After being satisfied with my technology for a while, I've hit a spell where things started to not work, most particularly my cell phone. Given how much time I'm on the phone, having people not be able to hear me is a problem, so it was off to research new phones. I've been pretty happy with the Samsung Blackack, so ended up going with the Blackjack II. Early thoughts -- pretty good. The telenav software is buggy as all get out, and the $10 per month to use the GPS seems a bit rich, so i'll pass on that option and stick to Windows Live Mobile for my maps. The other tech piece I've been unhappy with is the cord that connects my MP3 player to my ears when I run. When I saw some reviews of the Jay Bird Gear Blue Tooth Stereo Headset, I decided to give it a try. Jury is out -- first run is tomorrow -- but early observations:
- Came with the wrong charger -- would be great if I lived in the UK, which I don't. Luckily, also will charge via USB, so not catastrophic.
- Setting up BT pairing with both phone and the MP3 adapter was pretty easy.
- Not a great mike for using w/ the phone -- fine in a pinch I suppose, but not for everyday.
The other thing I discovered is that I can sync Rhapsody with my phone, and now play music from the phone to the Jay Bird. That's pretty cool. Quality seems good, if the phone rings I can answer. What this means is that it is now possible for me to ditch the iRiver Clix on some of my runs home -- I'm already carrying the phone, and I've got a 1GB micro SD chip already -- up it to 2GB and that's plenty of music. One less device ... need to check the battery impact. Stand by for more on that.
Technology is not simple enough, but it sure is getting there!