INTRODUCTION

   One of the things i hate while driving is to see other people using one hand to drive their cars or bikes and the other to answer and hold their smartphones close to their ears. As a matter of fact I’ve lost count of the how many times i had to evade cars and bikes coming right towards me just because the driver was paying more attention to his/her call and not what was happening around. Of course as many of you are aware the law in most countries forbids use of smartphones while driving and strictly dictates that people need to use hands-free devices such as wireless Bluetooth headsets to avoid getting distracted. Such headsets may not have improved enormously over the past few years but they've become smaller while at the same time retaining all their features and audio quality. The ECLIPSE by Jabra is their latest entry in the hands-free wireless headset and it will be the subject of today’s review.

   Jabra is the brand of GN Netcom, a subsidiary of GN Store Nord A/S (GN) - listed on NASDAQ OMX. Jabra employs approximately 850 people worldwide and in 2011 produced an annual revenue which amounted to DKK 2,106 million. Jabra is a world leader in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of a broad range of hands-free communications solutions. With a reputation for innovation, reliability, and ease of use that goes back more than two decades, Jabra’s consumer and business divisions produce corded and wireless headsets, plus mobile and in-office speakerphones that empower individuals and businesses through increased freedom of movement, comfort, and functionality.

   The latest ECLIPSE wireless headset may not be the very first model to feature Bluetooth v4.1 connectivity (up to 30 meters range) with near field communications (NFC), multiuse (up to two simultaneously connected devices) headset profile v1.2 (HSP), hands free profile v1.6 (HFP), advanced audio distribution profile v1.3 (A2DP) and phone book access profile v1.0 (PBAP) but it's certainly the smallest one weighing just 5.5g. The Eclipse also offers 128bit encryption and supports several modes such as enhanced data rate (2/3Mb EDR), synchronous connection-oriented (SCO), enhanced synchronous connection-oriented (eSCO) and a power saving (sniff). Unfortunately by using such a small enclosure Jabra had to use a rather tiny 6mm 5mW dynamic driver that features a frequency range of 20Hz-20KHz with 94dB sensitivity and 16 Ohm impedance. Luckily we still see dual Omni-directional noise-cancelling microphones featuring a frequency response of 100Hz-8kHz and 14dB (+/-3dB) sensitivity. Also just like the STONE models the new ECLIPSE comes with a compact charging base/dock which you can take along with you to give the headset up to 7 extra hours of battery life (10 hours including the headset charge). So let's test and see what the latest offering by Jabra is all about.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The front of the box has a female model wearing the ECLIPSE wireless headset and a picture of the headset right in front of that.

You can take a quick look at the product features from the left side.

The Jabra Assist App is mentioned on the right side of the box.

At the rear Jabra has printed the package contents, a few words about the main product features and the product compatibility.

As expected the front of the box opens up to reveal the ECLIPSE wireless headset and its base, male model wearing the product and a few words about its main features.

Along with the ECLIPSE wireless headset and its charging base/dock Jabra has also bundled 2 extra EarGels (3 in total), USB to micro USB cable, warranty paper, registration card, iOS and Android app paper and two quick start guides (different languages).

THE ECLIPSE

 Measuring just 49.95mm in length, 17.58mm in depth and 24.82mm in height the 5.5g ECLIPSE is one of the tiniest wireless Bluetooth headsets currently available.

To get a better idea about just how small the ECLIPSE really is we placed it right next to the MiPoW VoxTube 500, the Plantronics Voyager Edge and the Plantronics Voyager Legend UC.

The Jabra logo is placed at the front of the headset and beneath that lies a small pressure sensor which you can use to control basic functions just by tapping your finger on it (answer calls by taping once, end calls by tapping twice and check battery status by tapping once when not in a call). The headset also supports voice commands such as answer and ignore if tapping is not ideal for you (you guessed right, no volume control from the headset).

The dual microphones are placed behind a perforated section at the front of the headset.

Unfortunately unlike other headsets the ECLIPSE can only be recharged in its base via these two metal connectors.

To replace the default eargel with one of the bundled ones just pull it.

