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Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

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Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#331

Post by mindfulhack »

shadowprofile77 wrote: post #301

Truly, is it possible for tech companies today to release even one fucking product, even something so simple as headphones, without piling on all the desperate, grubby, scummy tracking bloat and related shit possible in an effort to turn you into a product EVEN when you're paying for their creations. It's revolting and sincerely deserves to be harshly punished by the market (if enough consumers could be bothered to g…

You're not even as high-status as 'product' (let alone 'customer') - you're the 'fuel' - for an ad product, bought by ad customers. You're the coal being burned - all for profit and power.

Yes, my analogy doesn't go too far. We're sentient coal, being fed bread and circuses as the trade-off for being burned away. We still have some choice, power, and control.

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#332

Post by j88439h84 »

mindfulhack wrote: post #331
shadowprofile77 wrote: post #301

Truly, is it possible for tech companies today to release even one fucking product, even something so simple as headphones, without piling on all the desperate, grubby, scummy tracking bloat and related shit possible in an effort to turn you into a product EVEN when you're paying for their creations. It's revolting and sincerely deserves to be harshly punished by the market (if enough consumers could be bothered to g…

You're not even as high-status as 'product' (let alone 'customer') - you're the 'fuel' - for an ad product, bought by ad customers. You're the coal being burned - all for profit and power. Yes, my analogy doesn't go too far. We're sentient coal, being fed bread and circuses as the trade-off for being burned away. We still have some choice, power, and control.

Nice analogy

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#333

Post by bestnameever »

flyingpenguin wrote: post #328
niklasd wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently tried out wireless noise-cancelling headphones from both Bose and Sony, and (the important privacy issues aside) the user experience with these apps is just horrible. You unpack your Bose headphone, eager to use them. But before that, you have to download an app on the iPhone, then download a software update program on your laptop, which in turn opens a program in the browser that downloads an update, then…

But holy crap, the process for updating AirPods without an iPhone is a real hassle. Took my bank account months to download my an iPhone to update with.

The system requirements for Airpods includes another Mac device like an iPhone.

https://www.apple.com/airpods-2nd-generation/specs/

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#334

Post by gumby »

twoleftfeets wrote: post #304
gumby wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably nothing. They have a feature that’s quite handy to me (the proprietary quick changing from one Apple device to another IFF it has the same Apple ID — so no good for shared hardware like a tv) but “quite handy” is far from invaluable. You can program a tap on each earbud to do certain things: again, handy but you don’t have that ability I doubt you’d be upset. Apple’s quite clever on figuring out how much “bl…

If you're not used to it you'd probably not be upset but having an iPhone and Airpods I'd be upset going back. I switch between my Mac and my iPhone daily so if I had to re-pair to do that that would suck. My guess is many modern alternatives let you pair more than one device at a time which would be another possible solution (better or worse I don't know). Apple's switching sometimes fails for me and when it does it…

Well sure, you you may be and I certainly am all-in on the Apple hw train. However the OP says they are an android user.

I guess I forgot to mention “tap for siri” but I’m not sure anyone would miss that much, and I hear android users have a better equivalent.

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#335

Post by mindfulhack »

c3534l wrote: post #318

Can we all just take a step back and appreciate what a techno-dystopia we're living in that this is now a headline no one bats an eye about?

I first really appreciated your thought - indeed, the fact that "Headphones are collecting personal data" alone feels like something unacceptable and shocking compared to just 10 years ago.

But then I had a counter thought: You know how in the early 20th century people said the dawn of recorded music would make 'music dead'? And many other examples of new tech being hailed as dystopian / would cause the end of the world? Sometimes the fear response to newness and unfamiliarity can be a little unhelpful. I think it's our lizard brains responding there.

So I guess what I'm saying is: The fact that a new situation is so different to an old one you were used to, isn't a cogent argument against the new situation.

Some new tech is genuinely awesome, and old things are genuinely terrible, e.g. old forms of industrialisation were terribly pollutive compared to forms used today.

