Jabra‘s prowess in Bluetooth headsets is second-to-none and the Danish maker has been churning out some impressive gear lately. Thanks to Jabra, we have the new motion sensor-enabled, aptly named Jabra Motion for review.
Design and Build
The first thing you will notice about the Jabra Motion is its edgy design and level of detail synonymous with a premium Jabra device. I wouldn’t consider it beautiful in any sense of word, but it is certainly different, and as expected, well-built.
The other glaring thing is its sheer size. The Jabra Motion is huge when unfolded, with the boom microphone extending out from the main structure. You may not realize it when its in your palm, but when fitted at the side of your head, it can be rather conspicuous-looking. Definitely one way to get noticed.
The overall design is ergonomic, starting from the height-adjustable speaker with detachable ear gel that houses a multi-function Call button. The speaker can be swivelled so you can use it on either ear. The structure then arches to fit your entire ear. At the top is a touch-sensitive volume control area where you can swipe to increase or decrease volume. Further along is a microUSB port for charging purposes.
On the boom mic arm, there’s a tiny Voice and Mute button on the underside, that’s also used to enable voice commands. More about this later.
Weighing only 17.5g, the Jabra Motion is very light despite its size, and its high-customisable nature helps users find the perfect fit for their ear.
Sound Quality
Thanks to multi-sized ear gels, it is easy to find a perfect fit for your ear. This helps lock out ambient noises and enhances the overall audio quality of the device. I found voice and audio quality excellent although for music enthusiasts, the mono-ear setup isn’t so ideal for music per se. The built-in dual microphones with wind-noise protection (patent pending) do a good noise-cancelling job and on test calls indoors and outdoors, the Jabra Motion always sounded clear and crisp.
Comfort & Fit
While you get taken aback with the sheer size of the earpiece, you have to hand it to the Jabra Motion for its snug fit. Jabra supplies three sizes of ear gels in the box, so finding a good fit shouldn’t be hard. Once you’ve adjusted the earpiece to your ear, it’s steadfast and doesn’t wobble around. It would take a huge knock on the head to make it lose its grip from your ear. I didn’t test the knocking bit of course. Because of its featherweight, you tend to forget it is hanging on the side of your head. You could technically just keep the earpiece in your front shirt pocket too.
Key Features
- Bluetooth 4.0, EDR and eSCO
- NFC technology for ‘one-tap’ pairing
- A2DP for multimedia streaming – GPS, music & podcasts
- Adjustable speaker tower, flexible behind-the-ear shape for perfect fit and flip-boom arm for pocketability
- Noise Blackout 3.0, Wind Noise Protection & HD Voice for better sound experience
- Digital Signal Processing (DSP) with Intelligent volume control adjusts speaker volume according to environment
- Power Nap – battery saving mode
- Multiuse – connects to 2 devices simultaneously; pairs up to 8 devices
- Voice Guidance and Voice Control
- Jabra Connect App (Android/iOS) for headset settings/call control
- Talk time up to 7 hours; standby time up to 15 days
- Bluetooth range: 10m
- Weighs only 17.5g
Full specifications can be found here – http://www.jabra.com/products/wireless_headsets/jabra_motion_uc_series/jabra_motion
Setting Up
Like other Jabra products, setting up the Jabra Motion is almost elementary. All you need to do to power on is flip the boom mic out and a sexy female voice will greet you with “Power on”. To pair the device to your smartphone, simply turn on Bluetooth and wait for Jabra Motion to appear on your smartphone display. I tested this on the Samsung Mega and BlackBerry Q10, and both were paired within a minute or two.
The Jabra Motion is also NFC-enabled, so as an option to pair with another device, just bump both devices together. I got this working with the Samsung Mega, but NFC pairing didn’t work with the Q10, strangely.
Voice Guidance also guides you through the set-up process.
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Performance and Usage
There’s really quite a bit of tech that has gone into the Jabra Motion. Its magic, primarily coming from the accelerometer that detects your movement. Leave it on the table untouched, and it goes into power-saving mode, extending its battery life. When you receive a call and pick up the earpiece, it will automatically answer your call. The advantage of this of course is not having to wear the earpiece all the time, and only use it when you have too. You will, of course, lose ‘coolness’ points since your ear will be sans a high-tech accessory. Fashion statements aside, the motion detection works as advertised.
Volume control is as easy as swiping up and down the touch-sensitive panel on top of the earpiece.
Another feature worth mentioning is Voice Control. The Jabra Motion offers a limited set of eight voice commands, and this can be enabled by pressing the little button on the underside of the boom mic. Make a call, answer a call, mute, battery status all via voice. Pretty cool.
The big highlight of the Jabra Motion is really the companion app that is downloadable for free on your iOS or Android device — Jabra CONNECT. With Jabra Connect, easily setup and pair your devices, get updated battery status and even locate your device using the Find my Jabra feature. There is also a built-in Audio Notes feature within the app for you to use it as a voicenote-taking device.
Overall, my only true gripes about the earpiece design is its inherent bulk, and that there can sometimes be accidental pressing of the multi-function call button on the speakerbox as you adjust the earpiece to fit your ear.
Battery Life
Battery life is good, and works as advertised. I got around 6 hours of battery life from active use. Charging is considerably quick, just needs about an hour for a full charge via the supplied travel charger.
Jabra Motion official press photos on Flickr.
Watch the Jabra Motion video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tWGLyE0HeKw
What’s in the Box
- Jabra Motion earpiece
- 3 sets of ear gels (S, M and L)
- USB cable
- 1 AC charger
- 1 Quick Start guide
Pros
- Light, comfortable fit
- Voice guidance, voice control
- Easy setup
- Good, clear sound quality
- Good battery life
- Motion detection a handy feature
- NFC pairing
- Companion Jabra CONNECT app is excellent
Cons
- Bulky and may be overly conspicuous for some
- Somewhat awkward design
- Bold styling not to everyone’s tastes
- Limited voice commands
- Expensive
Price and Availability
The Jabra Motion retails at RM499 and is covered by a limited one-year warranty.
Overall
Despite its somewhat quirky design and bulk, the Jabra Motion is remarkably light and an excellent fit in the ear. The motion-enabled features, NFC pairing, voice control and guidance; and the excellent Jabra CONNECT companion app make it useful daily accessory. Overall, a very good user experience and strong feature set. But are the features worth the hefty RM499 price tag? You decide.