Using a 6mm driver means you shouldn't expect plenty of volume from the ECLIPSE but that's expected from such a tiny headset.

Remember the STONE3 charging base? Well the ECLIPSE charging base looks a lot like it and features a nice rubber coating on the sides and belly (three white battery status LEDs are placed on the top right of the base).

One of the things i liked about the STONE3 was its small charging base so i was glad to see that the ECLIPSE also comes with an equally small one (we placed it right next to the charging cases of the Voyager Edge and Legend UC).

These metal connectors not only feed power to the headset but also give it the power on command (or answer call when there's an incoming one) when you remove the headset from the base (yes the ECLIPSE has no on/off button).

A micro USB port is placed at the front of the base.

The on/off/Bluetooth pairing button is placed at the belly of the base (clearly stated by a sticker) so to start the pairing procedure you need to use this (the NFC area is also here).

In terms of looks the ECLIPSE with its charging base is certainly one of the best looking headsets in the market today (and perhaps the smallest one).

ASSIST APP

The Jabra Assist App is rather new and you can use it to connect your Jabra Headset, have it read incoming text messages to the headset (if supported by your smartphone/tablet) and use it to download product manuals.

As you can see the Assist App supports pretty much every wireless device currently available by Jabra.

Once you connect the headset there's also a "live" battery meter available.

Via the same app you can access the quick-start guide, perform firmware updates (data connection required) and change all available headset settings.

The Find My Jabra feature allows you to track the headset in case you've misplaced it either via GPS (GeoTag) or by having it output a high-pitch tone.

Jabra makes it possible for you to update the headset from your computer by downloading the latest firmware update from their support page.

CONCLUSION

   The new Jabra ECLIPSE continues from where the STONE3 left off and although it's not the best wireless headset in the market it's a lot better than one would expect for such a tiny model. For example battery life is very good and although Jabra claims you can use it for 3 hours before needing a recharge at full volume we hardly exceeded two hours which is not bad since with the roughly 5 extra hours from the base we were able to use it for up to 7 hours (did you expect more from such a tiny headset?). Moving to audio quality it's surprisingly good (again for its size) but compared to the Voyager Legend UC by Plantronics or even the STEALTH again by Jabra it falls short in volume levels. This was honestly expected due to the small driver size but when you've used as many wireless headsets as i have it's clear that the ECLIPSE is not a headset you'd want to use in areas with high ambient noise. The dual microphones were also surprisingly good but again not very ideal in places with lots of noise since people on the other end had a hard time listening to my voice so again if you want a headset which does really well in very noisy areas this isn't the right headset for the job (consider getting the STEEL instead). Of course although i consider the tap sensor to be much better and possibly durable than regular buttons i would like to see a volume control sensor since adjusting the volume from your smartphone is certainly not real ideal so i do hope Jabra considers this for their next headset. Finally since some of you have been asking lately remember that regular wireless headsets like the ECLIPSE are not splash-proof so make sure you don’t use them when you’re very sweaty after for example a hard day at work or after working out.

   Brand new wireless Bluetooth headsets that also feature a charging base/dock always cost more compared to other standalone models so currently the ECLIPSE by Jabra retails for USD99.79 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 87Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Honestly we don’t think Jabra asks for much since other similar headsets like for example the STONE3 or the Voyager Edge/Legend UC models retailed for pretty much the same or even more when they were launched. So if you don’t plan on using the ECLIPSE in very noisy areas then you will just love its tiny size, clear audio and battery life offered by both the headset itself and the extra charging base/dock and these are also the reasons as to why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Size / Weight (5.5g)
- Audio Quality (Both Ends)
- Touch Controls
- Dual-Mics With Noise-Cancelling Technology
- Caller Announce / Battery Life Announce / Voice Commands
- Bluetooth 4.1 (A2DP/HFP/HSP/PBAP/NFC)
- Charging Unit (Offers Up To 7 Extra Hours Of Use)
- Jabra Assist App

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Dual-Mics Could Perform Better (Design/Size Limitation)
- Volume Levels
- No Volume Controls