In The Box: Jabra Sport

Included in the nicely presented box is the headset itself, three styles of ear gels, a sports armband, a quick start manual and a power adaptor. The package also provides access to the Endomondo Sports Tracker app for Apple based devices which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store however this review will focus on the unit itself and not on the Sports Tracker App.

Headset

The headset is nicely weighted and looks attractive with each over-ear unit modelled from a mix of hard black polycarbonate and a softer rubber like ABS black  and yellow material for the arching frame and inset design. Both ear pieces are connected using a short flat yellow cable.

The strong use of black and yellow detail offers a gentle waspish look to the unit.

One of the ear pieces houses the controls which include an LED indicator, microphone, micro USB port (for charging which takes around 2 hours and is indicated by a green indicator light above the volume control), a combined volume/skip track/FM auto seek button, FM Radio On/Off Button, and a combined Power/Play/Pause button.

To switch the device on, once fully charged, requires a press and hold of the Play/Pause button until the indicator light blinks blue. To switch the device off (and save power) requires a press and hold of the Play/Pause button until the light rapidly blinks red.

As it is unlikely you would be able to see the status indicator, whilst wearing the headset, it is good to hear that audio messages are included for activities such as “Power On”, “Power Off” and “Connected”.

Pairing to a device is pretty straightforward using the iPhone 4S which requires the headset to be placed into pairing mode and a useful feature is that the device can be simultaneously paired with two devices, one for playing music and another for calls.

Included with the headset are three sets of ear gels and it is worth trying all three to see which feels more comfortable in the ear. The addition of guiding arrows on the speaker housing and the ear gels themselves are a very useful aid for correct positioning, for this reviewer the teardrop shaped set were the most effective. The ear gels are easy to fit and to remove and they stay in place once fitted to the ear.

Sports Armband

The sports armband is one of the better examples of its type that I have seen. It has a pocket in which to sit a suitable iPod or iPhone whilst across the top of the pocket is a narrower hook and loop fastener strap to keep the device positioned.

The iPhone 4S sits quite comfortably inside the pocket and it is almost a shame the pocket is not lined with a microfibre material so that the screen gets a good clean whilst it is tucked away.

The front of the pocket sports the Jabra logo and there is no visible face in order to view the device but this is not a problem as the required controls are included on the headset itself and the audio prompts do a good job of reflecting activity.

The strap on this armband feels more givish than others seen and does at least manage to fit around my arm and is secured with a hook and loop fastening. In use I did find that placing the armband around the forearm, instead of the upper arm, offered a more comfortable position, whilst exercising, and provides more convenient access to the device inside.