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Jabra denies support for Elite 85t Bluetooth earbuds on computers

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Jabra denies support for Elite 85t Bluetooth earbuds on computers

#21

Post by exikyut »

So then install Android-x86 on your laptop. Use it for a bit, verify the mic fails.

Call them up and tell them that you're performing a hardware compatibility evaluation to the same standard of due-diligence that would be used ahead-of-time in any competent enterprise-scale hardware accessory rollout - and that a prerequisite step in this process is to validate candidate accessories on Android in unusual environments, to exhaustively verify interoperability considering the known variability of the Bluetooth landscape (on both sides of any given connection).

"But that's a computer."

"Yes, running Android, an OS explicitly supported by logos on your packaging, specific instructions in the user manual and support in the official app."

"Using this hardware on a computer is not supported."

"Your official product communications clearly convey that you unilaterally support Android regardless of device type. The type of Android device I am using here is an x86 laptop, precisely to facilitate wide-range compatibility testing, and to catch potential compatibility issues early on. I'm interested in using this hardware, but after only 20 minutes of testing I've found I experience dropouts while using the officially supported app and running on an officially supported operating system."

I would be very interested to know how the conversation would continue...

Sadly this would be one of those Weird Thing In Instruction Manual-generating events ("why does this say it's not compatible with Android on PC???") but it might work.

(And if the person on the other end of the phone is mostly listening for keywords and they actually think you might be doing some sort of enterprise rollout (*cough* and want to buy a lot more hardware *cough*)... they might suddenly be very interested...)

Re: Jabra denies support for Elite 85t Bluetooth earbuds on computers

#24

Post by AshamedCaptain »

g051051 wrote: post #19
AshamedCaptain wrote: post #4

I'd hope they lose the Bluetooth label and certification for this kind of crap, but we know nothing will happen.

You'd have to prove that they're the ones with the faulty Bluetooth implementation, not the PC hardware, drivers, or OS.

Not when they're the ones claiming they don't want to interoperate with stuff that does have Bluetooth certification (e.g. Apple hardware).

Re: Jabra denies support for Elite 85t Bluetooth earbuds on computers

#26

Post by AshamedCaptain »

ip26 wrote: post #12
Hakashiro wrote: post #2

This is a blatant abuse and they should be sued and shut down. This is beyond unacceptable. There is no reason to do this kind of thing.

So if you sell a bluetooth device, it is legally required to work properly with every other bluetooth device on earth? I don’t see how that will fly. The obvious reason for doing this kind of thing is their target market & 99.9% of sales are to people using them with phones, so Jabra has no business reason to spend money providing customer support for PC interoperability.

> So if you sell a bluetooth device, it is legally required to work properly with every other bluetooth device on earth?

It actually is. If you use either the Bluetooth patents or trademarks (e.g. logos and names), not only you must pass a certification that ensures this, you must also "maintain a level of quality that meets or exceeds industry standards", and this evidently doesn't.

Re: Jabra denies support for Elite 85t Bluetooth earbuds on computers

#27

Post by AshamedCaptain »

jahewson wrote: post #20

Website says requires Bluetooth 5.1 but macOS only supports Bluetooth 5, right?

And yet I'm quit sure this is just yet another Bluetooth 2.0 A2DP device, rather than something running LE Audio which would require BT 5.0.

Re: Jabra denies support for Elite 85t Bluetooth earbuds on computers

#28

Post by evan_ »

exikyut wrote: post #21

So then install Android-x86 on your laptop. Use it for a bit, verify the mic fails. Call them up and tell them that you're performing a hardware compatibility evaluation to the same standard of due-diligence that would be used ahead-of-time in any competent enterprise-scale hardware accessory rollout - and that a prerequisite step in this process is to validate candidate accessories on Android in unusual environments…

This fails at the “call them up” step. Nobody you get on the phone is going to understand or care about any of this.

Re: Jabra denies support for Elite 85t Bluetooth earbuds on computers

#29

Post by exikyut »

evan_ wrote: post #28
exikyut wrote: post #21

So then install Android-x86 on your laptop. Use it for a bit, verify the mic fails. Call them up and tell them that you're performing a hardware compatibility evaluation to the same standard of due-diligence that would be used ahead-of-time in any competent enterprise-scale hardware accessory rollout - and that a prerequisite step in this process is to validate candidate accessories on Android in unusual environments…

This fails at the “call them up” step. Nobody you get on the phone is going to understand or care about any of this.

They might, best-case-scenario, just be listening for keywords, and actually think I want to do a rollout. It's kind of sad one has to think this way, and I wouldn't push things to the point of actively deceiving, but what if something like the above worked?

I admittedly don't care about any of it either. My goal would be to introduce chinks in the armor in the arguments presented and try and carry that as far as possible in the hope a solution presents itself. The idea in the GP popped into my head as one entirely-throwaway potential solution to that bigger-picture problem. It's quite possible a different approach may work better.

Re: Jabra denies support for Elite 85t Bluetooth earbuds on computers

#30

Post by sudosysgen »

evan_ wrote: post #28
exikyut wrote: post #21

So then install Android-x86 on your laptop. Use it for a bit, verify the mic fails. Call them up and tell them that you're performing a hardware compatibility evaluation to the same standard of due-diligence that would be used ahead-of-time in any competent enterprise-scale hardware accessory rollout - and that a prerequisite step in this process is to validate candidate accessories on Android in unusual environments…

This fails at the “call them up” step. Nobody you get on the phone is going to understand or care about any of this.

You don't tell them it's Android-x86 until you get escalated, I suppose.
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