Sony Ericsson Develops Contact Headphones 173
TechnologyResource writes "Sony Ericsson has just introduced the MH907 headphones. The headphones will pause or play your music based on contact; eliminating the use of a pause or stop button. Removing one ear bud will pause the music. Removing both ear buds will stop the music. Both ear buds have to be in your ear to play the music. According to Sony Ericsson, this will allow you to 'play your music and answer phone calls just by inserting the buds into your ear or taking them out.'"
What if...? (Score:2, Insightful)
A lot of technology for a simple thing? (Score:2, Insightful)
"this will allow you to 'play your music and answer phone calls just by inserting the buds into your ear or taking them out"
Sounds more awkward than pressing a button on the phone in my opinion, but if you're driving or you can't otherwise get at the device it could be useful. Or if you have ears that aren't just right for in-ear 'phones, which keep falling out as a result.
However what's wrong with a clicker on the cable?
Re:What if...? (Score:5, Insightful)
How about you and Van Gogh buy some other earphones? Or do they have to get your personal approval on this one?
Re:What if...? (Score:5, Insightful)
Useless (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:A lot of technology for a simple thing? (Score:5, Insightful)
You shouldn't have plugs in both ears. Illegal in most places. Dangerous in all places.
Oh, and put the phone down. You're driving.
Re:What if...? (Score:1, Insightful)
I realise you may not be very smart, but realizing that when music is paused, you don't need any ear buds at all isn't too hard either. You usually stop the music only once, so the "removing both earbuds" functionality is completely useless - might as well make that the pause 'button'.
Re:What if...? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:What if...? (Score:1, Insightful)
The idea is that if you're let's say a jogger... you jog down the street with your headphones on... then you run into your friend Mary. You stop to talk and like many other people, you remove one headphone so that you can converse rather than yell at each other. This makes this frequent gesture better by pausing the music for you.
Is this necessary for everyone in every circumstance? No. But is it worth it to someone? Yes, I'm sure it is.
iPod elimated the difference between pause/stop (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Van Gogh. . . (Score:5, Insightful)
This is a better question than the mods seem to appreciate. They deny you the ability to listen with only one ear, while keeping in touch with the outside world with the other.
Re:What if...? (Score:3, Insightful)
This makes this frequent gesture better by pausing the music for you.
I believe the correct solution is to allow a one-ear mode, and to retain the functionality of the pause/play button at all times. Insert two, remove one: playback stops. Insert only one: playback starts.
Nobody gets to tell me how many ears to use for listening to music, tyvm.
Re:Van Gogh. . . (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A lot of technology for a simple thing? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:What if...? (Score:3, Insightful)
That's great, but that doesn't mean that these aren't useful. 10% of the population is left handed. Some devices are built specifically for right handed people. The solution for them isn't to complain that such devices exist, but rather to buy ambidextrous or left-hand specific items. Anyone who thinks that an item is poorly designed simply because it doesn't meet their specific criteria is just being naive.
Re:iPod elimated the difference between pause/stop (Score:3, Insightful)
You can't 'buy' them anyway... (Score:3, Insightful)
They only work with special SONY-only proprietary connectors and mp3 players. I'm sure this will trigger a sea change of people dumping their iPods and iPhones and switching to SONY.
Or maybe not.