Not even Jason Bourne knows how to use a handsfree headset

By on August 6, 2007 in News
bourne

bourne
Originally uploaded by smstextnews.

Save me, save me!

It REALLY winds me up seeing people doing just as super-spy, Jason Bourne, is doing in this picture here.

The picture was selected by Fox Mulder (alias) who runs Palm Organised and who was making a point about being able to use a handsfree kit with a Palm TX.

It totally winds me up when people can’t use the handsfree kit. It’s HARDLY handsfree if you have to hold the microphone up to your lips for people to hear. You might as well dump the wire and just use the handset as normal.

You’d think that a super-spy would be able to afford a Jawbone bluetooth device, wouldn’t you?

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Ewan is Founder and Editor of Mobile Industry Review. He writes about a wide variety of industry issues and is usually active on Twitter most days. You can read more about him or reach him with these details.
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  • http://www.palmorganized.com Fox

    I wrote the article at Palm Organized, and even though I am advocating a wired ear piece because of its use with a Palm I couldn’t agree with you more.

    If you are a spy and you want to keep incognito holding the darn microphone to your mouth is a dead giveaway to anybody who sees you that you are on the phone. At least, if you let it dangle there is some question. All doubt is removed with that move.

    Thank you for generously referring to my site. You’re the best. I get SMS Text News every day in my email.

  • http://www.OTAir.com Jim

    Remember the context within the movie during which Bourne is using this wired headset. Sometimes, super-spies need to “dumb it down”…reduce the technology being used. As smart as Bourne is portrayed in the movie, he would realize the risks of using a wireless headset when being tracked by the ever-capable, increasingly technology dependent government agencies that were trying to capture him.

    A wireless headset sends it signal in all directions, it could be picked up by his trackers…”sniffed” right out of the air.
    A wireless also would pick up more background noise potentially making it difficult for the other person to correctly hear what Bourne was saying. Finally, by holding the microphone up to his mouth, he could hide his lips…preventing lip reading, and he could talk so quietly that his trackers’ range-listening devices, which they were making use of in this movie, could not pick up what he was saying. Being found to actually be talking to someone was not a concern of Bourne…it was not having that conversation detected.

  • http://www.atmasphere.net/wp Jonathan Greene

    I have to say it really bothers me too to see people talk like this, but perhaps someone will make one that actually works when you move outside so it’s not necessary to block the wind!

  • Mike

    …Or it could be that you look a berk talking to yourself, so the hand on the mic gives a context to your action.

  • Michael

    It's because bluetooth is so easily interceptible. With the whole CIA on his ass, he's not gonna use a bluetooth device. That's just stupid.

  • http://www.mobileindustryreview.com smstextnews

    And a phone call isn't?

  • Michael

    Sure, their interceptible of course. But everyone has a cell phone anymore, they need the number he's using. If they have just the slightest bit of knowledge that he's using a bluetooth device, a simple scan for bluetooth signals could give away his location (much less people use bluetooth with their cellphones than the number of people that have just have cellphones). Basically, unlike a cellphone, it's a risk that has no real payoff for him (I'm not denying cellphones are a risk, they definitely are).

  • mark

    He wont use bluetooth because bluetooth headsets can be it can be tapped by his foes.

  • mark

    He wont use bluetooth because bluetooth headsets can easily be tapped by his foes.

  • Derek

    Also, every bluetooth device i've ever used has a password built in, that is always 0000, or some series of zeros etc. Not very secure. Here he's holding it up to his mouth because he's in an exceptionally crowded and noisy place, and also so he can talk more quietly so that others don't hear what he is saying. He could not hold it up, but at the cost of privacy.

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