Re: Air Pods max/me likey/kind of want
I do wonder if people fall victim to the mentality that they need to maximize what they are capable of doing wherever they can. I don't know that the bone-conductive design really ever catered to most people, whether it was a comfort thing or otherwise. Outside of that, though, I think people like the idea of keeping headphones on or earbuds in their ears while out walking/traveling. Now, to sighted folks, this might not strike them as much of a dangerous risk, even though it totally is, but especially for blind people, I don't think it's necessary to be able to focus on the finer details of sound with respect to whatever media they're playing while negotiating a street crossing or lighted intersection. I wouldn't mind using bone-conductive headphones while out on a stroll, but I just pop one AirPod in and that's good enough for me. It doesn't inhibit my ability to judge when is a good time to cross, but that would be different if I had both in. I tried transparency with both earbuds in before and did not feel comfortable as my orientation was not as sharp as I'd like it to be. Others' mileage may vary, but I intuitively cannot see the value in transparency as it's been painted by certain blind folks as I've described as it relates to navigating outside. If those folks are okay with it, cool - more power to you folks. I just don't get quite as excited about transparency in that regard.
Where I do find it valuable is on public transit, particularly longer commutes of multiple hours. If a conductor stops by to ask me a question or just check in, it is nice to turn off the active-noise canceling for 30 seconds, pump in sound around me without having to take the headphones/earbuds off, and hold a conversation if need be where I can then immediately turn the ANC back on. That to me is pretty nifty. I can't tell you how many times I've been on a train and there's either a screaming child or a loud passenger on the phone. Having the ability to block that out without blasting the volume is literally music to my ears.
-- Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
