Bluetooth Dive Computer Yet?

[gajahduduk]

It's going on summer 2010. Are there still no dive computers using Bluetooth for data transfers and downloads?

It's time go get rid of those dumb proprietary cables and ditch IR which many new computers don't have and was never a technology meant for data transfer anyway.

Bluetooth would also allow sync with mobile devices like iPhones, etc.

 

[reefduffer]

Another thing a bluetooth-enabled dive computer would allow is audio to an earpiece that could be worn under a hood. One real limitation of dive computer audible alarms today is that they often can't be heard if you're diving with a hood.

With today's technology, it would be very straightforward for your computer to 'voice synthesize' alarms and even periodic (as optionally selected), or on-demand (press a button) status of depth, tank pressure, safety stops, etc. Why look at your computer? Think of it as a heads-up display, but in several ways even better.

Going further, there's opportunity to use that same bluetooth headset for buddy attention and even voice-synthesized presentation of text messaging.

This has been discussed before, and some people are really upset at the loss of their silent and low-communication underwater world. I say, fine, don't use it, your world can remain silent. Think of the plus, you'll be less annoyed by the tourist's tank bangers and quackers if they are communicating this way with just their buddy.

 

[kiknads]

It would also eat batteries

 

[duvernet]

Check out Shearwater it is Bluetooth enabled

 

[Becca_007]

Interesting. I have no trouble hearing my computer alarms or the alarms of those around me while wearing a hood.

 

[Brewski]

It would also eat batteries

more than those that use IR or a cable?

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[ScoobaDood]

The Shearwater units look nice. Pricey, but very nice. They even include a USB/Bluetooth adapter incase you dont have Bluetooth on your machine.

Shearwater Research - Home

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The Predator SA is $1145. Not pricey for a trimix computer.

 

[Don Burke]

For the dive computer to desktop or laptop link, Bluetooth would work fine.

For underwater use, that 2.4 GHz signal is not going to work worth a crap.

Another thing a bluetooth-enabled dive computer would allow is audio to an earpiece that could be worn under a hood. One real limitation of dive computer audible alarms today is that they often can't be heard if you're diving with a hood.

With today's technology, it would be very straightforward for your computer to 'voice synthesize' alarms and even periodic (as optionally selected), or on-demand (press a button) status of depth, tank pressure, safety stops, etc. Why look at your computer? Think of it as a heads-up display, but in several ways even better.

Going further, there's opportunity to use that same bluetooth headset for buddy attention and even voice-synthesized presentation of text messaging.

This has been discussed before, and some people are really upset at the loss of their silent and low-communication underwater world. I say, fine, don't use it, your world can remain silent. Think of the plus, you'll be less annoyed by the tourist's tank bangers and quackers if they are communicating this way with just their buddy.

 

[Matt S.]

I actually really like IR. For dive computer data transfer, not a phone headset!

The data set from a dive is TINY. I hold my dive comp up to the $5 IR dongle on my laptop and the data is zipped over in a couple of seconds.

Whereas, with all of my Bluetooth gadgets, I have to re-pair them once in a while. And Bluetooth isn't ubiquitous on computers either. My nice laptop has it. My cheap one doesn't. And have you ever gone through the Bluetooth gadget pairing process on a laptop? On both Windows and Mac, it kind of sucks!

So while I am a huge gadget fan--I dive a Galileo Sol with the stupid heart rate monitor--there are some things I want to "just work" and in my experience, my IR dive computer is less troublesome than Bluetooth anything.