iPhone Accessories: Jawbone Bluetooth & Griffin Goodies
The iPhone is definitely a few steps above most other phones out there- but it still isn’t perfect. The screen is less than invincible, the case itself scratches pretty easily, the camera can’t focus on nearby objects, and the headset leaves some clarity to be desired, especially in noisy situations.
Accessories to the rescue! Our first item can, of course, be used with any phone (or Bluetooth-capable device) that you wish, but we primarily tested it with the iPhone 3G. The Jawbone 2 looks a lot like the older model, but offers even better noise elimination, and is even easier to use- pairing up with another device is super-simple. Sleek, about half the size of the original, the new Jawbone features pretty incredible battery life (4 hours of talk time on about a 2 hour charge).
The Jawbone 2 is the best Bluetooth headset we’ve tried, and handles everything short of factory conditions without bothering the folks on the other end of the call. It does require a bit of figuring out though- both because of the “invisible button”, and because of the need to get the earpiece situated just right for the headset to work properly. Further, it costs as much as many phones- around $130- but the price seems pretty fair for such stylish design and sophisticated technology (NoiseAssasin? DARPA? military-grade?) And that price buys durability as well, since we dropped the headset more than once, shoved it between some books in a backpack, and even tested it while running and sweating without it showing more than a scratch and sounding as good as ever. Available in three colors, the new Jawbone is available now in stores and direct from Aliph.
For those with an iPhone 3G, you’ll want a case to protect them. And if you do some photography, consider Griffin’s Clarifi case which offers a slide-over lens for your iPhone camera. The lens not only protects yours, but offers much better focus on nearby (macro) shots, allowing you to take shots as close as 4 inches instead of the normal 16 (great for use with Snappr, a barcode scanner for the iPhone). The $35 case itself is also extremely sturdy- a bit heavy, perhaps, and the lens slider doesn’t stay in place very well- but close-up pictures are much better, and it comes with a screen protector as well.
If you have either an iPhone 2G or 3G, also consider Griffin’s iTrip AutoPilot. This several-in-one gadget combines an automobile charger which also holds a set of music controls, as well as an FM transmitter with full-band ability and a nice screen. The real highlight for us was supposed to be the SmartSound and SmartScan technologies, which basically scan the FM band for stations with less interference, and then help boost the sound when you’ve chosen a station… but unfortunately, our tests didn’t show them performing very well. We tried using over 20 stations selected by SmartScan (which picks three from a time and lets you choose) across a 100-mile area, with two different iPhones and were rarely able to get a very clear signal through our car stereo. The unit seemed to be quite particular about the orientation and placement for transmission to be effective- though the charging and controls were quite nice, and the RDS feature allowing newer radio LCD screens to display artist and title information worked well.
Griffin products are available through their site directly, or from retailers nationwide.
