Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Cheap solutions

My car isn't new. I'm reminded of that fact when I get a rental car for work and connect the sound system to my phone over Bluetooth. The new cars not only allow me to make and receive calls handsfree, but also stream music, play my phone's GPS sound, and even read messages to me. I particularly like the GPS and music (or audiobook) being coordinated so they don't play over each other.
I considered buying a replacement sound system, but the (almost) thousand dollars it would cost is a powerful deterrent. Instead, I found a Bluetooth audio streaming device that plugs into the audio input. It only streams audio, not phone, so it doesn't interfere with the car's Bluetooth phone connection. The streaming device seemed to be just the thing, until I realized I had to take it into the house to charge every night, and then reconnect my phone to it before leaving for work every day. That got to be a problem quickly. Plugging in a charger creates a ground loop and distorts the sound, so that wasn't a good fix.
I found the solution in a device I was given in a class: an external battery for cell phones. I found that I could leave a cord connected to the streaming device and plug it into my external battery to keep it charged, and as a bonus, plugging it in wakes up the device so I don't have to connect to it manually. I just take the external battery in at night to charge, then plug it in when I leave for work.
I've been listening to library books with my phone using this arrangement. It makes my drive seem shorter, and I enjoy the stories.

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