Slim and elegant, the Jabra JX10’s design is a testament to Jacob Jensen’s genius. The ear piece is comfortable, with soft black cushioning provided for added comfort. At one end of the piece is a small light that illuminates a red color when charging and blue when pairing. It flashes blue when in conversation and red when it’s in need of a good charging. In the back of the device are its volume controls and right next to them is a small charging port.
A button for accepting or ending calls sits on the side of the headset; this button is also used as a redial and transfer button. The ear hook of the JX10 is thin, flexible and easily adjustable for those of you who prefer wearing it on your left ear (as long as you don’t mind the Jabra logo appearing upside down when worn this way). In the case of the JX10, beauty and design run more than skin deep. Since, in addition to being the most fashion aware bluetooth headsets, it’s also one of the best I’ve tried (and I’ve tried many).
What really “makes” this device are its DSP capabilities which
automatically adjust the volume to match your particular environment.
The result is a significant reduction in background noise, very
good sound quality and a better overall calling experience. The JX10’s
power-over-USB charging was just icing on an already delicious cake
(although an AC adapter, complete with a sylish charging cradle, is
included if you’re inclined to lose one). Frankly, I can’t see why
anyone would want to tote around an easily misplaced AC adapter.
The only real problem I had with the use of the device was the
initial preparatory measures – I couldn’t pair the damn thing with my
old LG VX8100. I’ve heard others complain about the size of the pairing
button yet, although the pairing button is small, so are my fingers.
The main problem I had was that even after I entered the code to
coordinate the two Bluetooth devices, they refused to coordinate. I
ended up repeating the process 3 times and luckily, third time was a
charm.
The last issue to cover is battery life. Although they list talk
time to be at 6 hours, I don’t think it’s quite that high. With normal
usage i.e. answering multiple calls for a couple minutes each, I’d say
you’d have about 5 hours of total talk time – not more. For me, it’s
not a problem. I charge the headset, as I do all my other accessories,
at work and (if needed) before I go to sleep. For others, the short
battery life may prove to be somewhat of an issue.
Here are the JX10’s Specifications:
Range: 30 feet
Talk Time: 6 hours with 200 hours standby time (although I’m not investing too much into the 200 hours of “standby” time)
Color: Black and Silver
Comes With: Charging cradle, USB cable, carrying pouch, AC adapter
Weight: 10 grams
Dimensions (HxWxD): 1.5″; x 3.75″; x .75″
Overall the JX10 is an excellent device. The only additional
features I’d like to see included are a longer battery life and a mute
button. Sure it’s retail price, a suggested $179, is a little high, but
you can get it for around $99 at most e-commerce stores such as J&R. - Natalie Mayslich
