iPhone & Jawbone headset

[Tofer]

Hey everybody,

My last cheap BT headset served me well but the earpiece finally broke. I had heard good things about the Jawbone, so I splurged and bought a Jawbone II (I think it's one version back from the new ones). Anyway, I'm not thrilled, as people I've talked to say there is some echo, which wasn't the case with my last headset. But what I'm more annoyed about is the difference in behavior from my last headset.

With my previous headset, if I answered a call by sliding the iPhone slider, sound would go through the phone, not the headset. This was good if the headset was in the other room, or I simply wanted to use the phone mic and speaker. But with the Jawbone, sliding the slider on the phone answers the call using the headset, which is really annoying, as I have to answer the phone, and then remember to click "iPhone" for the sound. It adds a delay to taking a call. Not a huge deal, but still annoying, and I still routinely answer and wonder why the person can't hear me (then I remember that the call probably went to the headset). The headset will answer a call if I press the headset button, but that's not the issue here.

Does anyone know of a setting, or workaround for this? There aren't any BT settings on the phone for the headset. Thanks!

-Tofer

[guitarist]

I have an iPhone and a Jawbone headset, and your description is puzzling. When the headset and iPhone are paired, as you noted, the address card image of the caller pops up on the iPhone screen (identifying the caller) with an overlay of semi-transparent onscreen option buttons, letting you choose which device you want to use to answer the call. You find this kind of annoying, it's an extra step that takes a second longer, that you're prefer not to do.

I personally like that feature, I can choose either the iPhone, or the Jawbone. If the jawbone is in my ear, I just use that to answer, I don't need to touch my phone. Otherwise, it's giving me no choice. You want it to give you no choice? And why do you take the jawbone out of your ear, leave it somewhere, but leave it on?

Also, actually, there are BT settings for the iPhone, of course. Have you not gone into the iPhone's "Settings> Bluetooth"?

You might be able to address this with some minor habit adjustments. I sort of understand what you mean, you're used to the way your previous headset behaved, and you want this one to behave that way, too. It's a transitional thing. I think you'll adapt quickly.

Also, it reveals that you take the jawbone out of your ear, and set it down somewhere, while leaving it on, and walk away from it, but you have the phone with you. That strikes me as odd. I'd be cautious about taking it out of your hear and leaving it somewhere, those things are easy to lose. (I lost one, took me six months to find it!) It's so comfortable staying in my ear, I barely know it's there. And if I do take it out of my ear: I turn it off. I highly recommend adopting this habit. Don't leave it on, set down somewhere. But your phone with you(?) I usually do it the other way around; am wearing the headset, but forgot where i put my phone!

[RAMd®d]

With my previous BT cellphone, whenever a headset was paired, answering a call with either the phone or headset directed the call to the headset. This was a pain if I had set the headset down somewhere without turning it off.

WIth both of my 'Phones, I welcomed the subtle but very Apple attention to detail that allowed one to answer a call at either the 'Phone or headset. This makes perfect sense.

With either my Samsung, Plantronics, or LG headsets, when I receive a call, I can answer either with the 'Phone or the headset. If the headset is somewhere else, no problem, I take the call at the 'Phone just as one would with any other phone. One button, call answered. Natural, intuitive.

With the jawbone II, the call *usually* goes headset, regardless. If my headset is in the other room, touch Answer, touch Source, touch iPhone. After the intuitive function of the aforementioned headsets, three clicks instead of one. Sometimes I can answer at the 'Phone like I should, with one click. But most of the time it's touchtouchtouch.

Because of that behavior, I only use the Jawbone in noisy environments. People I talk to never hear the racket around me.


There aren't any BT settings on the phone for the headset.

Well, there aren't any that will help you with this problem. But then you already knew that.

[guitarist]

RAM®d, I see that you, too, are one who leaves the headset turned on, but lying around somewhere. I also see that you collect headsets, you have more than one. Same here! I have multiple wired and wireless headsets.

With the Bluetooth ones, I tend to have the opposite problem than what you guys describe. I am careful not to set an earpiece down somewhere, then walk away from it, without turning it off first. Setting it down is risky anyway, it's asking for trouble, especially if you're not at home. I fear losing it in some public place, or while i'm out and about.

At home, I'm more likely to walk away with the headset in my ear, on, but drift away from my phone. I'll have a call come in, but not realize I've wandered out of range, and don't immediately know where I set down my iPhone. If I'm in range, I can simply accept the call with a touch of my finger. Better to walk away from the phone than the headset.

My complaint about the Jawbone is the limited number of things you can do by touching it when receiving, or during a call. I've had other headsets that offer more options, easier volume control, multiple clicks doing different things. But the thing I like best about it is the superior audio quality, and discreet profile. I like that they improved the earpiece, to that the ear loop is no longer needed. It's the most comfortable headset I've owned. It's also very small, and easy to lose track of.

[Tofer]

Interesting--thanks for the information. When the phone rings, all I get (on the phone) is a slider that says, "Slide to answer phone." There isn't any choice available to choose the audio source. Then, when I slide it, the phone answers, generally on the headset. I just tried it now (calling myself from Skype), and it answered on the headset once, then the phone the second time. Very strange.

As for keeping the headset on my head--I almost never do that. It's either on the table in my kitchen, on the side table in my bedroom, or in my pocket. I usually use it only for calls that I make or take in the car, or for calls that will be longer than a few minutes.

Incidentally, my statement about the BT phone settings for the headset were misleading, I guess: there are BT settings, of course, but when I click on the Jawbone headset, there are no further settings to adjust anything on the phone--how it answers, or otherwise.

-Tofer

[RAMd®d]

I leave the headset on, but I know where I leave. I don't keep it in my ear if I'm not expecting a call.

My Samsung headset is even smaller than the Jawbone. If I am going to set any of them down, I just take a second to make a mental note. I only turn them off when I'm not going to need them for the rest of the day or when I'm changing headsets.

My only other complaint is that it's too easy to end a call while trying to do anything else with it- repositioning it, etc. Oh, and that it's not A2DP. That's not a big deal as the Plantronics is, and the Jawbone has a very limited frequency range.

[guitarist]

My only other complaint is that it's too easy to end a call while trying to do anything else with it- repositioning it, etc

Hear hear, I agree. I have that problem too. God forbid you should touch it at all while a call is live. Chances are you'll accidentally hang up on the person you're talking to.