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.'"
Van Gogh. . . (Score:5, Funny)
What if you're missing one ear?
Re:Van Gogh. . . (Score:5, Funny)
I'm sure you can stick the second ear bud somewhere else. ...perhaps in the ear of your scantily clad model?
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I'm sure you can stick the second ear bud somewhere else. ...perhaps in the ear of your scantily clad model?
Based on your comment, I had high hopes before I clicked on the article. What I saw in the article wasn't quite what you implied I'd see, although that is quite the plunging neckline on that gentleman's shirt.
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Simple: Insert one into a similarly sized cavity within reach of the cord. I recommend a nostril.
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Re:Van Gogh. . . (Score:5, Funny)
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:Van Gogh. . . (Score:5, Insightful)
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No doubt, no doubt. But I'm still scratching my head as to the usefulness of this "technology". Was there some sort of market that was demanding that music should only be played if both buds are in the ear?
I say this as I have 1 ear-bud in at work, so if a co-worker calls my name I can answer them. Yet, when I'm at the gym, I'm more than happy to have them both in.
Point being, what's the point? All things being equal, these ear buds are less flexible than normal headphones and will probably be significa
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Re:Van Gogh. . . (Score:4, Informative)
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Personally? I mostly listen to podcasts - short fiction, talking heads of the tech world, that kind of thing. Not music. When you're dealing with a single person talking (as in, say, most short fiction or audiobooks - or a phone call, for that matter), they either won't use stereo or both channels will carry identical audio. Panel discussions may use stereo, but they often don't. Even when they do, you don't really lose anything by mixing it down to mono, since it's just being done to virtually positio
What if...? (Score:2, Insightful)
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?
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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:What if...? (Score:5, Insightful)
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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'.
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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.
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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.
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Then they should put in a button/switch that allows you to control the autopause behavior, yes?
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.
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I thought it was sad that you had to post this response to begin with. I was wrong. The really sad part is that you were modded insightful on this one. I would have thought that any reasonable person would be able to figure out that they shouldn't buy a product if it doesn't pertain to them, and that not every product is useful for every person.
Honestly, even if you(not you in particular, but you in general) don't like these particular headphones, just the technology that they bring about is interesting. Ma
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Wrap some scotch tape around an earphone.
Wait, was this technology supposed to make things more convenient?
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Do this to a coworker's phone (earpiece works best; microphone just pisses off the other party) and watch.
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I think this technology works best if it can be disabled sometimes.
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And how would you access the software in your headphones?
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And how would you access the software in your headphones?
How do the headphones control the music player?
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Are people really that lazy that they would buy specialized devices just so they don't have to hit a button?
Are you really that lazy that you would buy a specialized device to spin the CD instead of manually rotating it by hand?
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What we really need is a 'mouse gesture' like control for your headphones. That way the user could customize their controls to whatever they wanted. Now THAT is something I would buy... but then that would probably prove too complicated for the average user. Never know though...
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Just supply with sane defaults which 99% of the buyers would use, and the others could configure.
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Great idea, but what if you listen to music with only one ear? I work in an office environment where people regularly interrupt my coding work. As a result, I have taken the habit of listening to my music with only one ear bud. That way I can hear whenever someone is trying to get my attention, but can still listen to my alternative rock to my heart's content.
You can concentrate on what you're doing when you listen to music?
When I tried that once, my attention alternates between the music, what I'm doing while tuning out the music, to not paying attention to anything, and just being distracted. What I'm saying is, I can't do it and be productive - and I'm also saying that I don't think anyone else can either.
Re:Music & Productive (Score:2)
You mean well, but you must not know of a couple techniques.
The AC below you had the clue to your puzzle - it's listening to the other people that sinks everything.
If someone authorizes you to work in a bloc because Something Must Get Done, you can then tap the music to boost your productivity.
My productivity goes up some 20-25% doing that.
The thing is - for me at least it works precisely and only on songs you like and know extremely well.
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What I'm saying is, I can't do it and be productive - and I'm also saying that I don't think anyone else can either.
