set of ear pieces to fit anyone, even those who absolutely can't put anything in their ear.  The best part is the software.  These headsets have apps!  I have used a few, the free ones, since many are dictation related and I don't need them.  The ones I play with a bit are the voices.  There are various headset "personalities", seemingly developed by adolescents.  With lexicon and intonation designed to be campy, they talk to you about the state of the headset, the connection, the talk time left in the battery.  Entertaining, but grating, like the Hero or Bombshell.  I roll with the competent English voice.