Now then ladies and gentlemen, i�ve the second outstanding radio accessory article to read, i know, you don’t have to thank me all, just add a social like to the piece to show your appreciation.

Sure, Google Glass is getting plenty of public ire now, but Bluetooth headsets have been around for much longer. If anything, the quick dismissal of hardcore Bluetooth users was a sign of things to come for wearable technology. The �Bluedouche� was the original �Glasshole.�

And yet Jawbone, which earned its reputation as a gadget maker with its first line of Bluetooth headsets, isn�t giving up on the sector. With its latest entry, the $130 Era, Jawbone is preparing itself for a potential wireless headset renaissance.

Smartphone users don�t just need a way to talk hands-free on the phone � they want more accurate ways to send voice commands to their devices and get information without looking down at a screen.

The Jawbone Era aims to be the Bluetooth headset for people who hate Bluetooth headsets. It�s tiny, sounds great, and ultimately proves Bluetooth headsets aren�t dead yet.

Jawbone’s slim new Era on the left, compared to the larger original model.

The good: The most seamless Bluetooth headset yet
Though it�s significantly smaller than its 2-year-old predecessor, the Era isn�t quite as tiny as the ubiquitous earpieces from the Spike Jonze film Her (which, surprisingly, contains some fascinating user interface concepts), but it�s almost as convenient.

It took me a few tries to position the Era correctly in my ear, but once I got a good fit, it was easy to forget I was wearing an earpiece. A single button on the Era�s rear lets you answer calls, pause music, and skip tracks.

For calls, the Era sounds crisp and clear in both directions. I never had any complaints about voice quality from people I was chatting with, and calls sounded slightly clearer compared to using my iPhone�s earpiece. I also noticed a few instances where Jawbone�s noise-filtering technology perked up to enhance my voice and block out external noise (a big help on noisy New York City streets).

Jawbone’s Era headset is so small it’s easy to miss.Jawbone

But 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. When I asked Siri for directions, I was able to get to my destination simply by following the instructions piped into my ear by the Era. (Of course, you can do this with any pair of earphones with a built-in microphone; the Era just makes it that much easier and more elegant.)

The Era was also surprisingly useful for listening to light background music and podcasts. Sound quality was decent, though it wasn�t as loud as I would have liked. It was more comfortable than the wired headphones I usually wear while wandering around the city, especially since I didn�t have to worry about any cords. I still noticed the occasional look of disgust from other subway riders, though � yes, the poor Bluetooth headset still can�t get any love today, even though, ironically enough, many people are sporting earbuds or giant headphones of their own.

I�ve used several Bluetooth headsets over the years, and while I�ve liked plenty of these, I�ve yet to fall in love with any of them. Once the initial honeymoon period wears off, they typically end up gathering dust on my desk. The Era isn�t quite the Bluetooth headset of my dreams, but it comes the closest.

The bad: No battery life improvements; it still looks like a Bluetooth headset
On the one hand, we should praise Jawbone for keeping the same four-to-five-hour battery life as the previous, larger Era headset. On the other, it really stinks having to charge it in the middle of the day.

The Jawbone Era charging caseDevindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

Jawbone, at least, recognizes that sort of battery life doesn�t cut it these days � so while it couldn�t pack in more juice, it�s offering the next best thing with the Era: a tiny portable charging case. It�s no different from any other USB battery pack you can get on Amazon. It stores enough juice to fully recharge the Era, and it includes a USB output to simplify the charging process.

While convenient, Jawbone is also cheating a bit by including the battery pack. It allows the company to claim that you can get around 10 hours of battery life with the Era, even when the device itself only reaches half that. Jawbone isn�t lying, but the slight confusion around the Era�s total battery life when using the battery pack has tripped up many journalists. And if that�s the case, I�m sure most consumers won�t realize the Era doesn�t get 10 hours of battery life on its own.

Additionally, while the Era is one of the smallest headsets I�ve used, it still looks distinctly like a Bluetooth headset. So unfortunately for Jawbone, it likely won�t win over people who wouldn�t be caught dead wearing a headset. (But really, we won�t see something like that until there�s a major breakthrough in battery technology.)

Jawbone Era

The verdict: A Bluetooth headset for a new era
Unless you have serious moral and aesthetic reservations against Bluetooth headsets, the Era is worth a look. It does a great job with calls, and it�s convenient for speaking voice commands to your phone.

Now more than ever, consumers seem ready to accept Bluetooth headsets. Just look around at all the headphones the next time you�re out in public � we�ve trained ourselves to be connected to our devices physically.

Now, we just need to get used to doing so wirelessly.

Choosing The Right Headset For Your Office Phone

This article is posted with the faithful agreement of radio accessory.co.uk, that is the original blog. please get agreement from that site before reposting this editorial.

Headsets come in an array of styles to cover a multitude of uses from a number of manufacturer’s .The three leading manufacturers of office and business headsets are Plantronics, Jabra and Sennheiser. Choosing a headset can often be daunting, so here’s a brief guide to what’s out there.

Corded headsets were the initial headset to be used in the commercial envorment and are still extremely popular with many businesses today, especially with call centres and places with a high number of staff. They are usually plug and play having a variety of connection cables available to ensure they have that virtual compatibility with all current phones systems. The corded headset is also the most cost effective, not everyone needs the higher specification models on offer today.

Styles vary within the corded headset genre with headband, over the ear and behind the neck styles being the main three variety’s available. Different manufacturers have different takes on these styles giving you a truly broad spectrum to choose from.

Wireless headsets were introduced roughly a decade ago and have seen massive technological improvements within the field, which still continues with new and improved models being released all the time.

DECT technology and Bluetooth technology are used on wireless headsets to achieve a wireless connection. Whereas DECT was the better technology of the two offering a longer range and encrypted signal, Bluetooth was being used mainly for mobile headsets. However the tide is turning and Bluetooth has recently come ona long way with many major manufacturers such as Plantronics and GN Netcom utilising Bluetooth technology in their latest headset models. This is mainly because of the popularity of Unified Communications, or in other words products, in this case headsets, that work with many devices in the office. So now the new generation of Bluetooth headsets can work with your Bluetooth mobile phone, desk phone and PC. This has huge money saving implications for many companies.

As with corded headsets, you find wireless headsets in a number of wearing styles, from over the ear, over the head, in the ear and behind the neck models, with each manufacturer having a varied approach to each wearing style.

If you’re thinking choosing either a corded headset or planning to go wireless, my advice is to do a little bit of research and look into all the available models with their different features and functions to ensure you get the correct headset for your needs.