One thing that seems to me like
standard Bluetooth 1.0 was back in 1999 (when it seemed the old Ericsson /// was the only manufacturer, well, of almost
any wireless Bluetooth phone) is why the DAP industry has not embraced stereo Bluetooth as a feature on mid-range and
high-end digital music players. Sure, the dangling, white, hyper-kinetic earbuds Apple advertises it's iPods (or yours
or mine) with makes the industry seem vibrant (I guess). And, the standard earbuds (and higher-end in-ear buds) Apples
uses are probably the most least-prone earphones to tangle I have ever seen. It seems all other earphones I have used
have a cord casing made of some kind of rubber (butyl rubber, maybe?) that tangles and is hard to manage. Yet Apple,
like everything it does perhaps, apparently paid attention to the actual cord casing on the iPod earbuds - they don't
tangle that bad at all and seem to just work as intended with no side effects. Until...they get yanked out of my ear on
accident (mosh pitting, the usual).So, I'll get of my earbud *rant* and get back to why there is not a *mainstream* DAP with stereo Bluetooth implementation. When I workout or do other activity that requires my arms to be in what seems to be constant motion, it would be nice to not let go of the tunes (or podcasts) but let go of the wires that deliver those tunes (or podcasts). When I say mainstream, I'll define that as something I can go get at a local Best Buy or Circuit City in the U.S. and buy, not some off-brand (but heck, I would investigate it!) or a player not sold in the U.S. (hello eBay). I'm not sure how expensive stereo Bluetooth implementation would be, but I have to think standard Bluetooth 1.2 is now pretty cheap since it *is* mainstream.
Anyone have a suggestion to solve this dilemma? Maybe in 2007 we will see something, or maybe before that. It seems a DAP maker/marketer could corner this relatively niche market need. I would be the first in line since I am now on my third pair of standard Apple earbuds (note to self: DO NOT make sudden arm movements with the wires dangling in front of you. Bad, very bad). I am anxiously awaiting the Motorola ROKR E2 (with A2DP), but a standalone player alternative would be grand.
1. Ok... this needs to be proofread. I am trying to make sense of some of your sentences there. But anyway, I think its not a cost issue as much as it's a standards issue, especially with regard to AVCRP as it relates to A2DP. The controls need to be standardized. Also, I had read about issues Apple had with music licensing and iTunes with regard to a bluetooth connection over A2DP.
Posted at 5:18AM on Feb 27th 2006 by silentkid