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Jabra: we know our Bluetooth headsets don’t work with laptops

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Re: Jabra: we know our Bluetooth headsets don’t work with laptops

#101

Post by eropple »

giancarlostoro wrote: post #68
blfr wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have three Bluetooth headsets (and all cheap, in the ~$100 range), use them with Android phones and Linux computers without any issue. The sound quality is par for the price but pairing, connecting, and disconnecting works just like with wired headphones.

Care to share which ones? I'm trying to find some headsets within that range. I'm not an audiophile, just need to hear, and block out just enough external noise.

For my money, Plantronics makes the best affordable Bluetooth audio stuff. I have a pair of these hanging around my neck right now:

https://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-Headphones-Sweat-Resistan...

The batteries last for something like eighteen hours, the audio quality is very good, and I find that they strike a really good balance: I can hear just fine when they're not on, but when I'm playing music I can't hear much of anything. It can also pair to multiple devices (though it calls them all "phones"); if I stop something on my Android phone and start something on my laptop, it does the right thing, and it also has an app for iOS/Android that lets me throw to the correct device (though to get back from a laptop you have to turn its Bluetooth off, which sucks). They're really nice overall.

Similarly I'm a huge fan of their sport headphones. These are the only Bluetooth in-ears I can stand:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JKJN71A

Six to eight hours of play time, completely acceptable audio when they're on, can hear just fine when they're not. They're the most comfortable headphones I've ever had; I often wear them for an entire day without noticing that they're in and I've accidentally gone to meetings with them in more than once. My only complaints are that the QC is not always great (or I got a fake, which is the guess I lean towards) and that there are a couple of firmware revisions, basically all the same but it's jarring to hear the robot lady say something different than the last time--because I have a really bad habit of losing them, I'm on my third set.

Re: Jabra: we know our Bluetooth headsets don’t work with laptops

#102

Post by stronglikedan »

jwr wrote: post #12

I once made the mistake of buying Jabra wireless sports headphones. You know there will be a problem if you open the box and the first thing you see is a piece of paper and a phone holster, obviously thrown in at the last moment. The piece of paper says you have to use the phone holster to attach the phone to your right arm. Yes, your right arm, the closer to your right ear the better. The instructions were very spec…

Plantronics does the exact same thing with their Backbeat Fit line.

Re: Jabra: we know our Bluetooth headsets don’t work with laptops

#103

Post by halbritt »

halbritt wrote: post #97

I think this is just a simple case of Bluetooth being terrible on PCs and hard to develop for. FWIW, I've been using a BlueParrott B350-XT for years. It's worked on MacOS, Ubuntu, and IOS, although multi-pairing gets kind of weird sometimes so I keep it single-paired to my iphone. I chose it because I often do calls in noisy environments and it has both great volume and the best noise canceling of any other headset o…

...and it looks like Jabra acquired them a while back. Nice.

Re: Jabra: we know our Bluetooth headsets don’t work with laptops

#104

Post by brightball »

mywacaday wrote: post #21

Reminds me of the time my wife cancelled our internet with Vodafone and three months later we got a letter to say our arrears were being referred to a debt collection agency. I spent an hour on the phone, talked to 8 different people to only end up back at the 1st person. They claimed we only cancelled the direct debit and not the account, I agreed that they would pull the call and if that was the case I'd pay what w…

I had a similar experience trying to cancel Dish after a few days because everything I’d been told on the phone, including that there was a 30 day trial period, was wrong. I asked them to replay the recording and they just refused. Nothing happened until I filed a BBB complaint.

All I wanted to do was return the equipment and cancel my plan. I even offered to pay for the installation time from the technician who came out but they were not having it for some reason.

Re: Jabra: we know our Bluetooth headsets don’t work with laptops

#105

Post by Shoue »

SmellyGeekBoy wrote: post #90
andrewvc wrote: post #18

Even if the OP had gotten the headset working with bluetooth they'd be disappointed. On Macs at least, using a headset with mic via bluetooth you get 8khz sampling, even if the headset can do more. Sounds terrible. Tried a bunch of esoteric plist changes to fix it. I switched to a USB wireless setup which works much better. Supposedly there are fixes ( http://ssrubin.com/posts/fixing-macos-bluetooth-headphone-au... )…

How odd. In Ubuntu it's just a case of changing the Bluetooth audio codec from a dropdown in the sound control panel. I set it once for my earbuds and it's worked fine ever since.

A2DP (the one that doesn't sound terrible) doesn't work with the headset microphone so you'd be using your computer's microphone instead. It's a shame that Linux generally only supports two profiles that aren't all that great. IIRC there is some traction behind another profile somewhere but it isn't ready yet I assume, otherwise we'd see it now.

Re: Jabra: we know our Bluetooth headsets don’t work with laptops

#106

Post by josefresco »

texan wrote: post #17

"Wait, are you saying the headset can’t connect to a computer via native Bluetooth? And you knew it the whole time? While you asked me to try a different device, to update drivers, to install Jabra software, to meet with your technician… You were just trying to wear me down?!?" This encapsulates what is most wrong and abhorrent about US customer service. This methodology is employed by thousands of companies, it is i…

This resonated with me because a few months back I went back and forth with Comcast regarding my shitty Internet speeds. Eventually I gave up, exhausted and unwilling to invest more time into a path I knew would not fix my issue (spoiler: Comcast has over sold our local network)

Here's the summary:

1. Notice my Internet speed was especially shitty on Sunday.

2. Run speed test (laughably slow), post to Twitter, tag Comcast.

3. Comcast replies, blaming my wifi and device.

4. Post more speed tests from other devices, within inches of my router. Post speed tests during off hours showing how the speed recovers.

