If the Galileo Sol--mentioned several times here--is so great in this "data geek" niche, why do you guys want Shearwater to try to compete? Does Galileo customer service suck? Are they not as reliable as you'd like?
Should Shearwater add Air Integration to its computers?
- Thread starter boulderjohn
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muzikbiz22
Contributor
At one time, BMW was adamant about not putting cup holders in it's cars. Customers in the US market spoke out, and ultimately, BMW "caved in" and put cup holders in it's vehicles. Integrity wasn't sacrificed, BMW purists "got over it", and BMW sales grew and continue to grow, and remains one of the best and most profitable car companies on the planet, if not the most profitable. Just because the feature is included doesn't mean you have to use it. Not to mention, the cars computer calculates "gas usage in real time". Go figure, the horror !!! The ultimate DRIVING machine, and the ultimate DIVING machine. Just sayin'. Put wireless AI in there, and be done with it. Again, Shearwater you're leaving money on the table.
Nobody is saying they want to not check gas. They are saying they want to check it via a quick glance at the wrist instead of the more complicated maneuver required to check a gauge clipped to their waist.
What's wrong with developing muscle memory and a habit of glancing at your wrist instead of unclipping, holding up, then reclipping?
AI does not prevent the development of a skill. It simply changes the mechanics required to execute the skill. It makes them easier and quicker.
You can say it compensates for low situation awareness. I might say that it reduces the task load burden of checking gas.
As my old boss, Keith Code (motorcycle riding coach), used to say, "you have $10 worth of concentration. If you spend all $10 on your brake lever, you don't have any left to spend on where you're going."
In other words, if you have a bunch of stuff you are trying to pay attention to, isn't it a benefit to have the amount of your concentration that you have to devote to checking your gas be reduced? Even if you have developed such an ingrained habit for checking a clipped off SPG that it only takes $0.10 worth of your concentration, isn't it still better if you instead develop an ingrained habit of glancing at the pressure readout on your wrist and that only takes $0.05 worth of concentration?
Or, another way of saying it, "I recognize that I have finite capacity for multi-tasking. I can use technology to reduce my task load so that I can accomplish the same things more easily and/or safely."
---------- Post added January 13th, 2016 at 10:21 AM ----------
Oh, and I have a question:
Suppose you feel like you can check your gas just as quickly and easily as you could with AI because you route your SPG hose under your left arm and clip your SPG somewhere on your chest. You can check your gas just by glancing down and seeing the gauge (assuming the gauge face hasn't gotten twisted away from your face or anything).
Now, you're diving dry and you have your SPG HP hose and your dry suit inflator hose both routed under your left arm to your chest area.
You get a stuck dry suit inflator valve and need to make an emergency inflator hose disconnect.
Which is safer in an emergency? Having 2 hoses coming under your left arm and having to grab the right one to disconnect it? Or having 1 hose coming under your left arm (because instead of the other you have a hoseless connection to an SPG on your wrist) and having to disconnect it?
Or, alternate question, why is this not an issue?
Basking Ridge Diver
Contributor
It just seems like a solution looking for a need. And not a very big demand on that need.
Still, there are those of us out here who think cup holders and anything else that has the potential to encourage drivers to take their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road are not a great idea. I witnessed a serious accident last night on my way home from work. Driving down the highway, I continually see other drivers glancing furtively into their laps to read or type. Things left off a car don't cause problems.
AJ
Contributor
Interpreting information is complicated, unclipping and clipping an SPG is not. It's an unconsious thing you do and is totally automated. Same as wrist movemment. SPG or AI does not matter in that sense.
It's not an issue because your drysuit inflator is connected on the chest on the right. The SPG hose does not come under your left arm when clipped away. So no issue. BTW, how often did you have a emergency ike this?
Let's face it: there no added safety to be found in AI, just convenience to some. That's fine, but there's no real advantage to AI.
NO
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
Actually, I don't use my Sol for "data geek" purposes. I use the AI function for what it is primarily--to check my gas and get a reading of my predicted remaining gas time with a quick glance at my wrist.
I don't know that Scubapro service "sucks" I had one problem with my sol (which I had bought used and so no warranty). It was a fault on a circuit board. Rather than fix it (a complicated repair that required opening the case, etc), Scubapro offered me a new replacement, that would carry a warranty, at a significant discount from even places like Leisurepro. I thought it was fair and very good customer service on a used no-warranty item. To be sure, I was going through my LDS, which is a Scubapro Platinum dealer and who went to bat for me (going through a dealer does make a difference with Scubapro who strongly supports dealer sales), but I was satisfied.
As for reliability, I know a fair amount of Galileo users who have never had a problem. Mine was a freak, and handled well by Scubapro. My wife's has been rock solid, as is my new one. There might be more reports of failures than with Shearwater, but there are a lot of Galileos out there and for quite a few years so that needs to be considered (and there have been occasional reports of Shearwater faults and failures as well). Overall, I think their reliability reputation is solid.
I am in no hurry to "dump" my Galileo, which has the best AI in the business, one of the very best compasses, extremely good visibility and legibility and good data layout on the screen (the best non-color screen going), user changeable battery,and very, very long battery life. I can do multi-gas (with or without AI) and trimix with the upgrade.
Why do I like Shearwater, well, what's not to like? Rrom what I have seen, Shearwater's service is even better, , than Scubapro--all to the good. My other main reasons for liking Shearwater are the color display (a very big benefit) and straightforward, transparent and adjustable deco algorithm. The new compass on the Perdix also surpasses the Galileo. I will be the first to admit, changing from the Sol to a Perdix would be a luxury for my rec diving (even the Sol is a a luxury), but I would buy a Shearwater if it offered the AI. Indeed, for me, AI is more of a "need" than adjustable GFs for my recreational diving. So, my money is there for them, if they can implement that feature.
I have never once confused my drysuit inflator hose with my SPG hose... And while I keep my spg clipped off to my left waist d-ring, even if it were clipped to my left shoulder, it is still nowhere in the vicinity of my drysuit inflator hose, which is pretty much in the centre of my chest.
And I've not yet once unclipped either of my stages when actually going for my SPG...
it's a non-issue
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