The Holy Grail of Integration
I’m a little late posting about this, but something amazing happened a few months ago — I achieved my Holy Grail of integration. I’m referring to using my Samsung BlackJack smart phone not only as a phone and PDA, but also as an MP3 player. Now, this may not seem like such an impressive feat, but getting the MP3 functionality to work just the way I wanted required finding just the right device.
That device turned out to be the Motorola MOTOROKR S9 Bluetooth stereo headphones. The first thing to note about these headphones is that, through the wonder of Bluetooth technology, they are wireless! No messing with annoying cords from the headset to my phone. Second, the headphones have controls, allowing you to stop, pause, advance the track, go to the previous track, adjust the volume, and even answer a call, all without touching the phone. Glorious!
This simple device has revolutionized my commute. When I once would bury my head in my phone playing solitaire (which gets old pretty fast, let me tell you), I now rock out to my favorite tunes! Okay, so I don’t “rock out.” I’m sure I look just as miserable as everyone else! But it’s what’s on the inside that counts. And on the inside, I am indeed rocking out.
The only drawback is that the Bluetooth communication seems to almost cripple my poor BlackJack. Trying to do anything else on the phone while listening to music can be painfully slow, and can also make the music stutter at the same time. And while the performance is generally great while I’m on the subway, above ground is a different story. I don’t know if it’s a result of my phone trying to check email or the collision of various wireless “stuff” flying through the air (or both!), but the music tends to stutter a lot when I’m on top of terra firma. While the execution may not be the best with my particular setup, I still love the technology. It may push the limits of my trusty BlackJack, but I’m sure a slightly beefier phone would handle it without breaking a sweat. Besides, it works best when I need it most: when I’m being shipped around underground from Old City to University City.