Island of Misfit Toys

I’ll never wear that @$#x! thing on my ear…..

How many times do you think I have heard that from customers who walk up to me?

Question #1: I am going to ask the question this time. Why is it that it always seems the people who are the most adamant about, “I aint gonna wear that $@#x! thing in my ear”, referring to a hands free bluetooth headset, are the very same STUPID moron drivers who won’t get off their phones on the road?? I have read some good postings on the web about completely idiotic behavior due to distracted driving that perhaps could have been avoided or at least curtailed by responsible cell phone use. Wake up people. Use your head(set).

I have been around the wireless phone business for a long time and I have never seen such absolute ignorance when it comes to a viable solution for hands free phone use: e.g, the bluetooth headset. I hate to say it, but it is a segment of the population that I happen to belong to that is most guilty of the crime also. People over 45. Put your pride aside and get with the program. Someone came up with a brilliant idea (and I don’t mean that sarcastically) for use with a cell phone and you refuse to use it.

I can hear the excuses now. “I can’t wear that thing, it hurts my ear”. “That thing looks stupid on my ear”. I answer, what is the alternative? Maiming or permanently disabling someone who is driving responsibly and you having to live with the consequences of stupid behavior. That’s a no-brainer……Forgive me, I rant

Tip #1 (then is….): Wear the thing.

Tip #2: Don’t get frustrated with the goofy thing even if you do think you look like some character from Star Trek. There are literally thousands of hands free bluetooth options on the market today. Find what works for you: an in-ear headset design for your cell phone use, or the over-the-ear design, complete with a boom, if you like. If you care to listen to music with a stereo bluetooth headset, there a large variety to pick from out there on the market now. I have actually found dealers who incorporate phone bluetooth technology into hearing aids. That was an idea that was a long time coming. Finally. Let technology work for you.

Tip #3: When pairing the bluetooth headset with your bluetooth compatible phone, use the bluetooth passkey. (Shhh, it’s a secret bluetooth passkey: Four zero’s, 0000). Don’t tell anyone now. You’ll be amazed to find out how many times I have helped people find that secret code in pairing their bluetooth headset. Don’t feel bad, you’re not the only one.

Tip #4: Make sure that your cell phone is handsfree bluetooth compatible. Not yet a given. Usually, if you search under your menu on your phone and look under “connectivity” for a bluetooth option then it is, but not all of the older cell phones had bluetooth technology built in yet.

Tip #5: This is the least known of all aspects of bluetooth handsfree headset technology. Make sure that you are wearing your hands free bluetooth on the same side of your body as your bluetooth compatible cell phone. Some cell phone headsets can not “see” through your body, so keep it line-of-sight.

Tip #6: Be wary of pairing a bluetooth compatible cell phone to a vehicles’ bluetooth voice-dialer. Not every phone is compatible with the profiles supported by the car manufacturer. Get with your automobile dealer to see specifically which wireless phone manufacturers are recommended by the car dealer. Just because a wireless phone is bluetooth compatible and the car is bluetooth compatible, doesn’t mean that the two devices will “see” each other. It’s much more complex than that. There are about 8-10 different profiles that bluetooth technology deals with, and hands free bluetooth pairing with a vehicles’ dialer is only one of them. Not all devices support all of the 8-10 profiles. Remember this rule of thumb however when you are purchasing equipment with bluetooth compatibility: you get what you pay for.

Look for my next blog…Maybe we’ll get a psychologist to tell us the reason why people do stupid things….like text messaging on their cell phone when they are driving….that’ll be a good one, eh?? TTFN. Tee, hee, hee.

Creation of this blog……This blog was designed to be a Q & A for the Costco member who can’t seem to get around to ask the wireless phone guy or gal about the issue they are having and finding solutions. I hope you will find it helpful and please feel free to post your comments if you like. I used to joke around with my coworkers in Costco that someday we would run a class on Saturday mornings on the porch like you would see at the Home Depot on how to lay tile in your bathroom, or how to (….insert project here)

This is that class, and you don’t have to get up early on a Saturday and go to the Home Depot. We will delve into issues like cell phone radiation protection (the myth-the legend), electromagnetic protection, roaming and why did it take me a week to get that text, possibly a review or two, guest columnists and wireless industry return policies. If you are a Sam’s Club member and you go into a Sam’s Club or if you’re a Costco member and you shop for wireless phones at your local Costco Warehouse, make sure to ask about the return policy for their wireless phones and bluetooth products. Their return policies have changed recently, so don’t be blind-sided. I will also give some straight talk regarding why wireless companies don’t give you squat when you have been a loyal customer of theirs for 700 years. (Is that possible??). We will run the gamut as far as topics, and finding solutions. Wireless phones and the cell phone industry has become the industry we love to hate, but look where it has brought us.