Today we have with us yet another Bluetooth headset from Jabra. Will this device be on your next hands-free purchase list?
Look and Feel
Straight out of the box, the device looks very well built with a hard plastic encasing. It is smooth on the inside and has a textured finish on the outside. The matte finish is nice as it ensures that the device doesn’t become a fingerprint or dust magnet.
In terms of accessories the device come well loaded. Apart from the headset itself, you have an additional ear hook for big ears. This ear hook is a lot more comfortable than the one that is already fitted on the device. You also get an additional two silicon tips that eliminate the use of the ear hooks.
The box also includes a Micro USB wall charger for the device, a USB to Micro USB adapter and a USB car charger with the ability to connect two USB devices.
It is nice to see the box fully loaded with accessories that you would normally have to purchase separately. The USB to microUSB adapter is funky and the overall package is nice.
Coming back to the device, it has the bare minimum in terms of ports and buttons. The rear of the device has the microUSB port for charging. The top has the volume rocker and the bottom has the on/off switch. The Jabra logo on the device also doubles up as a button and an LED indicator.
Overall, the device feels very well built and is really compact. In the box too you get a nice bunch of accessories.
Features and Performance
Switch on the device and put it in your ear for the first time and you will have voice guidance telling you how to pair the device. For first timers, the feeling is straight out of a Star Trek movie. Since most users never read the manual and struggle to pair the device, this is an easy guide to setting up.
The female voice in headset not only gives you directions on how to set up the device but also doubles up as a constant announcer. Power on the device and she says, “Power on”. The female voice even announces the names of the callers eliminating the need for you to look at your device.
The Jabra Extreme2 has the ability to connect to two devices at once. You could have the device paired with your iPod touch for listening to music and with your smartphone for calls. If you are listening to music from your iPod and you receive a call on your smartphone, the headset automatically switches between the two devices and you can answer the call. Once the call ends, it switches back to the iPod. This makes using the device with two sources very easy.
The controls on the device are very simple too. Click once to receive a call, click once to end. Double click the button to call the last dialed number.
The volume rocker on the device doubles up as a battery indicator as well. If you need to know the amount of charge left, you can tap the volume rocker. The female voice will tell you – low, medium or high.
Speaking of battery life, the device can make it through the day with average use. We spoke on the phone for about 2.5 hours during the day and the device went strong. Jabra claims that the device has 10.5 days of standby time.
Audio from the device is loud and very clear. The voice was crisp at both ends and the audio didn’t distort. The only time we started facing some distortion was if the distance between the device and the headset went beyond 8 feet. For listening to multimedia, the device isn’t the best as the audio output is mono to start with and the bass and mid range responses aren’t the best.
Our Take
For a price tag of Rs. 4,500 the Jabra Extreme2 is on the expensive side of the Bluetooth headset spectrum. You could get a good entry-level Bluetooth headset from Nokia, Sony, Jabra and more at a price point of Rs. 2,000. If the accessories, ability to connect to multiple devices and good build are extremely essential, you can consider the Jabra Extreme2 as an option.
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