Since its introduction late last hear, the Jawbone earpiece for Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones has seemingly taken the world by storm. It is offered in many major consumer electronics outlets as well as at Apple stores as an iPhone companion, by AT&T Wireless and at Best Buy stores. The secret to its success is not only its outstanding design, but also its cutting-edge technology. Jawbone is actually a hearing-aid in disguise, integrating advanced digital signal processing (DSP) technology to handle speech enhnancement and environmental noise cancellation in much the same ways expensive digital hearing aids help you discriminate speech in a noisy room and moderate background noise even as they perform their primary task of amplifyng sound. Among other things, Jawbone boosts the caller's voice in your ear when environmental noise is loud, and reduces the signal in more quiet surroundings. And, while Jawbone helps you hear the caller's voice better, it also helps you communicate more effectively by eliminating background noise that would hinder the person on the other end from hearing your voice. The Jawbone web site has one of the best demonstrations of noise-cancelling technology with video of a guy speaking to you with Jawbone's noise shield off and then on as a fellow works with a leaf blower in the background. It's worth checking out.
Jawbone's success is welcome for two reasons. First, it demonstrates that the convergence of hearing-aid technology with consumer-electronics products and audio products is happening in the way optimists have been predicting for quite a while. Second, it provides the hearing-aid industry with an economic model borrowed from the mass marketers in the consumer electronics industry, where large production volumes rapidly drive prices down. Thus, Jawbone can afford to charge only $119 for its basic product, whereas hearing aids utilizing much of the same technology still retail for ten times that much or more.
Posted by David at 05:00 PM on Sep 15, 2007 in BLUETOOTH DEVICES, NEW PRODUCTS
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Can I use the jawbone mobile phone headset while wearing a hearing aid? If not, can you recommend a mobile phone headset that I can wear while wearing my epox aids? I am not a big fan of the streamer...I am told that I sound like I am on speakerphone. thanks!
hi my name is shameka I am hearing loss I am deaf I want to know how I should use bluetooth help more hear with hearing aid I want to hear understand for bluetooth head
David have you tried the Jawbone with an unaided ear? does it provide amplification besides reducing noise?
Does the Jawbone work as a stand alone hearing aid without being connected to a cell phone? Or does it only help you hear better when using a cell phone?
Thanks
Bruce
