By Alice Hill
RealTechNews
File this one under “Don’t Let Happen to You” because cell phone etiquette or celliquette as some are calling it (and should be shot – Alice) is starting to get way out of hand. First came the loud talker, then the annoying custom ringtones, and of course, the person who answers the phone every time it rings no matter what. (Does Paris Hilton ring a bell, so to speak) But one of the newest celliquette culprits is the Bluetooth headset, which many people say leave users wandering the street like scary Borgs talking to themselves.
When Reginald Davis, a sales manager in Washington, D.C., bought a wireless headset in November, his wife, Shan, thought it looked cool — until he started wearing it constantly. Her sister-in-law would ask her: “How can you stand it?” For months, Reginald says he had assumed his wife could tell from the lights on the earpiece whether he was on the phone, but Shan hadn’t noticed them. Unable to predict whether he would ignore her or respond, she got in the habit of forging ahead with whatever she needed to say. “I just keep going,” she says. “I know he can hear me. He just doesn’t answer me.” “The headset has become such a part of my everyday life that I didn’t recognize how much it is actually in my ear,” Reginald says. Source: via the Wall Street Journal
We say: forget about looking weird, doesn’t anyone care about having a giant electronic device so close to your brain? No thank you. Personally, as an “early adopter” I have always been hated for using a cell phone. First because few had them, then becuase I had ringtones before they caught on, and then for taking pics with my phone, then for talking on my Blackberry, so I am happy as can be to fall behind on this one.
I think the headsets are kind of neat, but they’re also very unnerving when people use them all the time or when you can’t tell that they have them on.
Dear Real Tech New and Alice
I hear you. But recognise you are in the backwaters of cellphones. It is just like talking about cars in China today, where bicycles outnumber cars 50 to 1. To the average Chinese the concept of a drive-in window for a bank or fast food restaurant is as bizarre as to most Americans is the fact that it is quite normal in the advanced Western world that 70 year old grandparents send SMS text messages to their teenager grandchildren.
The cellphone population just shot past 2 billion devices a week ago. I blogged about it at my blogsite – putting that number into context. A short snippet so that you won’t confuse the trivial numbers of i-Pods, PDAs, laptop computers etc with the only universal gadget on the planet:
“There are twice as many mobile phones than there are internet users of any kind. There are three times as many mobile phones than there are personal computers. There are more mobile phones than credit cards, more mobile phones than automobiles, more mobile phones than TV sets, and more mobile phones than fixed/wireline phones. In fact a staggering 30% of the global population carries a mobile phone. Since Taiwan first did it in 2001, today over 30 countries have achieved over 100% cellphone penetration rates. In the most advanced mobile markets such as Finland, Italy and Hong Kong the typical first-time cellphone customer is under the age of 10.”
Much more at my blogsite. But for those who complain about the emerging “brutish” behaviors relating to cellphones, its as pointless as Don Juan going against the windmills, or anyone suggesting e-mail will bastardize traditional letter-writing. The cellphone is the most prevalent digital device on the planet for a clear reason – it is the most efficient communication tool, and to borrow from that Star Trek/Borg reference, resistance is futile: all will be assimilated.
PS for those wanting to UNDERSTAND rather than criticise this new phenomenon, I recommend my second and fourth books, m-Profits (2002) and Communities Dominate Brands (2005).
Tomi Ahonen
Alice, interesting article but DO a spell check on heading…
Hare Krishna
I HATE the walkie-talkies people scream at — everywhere.
Don Juan didn’t go at the windmills; that was Don Quixote de la Mancha.
Don Juan was tilting at something altogether different…
I sort of agree that the headsets are weird looking and cause social mishaps all the time, but the “giant electronic device” part is a little misleading. Bluetooth devices transmit at very low power. If anything, there might be a benefit to the user from now having to put the cellphone in close proximity to his/hear head but keeping it in the pocket; and using a Bluetooth headset. The transmission power of the phone itself is much larger than the headset.
A more important issue might be Bluetooth security. A Bluetooth headset security vulnerability has just been announced yesterday (see my blog , and I suspect it won’t be the last.
Hi DG
Thanks, I needed that, and feel like a total idiot. Of course Don Quixote. I don’t know what I was thinking (ha ha or perhaps I can remember her) that substituted the wrong Don. Thanks. Idiot me.
PS JB – I totally agree on the walkietalkie (or so-called Push to Talk) service. But it too is finding a lot of addicted users, so don’t expect it to disappear anytime soon.
And Kursad, excellent points about Bluetooth and its security. There are many service providers now launching proximity-based spam advertisements. Am certain this will kill that business opportunity soon, as most cellphone users will rapidly learn to turn their Bluetooth off…
Tomi Ahonen
The other day in a supermarket checkout line, I walked up and start placing items on the belt. The man in line ahead of me said “Hello”. I said “Hi, how are you doing.” He then turned and faced me and said “I wasn’t talking to you.” At that point I was able to see the headset attached to his right ear. I expect more inadvertent encounters of this nature will occur as these devices gain popularity. It used to be when someone was talking into what appears to be thin air, they were either thinking out loud or crazy, but not anymore. If you think they’re initiating conversation with you, don’t bet on it.
Soy un friki
Sobre la moda de los auriculares Bluetooth en Estados Unidos: “But one of the newest celliquette culprits is the Bluetooth headset, which many people say leave users wandering the street like scary Borgs talking to themselves.” Pues bien, yo soy…
I am considering getting a blue tooth headset for my mobile phone. Right now it’s a pain to have to hold it up to my ear and position the phone to speak as well. But you have brought up a few points I hadn’t considered in this article. Thank you.
Well, I am not anti-cell phone. I think I have been hated since I first used one and really could care less. People catch up, even the haters own one now. I do worry about headsets near by brain, but that’s not based on any medical fact – that’s just me. I also think they look unconfortable which is why I will wait until the next rev comes out – those will be the headsets to get and use. Charging one more cellular-related device right now will send me over the edge and the battery life seems to be an issue for many headsets.
And my apologies about the spelling. We have this great guy named Robert set to do copy editing but cannot find a way to grant him edit access without him posting a lot on the site first. And Word Press does not spell check the headline. Arggghhh. Technology.
Alice, et al:
Since I still carry an old Nokia 5165, the bluetooth headset isn’t possible for me.
Regardless, Gary S. has made an excellent point. Will we all just stop saying hello to anyone in the near future?
Of course, this really doesn’t excuse the manners of the guy Gary encountered. He could have just as easily said, “Sorry, I’m on a call, but hello to you as well.”
Ron Powell
Great site. I will return to read more. We have a great Telephone headset site. headsetexpress.ca
If you could list us as a supplier that would be great.
I expect more inadvertent encounters of this nature will occur as these devices gain popularity.
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