There are people who require complete silence to think. You are one of them, as it seems, and so am I. However there are people who perform best in a loud, noisy environment. I do not know why it is so, but some of my coworkers are such people - if they are at their desks they have headphones on. I guess that would be an interesting question for scientists.
I personally find the music a di
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Great idea, but what if you listen to music with only one ear? I work in an office environment where people regularly interrupt my coding work.
Simple. Stick the unused earbud into your coworkers ear.
Not only will you continue to listen to your music, but your coworkers will think twice about asking you a question next time.
It doesn't take Macgyver (Score:2)
Great idea, but what if you listen to music with only one ear?
I'm guessing that a piece of Scotch tape wrapped around the bud that's not in your ear will do the trick.
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If you listen to music with one ear, then Sony assumes you are a pirate who is letting the music be shared with your friends, so they stop the music playback. It is thus their latest attempt at DRM. You can only listen to music yourself, not with your friends!
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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: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.
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The really silly things about laws against wearing ear plugs in a car is that it is perfectly legal to have the car stereo turned up so loud, that you can't even hear a fog horn being used in seat next to you.
At most you'll be risking a fine for noise pollution, not reckless driving
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Also, Deaf people can drive.
I'm not arguing Deaf people shouldn't drive, I'm saying headphones should be allowed. My stereo doesn't have an aux in port, I have to.
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Also, Deaf people can drive.
That deaf people can drive does not mean that drivers should deafen themselves while driving.
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I hope you die because the ambulance you were riding in couldn't get past some idiot who couldn't hear the sirens.
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Wow, that is a new level of ludditism. Now, it's not just interactive conversations that are somehow magically more dangerous if you use one of those evil modern talkie devices. Now, you are somehow being more dangerous listening to music if it is produced by the one of those evil modern talkie devices than if it is produced by the good and holy devices that became popular in or before the more righteous and holy 1980's.
I do so hope that you are being funny. Cellphones. Worse than driving a little drunk. Common knowledge. Sentence fragments. Also, earphones in ears while driving means no hearie the big wailing emergency vehicles or cop cars, or hearing the honking horn. Besides, you yourself are quite the luddite for failing to note that there are these magical things called radios...and CD players...and even MP3 players that jack straight into your car's sound system. Why, there's even this mystical device called "hands f
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Yes but the sentence fragments displayed a rare wisdom I've only seen in Afterschool specials.
Beyond that, OP has more of a point than your attack. Just because you can do something, and just because you can claim 'it doesn't impact shit' or 'it's only as bad as something else someone can do' doesn't mean you should.
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I don't know about local driving rules where you are, but in NY State it's illegal to drive w/o having one ear "free" - so not a good solution for driving.
An no, I don't think this is more convenient than a button either.
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if you're driving... ... and you have headphones in, you have bigger problems than fucking around with buttons, namely that you're an idiot.
Seriously, what makes people think that deafening themselves while operating a multi-ton vehicle at high speeds is a good idea?
(Feel the same way about overly loud music in cars. My lawn; you're on it.)
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That's bodacious!
Flawed design (Score:1)
Good Idea... (Score:2, Interesting)
But what is more likely to happen is the contact mechanism will wear out in six months and it will be difficult to get them to play at all...
Re:Good Idea... (Score:5, Funny)
but considering this is Sony, it is very likely that the headphones will overheat and explode in your ear, cause a commotion at a UN meeting, install a rootkit on anything you insert it in, and lose a format war with something else on the market.
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but considering this is Sony, it is very likely that the headphones will overheat and explode in your ear, cause a commotion at a UN meeting, install a rootkit on anything you insert it in
Including your ears.
(Sadly, I'm sure the DRM-happy loons would root our ears if they could, so we can't hear people singing "Happy Birthday" unless they've paid the performance fee.)
Re: This will do wonders for battery life... (Score:2)
It might if they don't use power the whole time. Oh, wait...
weak sauce. (Score:5, Informative)
Fail.
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As an aside, I'm not sure about iPods, but the Zune will automatically pause music if the headphones have been removed. You could make an analogue to this technology by implementing something similar to that in an ordinary mp3/cd player and having a cutoff switch for the circuit in the ear piece (or on the cord, or wherever), and just trip it when appropriate. Resuming play automatically would be a tric
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iPods have been doing this since long before the first Zune
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How else would you notify the device playing music that you wish for the music to stop?
