Jabra sets runners free

JABRA’S Elite Sport “true wireless” earbuds for active folks pull triple duty as excellent-quality stereo earphones, a great Bluetooth headset for making phone calls, and device for tracking heart rate and movement.
The buds link up with other gadgets via an advanced Bluetooth connection – no wires needed – and yet firmly fit the ears with no danger of falling out while you’re running, cycling or otherwise exercising hard.
The benefit of the wireless connection is that you’re unencumbered by cables bobbing all over the place and maybe getting tangled. The buds weigh just 8.5 grams each. Lose the wiring and you feel that much lighter and freer.
I tested the Bluetooth 4.1 connection with my Huawei Mate 8 smartphone and could listen to good-quality music with clear highs and decent lows. Jabra has 16 years’ experience with Bluetooth and plenty of expertise in sound quality, and it shows.
The Elite Sport uses four advanced microphones – two on each earbud – so phone calls come in and go out clearly, the background noise reduced and your voice more audible.

Meanwhile you can link up to other sport apps as needed, including Strava, MapMyFitness, Endomondo, Runkeeper, Runtastic and Codoon.
To make the most of buds when playing sports, choose the proper size of “ear wings” from among the small, medium and large options. They go on the ear lobes. Then you decide between a gel or foam tip to go in your ear canals. These come in three sizes too, all part of the package. Start with the largest and work your way down to make sure you get a solid seal in your ear to block out unwanted noise.
Now you’re ready to insert the buds, rotating and making them snug in the ear canals. The tips of the ear wings will tuck into the ridges of your ears. I found the buds to be a firm fit but nevertheless completely comfortable to wear for a long time.
It’s easy connecting the Elite Sport to your phone. Fully charge them up using the provided charging cradle, and as soon as you open the cradle, the phone will connect to them automatically via Bluetooth. Manual connection is also possible by simultaneously pressing and holding the Multifunction button on the right earbud and the Volume Down button on the left for three seconds.
Now you’re all set to listen to music or make a call, but the real fun comes when you get out exercising. For this you first need to install the Jabra Sport Life app, which is available for both iOS and Android devices.

You input your gender, height, weight and date of birth. The app will calibrate its heart-rate sensor for maximum accuracy by having you stand still for a few seconds and then running on the spot for a few more.
While exercising or listening to tunes, you don’t have to remove the buds to talk. You just double tap the Multifunction button on the right bud to switch the HearThrough feature on and off.
With the app installed you can track your running, cycling, walking, hiking, skating, running on a treadmill and riding a stationary bike.
The opto-mechanical heart-rate sensor built into the right earbud analyses your VO2 Max fitness level, which is an absolute measure of your health and fitness. There are five levels, and the closer you get to 5, the fitter you are. For an average person, a 10-per-cent increase in the VO2 Max level can reduce mortality risk by 15 per cent.
While running, the app gives you audible reports on elapsed time and distance, rate of pace and cadence in your stride. When you’re done it displays a workout summary and tells you what effects the aerobic exercise has had on your body. It’s good to be reassured that you’re maintaining your fitness level – and even better if you’re improving it.

The app has a “recovery adviser” to guide you through a winding-down countdown regimen. It then “predicts” your potential time and pace to goose you along next time and even offers suggestions for your next workout based on your hear-rate analysis.
Then there’s the in-ear “coaching” that keeps pace with your workout. You don’t have to touch your phone for this – just use Volume Up and Down buttons on the left earbud and Sport Life app and Multifunction buttons on the right to control the app. Press and hold Sport for one second to start or stop the coaching. Tap once for updates during a workout.
The “Cross Training” options offered by the app are pretty good, but you can build your own mix of exercises from among 55 different ones listed. Again, you get audible coaching, which includes alerts about what routine is coming up next and advice on when to rest and when to pack it in.
Also built-in is a TrackFit motion sensor that measures your speed and counts your steps when running on a treadmill. This is a Tri-axis accelerometer that automatically counts repetitions during up to 10 different exercises, including push-ups, jumping burpees, squats, dips, thrusts, kettlebell swings, lunges, pull-ups, back extensions and crunches.
Jabra is planning upgrades that will boost the list to 221 exercises. It’s quite useful having the app keeping track of the counts so you can concentrate on the exercise.
There’s no need to worry about sweat damaging the buds because they’re water-resistant, with a decent IP67 rating. Light rain doesn’t pose a problem.
The battery is pretty solid, allowing for up to three hours of music or talk time. Use the on-the-go charging cradle to pick up an additional six hours of charge, and with Rapid Charge mode you can pick up an hour in just 20 minutes.
RTB Technology sells the Jabra Elite Sport for Bt9,900.

Key Specs
- Audio: Bass-enriched speakers with 20Hz to 20kHz frequency range
- Bluetooth version: 4.1
- Microphone sensitivity: |-38 dBV/Pa
- Microphone frequency range: 100Hz to 10kHz
- Talk/music time with or without tracking: Up to three hours continuous; charging case provides two additional full charges of up to six hours
- Durabilty: Sweat- and water-resistant (IP67); three-year warranty against failure due to sweat
- Weight: 8.5 grams per earbud