bill_schubert (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bill_schubert) wrote2025-05-13 12:40 pm
bill_schubert) wrote2025-05-13 12:40 pm
Pixel Bud Pro 2 after a few days
I have two sets of bone conducting earphones. They are so comfortable I forget I have them on and have played pickleball wearing them. Fine until the phone rings. The only thing about them that is an issue is car noise. My Smartcar is a bit noisy to hear some books or podcasts with them and sometimes walking along the street a loud car or truck will drown out the sound. But other than that it is really nice to not have something in my ear. I listen to stuff so much I worry a bit about having my ear blocked for a long time.
Conversely, the Buds are not really comfortable. They are marketed as being wonderful but I guess it is in comparison to what? Compared to a cheap set of ear buds, these are pretty good. I'm using the medium rubber end pieces so I might try swapping out. It may be OK but no matter what will be something in my ear.
The up side of that is they have amazing noise cancelling software. I can still hear what I need to in my car but the books are crystal clear and I can turn them down to a very reasonable level.
There is also a somewhat complicated process of quick and slow tapping and swiping up and down and such that will control the buds' operation. I've not used them enough for that to be intuitive so it is a little annoying right now.
There is something about them that is supposed to channel Gemini but I really don't understand the deal. If I say OK Google I get Gemini with the buds or with my bone headset. The Gemini comes from my phone. The buds will read me an incoming text and there are some other connections that other devices which are not made by Google don't do quite as well or as easity. But it's not like I can use the buds without the phone. So I don't much get that.
As a test I said, OK Google, give me directions to my house from here. I got a map pop up on my phone, not the full Google Maps but a map within Gemini. And a spiel of distance and time to home. But no offer to give me directions or offer to connect me to the full Google Maps. I've got to test but I sure would have thought that a multi million dollar creation like Gemini would at least ask the next obvious question.
So what they have is pretty nicely done and if I loved, loved having something hanging in my ear the way the Apple people do in their commercials I'd enjoy having them. But I guess I want a cochlear implant. With a replacable battery.
Conversely, the Buds are not really comfortable. They are marketed as being wonderful but I guess it is in comparison to what? Compared to a cheap set of ear buds, these are pretty good. I'm using the medium rubber end pieces so I might try swapping out. It may be OK but no matter what will be something in my ear.
The up side of that is they have amazing noise cancelling software. I can still hear what I need to in my car but the books are crystal clear and I can turn them down to a very reasonable level.
There is also a somewhat complicated process of quick and slow tapping and swiping up and down and such that will control the buds' operation. I've not used them enough for that to be intuitive so it is a little annoying right now.
There is something about them that is supposed to channel Gemini but I really don't understand the deal. If I say OK Google I get Gemini with the buds or with my bone headset. The Gemini comes from my phone. The buds will read me an incoming text and there are some other connections that other devices which are not made by Google don't do quite as well or as easity. But it's not like I can use the buds without the phone. So I don't much get that.
As a test I said, OK Google, give me directions to my house from here. I got a map pop up on my phone, not the full Google Maps but a map within Gemini. And a spiel of distance and time to home. But no offer to give me directions or offer to connect me to the full Google Maps. I've got to test but I sure would have thought that a multi million dollar creation like Gemini would at least ask the next obvious question.
So what they have is pretty nicely done and if I loved, loved having something hanging in my ear the way the Apple people do in their commercials I'd enjoy having them. But I guess I want a cochlear implant. With a replacable battery.