iPod Wireless Headphones

After getting a the Motorola HS810, a wireless Bluetooth headset, to use with my Motorola PowerBook cellphone, I've been finding my iPod's earbuds very annoying. If Motorola can free up my hands with a reasonably small earpiece, why can't Apple get rid of the annoying wires that are always in my way?

So that led me to delve through the net. I was only able to dig up four versions (and talk of other companies putting out new versions). iPodLounge had reviews of all three: Logitech Wireless Headphones, Macally BlueWave Bluetooth Stereo and Streaming Headset, TEN Technology naviPlay Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Kit, and Bluetake i-Phono BT420EX Bluetooth Wireless Headphones.

	Logitech Wireless Headphones	Macally BlueWave Bluetooth Stereo and Streaming Headset	TEN Technology naviPlay Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Kit	Bluetake i-Phono BT420EX Bluetooth Wireless Headphones
Power Source	Rechargeable batteries for both headphones and transmitter	Non-rechargeable AAA batteries for both headphones and transmitter	Rechargeable battery for receiver, iPod for transmitter	Rechargeable batteries for both headphones and transmitter
Connection	Headphones via Bluetooth to transmitter via plug-in to iPod	Headphones via Bluetooth to transmitter via plug-in to iPod	Earbuds via wire to receiver via Bluetooth to transmitter via plug-in to iPod	Headphones via Bluetooth to transmitter via plug-in to iPod
Use wtih mobile phones	No microphone	No microphone	No microphone	Microphone and capability to use with Bluetooth-ready mobile phones
Controls	Play, pause, next, previous on headphones	None	Play, pause, next, previous on receiver	Phone, volume up, volume down on headphones
Cost	$149.99	$169.95	$199.99	$249.95

The naviPlay loses out right away because you're still tethered to a wire. iPodLounge loved this because it let you pick whichever headphones you wanted, but having a wire kills the point of wireless (not to mention having a separate receiver to carrier means on more electronic thing floating around in your bags and pockets, so the naviPlay is out.

The BlueWave uses AAA batteries. I hate being unable to use my stuff when I don't have batteries around and I hate having to buy batteries. The BlueWave is out.

So that leaves the i-Phono and the Logitech Wireless Headphones. Neither of these has any wires nor any non-rechargeable batteries, so my two biggest pet peeves are out of the way. I like that i-Phono's transmitter gets its power from the iPod instead of requiring me to charge yet another thing, as the Logitech Wireless Headphones do. I don't like the extra $100 or so for the i-Phono. However, the real meat of the question is in the functions. The Logitech Wireless Headphones are focused on only music (and their controls demonstrate this) while the i-Phono adds in phone functionality. In the end, I'd have to go with the i-Phono for it's ability to work with my phone as well as with my iPod.

But none of these really get there. Here's my checklist for what the optimal Bluetooth headphones for use with an iPod and mobile phone should do:

• Two separate, reversible (like the Motorola HS810) ear pieces connecting to the phone, iPod, or transmitter via Bluetooth.
• Play/pause button, previous button, next button, music volume up button, and music volume down button (like the iPod shuffle) on one ear piece.
• Phone button (used to answer a call, hang up, etc.), phone volume up button, phone volume down button, two customizable buttons (also like the iPod shuffle), and a microphone on the other ear piece.
• A removable string or cord connecting the two ear pieces together.
• The ear pieces should click together for each storage. When clicked together, the connecting string or cord should withdraw into one of the ear pieces. Clicking the two together should also allow them both to be charged through a single charger.
• Rechargeable batteries for the ear pieces.
• iPod used as a power source for iPod transmitter which aligns nicely on any iPod model (or, better yet, Apple should incorporate Bluetooth into the iPod itself).
• Voice commands for both phone and music use.

Using Another's Wi-Fi Surreptitiously

Here's the scenario. A is an internet service provider (ISP) supplying an internet connection to B, who accesses the connection via a wi-fi hotspot he has set up. B pays something like $50 for unlimited usage. A has lots of subscribers like B and the less such subscribers use the connection the more money A makes. Then C comes along and surreptitiously uses B's wi-fi to connect to the internet via A's connection.

Is this stealing?

If you look just at B and C, the answer is most likely no. B has unlimited usage, so incurs no extra monetary costs. The only situation where this would be costly to B is where there's competition for the limited bandwidth. The costs would be time rather than a direct monetary loss, such as a slowing down of the network connection or a complete exclusion from the network if C is using all of the bandwidth.

