auradis

“Let’s Kill Bluetooth” from Slate brings up a good point:

Why do my iPhone’s earbuds still have wires? Here’s a device that can stream YouTube clips of hits from the 1980s while I’m out in the middle of nowhere, completely untethered, yet the most convenient way to get “Take on Me” from the phone to my ears is the same technology that folks were using back when A-Ha topped the charts.

Why DO my earbuds still have wires? The rapid progress of technology seems to have largely forgotten about this inconvenience.

I use the earbuds that came with my iPod, and they literally bring me more frustration than any other object I own. When I’m listening to my music while moving around the kitchen, the wire gets caught on the back of a chair or the knob of a drawer, yanking the earbuds out of my head and the iPod out of my pocket [this may seem like no big deal, but it’s not smart to irritate somebody who is chopping food with a Chinese butcher knife]. Or, when I take my iPod out of my computer bag, the wires are inconceivably tangled even though I’m pretty sure I didn’t tie them in knots before putting them away.

Wireless earbuds! This seems like a genius idea that had honestly never crossed my mind.

A search for them, though, results in mostly wireless headphones instead of earphones. Either that, or they are they kind that hook over the ears, which is simply not feasible for people who wear glasses. Some places offer earbuds that connect to each other through a wire that goes behind the head, which may or may not be an improvement, but still not exactly what I’m looking for [besides, that does not accommodate every hairstyle].

MetaEfficient lists the Sennheiser MX W1 Totally Wireless Earphone as the best wireless earbud choice, and at $399.95 [list price: $649.95!], I don’t doubt that they are very good — those are also pretty much the only ones that I found online. Unfortunately for us common folk, effective wireless earbuds don’t seem to be available at an affordable price. The wait continues.

Tagged: technology

§ 2 Responses to Tied Down

• Ezra says:

  October 20, 2009 at 645PM

  Imagine how relatively easily such wireless ear buds could become lost.

  Reply
• xander skyrien says:

  October 23, 2009 at 1222AM

  There *are* bluetooth earbuds for cheaper than that.

  Such as these
  http://reviews.cnet.com/headsets/sony-ericsson-hbh-ds980/4505-13831_7-32695530.html

  For an ipod:
  http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/logitech-wireless-headphones-for/4505-7877_7-31423973.html

  Reply