Joby Inc. unveiled the Zivio™, a Bluetooth headset with a boom microphone, at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) back in January. However, after almost a half year later and no Zivio yet available, it finally appears that the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has given Joby the green light.

The Joby Zivio is a small, stylish Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR headset with an old school boom-style microphone. Joby, better-known for its photography equipment, developed the Zivio with a telescoping boom mic, which is completely retractable. With the Joby Zivio recently receiving Bluetooth qualification from the Bluetooth SIG, we can only hope that the Zivio’s U.S. release is soon to follow.

In addition to its nifty, retractable boom, the Zivio Bluetooth headset promises to offer high quality audio performance by improving voice recognition and reducing background noise. The placement of the Zivio’s ultra-sensitive mic can be adjusted by sliding the boom up or down. In noisy environments, the mic can be positioned directly in front of your mouth for optimum audio quality.

The Zivio Bluetooth headset truly does have a sleek design, with a length of just 53.5mm and 137mm when the boom mic is fully extended. While focusing heavily on its elegant design, Joby claims the Zivio is also one of the most comfortable Bluetooth headsets available. The Zivio will come with interchangeable, gel-capped earpieces that can be worn on either ear. The headset will also come with an optional earloop.

The headset’s earloop and boom mic are both developed from a high-end material known as Nitinol. Nitinol is a superelastic shape memory alloy that is completely flexible. You can bend the Zivio’s earloop and mic and they will always revert to their desired shape.

Posted May 30, 2008 by BlueTomorrow.com Editorial Staff