Ear Defenders with FM Radio and Bluetooth - Video

[Stone Message]

Hi Everyone

Please forgive me if I do not acknowledge all of the people who have asked me to look at ear defenders with extra sound capability - some here on the FOG and some on YouTube.

I have had my cheap and cheerful 3M ear defenders with FM radio for some time and in order to make a meaningful video I was able to borrow some up market ones from 3M which had VHF radio and Bluetooth built in. I do not own a smart phone and a ruggedized one was lent to me by OneDirect who have lent kit to me before. I told them that I could make a video about ruggedized mobile phones later in the year if there is enough interest.

Here is the link to the ear defender video:



Peter

 

[dltflt]

Thanks Peter as usual your video is very informative.  I've been looking for Bluetooth capable hearing protection.

 

[grbmds]

There seem to be many more Bluetooth ear buds, headphones, and sound deadening protection on the market. I'd advise to wait as long as you can before buying. This seems to be a big thing right now. The Bluetooth appears to get better, something that is important if you use them in a shop where you walk around and don't want to carry your iPhone or iPod around with you. With some of the older Bluetooth capable head sets, even your clothing would tend to block the Bluetooth signal, making it cut out frequently. I noticed that, on my iPhone, the Bluetooth seems to have a wider range as I can set the phone down in one area of the shop quite a ways away from the speaker or headphones and the signal is still clear. So, waiting will allow more improvements.

 

[Stone Message]

Technology improves all of the time and the suggestion to wait could be said anytime from now well into the future. Sooner or later people will have to bite the bullet and buy something. Buy the best that you can afford and it is then less likely to let you down.

Okay, perhaps in 5 years time I could get a Bluetooth set for what the cheap and cheerful ones cost 6 months ago but then I would have had 5 years without even a radio for company.

Peter

 

[grbmds]

I just meant that most of the Bluetooth ear muff and ear bud types on the market didn't seem to have very good coverage when moving more than a few feet away and some didn't work well even when the music source was on your own body. It's only recently that this has changed. One of the reasons to buy Bluetooth hearing protection with the capability to listen to a phone or ipod is to be able to move around. In the case of use in a workshop, it is nice not to have to carry it with you at all, but leave it just sit in one place. Price isn't really the issue. All the good quality products are still somewhat expensive and may continue to be more expensive.

 

[dltflt]

I think Bluetooth is pretty good right now when it comes to smart phones but other items that are Bluetooth are just horrible.
I think the NFC technology is the next wave in the wireless field. I don't know how long it will take to get to products like this.

 

[Stone Message]

I think Bluetooth is pretty good right now when it comes to smart phones but other items that are Bluetooth are just horrible.
I think the NFC technology is the next wave in the wireless field. I don't know how long it will take to get to products like this.

I am not so sure that NFC will provide any products with communications capability. My understanding is that it is for passive ID purposes and not for data transfer but maybe it will develop.

Peter

 

[Pareto]

I think Bluetooth is pretty good right now when it comes to smart phones but other items that are Bluetooth are just horrible.
I think the NFC technology is the next wave in the wireless field. I don't know how long it will take to get to products like this.

I am not so sure that NFC will provide any products with communications capability. My understanding is that it is for passive ID purposes and not for data transfer but maybe it will develop.

Peter

The NFC is used in conjunction with Bluetooth or WiFi to establish the pairing between devices (i.e. no more 'Discover devices' and arcane key codes). Edited to add: I'm forgetting my manners - thanks for the informative review!

http://www.cnet.com/news/nfc-not-just-for-mobile-payments-anymore/
[quote author=CNet.com]Speakers -- NFC is typically used in these devices to pair a smartphone to a speaker. The music is not actually streamed to the system via NFC but is shared through Bluetooth. Samsung  and Sony were two notable companies with NFC speakers.
Headphones -- The function is much like wireless speakers. Users tap their phone to the headphones to allow pairing for the transfer of music. Sony also makes these .[/quote]

 

[Stone Message]

Hi Pareto

Yes, I get the idea. Excellent but, to address the original point above, not worth waiting for in the context of workshop ear protection.

Many thanks for the info.

Peter

 

[Tinker]

Peter, a great vid as per usual.
I really like your hedge trimming.
I have never had anybody in my crew who was so fast.  [eek]
you can come to work for me anytime.
Tinker

 

[Stone Message]

Peter, a great vid as per usual.
I really like your hedge trimming.
I have never had anybody in my crew who was so fast.  [eek]
you can come to work for me anytime.
Tinker

I would jump at the chance of doing some work for you.

Alas I am not that quick - I had hoped to make this video about 3 months ago when the real hedge cutting was done. It takes about 4 hours to cut about 300 feet of hedge, 2 days to burn the cuttings and 2 weeks for my joints to recover !

Cheers.

Peter