The new ERA is latest Bluetooth® headset we designed with Jawbone. It’s great for phone calls, but also a powerful extension of your mobile device—using a voice­-based system to make using your phone less intrusive and more human (e.g. when using Siri®, Google Now™ or similar features). ERA lets you conveniently multitask, checking your itinerary while packing for a trip, or using apps while taking a call. At 42% smaller than the previous model, ERA was engineered to set a new benchmark—turning complex technology into a beautiful personal accessory with amazing fit and stunning sound quality.

ERA faced the hardest challenge in a product’s lifecycle—the risk of becoming obsolete. For a long time, a major incentive for buying a headset had been the use in cars, but since Bluetooth has become a standard in new models, the need for an extra device started to vanish. Additionally, even though Jawbone led the market with beautiful designs, the common perception that headsets are ‘geeky’ and ‘uncomfortable’ persisted. Many who have used ERA or similar headsets say it makes daily life much easier, freeing hands to cook, text, shop, and carry. How do we make this fresh?

Early ethnographic research indicated a quality experience was a paramount driver for purchase of a headset. The new ERA took two years of intense design work and resulted in complete re-engineering. In order to create a small device that people enjoy wearing on their face, we went through 30+ iterations of proportions, exploring multiple form factors and ergonomic considerations. These ran the gambit from paper mock-ups, SLAs, and full appearance models, often with subtle variations to test different aspects of design. Jawbone also lab tested technology along the way, e.g. the speaker barrel, mic placement, antenna orientation, etc.

ERA is a device that becomes an extension of you. Its response to natural speech is enabled by Jawbone’s patented NoiseAssassin® technology, which distinguishes speech from background noise, resulting in excellent voice recognition performance. The completely re-­architected earbud provides comfort and wearability for long-term use and delivers a new vision for what a Bluetooth headset should be—a smaller device in a wide variety of colors and textures that fits your style as well as your need for a high quality, distortion free audio experience—because we believe you should have conversations, not calls.

In order for Jawbone to keep headsets relevant, we had to address three major items. First, the size of the technology has ultimately driven the overall size of headsets to date. Second, ERA needed to offer more functionality and act as a powerful extension of a mobile device, utilizing voice-­based interfaces for a less intrusive, more human experience. Finally, the headset had to become a desirable item to wear in it’s own right, considered not just as a functional device, but a fashion accessory – materials, fit and finish, colors and textures had to be crafted together to achieve this.