Well, it’s been two days since my EarJams arrived. There are two different feelings I have about the purchasing experience.
First, e-commerce can be great and it can really suck. I had a gift card from my mother-in-law. And I had ~$25 left on the card. So you would assume that the EarJams purchase would “fit” quite nicely on the card. Oh no, Kemo Sabe! That would be a mistaken assumption. I “ordered” (purchased) the EarJams online. The online transaction was approved with the simplicity of a key click. Then the vendor (Griffin Technology) tried to process the transaction a second time (on the next business day). Of course, the second transaction wouldn’t work because of insufficient funds. So after having an approved transaction (and funds withdrawn from my card), the purchase was declined.
As much as I want to whine at them, I need to give Griffin some credit. I called their customer support number. They recognized the problem (as it had happened with numerous other “gift card” purchasers) and they shipped the EarJams right away. Indeed, I had them the very next day!
So the first feeling associated with the EarJams is frustration with inadequate processes to hold/clear purchases on Griffin’s e-commerce platform. I am sure that they will get this cleared up. Also, you can always purchase EarJams through a reseller like Amazon.
My second feelings about the EarJams are – wow! I love the bass boost. I love the volume increase (as the sound is _closer_ to my eardrums). I also love the fact that the ear buds no longer slip out of my ears. This is an extremely handy thing – especially for someone who is active.
How do they sound? Pretty good. They are not the kind of thing you want if you are seeking crystal-clear audio reproduction. But if you can live with that, then they are worth the $14.99.
-CyclingRoo-
Category: Entertainment
Songs That Matter
What a mess! KC is getting hit by another winter storm. This time, the snow is falling at the rate of 1″ per hour. At 1:30 P.M. CST, I decided it was time to head home. There wasn’t much snow on the ground yet (about .5″) but that’s enough for me and the Batmobile. What’s the Batmobile? Long story. As a kid, I was known as “the Bat” because I was as blind as a…. I don’t drive. But I do ride a bike. Therefore, the bike is the Batmobile. I ride it to/from the office.
Well, the ride home was yucky but manageable. If I had left any later, I would be stuck at the campus. But since I subscribe to the “discretion is the better part of valor” addage, I bugged out before it got too bad.
So I’m at home. I’ve got iTunes blowing out a party shuffle from the main collection. BTW, I agree with those folks who swear that “shuffle” isn’t that random. Otherwise, how would “shuffle mode” result in three Switchfoot songs within an hour. But whether true or not, I’m loving the tunes. And now to the point…
Rick asked me to create a mix of “Songs That Matter.” Great idea. But Rick refused to give any guidance on the task. So I’m assembling this one based upon songs that matter to me. I’ve limited myself to thirty-five songs or less. I’m trying to shorten the list. But this is hard. Here is the list thus far (in no particular order):
- (Don’t Fear) The Reaper, Blue Oyster Cult
- Airbag, Radiohead
- All I Wanna Do, Sheryl Crow
- Bouncing Around the Room, Phish
- Burning Down the House, Talking Heads
- Call Me, Blondie
- China Girl, David Bowie
- Crash Into Me, Dave Matthews Band
- Dog Eat Dog, Adam & The Ants
- Dust in the Wind, Kansas
- Hotel California, The Eagles
- I Want to Know What Love Is, Foreigner
- Jeremy, Pearl Jam
- Just a Girl, No Doubt
- Killer Queen, Queen
- Losing My Religion, R.E.M.
- Material Girl, Madonna
- Money, Pink Floyd
- Money for Nothing, Dire Straits
- Mr. Roboto, Styx
- Mysterious Ways, U2
- Nights in White Satin, The Moody Blues
- Piano Man, Billy Joel
- Purple Rain, Prince & the Revolution
- Reelin’ in the Years, Steely Dan
- Riders on the Storm, The Doors
- Roxanne, The Police
- Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
- Smooth, Santana
- Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin
- Sweet Talkin’ Woman, Electric Light Orchestra
- Take on Me, a-ha
- Tiny Dancer, Elton John
- White Wedding, Billy Idol
- You Oughta Know, Alanis Morissette
So this is the list, Rick. Take your shot at it – if you can.
-CyclingRoo-
No Apologies for the Delays
OK. It’s been a few weeks since I launched this site. And a lot has happened. But if I don’t write it down when it happens, then why write it down later? Well, I won’t answer the rhetorical question myself. Here is what’s going on…
Last week, I finally received my iPod Shuffle. I had ordered the device the day that I launched this blog. I could say that I waited for my Shuffle before I resumed blogging. But that would be a lie.
First Thoughts on the Shuffle
Wow. Small, clean and crisp look, good sound. Five years ago, I bought a Sensory Science (long since out of business). It had 128MB of flash. It was extremely expensive then. And I did use it for a couple of years. But it was large. And the means to move data were crude. So when the Shuffle got announced, I decided to drop the $149 for the 1GB version. I am storing ~260 songs on the device. I have turned the flash drive on, and then off. It’s not that the flash device doesn’t work. It works great. But I want to use the device for sound first. I can already tell that that I will probably dedicate 25-50% of the Shuffle for file storage. But that will wait.
What were the downsides? First, the headphones didn’t work well. The left ear bud was woefully underpowered. So I called customer service at the Apple Store. Here is a synopsis that I sent to them:
Folks, you’ve hit a home run with me. I had to wait for the Shuffle. OK. It’s a popular product. But customer support was magnificent. I can’t tell you how much more I think of Apple because of my customer service experience. I want to thank the agent on the phone. I want to thank the agent’s management for instilling such a wonderful customer focus in their employees. And I want to thank the executives who have chosen to invest in the customer experience as an integral piece of the brand experience. For years, I have felt that the Apple “cult” was somewhat corny and kitschy. But after working (even briefly) with Apple’s customer support, I am now more willing than ever to consider Apple products as replacements for other products. Thanks for being competitive where it counts – in the customer experience. This is what brand identity is all about! 🙂
Second Thoughts on the Shuffle
Now that I have the new ear buds, I still think that the bass experience needs help. So I decided to use a little “coin of the realm” to boost the experience. I wasn’t about to buy something too expensive. After all, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money since I already had spent a few shillings on the Shuffle itself. So I went ahead and plunked down some change on Griffin EarJams. I should see them in a few days. But these gizmos are “inside the ear” resonating chambers. They fit over the existing Apple ear buds. But they are inserted into the ear canal itself. While I’m a little concerned about that, I’ll be careful when I use them.
I’ll report more on them once received. But for now, I just love the Shuffle. So I’ll spend the next few days learning more about iTunes. As a devoted Linux user, I am troubled that I am using a Mac OS/X app that’s been ported to Windows. But I’ll survive the humiliation – if y’all promise not to tell anyone!
-CyclingRoo-