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It's worth mentioning that a reviewer on YouTube recently posted a scathing review of their product[1]. It's a long video so TL;DR: product is junk and they kne
by stryk 9y ago
It's worth mentioning that a reviewer on YouTube recently posted a scathing review of their product[1]. It's a long video so TL;DR: product is junk and they knew it plus they tried to pay him off with a paltry $500. No idea how much of am impact this made on the decision to shutter the company.
1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36Gw3tErUSM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36Gw3tErUSM
- dannylandau 9y agoThat was an amazing review. Very harsh! But interesting to see how companies reach out to get publicity.
- sclangdon 9y agoI particularly liked the part where he tells the engineer "you're not understanding me, I don't care why it doesn't work, I'm just telling you that it doesn't work. I'm a consumer and these are $300 earphones and they can't send a signal from my ears to my ass" [1] Reminds me of so many people I've worked with who think it matters to consumers/users why something doesn't work. Like they can justify it, and it's not that big a deal. 1. https://youtu.be/36Gw3tErUSM?t=16m20s https://youtu.be/36Gw3tErUSM?t=16m20s
- dragonwriter 9y ago> I'm a consumer and these are $300 earphones and they can't send a signal from my ears to my ass To be fair, that's not the intended function of earphones.
- joncrocks 9y agoFrom the video, they're wireless headphones, connected to his phone and his phone was in one of his back pockets and couldn't stay connected for more than '10-12 seconds'.
- DiThi 9y agoI think he means the signal is supposed to go the opposite direction. Just a funny mistake.
- throwanem 9y agoThat's actually pretty typical; every Bluetooth earbud I've tried has tended to cut out when I move so that my body's blocking the signal path. Low-power, high-frequency signals like these really don't penetrate human tissue well, so when there's a large cross-section between the transmitter and receiver, not enough signal gets through for the decoder to produce audio. And the earbud form factor imposes a significant additional challenge, in that the antenna is already mostly surrounded by insulation. I mostly solve this by carrying my phone in a side rather than a back pocket. But it still cuts out if I turn my head far enough to the side, as when checking traffic in a road I'm about to cross. Them's the breaks - if you want to wear a radio receiver in your ear and carry the transmitter in your pocket, there's some physics you pretty much just have to deal with. Don't get me wrong - I totally get being upset with $150 earbuds that don't work reliably, especially when they're sold startup-style as the best thing since sliced bread and the cure for all the world's mobile-audio-related ills. But if that's your budget and solid signal in all circumstances is your major criterion, you might be better served by something that goes beyond the pure earbud form factor, like Apple's ones that have the antenna in an extension that puts it outside the pinna.
- Accacin 9y agoI have some very basic £14 headphones by Anker that I use and I can have my phone in my back pocket and they don't miss a beat. The headphones that he's reviewing retail at $300.
- throwanem 9y agoThose project significantly outside the pinna. Kanoa's don't appear to. Neither do the ones I've used. (Still do use a Rowkin Mini.)
- joncrocks 9y ago
- arethuza 9y agoThe inexpensive wireless headphones I have have controls on the headphones which allow me to control my device my touching the headphones (which actually works really well - much easier to press the button on the headphones than get my phone out of a pocket or bag).
- Waterluvian 9y agoI get that a lot at work. I'm on the product team and all engineering I do is in service of a user in mind. I have colleagues on an engineering team who are sometimes more interested in the novelties of the technology itself. It's been very interesting to experience. I don't yet have any solutions.
- eps 9y agoBased on the symptoms Kanoa was an amateur shop that burnt through a lot of money and was on the final notice from their investors to start shipping. They tried that. It didn't work. The end. But at least they got a colorful review to show for their journey.
- senatorobama 9y agoHow does being part of failed startup affect your inevitable application to BigCo?
- KGIII 9y agoI sold but, from my perspective, unless there is malfeasance it is all good. I know they probably worked hard and learned a lot along the way. I'd also not be hiring them to fill a position where they directed the company. I'd be open to them maturing to a leadership position, however.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- bowlofpetunias 9y agoI see this video and have absolutely zero temptation to turn on the sound.
- madez 9y agoI found his story entertaining to hear.