Jawbone’s Jambox is an odd little device. The Bluetooth-enabled portable speaker is comparably tiny, but is capable of pumping out music at 85 decibels. And then there’s the price: at US$200 (S$252), this thing isn’t exactly cheap.

The thing also feels alive. It vibrates and gives a low rumble as you turn it out, and makes various strange yet familiar digital noises when completing various tasks, such as pairing with a Bluetooth device.

(UPDATE: The folks representing Jawbone in Singapore say the local distributor price here is S$328. That’s quite a markup, as was the case with the Jawbone Icon.)

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If you’ve seen one Bluetooth headset, you’ve seen all Bluetooth headsets. That was what I thought when I stopped using these gadgets early this year, because I had bought a car that came with its own Bluetooth speaker system.

Thus I saw the AliphCom Jawbone Icon, I was not immediately impressed by what it offered under the hood. In fact, the packaging – sleek enough for a piece of costume jewellery – and the earpiece’s shiny surface made me think this was another one of those pretty gadgets with run-of-the-mill technology.

But was I surprised, when I placed the Jawbone Icon in my ear. Hands down, these are the best small Bluetooth earpieces I have used, whether you’re talking about sound quality, comfort or user-friendliness. …