Earlier today, I told you about the Jawbone Icon, the newest headset by Aliph, which has consistently won our Editors’ Choice award in the Bluetooth headset category the past couple years. Since the call quality is as clear as ever, I’ll focus on what’s different. One, users now have more opportunities to customize. The first choice they get is which headset they buy: although all six offerings have the same short, chunkier style, they come in different textures and shapes, each with a twee nickname (our pearly white number is called “The Catch”; the one pictured is “The Ace”).

Each headset, too, has a corresponding voice that announces incoming calls and gives battery life status updates on request, but you can pick and choose different voices on MyTALK, a Web interface announced in beta today. Some other interface changes also make this the easiest-to-use Jawbone I’ve tested. Most importantly, to some folks: the price is now $99.99, not $129, which brings it in line with other premium headsets.

Read on for some more detailed impressions about the design, and to find out if that voice feature is useful, or just a gimmick.

Design and Fit

The first thing you’ll notice about the Icon is that it has a chunkier shape than the Jawbone Prime, Aliph’s last-generation headset (the Icon is 1.8 x 0.8 x 0.9 inches; the Prime, 2.1 x 1.0 x 0.6). Our particular test unit is called “The Catch,” and it has a smooth, pearl-colored exterior with a subtly metallic finish. Although the others have different names and exteriors, their shape and lightweight feel (0.3 ounces) remain the same across the board. Have a look at the rest of the choices (and their monikers) below:

Aliph hasn’t changed the shape of the silicon pads that cover the part that goes inside your ear. I wish they’d do without the loop-shaped appendage; it actually makes it feel less stable or comfortable inside my ear. The headset ships with two different kinds of covers, and in an assortment of sizes. Aliph says the headset is meant to be worn sans ear loop, although it does ship with one just in case. Gone with this version is the leather ear loop, which I always thought was a classy touch. But for a $30 price drop, that’s one sacrifice I’m willing to make.

Easier To Use

Although it’s still made of durable medical-grade plastic, the front surface, too, has a different feel. It now has an indentation in the middle where the answer/end button used to be. This indentation is just decorative, though: the answer/end button now takes the form of a thin button lining the top side of the headset. You can also press this button to hear how much battery life you have left (more on voice features later). Next to this main button is a mini USB port (the headset comes with a USB cable, allowing you to charge your headset via your notebook’s USB port, as well as an AC adapter).

A few other changes make this the easiest-to-use Jawbone ever, as well as one of the simplest Bluetooth headsets I’ve tested in general. First, there’s a small, dedicated on/off switch on the underbelly of the headset, which removes much of the guesswork in turning on and pairing the device. Next to that switch is an LED light. This used to be located on the front face, and was often obscured by the finger pressing the main pairing button, but now it surrounds the voice sensor, located on the headset’s underside. This part of the headset rests against your jaw (as the product’s name suggests) to detect speech.

Out of the box, I was able to pair the Jawbone Icon with my Motorola Droid ($499.99) on my first try (it has Bluetooth 2.1, one of whose claims is an easier pairing experience). Meanwhile, I found it remarkably difficult to unpair the headset– at least, from the headset end of the equation. That’s a good thing: with a multi-purpose button that lets you do everything from answer and end calls to check on battery life, it’s reassuring to know I can’t use that same button to accidentally disconnect from my phone.

MyTALK

MyTALK is a Web site, launched in beta today, that allows Jawbone Icon owners to customize the voice on their headset, as well as customize just what they can do using their voice. For now, users have to request access as a beta user. When you first log in, you’ll have to download Jawbone Updater, a desktop app that allows you to transfer new settings to your headset when it’s plugged into your computer’s USB port. The software is PC -compatible, of course, and I had no problem installing it on my Snow Leopard MacBook (it required 12.9MB of disk space).

The cheesy thing about MyTALK is that Aliph bills it as an app store, of sorts, for your headset. In this case, apps doesn’t have the same meaning that it does in the world of smart phones. These are voice apps and dial apps, these simply let users choose the voice that’s speaking to them and customize what voice commands to which the headset will respond (e.g. voice dialing). The site’s interface is intuitive, making a clear visual distinction between the voice and dial app sections.

The other thing I like about this Web-based setup is that the installation was almost instantaneous. The lengthiest step was waiting for the service to recognize my headset, which was plugged into my notebook. Once it did that, all I had to do was click “Select” next to the voice dialing app and right away I saw a banner across that app that read, “Installed.” The app then appears grayed out so you don’t attempt to install it again.

Voice Selection

As for the voices, despite having a choice, I still prefer the default voice, a woman with a mild accent that rings European. The voice that goes with “The Catch,” my particular headset, is not so much catchy as Valley Girl. “The Bombshell” is a woman with a husky voice; “The Hero,” a baritone fit to voice movie trailers; and so on. They all say things meant to reflect their character. Ms. Bombshell, for instance, says “I’m on and ready to go” when you turn on the headset (hot, right?). They’re all caricatures to my ear, but to each his own. International customers will appreciate that French, Spanish, and German voices are also available on the site.

Dialing Apps

As I mentioned, voice dialing is one app you can download to your headset (you’ll need a phone that would allow you to dial with your voice even without a headset). Other apps include 411 directory assistance, allowing you to find, say, a local restaurant; the ability to update Facebook, Twitter, Google Calendar, or Salesforce account (you’ll need an account with Jott and a U.S. or Canadian carrier for this to work); and integration with 1-800-FREE411 and Dial2Do, a service that lets you compose e-mails and texts. I’m wondering how many users will create a Dial2Do or Jott account just so that they can update their Facebook accounts, hands free.

As for the voice dialing, I thought it would work with my Droid, since the phone already allows me to use my voice to pull up contacts, but in fact, that’s not enough; I can’t use my voice to then ask my phone to dial the number it found. So, I can’t use voice dialing here. However, had my phone been able to do this, all I would have had to do to initiate voice dialing would have been to hold down the button on my headset (as opposed to pressing it lightly, which is what you do to hear how much battery life you have left). I plan on trying again on another phone, though, so keep an eye out for that in our full review.

Call Quality and Battery Life

In various test calls, our call quality was consistently loud (but not too loud) and clear on both ends of the call. In this regard, Jawbone hasn’t messed with a good thing: its noise-cancelling technology, built on a sensor that rests against the jaw, has always worked well.

The headset has a rated battery life of about 4 hours, which isn’t especially long for a Bluetooth headset. However, idle time doesn’t seem to put much of a dent in battery life. So long as we didn’t make calls, but kept the headset on and paired, our friendly voice inside the headset kept telling us we had 4 hours of talk time remaining.

Early Verdict

It looks like the Jawbone Icon, the latest in this winning line, is also a strong headset. And while I think Jawbone made a smart move in giving users more color and texture options and, in particular, making the headset easier to use, the different voices and dialing apps seem gimmicky. In a way, I don’t think Jawbone had to try that hard: a reduced price headset with a cool design and sterling voice quality already makes a strong impression.