So there's a dichotomy in the B-C relationship. If C uses enough of the bandwidth, it'd be comparable to C tapping into B's traditional phone line. While C is using it, B couldn't use it and would thus need to wait until C was done. Although phones are absolute (there's no slowing down of the phone call), there's still not much of an argument that it's not stealing.

On the other hand, if B has no idea that C's using it, then it's much like a good old transistor radio in the B's front yard. C, sitting next door in his front yard and listening to the music, could do so all he wants even if C did not want him to or was unaware that he was listening. Ignoring contractual obligations between A and B to the contrary, it's hard to say that something is stolen when it's provided publicly.

However, when the relationship between A and C is looked at, it's more clear that this is in fact stealing. Let's say that A has 100,000 customers like B, the average cost per customer is $30 before people like C come along and $31 after people like C come along. A will end up with this:

	Before C	After C
Gross Revenue	Total Costs	Net Revenue
$500,000	$300,000	$200,000
$500,000	$310,000	$190,000

So these customers like C, by using the bandwidth, have driven up the costs per customer and cost A $10,000. While these numbers are completely fabricated, there will be some loss for A. And A, as the ISP, will ultimately have to transfer this cost to B in some form. Even if the ultimate costs to A and B are small, stealing a little is still stealing.

So I'll conclude that using an unprotected wi-fi network without permission is stealing. However, I'll also say that if the Bs of the world don't want others to use their network, they should protect it. You wouldn't leave dollars bills on your front lawn would you? At the same time, I'd hope that people would actually be willing to share their wi-fi networks (notwithstanding A-B contracts), provided their experience isn't negatively effected by the use of others.

iTunes Movie Store: What Features?

After reading this article in the New York Times, I started thinking about what an iTunes Movie Store would look like. From the sounds of this article in the New York Times, Hollywood is just not getting it: people want something like the iTunes Music Store. It's that simple. (While a rental or subscription model is also interesting, I'm gonna focus today just on the purchase model.)

Getting a video
Ideally here's what should happen. You think of a video (movie, television show, etc.) you want to watch. You go to the iTunes Movie Store (or whatever competitor might exist). You find the song, purchase it, download it, and watch it. As you now own it, it sits in your library ready for you to watch whenever.

This could be very cool. How great would it be to be able to download entire seasons of The SImpsons and have them sitting on your computer whenever you want them? This would be the equivalent of the iTunes Music Store's albums. This would work with movies with sequels; seasons of TV shows; collections of the work of certain directors, actors, etc.; and so on. I've always thought that I'd like to go back and watch some obscure television that I missed or just feel nostalgic about (the 1980s Dungeons and Dragons cartoon, Small Wonder, the cunnilingus episode of Seinfeld, the totally un-politically correct early Looney Tunes cartoons, and other such assorted crap).

Copies of the movie
As the limit on burning playlists won't work, I'd suggest a time limitation on copying movies. For instance, you can burn up to three copies but then need to wait six-months or some similar length before you can burn again. The trick here would be to find a reasonable number that would keep consumers happy (those who want back-ups, want it on vacations, etc.) but prevent casual pirates making lots of copies. I think iTunes limits on burning playlists strikes a reasonable balance and similar numbers can be found for movies.

As with current iTunes Music Store protected AAC files, unlimited digital copies should be able to be made. This is especially true as long as you can't re-download your previously downloaded but lost files. (This is something that Napster does but the iTunes Music Store still doesn't.)

iTunes existing limitation on purchased music to five computers seems reasonable for movies as well.

Download speed
Probably the biggest bummer of this entire process is going to be the download speed. I'm sure some techie solution can help remedy this, such as downloading simultaneously from multiple servers. Still, if they can get it down to 30 minutes relatively easily as the New York Times article suggests, that wouldn't be such a big deal.

Pricing
Albums on the iTunes Music Store are anywhere from 2/3 to 1/2 the price of an album on a CD (assuming generally $15-$20 on a CD while only $10 on the iTunes Music Store). A similar cut for DVDs would be perfect. Rather than the $20 or so, how about $9.99? Episodes of hour-long TV shows could be $3.99 while half-hour episodes could be $1.99. Something like that would sound reasonable to me. If the prices aren't less than that, I'll stick to buying them in China (where the non-pirated versions are somewhere around $10).