Do Bluetooth Earphones Make You Look Like a Jerk?
Manjoo's first theory was that aesthetic appeal was the problem. Most headsets are, to put it lightly, hideous. Consumer electronics grade plastic, over ear arms, and obtrusive teardrop shapes are the standard. So Manjoo looked to the Jawbone, one of the first headsets to realize that as a piece of wearable technology it must also be fashionable. Unfortunately the high style design just exacerbated the problem of appearing self-important.
Manjoo moved on to the itty bitty Apple headset, figuring that the barely visible accessory would reduce the problem of appearing pompous. An unforeseen side effect arose however: If it's not apparent you're talking into a headset, you just look crazy.
Then Manjoo settled on the Cardo S-640 (pictured above), a bluetooth hands-free device that looks more like the cheapo wired extensions packaged with many cell phones. The microphone and radio are housed in a relatively unobtrusive plastic rectangle that clips on to your collar or lapel. A single earbud is wired to the box that runs up to your ear. Though far from perfect, Manjoo found this to be the least offensive headset he tested. We still recommend you pull it out of your ear before walking into your uncle's funeral though.
From Machinist
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Dave @ Oct 17th 2007 1:01PM
Worthless. You use what you can, period.
leela @ Oct 17th 2007 1:35PM
I wear an old, broken one all the time. That way, when I talk to myself, people see it and DON'T think I'm crazy. (I am)
Mary @ Oct 17th 2007 2:37PM
BLUE TOOL!!!
Eddie @ Oct 17th 2007 3:47PM
blue balls
Eddie @ Oct 17th 2007 3:47PM
Blue balls
ED @ Oct 21st 2007 2:11PM
THERE IS NOTHING "SELF IMPORTANT" ABOUT THESE DEVICES. WHAT THE DEVICE CONVEYS TO ME IS THAT THE WEARER IS TOO STUPID TO BE WALKING AROUND WITHOUT DIRECTIONS TROM A THIRD PARTY. PEOPLE THAT WEAR THEM ARE ANDROIDS.
Michael Wright @ Oct 21st 2007 2:39PM
Yes, they are ugly. Many people are way too attached to their high-tech gadgets, which they think make them look trendy and cool. They are freaks. Cell phones, ipods, and video games are all junk.
Mirillie @ Oct 21st 2007 2:41PM
Someone sat in church last week with one of those blue tooth ear things. She looked totally ridiculous.
Ray @ Oct 21st 2007 2:55PM
I am a truck driver and find the hands free operation a must for drivers of any vehicle not just us 18 wheelers.I personaly don't care what it looks like or what other people think, I think it makes me a safer more efficent driver.
Analog Genius @ Oct 21st 2007 2:59PM
Makes the user look like the person taking orders at the McDonals drive through.
Chris @ Oct 21st 2007 3:06PM
The technology is too advanced for the masses to comprehend, when(they should), where(they should), how(they should), and why(IF they should)use it! Everyone seems to have to have their "bling" with them at all times or they cannot function. Who needs to wear a bluetooth in church, or at the movies?? 70-80% of cellphone calls are unnecessary at the time they are made. People talk about ANYTHING, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE and are totally oblivious of any other people around them that are subjected to hearing their gossiping blabber about usually, NOTHING! People get a clue! We don't care to hear about who you did, how you did them, who knows you did them, and if and when your going to do them again!!
lisa @ Oct 21st 2007 3:08PM
Leela, I got a good chuckle from your response. I talk to myself too. Still would never wear one of those ugly things. Where it when driving but take it off when exiting your car. PLEEEEEASE. They are just obnoxious and you look silly.
Lisa @ Oct 21st 2007 3:17PM
Ok, I live in a fairly out of the way place, where these just aren't used. The first time I saw them on a trip, I really thought people were wandering around muttering to themselves. After I noticed the odd thing on their ears, I decided they had been taken over by an alien race, a la Doctor Who. Really, are they SO important that they can't even shop for a pair of shoes for (and with) their child to get off the thing for 30 minutes?
Bill @ Oct 21st 2007 3:26PM
if thats your pitiful little world,so be it. Just dont talk to me with that stuck in your ear,like your so important.
Marty @ Oct 21st 2007 3:26PM
I think the people who use them are not only pompous, they're rude. I was at a party, where someone was wearing one. In the middle of a conversation, he whipped out the main part of the phone to see who was calling, then started talking to the caller and walked away. And if you think they make you safer when driving, they don't. It's not so much the holding of the phone that's distracting, it's holding a conversation when driving. Studies have proven that. Ray, you're driving an 18-wheeler. You should be DRIVING, not talking on a phone.
msvvarrior @ Oct 21st 2007 3:27PM
The "blue tools" for me are a safety tool when driving, as well as to keep in touch with the caregivers who take care of my parents who are 94 and 89 and quite ill. I do take them off at appropriate times, e.g., dinner, plays, church.
Michael @ Oct 21st 2007 3:49PM
For all you techno geeks - What did you do before cell phones?
You interacted with the real world, were polite (usually) with the people around you, did not just walk away from a real conversation to talk gibberish to the air.
Besides, you look like you are so wrapped up in your own self deluded importance, that no one in their right mind would want to talk to you anyway.
polliwog @ Oct 21st 2007 3:50PM
Please save the phone for office or home, unless it is an emergency. We do not need to hear your intimate, business or love conversations or look at that stupid contraption on your skull.
Matt @ Oct 21st 2007 3:50PM
They look absolutely ridiculous! Are our lives so complicated that we really need these items? People survived for thousands of years without all this nonsense. Leave the thing home for two weeks. You'll realize that life will go on without being on the end of a leash 24 hours per day.
Toy @ Oct 21st 2007 4:08PM
Why worry about what someone else is wearing or doing. I don't have a bluetool myself, but I don't care about what the next person is doing or saying while using them. MINE YOUR OWN BUSINESS.