5. Comcast still blames my wifi. How this explains why I get full speeds at 5AM I have no idea.

6. Run speed test (graphed and logged) from a wired PC, send to Comcast.

7. Comcast techs immediately "notice some issues" with my home connection. Why they didn't see this on step 2? No idea.

8. Technician comes, replaces some connections but nothing obvious, we geek out, he's an awesome guy and basically explains that my town got shafted with too few "nodes". He explains in his town, the user to node ratio is much better. His last advice is for me to get a "combo" router/modem from Comcast, instead of my leased modem and third-party (new) router. His explains this might help a tiny bit but has no other advice for me (other than move to his town - hilarious)

This final setp would involve me taking my modem (Internet down the whole time) to my local Comcast office (during work hours), and hopefully getting a combo router/modem with no issues.

I would then need to setup new combo device, and then graph and log my connection speed on Sunday and engage support again. At this point, there would be nothing they could do for me because I will have already exhausted all options. A new combo router/modem will not improve my speeds of 2 Kbps during peak hours so this is where I gave up!

Re: Jabra: we know our Bluetooth headsets don’t work with laptops

#107

Post by SmellyGeekBoy »

ikeboy wrote: post #6

Anyone have a Bluetooth earbuds that works flawlessly with Ubuntu? I recently got a pair of Funcl AI buds, works great with my phone but I connect on computer and there's constant skipping. I gather this is a common problem.

Anker SoundBuds. I've had them coming up to a year now and use them daily with my Ubuntu laptop with zero issues whatsoever. Sound quality isn't the greatest but they cost next to nothing so I'm not complaining.

Re: Jabra: we know our Bluetooth headsets don’t work with laptops

#108

Post by josefresco »

Casseres wrote: post #32
Jerry2 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AirPods completely changed my view of BT devices. Before, I avoided BT completely because I could never get them working well with an Android phone I was using at that time. Headphones I was using would always disconnect after some time and the quality would drop intermittently and there was no way to fix it. The "fix" was to wait for the battery to drain and then the headphones would restart. I tried few different h…

Have I won the lottery? I've never had a single Bluetooth issue with any device I've ever had, except my current vehicle: "All New" 2019 Ram 1500 (If anyone works for Uconnect, please email me.) iPhone, iPhone 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 5X, Nexus 7, Razer Phone, Thinkpad Yoga, Thinkpad Book, self-assembled desktop, Toyota Corolla - all have worked perfectly with various, cheap, Bluetooth devices - keyboards, mice, speakers, e…

> Have I won the lottery?

Yes.

My experience with Bluetooth and kids while driving:

1. Dad, my headphones aren't working.

2. Ok, did you try turning them off an on again?

3. Yes

4. Did you turn BT on your iPhone on/off?

5. Yes

6. Did you "forget" the BT connection and re-establish.

7. Yes child rages

8. Are they ... charged?

9. Child now fully enraged: YEEEESS DAD! I'm not an idiot!

9. Ok ummmm, did you try steps 2, 4 and 6 a couple of times each?

10. child continues to rage, stops asking for help and proceeds to frantically toggle everything on/off/on/off while "tapping" their phone aggressively.

11. 10 minutes later ... Dad they're working now!

11. Awesome, so glad we got you those BT headphones.

Re: Jabra: we know our Bluetooth headsets don’t work with laptops

#109

Post by [deleted] »

yaantc wrote: post #59
ikeboy wrote: post #6

Anyone have a Bluetooth earbuds that works flawlessly with Ubuntu? I recently got a pair of Funcl AI buds, works great with my phone but I connect on computer and there's constant skipping. I gather this is a common problem.

Unless I missed something, if it works it'll be with the SBC codec and it's not very good. For music the BT profile is the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP). But this is just a transport, and on top of it there can be many codecs. The only mandatory codec is SBC [1], which is BT specific and not very good. YMMV, but I prefer using a wired headphone than BT SBC. There are other options, but then you need supp…

[deleted]

Re: Jabra: we know our Bluetooth headsets don’t work with laptops

#110

Post by twunde »

SaltyBackendGuy wrote: post #37
texan wrote: post #17

"Wait, are you saying the headset can’t connect to a computer via native Bluetooth? And you knew it the whole time? While you asked me to try a different device, to update drivers, to install Jabra software, to meet with your technician… You were just trying to wear me down?!?" This encapsulates what is most wrong and abhorrent about US customer service. This methodology is employed by thousands of companies, it is i…

I work in the B2B space. One thing I've noticed is that if Enterprises aren't happy with the product they signed up for or the product doesn't deliver as promised they will refuse to pay (The ultimate motivator). I feel like in the customer space you have less leverage and it's more of a headache to simply not pay or get a refund (in this case).

Agreed. There is limited leverage in the customer space. The main balance are regulatory agencies and your state district attorneys. Something that will get a company's attention in a hurry is when a district attorney or a regulatory agency calls.
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