We just deboxed the brand new Jawbone PRIME, and figured we ought to share some of our first impressions.

First off, on the box itself: this thing would make Cupertino’s finest hot under the collar. Coming in at $129 bucks, we didn’t expect this thing to come in a plastic baggy or anything like that, but they still managed to impress us. It slides, it opens, it carefully cradles all the little pieces perfectly in place. We take things out of boxes all damn day, and this box is up near the top of the list.

The earpiece is nearly identical to the Jawbone before it. It weighs the same (roughly 10 grams), and is exactly the same in its size and shape (read: by no means the smallest, but pretty dang tiny) – with one small difference: they’ve added a slight groove to the face of the earpiece right above the primary button. The buttons on the Jawbone 2 and Jawbone PRIME lay beneath a layer of plastic. On the last model the entire face was flush, making it horribly difficult to find the invisible button while wearing the headset. The new groove makes it a whole lot easier.

The review unit they sent us was one of the limited edition EARCANDY models. “Drop Me A Lime” Green, to be exact. Not exactly the color I would have picked for myself, but I can see where they’re going with this; the color is blindingly vibrant (pictures don’t do it justice), with a sheen that makes it look (fittingly) pricey in the right light.

I’ve got drawers full of Bluetooth headsets, and I can honestly say that the last Jawbone was one of the most comfortable I’ve ever worn. The Jawbone PRIME tops it. They’ve removed the need for the wrap around earloop, providing earbuds (small, medium, and large) that keep the headset snug in your ear. I greatly prefer the new earbuds. I shook my head around like a wet dog, and the thing didn’t budge.

We’ll spend the next few days testing sound quality and writing up a full review. So far, we’re liking everything we’re seeing.

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