Well there has to be a full circuit... Simple switch that is always on when it has pressure, such as being jammed in your ear; when removed from the pressure the contact is broken and so is the circuit.
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And what a good idea for a Saturday project, although for best results, you'd want to communicate with the device directly (which would probably require alternate firmware, or at least significant hackery).
Yeah, I miss my old phillips cd player. It had some strange mini-jack with four contacts in it, and had a inline "remote" that allowed for volume control and basic skip/play/pause controls. That thing was great for having in a backpack or pocket and being able to skip songs. I wish they would standardize something like that.
Sony, try putting a control knob on the earbuds to skip songs.
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The MH907 is only compatible with Sony Ericsson's own Fast Port-equipped phones -- Fast Port is SE's proprietary connector on the bottom of its phones.
Fail.
How, pray tell, would you expect them to do this with current, standard headphones? It's possible you're referring to their lack of a standard connector like USB, in which case you might have a point.
Sadly, nuance like that is apparently not conveyable in 4chan-speak.
Re:weak sauce. (Score:5, Interesting)
with a 4-port 1/4" jack... like the ipod
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>> with a 4-port 1/4" jack... like the ipod
i forgot that slashdot disabled the s|1/4|1/8|g feature that was originally in slashcode.
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with a 4-port 1/4" jack... like the ipod
I assume you mean 1/8". I thought the iPod used a regular TRS connector and the iPhone used the TRRS/4-conductor plug. Curious how this would work with their "one out pause, two out stop" method of control.
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The protocol used by iPod remotes is every bit as proprietary as this.
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Pretty well all SE phones use fast port. They don't have normal headphone jacks
Mine does, a little £5 cheap fucker (the J132). Has a headphone jack for the built in radio. I love it.
Useless (Score:3, Insightful)
Hmm ... (Score:1)
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'
So you can listen to music with both earphones, but only listen to a telephone conversation piped through one earphone as you had to remove the other to pause the music ? And what happens if the person calling you puts you on one of those annoying musical hold things ?
It's bad enough they sneak in rootkits, now they're sneaking in paradoxes.
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They're obviously developing a new rootkit that is totally undetectable because it both is and isn't there.
Engineering challenge: (Score:2)
I hope they built them in a way, that will avoid them switching on, while touching anything while not being in your ear. Like dangling on your chest, touching your arm or something hanging in front of you, etc.
Oh, and please let them also not use energy to detect touches, because else even non-triggering touches could use up your batteries.
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iPod elimated the difference between pause/stop (Score:4, Insightful)
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Pause feature too restrictive (Score:1)
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Yes. It's called "Buy some other headphones(TM)"
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Oblig. quote (Score:2)
what? (Score:1)
Plan B (Score:1)
gimmick (Score:1)
Since when did Slashdot be a resting place for crap, gimmicky rubbish?
Isn't this just an ad? (Score:1)
More Office Rage (Score:1)
Worker 1: Dude, I got this new phone, but the MP3 player doesn't work.
Worker 2: Stick it in your ear.
Worker 1: WTF? You stick it in your ear! Jerk.
now if only... (Score:1)
Don't call this a "contact headphone" (Score:2)
TFA doesn't call it that and neither should Slashdot. A "contact headphone" implies a speaker system which uses direct contact with a surface to reproduce sound, just like a contact microphone [wikipedia.org] records sound through direct contact with a surface, instead of using the air as a carrier.
Obviously what SE has done here has nothing to do with the actual speaker system, but just adds a motion detector to a regular headphone, which of course only works through a closed and proprietary interface which of course can
Another theme (Score:2)
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Just mod a Japanese toilet, as soon as it detects "remnants" it should switch to powerjet. Also teaches you to never do that again..
test (Score:2)
just testing:
ecode
pre
1
2
3
thx
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Oops, looks like you made a typo. You meant to say: "Now Sony has given an additional choice to people who use both headphones."
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Oh, I know! Let's call them iPods! It's dynamic, catchy, and has this idiosyncratic spelling that I think will really take hold with the general public.