I'm a person who greatly values my privacy, and doesn't follow the crowd - but perhaps one needs to compare on merits alone, not on the fact that things have changed.

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#336

Post by maxmunzel »

55555 wrote: post #309
inetknght wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Bose deliberately made the battery enclosure very difficult to open so that you can't replace the battery yourself. Why do you need to replace the battery? Because if you use them every day, the battery degrades so that a full charge only lasts about 1 hour, down from 20+ hours, within just 2 years. I've used my QC35 II's 6 to 8 hours a day for 5 days a week for 4 years. They last approximately a full week on one c…

Okay, that's interesting. I've used mine ~6 hours per day for 5 days a week for 2 years. Why can't mine hold a charge for more than an hour? Maybe there's something I don't understand about how batteries work that I am doing and that I could do differently.

Temperature may play a critical role. Do you use them outside in the cold a lot?

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#337

Post by diffeomorphism »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #153
organsnyder wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it's not a universal rule. But apples-to-apples, with a wired vs. wireless set of similar construction, cost, and intended use, the wired will outlast the wireless, solely due to the battery (not to mention the other complexities inherent to a wireless set).

> apples-to-apples, with a wired vs. wireless set of similar construction, cost, and intended use These aren’t independent variables. Most consumers I know will pay more for wireless headphones. They’re more convenient, and they’re anchored at a higher price point. As such, I’ve watched lots of friends go from buying cheap earbuds monthly to having a pair of AirPods for years. There is a lot of moralising around wire…

Airpods for years and then throw away seems on point. Those are notorious for being completely unrepairable even among true wireless earbuds.

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#338

Post by nereus »

NoPicklez wrote: post #251
niklasd wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently tried out wireless noise-cancelling headphones from both Bose and Sony, and (the important privacy issues aside) the user experience with these apps is just horrible. You unpack your Bose headphone, eager to use them. But before that, you have to download an app on the iPhone, then download a software update program on your laptop, which in turn opens a program in the browser that downloads an update, then…

I own the Bose QC 35's and I never had to use an app at all until I decided to update them to the latest software

I think they are referring to the Bose 700 model.

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#339

Post by rorykoehler »

Florin_Andrei wrote: post #218
josteink wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If I want to avoid this sort of thing, I'm thinking / hoping it's sufficient to simply avoid headphones that require an app. Or just get one with a good old 3.5mm jack. Beyer Dynamic, AKG and Shure have several options much cheaper than these Bose or Sony headsets which still give you at least 10x the audio-performance. For headsets, if you care about usability, portability, longevity and performance, wired is stil…

> Beyer Dynamic, AKG and Shure have several options much cheaper than these Bose or Sony headsets which still give you at least 10x the audio-performance. It's complicated. The lowest level opinion is "Bose and Beats are awesome, soooo much bass!!!" That's the typical consumer. The level above that is what you said. That's sometimes called mid-fi. At least these things don't have major flaws anymore. The next level i…

Thanks for the tip. I also have the Sonys. Anyone who thinks they sound great needs a hearing test. Not a patch on my 2 favourites, Sennheiser HD-25 (or any €100+ Sennheiser for that matter) and Beyer Dynamic DT-990 Pro (great home listening and mixing headphone). Even after tuning the Sonys to correct their flaws they still sound tiring. Will check out the settings you recommend.

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#340

Post by LdSGSgvupDV »

55555 wrote: post #276
NoPicklez wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I own the Bose QC 35's and I never had to use an app at all until I decided to update them to the latest software

I used to love my Bose QC 35 ii's but now I'm convinced they're kind of a scam. Bose deliberately made the battery enclosure very difficult to open so that you can't replace the battery yourself. Why do you need to replace the battery? Because if you use them every day, the battery degrades so that a full charge only lasts about 1 hour, down from 20+ hours, within just 2 years. So you aren't really paying $250 for a…

This is a interesting point.

Many Big Tech ask their suppliers to use green energy or reduce carbon footprint.

But, their product is not "green" at all. Many of them make battery extremely hard to exchange. It is quite common in laptop and cellphone.

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