Blogging 365, Day 64: Bluetoothless

I had been in the market for a pair of Bluetooth earbuds for the past few weeks because I thought that being wireless would be a great thing to have while at work. I could listen to my music or white noise without the hassle of having wires running all over the place.

This would have also proven beneficial whenever I went running since running with standard earbuds can be quite cumbersome.

But after doing some research and even having a $10 Radio Shack coupon (which I would have used on a pair on sale this week for $59.99), I decided against going Bluetooth.

Let’s take a look at the benefits.

• Wireless: Yes, running and working sans wires be wonderful indeed.

But what about the setbacks?

• Poor performance: Most of the articles I read stated that reception was sub-par regardless of manufacturer. Whether it was call clarity or unacceptable volume levels for music, this seemed to be a major strike against them.
• Cost: They can run upwards of $60 and around $70 on average. That seems like a lot for something I will toss into my backpack for work and use heavily while running.
• Durability: How would a pair of these hold up over time? A cheap pair of earbuds will last you and if they happen to get messed up, well, drop another $10 and you’re in business. But another $70?
• Phone battery drain: Turning on the Bluetooth connection on your phone is yet another way to drain your battery quickly and if I’m running with an app tracking my performance, that will mean I’ll also have the GPS on. Talk about pulling some serious power from your battery.
• One more thing to charge: From what I read, battery life on these things is pretty dismal which would mean that I’d have to carry yet another cable with me to work. Great. As if I don’t already have enough of those.

So let’s see. Setbacks: 5, Benefits: 1. Much like my fight between Sharpies and LightScribe, the most practical option won.

Looks like I now have some money to register myself for some more runs…