3 ms·

Meh, I think the idea is thin. So I can have biometrics info only when i stick something in my head? Quantified Self or whatever you want to call it is certain

Meh, I think the idea is thin. So I can have biometrics info only when i stick something in my head? Quantified Self or whatever you want to call it is certainly big business, but it NEEDS passive data collection to ever be a mainstream success. Thus the fitbit, and possibly the iWatch. "Just stick these sensors in your ears" is not a good solution to this. And "All the info you want about what your body is doing while you listen to music" is not exactly what I'm going after when I use these apps.

lmm 13y ago
> "All the info you want about what your body is doing while you listen to music" is not exactly what I'm going after when I use these apps. When is it that you want the info on what your body is doing? Lots of joggers seem to listen to music at the same time.
- encoderer 13y ago
  When I sleep. When I get passive exercise like taking the steps instead of the lift. When I'm exercising with somebody else. When........
not_that_noob 13y ago
Yes exactly. I want it monitoring when I sleep, not just when I listen to music. Fitbit isn't sweating this one.
glenra 13y ago
Having the option of getting biometrics when you stick something in your head doesn't prevent getting data other ways too. Me, I listen to podcasts for an hour a day or so while my phone is in my pocket and the only thing touching my body directly is the earbuds. It'd be easy for the phone to be passively collecting data during that time - any time I'm listening to something via headphones - and it wouldn't require me to change my behavior or carry yet another device around. I live in New York, so I listen via earbuds while I take the subway. In California a lot of people listen via earbuds while they go jogging or work out at the gym. There are almost certainly enough people who listen via earbuds daily to make that feature "a mainstream success", even if it doesn't match your own use case. If you never use the earbuds, you don't have to buy the earbuds that do biometric monitoring. Or you can ignore that feature. There already exist apps that check your pulse (using the camera) and that check your sleeping patterns (you leave the phone charging on your bed; it uses the motion sensor). This would be just one more option along those lines. But I'm curious: What would you consider "a good solution to this"?
- encoderer 13y ago
  Something you can wear passively. Like a watch, bracelet, hell a toe ring. But earbuds are an awful UX for a sensor IMO.

lmm 13y ago

> "All the info you want about what your body is doing while you listen to music" is not exactly what I'm going after when I use these apps. When is it that you want the info on what your body is doing? Lots of joggers seem to listen to music at the same time.

encoderer 13y ago
When I sleep. When I get passive exercise like taking the steps instead of the lift. When I'm exercising with somebody else. When........

not_that_noob 13y ago

Yes exactly. I want it monitoring when I sleep, not just when I listen to music. Fitbit isn't sweating this one.

glenra 13y ago

Having the option of getting biometrics when you stick something in your head doesn't prevent getting data other ways too. Me, I listen to podcasts for an hour a day or so while my phone is in my pocket and the only thing touching my body directly is the earbuds. It'd be easy for the phone to be passively collecting data during that time - any time I'm listening to something via headphones - and it wouldn't require me to change my behavior or carry yet another device around. I live in New York, so I listen via earbuds while I take the subway. In California a lot of people listen via earbuds while they go jogging or work out at the gym. There are almost certainly enough people who listen via earbuds daily to make that feature "a mainstream success", even if it doesn't match your own use case. If you never use the earbuds, you don't have to buy the earbuds that do biometric monitoring. Or you can ignore that feature. There already exist apps that check your pulse (using the camera) and that check your sleeping patterns (you leave the phone charging on your bed; it uses the motion sensor). This would be just one more option along those lines. But I'm curious: What would you consider "a good solution to this"?

encoderer 13y ago
Something you can wear passively. Like a watch, bracelet, hell a toe ring. But earbuds are an awful UX for a sensor IMO.