RSS Feeds
Peripherals
Sony Bluetooth Sport Earphones: Possibly Useful, Sadly Hideous
Posted by Kit Eaton at 1:00 AM on September 10, 2008
When I'm in the gym I love listening to music, and hate the way my headphone cord whaps against me as I'm exercising... and that's exactly the sort of problem Sony's DR-BT160AS heaphones are designed to stop. The "active stereo" 'phones connect wirelessly over Bluetooth, are splashproof, have volume and play control buttons, a mike for mobile phone compatibility and adjustable earpieces. But that's where the goodness stops: the design also has "pods" that house the batteries and circuitry, sitting behind your ears like a chunky black hearing-aid. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just looks like bad design. Due out October, price still to be announced. [Digitaldrops via OhGizmo]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Final
Posted 1:43 AM 10/9/08
I would have gotten the Motorola set awhile ago if the buttons didn't suck.
Final
Hamslicer
Posted 1:38 AM 10/9/08
Could be worse. You could look like Lando's buddy on Bespin.
Hamslicer
tarrantm
Posted 1:19 AM 10/9/08
uh huh.. call me when sony makes anything as nice as jaybirds.
tarrantm
Death
Posted 1:16 AM 10/9/08
I think if the sound on these is any good, their utility would far outweight caring if I looked a little dorky at the gym.
Death
hindsight2020
Posted 1:15 AM 10/9/08
@daftrok: yeah those kinda look like these:
[www.sonystyle.com]
hindsight2020
daftrok
Posted 1:04 AM 10/9/08
Never fear, Sony has some other great headphone headsets from the Bluetooth division:
[www.sonystyle.com]
daftrok
Ambiguous Blob 2.0
Posted 1:59 AM 10/9/08
@Keebler: I second that, or is it considered thirding it at this point?... Whatever the case, it is just bad design Kit. You should check out Sony Ericsson's HBH-IS800 for a cool stereo bluetooth headphone design done right! They were announced at their last Walkman event, and should be released sometime soon (they said 4th quarter)! :)
[www.sonyericsson.com]
Ambiguous Blob 2.0
Keebler
Posted 1:52 AM 10/9/08
I'm with ya, looks pretty shoddy to me. The one thing though is that they might not look so bad when actually being worn (especially if you have long hair)... but by themselves in this product shot they look like crap.
Keebler
daftrok
Posted 1:47 AM 10/9/08
@hindsight2020:
Um...no, no it doesn't.
daftrok
penarestel
Posted 2:23 AM 10/9/08
@Hamslicer: That was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw these.
penarestel
iaintgoingthere
Posted 2:22 AM 10/9/08
Those black triangle thingys look like ears from the cape crusader's mask.
iaintgoingthere
aec007
Posted 2:36 AM 10/9/08
They should have placed the electronics on the back like the Moto S9
(I have one... won it from Moto).
But make the tech. smaller.
aec007
floodlite
Posted 2:31 AM 10/9/08
I don't think these look that bad considering they look streamlined and like they won't fall off. I want some some sort of wireless headphone setup so the whole house does not have to listen to whatever is playing in the gym/game room. I don't want to workout with the big clunky over-the-ear wireless headphones that I see on amazon. Anyone know if there is a way to hookup some sort of bluetooth device to the TV so 2 or more bluetooth headphones like these can be used?
floodlite
nutbastard
Posted 4:28 AM 10/9/08
"Maybe I'm wrong, but it just looks like bad design."
Do you mean ergonomically or aesthetically? I agree that they are ugly, but it makes a hell of a lot of sense to put that weight directly on your ears instead of at the back of the band, where you would have leveraging forces pulling down on and twisting the earbuds.
nutbastard
DearEditor
Posted 4:28 AM 10/9/08
This just needs a set of Oakley's bolted on. Dawg-gone stylin'.
DearEditor
peacefulpony
Posted 5:04 AM 10/9/08
If you have thick black hair there won't be so much of an appearance issue.
peacefulpony
FiveLiters
Posted 7:58 AM 10/9/08
@peacefulpony: Like,say,Amy Winehouse?
Nope,still "sadly hideous" (not the headphones)
FiveLiters
smeee
Posted 1:12 PM 10/9/08
ehh...try running the headphones under your shirt..it helps.
smeee