Plantronics: Better Than Jawbone?

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Two new Bluetooth headsets were released today: The latest Aliph Jawbone and the Plantronics Voyager Pro. Reviewers have wasted no time comparing them, with some surprising results. When we compared an earlier version of the Jawbone with the Plantronics Voyager 835 in our noise-canceling roundup earlier this year, reviewer Mark Spoonauer thought the Jawbone was the clear winner. Indeed, Aliph revolutionized the Bluetooth headset category by making a device that performed well AND looked good. But some of our readers disagreed with our assessment. Michael Felkey, president of a digital marketing company, said the Jawbone frequently lost contact with his cheek, rendering it useless. So he switched to a the Voyager 855.

Today, most reviewers seem to agree that the Voyager Pro is the gadget to beat when it comes to pure performance.

The fashion-conscious will still want to pick the Jawbone, which costs $130. It actually looks like it could be a fashion accessory, and it does a good job of canceling the noise around you; as Laptop Magazine says, it doesn't force you to compromise style for performance.

The Voyager Pro, by contrast, offers no real style improvements over the 835, which was the ugliest of all the headsets we reviewed. And yet, in terms of performance, it seems the Voyager Pro, which is selling for $100, may be your best bet. PC Magazine calls it "the best Bluetooth headset you can find for all-day chatter." CNET says the Pro has "the best sound quality of any Bluetooth headset we've ever tried." Even Gizmodo, which lauds the Jawbone over its competition, admits that incoming sound is weak on the device.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below. We publish the best comments in Inc. magazine.