One of the many perks of running a travel blog are free product reviews. Here are my thoughts on the new Jawbone ERA.

I’ve just spent the past two weeks testing out the new Jawbone ERA, and while I’ve never had a need for a Bluetooth headset (up until now), I can certainly see what all of the fuss is about. Jawbone is receiving many favorable reviews for the design of their newest Bluetooth headset, the Jawbone ERA. I’ve found it extremely handy for my day-to-day business activities, but I can also see the benefit of using the ERA for travel. It’s small, light, and you can use it while you’re driving, riding public transportation or in a busy Internet café. I’ve found the Jawbone to be a great asset for my home office (no more bulky headsets!) and while I’m on the road.

Here are a few other things that I like about the Jawbone ERA.

IT ELIMINATES BACKGROUND NOISE WITH IT’S HIGH TECH NOISE CANCELING TECHNOLOGY

The headset automatically adjusts the volume on incoming calls, and it comes equipped with noise and wind cancelling technology that was developed for use by tank commanders and helicopter pilots. It’s just one of a number of nifty feature that comes wrapped up in the Jawbone’s super slick packaging. During normal voice calls and on Skype, the sound comes through loud and clear. When I tested the Jawbone while driving and while walking down a busy street, the noise cancelling technology kicked into gear and did a great job of cutting out background noise. That’s saying something, considering the busy streets of Taipei are always filled with the whine of passing cars and scooters.

IT DELIVERS INCREDIBLE HIGH-DEFINITION MUSIC AND AUDIO SOUND

If you plan on using your headset for entertainment or touring, the ERA delivers terrific sounding music, calls and video. The headset comes with a 10mm wideband speaker, so YouTube videos, podcasts, music, and travel directions come through loud and clear.

IT LOOKS COOL AND IT’S COMFORTABLE TO WEAR

The Jawbone ERA comes with four round ear buds for use with a binaural ear loop.  There are also four ear buds with integrated rubber hoops if you don’t want to use the ear hook. It’s super light and comfortable to wear. The ERA also comes with a Spout ear bud, which channels audio directly into your ear for a clear sound. Plus, the audio itself is top notch

The ERA is also able to recognize up to eight paired devices, with the ability to connect two devices at any time. That means you can have your laptop and cell phone paired, while also being able to handle voice calls at the same time.

Simply put, the headset itself is beautifully designed, both in and out of the box.

IT OPERATES ON NIFTY MOTION CONTROLS

I really like the ERA’s easy to use motion controls. Two shakes of the headset will put the Jawbone ERA into pairing mode, while two taps of the finger allow you to answer phone calls with ease. Pairing the Jawbone ERA with a cell phone or laptop is super easy. You can even pair up to six devices at a time.

YOU CAN DICTATE MESSAGES THROUGH VOICE CONTROL

The headset comes with voice-control, including the ability to dictate an SMS or Twitter update by voice. Cool!

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD COOL APPS THROUGH MYTALK

I haven’t explored this side of the ERA so much, but I’m excited to get started. The ERA comes with Jawbone’s MyTALK, an online store that allows you to download apps, set different voices and language options, customize new features like Caller ID by name, and program your Jawbone ERA to send emails and text messages just by using your voice. You can even upload your address book to the headset’s flash storage device.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS

So the final question is whether or not I think the Jawbone ERA is worth the $129.99 for a Bluetooth headset. Two weeks ago, you wouldn’t have convinced me, but I’ve ditched my bulky office headset, and I’m looking forward to saving on packing space when I travel with my Jawbone ERA headset.

Have you tried out the new Jawbone ERA? What are your thoughts?