Jabra Motion UC [Initial Thoughts]

The good folks at Jabra sent me a stack of devices that I will be working my way through. This is my first impressions with the Jabra Motion UC device.

My day job requires me to be on the phone a lot. I work from home most days and use a headset or speaker phone for an average of 4-5 hours per day. A good headset and a speaker phone are a must. There are a few requirements that I have to have:

  * Microsoft Lync Optimized
  * Good sound
  * Good noise cancellation

The Jabra Motion UC meets all of these plus it gives one major advantage over its competitors, its range. It uses Bluetooth Class 1 which gives it well over 100ft range (enough that I could walk two flights up in my house while on a call and not have any issues). The range on it is by far my favorite “feature”. I can now go and make coffee while on a call without issue (I have a lot of calls where I am just listening versus being an active participant).

If the range wasn’t so impressive, the first thing I would have commented on would be its weight. It is lighter than my previous device. While we are talking about a matter of an ounce or less, the weight of a headset on your ear is noticeable at the end of a long day.

Here is the un-boxing. Small box which is nice. I get tired of companies packing small items in large boxes. Everything fits nice and snug and has good visual appeal as you open it. They could probably even make the box smaller and use less materials and I would challenge them to do so.

The case holds everything you need to take it with you. Everything has a place and it is not an issue to fit things back for when you need to be on the go.

The case for the device is also the desktop cradle which is nice. Plug in your USB and it sits at the ready.

Based on a days worth of use (many more will be coming), my initial thought is that it is a great device. There are some trade-offs to my previous headset. First, the USB mount for the charging cradle. This is a double-edge sword. While on the desktop, a better dock (i.e. a magnetic charging station) is much nicer but if you are on the go a lot, having a standard mini-USB without having to find a specific adapter is nice. I do wish the case had a battery in it to charge the device while in my bag as well. These two items are merely differences between my current device and the UC Motion. They aren’t deal killers by any means.

I will note, from a functionality standpoint, that the mute button is in an awkward spot at the base of the mic boom. I feel like I’m rubbing my fingers over the mic as I try to hit mute. This could introduce a scratching noise to the call until mute is activated. We’ll see how this goes over time and if I will get use to it.

Installing the Jabra Control Center (aka PC Suite) is a must. The Jabra Control Center allows you to manage features of the device and do firmware upgrades. A first step for me using the Control Center was to disable the Mute Reminder. Having it beep in your ear every 20 or 30 seconds to remind you that you are on mute is just annoying. I understand the need but that frequency was just too often. Once you apply that setting, you do need to connect the headset to the computer via USB for it to apply the change.

I’m looking forward to using the Motion UC more over the coming weeks. I’ll report back once I have logged a significant number of hours with it.

• Jabra
• Lync