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Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2

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Re: Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2

#151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IMO id rather they made a gopro competitor. Maybe ditch the sunglasses part. Not sure. I bring my gopro on all my trips. Its a great way to record memories without using up your phone storage or battery. It's also easier to hold, has better FoV, and much better video quality. It's a no brainer. I'm surprised action cams have not hit mainstream as far as trip-devices go.

No offense, but I can't believe that an additional action cam brings so much extra value. Bulky and has to be charged as well. My iPhone can record memories too. Battery doesn't drain fast when recording and I have 256GB storage and media is anyway uploaded to a cloud provided shortly after. If you get an Android phone with microSD you can get even more local storage. And why should the video quality be better? The s…

I assume you don't own an action cam.

There is no comparison.

Easiness to hold and wide FOV are game changers.

I often record for 5-10 minute chunks. Holding my phone for that amount of time while walking around would suck.

A phone is great for a 30 second video clip here and there. but if you really want to record a whole day of activity a phone sucks to use.

In my most recent trip i took 4 hours of footage over 10 days. I would never enjoy doing that on my phone.

Re: Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2

#152
post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bluetooth working great for Apple AirPods. I think Snapchat is having a software problem.

I think the problem is that in this case Bluetooth is just not fast enough to transfer large amounts of video data. What they should do is use BT to negotiate details of an ad-hoc Wi-Fi network and use that larger pipe to send the actual data.

You basically just described Bluetooth 3.0 + HS[1]. The Bluetooth connection is used to establish an 802.11 link, over which data is transferred. It's only (up to) 24 Mbit/s, so it's still slower than some (direct) Wi-Fi alternatives, but it's much faster than normal Bluetooth connections.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth#Bluetooth_3.0_.2B_HS

Re: Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2

#153
post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW I recently bought a $30 waterproof bluetooth speaker that goes on my bike. Paired it once on first power up, it Just Works (tm) since.

Your bluetooth speaker setup works great for precisely your scenario - the speaker is paired with one only device. It gets wonky if that single speaker has paired with multiple devices before. For example in a home, where you've paired it with your laptop, phone, iPad, etc. Try it out. Audio will cut off sometimes suddenly when it decides to switch pairing partners as another paired device appears in range.

I have a Sony bluetooth headset and it's amazing. It was around €65, lasts 40 hours of use (so charge once a week- every 2-3 weeks depending on usage), pairs with 3 devices and does it very well. I often move to another floor while having them on (construction work) or go out to the shed while the iPhone is in the bedroom on a charger, and it still works 10 meters in the yard. Best thing I've ever purchased, so there are good Bluetooth solutions.

Re: Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2

#154
post #153
post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your bluetooth speaker setup works great for precisely your scenario - the speaker is paired with one only device. It gets wonky if that single speaker has paired with multiple devices before. For example in a home, where you've paired it with your laptop, phone, iPad, etc. Try it out. Audio will cut off sometimes suddenly when it decides to switch pairing partners as another paired device appears in range.

I have a Sony bluetooth headset and it's amazing. It was around €65, lasts 40 hours of use (so charge once a week- every 2-3 weeks depending on usage), pairs with 3 devices and does it very well. I often move to another floor while having them on (construction work) or go out to the shed while the iPhone is in the bedroom on a charger, and it still works 10 meters in the yard. Best thing I've ever purchased, so there…

what do you mean by "pairs with 3 devices and does it very well"

So I have an iPad, macbook, and iPhone in my room all turned on at the same time. All with bluetooth on. All have been paired with the speaker.

I now turn on the bluetooth speaker.

How does it decide which device to connect to? Amazingly, it is always the wrong one. Every single time.

Re: Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2

#155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think your the target audience. Snapchat UX is amazing and an entire generation uses for all communication purposes. Facebook of OUR time.

I disagree - there is no "target audience" for shit UX. Their "target audience" uses Snap despite its awful UX, not because of it. Those users wouldn't suddenly run away if the UX did actually improve.

Perhaps I'm just used to it, but I find SC's UI/UX to be quite nice to use. I would be disappointed if Snapchat's UI changed to be more like Instagram's; IG's UI may be more discoverable, but it just doesn't feel as smooth.

Re: Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2

#156
post #153
post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your bluetooth speaker setup works great for precisely your scenario - the speaker is paired with one only device. It gets wonky if that single speaker has paired with multiple devices before. For example in a home, where you've paired it with your laptop, phone, iPad, etc. Try it out. Audio will cut off sometimes suddenly when it decides to switch pairing partners as another paired device appears in range.

I have a Sony bluetooth headset and it's amazing. It was around €65, lasts 40 hours of use (so charge once a week- every 2-3 weeks depending on usage), pairs with 3 devices and does it very well. I often move to another floor while having them on (construction work) or go out to the shed while the iPhone is in the bedroom on a charger, and it still works 10 meters in the yard. Best thing I've ever purchased, so there…

If the device it was connected to last is available, it will reconnect to that.

To connect to a different one, hold the button longer and press connect on the other device.

I use it on my iPhone, Android tablet and Windows 10 PC

Re: Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2

#157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No offense, but I can't believe that an additional action cam brings so much extra value. Bulky and has to be charged as well. My iPhone can record memories too. Battery doesn't drain fast when recording and I have 256GB storage and media is anyway uploaded to a cloud provided shortly after. If you get an Android phone with microSD you can get even more local storage. And why should the video quality be better? The s…

I assume you don't own an action cam. There is no comparison. Easiness to hold and wide FOV are game changers. I often record for 5-10 minute chunks. Holding my phone for that amount of time while walking around would suck. A phone is great for a 30 second video clip here and there. but if you really want to record a whole day of activity a phone sucks to use. In my most recent trip i took 4 hours of footage over 10…

Who does want or watch 10 min videos?

Re: Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2

#158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assume you don't own an action cam. There is no comparison. Easiness to hold and wide FOV are game changers. I often record for 5-10 minute chunks. Holding my phone for that amount of time while walking around would suck. A phone is great for a 30 second video clip here and there. but if you really want to record a whole day of activity a phone sucks to use. In my most recent trip i took 4 hours of footage over 10…

Who does want or watch 10 min videos?

These videos are mostly for my own and my family's enjoyment.

Re: Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2

#159
post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that it's a software problem, but most vendors aren't in apple's position of controlling every single link of the chain. I do think it'll get better over time. NFC/tap pairing will eventually replace Menu + Manual Madness, show-stopping bugs will get fixed, capability sets will stabilize, conventions will develop to smooth over variation in UI choices, "worse is better" decisions will be unwound, and eventual…

Apple will probably do the Bluetooth equivalent to what they did with earphones: they switched the mic and ground wire, forcing earphone manufacturers to either support iOS or TRRS on the built-in remotes. I love my Macbook Pro and iPhone, but Apple can be a truly infuriating company.

Are you suggesting that Apple is using Bluetooth out of spec?

Also, that headphone thing? Apple uses the same pinout as Sony, HTC, Nokia, the main players in the phone business before Samsung.

Re: Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2

#160
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They needed to give those away like AOL did with discs.

Giving away hardware that hackers would love to play with is very different from giving away CD's that can only be alternatively used as drink coasters and for art projects. Remember CueCat? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CueCat#Failure

If they can make those glasses cheap enough, it would be good marketing. The CueCat people didn't want to drag that around and scan things.
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