Source: Engadget

Source: SlashGear

I went to my local AT&T store and they had quite a few in stock.  One of the sales people asked if i wanted the bigger one and it seemed like an unusual question.  I wasn’t sure why I would want the old model and besides that why would I want it on my face because it’s bigger.  It kind of got me confused.  I had considered buying Apple’s Bluetooth headset, but I walked out with the new Jawbone 2.

They made a good effort it setting up packaging.  It wasn’t as good as something you would expect from someone like Apple, but up to what you expect from a premium priced product like the Jawbone 2.  Sure you hope you pay more for a superior product, but everything from impression to use of the product is important.  The instructions were pretty straight forward and easy to setup.

The package included the headset, power adapter, a few earpieces, and an extra over the ear strap.  I ended up using the standard setup and it seems to fit very comfortably in my ear.  I’ve never really had one, but it feels lightweight on my ear and could probably be worn for long periods of talk time.

The headset has two buttons that control all the features of the headset.  The side button turns the headset on and answers and hangs up calls when paired to a mobile phone.  The back button toggles noise reduction and adjusts volume.

It was easy to pair the Jawbone to both a Mac OS X machine and a Vista machine.  I was able to use the Jawbone for my Skype calls on both machines.  The sound quality and volume was really pretty good.  I was able to hear the other person clearly and they were able to hear me just fine.  There was no echo like in the normal speakerphone type setup I’m used to using.

Now I have nothing to compare this headset, but as with every product I buy if I find something that I like then I have no problem continuing to use it and if a newer better model comes out to buy the same branded product.  The Jawbone 2 is no exception.  I bought the headset with a specific purpose and it does the job just fine.  It’s always worth the extra money if things just work.  I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new hands free.

I didn’t want to go with Skype. Vonage seemed like a much better setup to me. They didn’t have long term contracts and it seemed the closest to a land line telephone to me. I don’t talk on the phone too much so I went with the 500 minute plan for $14.95 and 3.9 cents for each additional minute. With my cell phone and the Vtech IP8100 I figured I would have plenty of minutes. The service comes with Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, Call Transfer, Three Way Calling, Call Hunt, Repeat Dialing, Caller ID block, and Call Return.

It pretty much offered all the same features my cell phone did but in a land line service. Since it was VOIP if I ever move or need to work remotely I can take the Vtech IP8100 with me and keep my same phone number.

The Vtech IP8100 is a pretty basic phone with a main basestation and a charger with handset. The basestation has two leds to indicate when the service is ready and when it is use. The handset has a basic phone book and screen for caller id information and basic settings like voiume, ringtone selection, etc.

The Vtech IP8100 offers speakerphone which is very useful to me. I can put a client on speakerphone and still use my computer when I am walking them through projects.

The Vonage web interface is very nice. It is similiar to larger cell phone carrier websites. It’s easy to use and gives quite a bit of information. Also you are able to change most of the settings for the service that you would need.

I have to say the setup was very easy. I just signed up on their website. Then I plugged my Vtech IP8100 into the wall and into my router and within minutes I was up and running with a new telephone number.

It’s kind of funny to me. I had been using only my cell phone for years now and the voice quality seemed like old land line phones. It seems like you are actually talking over a wire. This isn’t a bad thing. The call volume is good and comes in clear and that’s what is important to me.

I would highly recommend the Vtech IP8100 to people looking into VOIP. I think it is a great value. Sure it’s not as fancy as some of the other VOIP solutions but it offers the features most users would need at a reasonable price. Simplicity and ease of use tends to be a key selling point for me. I rather use a product that focuses on that concept than one with a million features that I don’t know how to access. I think I?m pretty technically saavy, but if something is easier to use then I’m much more productive and efficient. The last point I would like to make is there are pretty good rebates for the phone and no long term contracts. It’s not too much of a risk just to try out.