8 ms·

There's no UX that bluetooth can't ruin.

Spivak 9y ago
And yet there's really no replacement. I mean if MS uses Bluetooth for their surface pens, when they completely control the hardware at both ends, then there's really no hope for getting rid of it.
atomical 9y ago
I'm very impressed with Garmin's bluetooth implementation on the Forerunner series.
- acangiano 9y ago
  Yes. My Garmin Fenix 3 HR isn't perfect but it consistently connects via Bluetooth faster than any other device I own. It has an "indistinguishable from magic" feel to it.
  - atomical 9y ago
    I have a Forerunner 235. I didn't buy the watch for notifications or anything like that, but it's really cool to get a Slack notification when you are halfway across the house. The GPS also connects to satellites in a fraction of the time my Suunto watch did. It sucks when you're standing in the parking lot waiting to establish signal before your run.
    - mcbain 9y ago
      Edge 820 here. The Bluetooth connection to my iPhone just works every time. I'd basically given up on BT as a useful thing years ago, but now I never have to think about it, and only have to plug the device in to charge after a few rides. Mini review: the GPS is also super quick to acquire compared to my (now bricked) 800 - but the touchscreen is awful.
    - rodgerd 9y ago
      I'd echo that experience - my time with a Fitbit lead me to assume it was normal for notifications to show up long after they arrived on the phone. It's clearly just something that only some manufacturers can get right.
acchow 9y ago
Bluetooth working great for Apple AirPods. I think Snapchat is having a software problem.
- semi-extrinsic 9y ago
  FWIW I recently bought a $30 waterproof bluetooth speaker that goes on my bike. Paired it once on first power up, it Just Works (tm) since.
  - jjoonathan 9y ago
    I just bought $40 bluetooth earbuds that required RTFMing to pair, don't hold the pair between workouts, take a minute to perform the ritual, and use friction to anchor themselves to my ear so thy fall off the moment I start sweating. Oh, and they need to be recharged. I have similar stories for every single bluetooth device that I have ever tried, which amounts to probably a dozen peripherals and half that many hosts. I've had fleeting moments of "it's magic" to punctuate the sea of crap so I'm fully on board with the potential of the technology, but it has continued to mature at an obnoxiously slow rate.
    - schrodinger 9y ago
      Try AirPods. I've been every happy with them!
  - acchow 9y ago
    Your bluetooth speaker setup works great for precisely your scenario - the speaker is paired with one only device. It gets wonky if that single speaker has paired with multiple devices before. For example in a home, where you've paired it with your laptop, phone, iPad, etc. Try it out. Audio will cut off sometimes suddenly when it decides to switch pairing partners as another paired device appears in range.
    - NKCSS 9y ago
      I have a Sony bluetooth headset and it's amazing. It was around €65, lasts 40 hours of use (so charge once a week- every 2-3 weeks depending on usage), pairs with 3 devices and does it very well. I often move to another floor while having them on (construction work) or go out to the shed while the iPhone is in the bedroom on a charger, and it still works 10 meters in the yard. Best thing I've ever purchased, so there are good Bluetooth solutions.
rokhayakebe 9y ago
Mouse? Keyboard? Earbuds?

And yet there's really no replacement. I mean if MS uses Bluetooth for their surface pens, when they completely control the hardware at both ends, then there's really no hope for getting rid of it.

atomical 9y ago

I'm very impressed with Garmin's bluetooth implementation on the Forerunner series.

acangiano 9y ago
Yes. My Garmin Fenix 3 HR isn't perfect but it consistently connects via Bluetooth faster than any other device I own. It has an "indistinguishable from magic" feel to it.
- atomical 9y ago
  I have a Forerunner 235. I didn't buy the watch for notifications or anything like that, but it's really cool to get a Slack notification when you are halfway across the house. The GPS also connects to satellites in a fraction of the time my Suunto watch did. It sucks when you're standing in the parking lot waiting to establish signal before your run.
  - mcbain 9y ago
    Edge 820 here. The Bluetooth connection to my iPhone just works every time. I'd basically given up on BT as a useful thing years ago, but now I never have to think about it, and only have to plug the device in to charge after a few rides. Mini review: the GPS is also super quick to acquire compared to my (now bricked) 800 - but the touchscreen is awful.
  - rodgerd 9y ago
    I'd echo that experience - my time with a Fitbit lead me to assume it was normal for notifications to show up long after they arrived on the phone. It's clearly just something that only some manufacturers can get right.

acchow 9y ago

Bluetooth working great for Apple AirPods. I think Snapchat is having a software problem.

semi-extrinsic 9y ago
FWIW I recently bought a $30 waterproof bluetooth speaker that goes on my bike. Paired it once on first power up, it Just Works (tm) since.
- jjoonathan 9y ago
  I just bought $40 bluetooth earbuds that required RTFMing to pair, don't hold the pair between workouts, take a minute to perform the ritual, and use friction to anchor themselves to my ear so thy fall off the moment I start sweating. Oh, and they need to be recharged. I have similar stories for every single bluetooth device that I have ever tried, which amounts to probably a dozen peripherals and half that many hosts. I've had fleeting moments of "it's magic" to punctuate the sea of crap so I'm fully on board with the potential of the technology, but it has continued to mature at an obnoxiously slow rate.
  - schrodinger 9y ago
    Try AirPods. I've been every happy with them!
- acchow 9y ago
  Your bluetooth speaker setup works great for precisely your scenario - the speaker is paired with one only device. It gets wonky if that single speaker has paired with multiple devices before. For example in a home, where you've paired it with your laptop, phone, iPad, etc. Try it out. Audio will cut off sometimes suddenly when it decides to switch pairing partners as another paired device appears in range.
  - NKCSS 9y ago
    I have a Sony bluetooth headset and it's amazing. It was around €65, lasts 40 hours of use (so charge once a week- every 2-3 weeks depending on usage), pairs with 3 devices and does it very well. I often move to another floor while having them on (construction work) or go out to the shed while the iPhone is in the bedroom on a charger, and it still works 10 meters in the yard. Best thing I've ever purchased, so there are good Bluetooth solutions.

rokhayakebe 9y ago

Mouse? Keyboard? Earbuds?