Eraby Jawbone

The Jawbone Era scored 95 percent in our voice quality tests, which means there are very few things that you won't hear clearly during a pho…

The Jawbone Era scored 95 percent in our voice quality tests, which means there are very few things that you won't hear clearly during a phone call.

Voice dialing worked perfectly in my tests, and I had no trouble [initiating] Google searches or Siri queries.

Voice dialing worked perfectly in my tests, and I had no trouble [initiating] Google searches or Siri queries.

On iOS, you get an additional battery meter on your iPhone's screen, showing the current lifespan of the Era when connected and on Android, …

On iOS, you get an additional battery meter on your iPhone's screen, showing the current lifespan of the Era when connected and on Android, you can also view an agenda based on your phone’s calendar, however in practice this feature has a tendency to glitch out.

As is almost always the case with monaural headsets, the quality of the music playback isn’t fantastic, but for the tiny device, it’s accept…

As is almost always the case with monaural headsets, the quality of the music playback isn’t fantastic, but for the tiny device, it’s acceptable.

I found that inserting the Era into my ear was a very straightforward procedure since the headset's ear gel can only be slipped around its e…

I found that inserting the Era into my ear was a very straightforward procedure since the headset's ear gel can only be slipped around its earbud in one direction...I like how the top edge of the gel features a hook that's designed to curl around the inner fold of your earlobe as well.

As with previous Jawbone headsets, the new Era generally made mincemeat of background noise...[It] had to contend with low-flying planes, hi…

As with previous Jawbone headsets, the new Era generally made mincemeat of background noise...[It] had to contend with low-flying planes, highway noise, and garbage trucks barreling along. Apart from the occasional slight “wavy” sound to my voice, callers couldn’t tell the difference between my yakkedy-yak outside versus inside the car.

You can certainly feel it in your ear, especially when compared to some of the more comfortable pairs of in-ear headphones. It's not unbeara…

You can certainly feel it in your ear, especially when compared to some of the more comfortable pairs of in-ear headphones. It's not unbearable by any standard, and we've definitely experienced heavier, less comfortable Bluetooth devices, but we were always relieved when we took the earpiece out after wearing it.

The only difficulty I have with the headset, in fact, is its volume control -- in order to adjust the volume, you have to press its main but…

The only difficulty I have with the headset, in fact, is its volume control -- in order to adjust the volume, you have to press its main button to cycle from low to high and back again, which I found singularly awkward.

After a week of using the Era in a variety of scenarios — for phone calls, conference calls, FaceTime, driving, bike riding, even using it t…

After a week of using the Era in a variety of scenarios — for phone calls, conference calls, FaceTime, driving, bike riding, even using it to call up Siri on the iPhone — I’m still not a Bluetooth headset convert.

It looks good enough that in a perfect sci-fi version of the present no one would even notice you wearing it. But the reality is they do. We…

It looks good enough that in a perfect sci-fi version of the present no one would even notice you wearing it. But the reality is they do. We did get funny looks and office ridicule. You're still the guy wearing the Bluetooth thing and everyone knows it, and you know it, and that's reality.

Our biggest gripe with the ERA is that the battery life is just about 4 hours for talk time. Fortunately, you can opt to buy the headset wit…

Our biggest gripe with the ERA is that the battery life is just about 4 hours for talk time. Fortunately, you can opt to buy the headset with its adorable little matching charging case, which adds up to 6 hours of battery life to the headset on the go.

Regular cellphone calls sound solid, with NoiseAssassin doing a good job of cutting out even loud background noise, like traffic. We were ab…

Regular cellphone calls sound solid, with NoiseAssassin doing a good job of cutting out even loud background noise, like traffic. We were able to hold a conversation in the car, with the window open, and not have any trouble with our caller hearing us.

You insert its rubbery earpiece into your ear; it takes a little fiddling but basically stays put.

You insert its rubbery earpiece into your ear; it takes a little fiddling but basically stays put.

Just using the Jawbone ERA is an enjoyable exercise straight out of the box. There’s that ever-present secret agent feel to pressing a butto…

Just using the Jawbone ERA is an enjoyable exercise straight out of the box. There’s that ever-present secret agent feel to pressing a button on your secret in-ear headset, and after you’ve learned the ropes, taking calls, playing and selecting music tracks is simple.

I ended up using the Era more for commanding my smartphone than taking calls. It’s much easier to reach up, tap a button, and ask Siri for h…

I ended up using the Era more for commanding my smartphone than taking calls. It’s much easier to reach up, tap a button, and ask Siri for help than it is to pull out my phone — especially during frigid winter weather.

For outgoing sound background noise was cancelled well, with cars taken out while walking along a pretty busy road. But our voice wasn't pic…

For outgoing sound background noise was cancelled well, with cars taken out while walking along a pretty busy road. But our voice wasn't picked up that clearly, transmitting a distant sound as if we were far away...For incoming audio the sound was clear and loud enough to hear even in noisy central London.

Calls sound great over the Era — clear and crisp, with plenty of volume. The headset senses environmental noise and adjusts earpiece volume …

Calls sound great over the Era — clear and crisp, with plenty of volume. The headset senses environmental noise and adjusts earpiece volume accordingly, so if you’re on a call and you walk outside, the volume automatically gets louder so you don’t have trouble hearing.

It all looks nice and works well, but I did miss one feature in the old Era: You could control it by tapping anywhere on the headset, as if …

It all looks nice and works well, but I did miss one feature in the old Era: You could control it by tapping anywhere on the headset, as if the whole thing was one giant button. The new model ditches this clever approach in favor of a conventional button, requiring slightly more futzing.