Design used to follow function

  • mycodesucks@lemmy.worldOP
    101·
    8 days ago

    They do, but they are INCREDIBLY uncomfortable. Running 10km with an unbalanced extra weight on one of my arms is torturous to me, to say nothing for the skin issues that I get from one of those bands holding the sweat against me the entire run.

    Then, on top of that: slipping down the arm, tan lines, the bouncing of it, snagging it on things, how filthy and disgusting they quickly become, how they’re still damp the next day getting ready for a second run…

      • mycodesucks@lemmy.worldOP
        71·
        8 days ago

        Oh, the bouncing is even worse there. I don’t want a phone slamming into my hip repeatedly in the exact same place with every single step for over an hour. When you are running EVERYTHING that isn’t locked down immediately resonates with your run, and if the weight isn’t trivial it throws off your entire stride.

          • mycodesucks@lemmy.worldOP
            31·
            8 days ago

            I’m sure a tight belt is a good solution for most people, but I’m going to run right into the same problem I have with armbands - tight elastic is going to trigger my eczema as soon as I start sweating.

            And then even if a phone weighed absolutely nothing, I’ve still got to look at the screen to control it, which means either stopping motion or taking my attention off where I’m going, it’s still got to be set to the highest brightness to see anything on the display, and as soon as I’m sweating, the touchscreen becomes almost useless anyway.

            Do what works for you, but at the end of the day, I will never be satisfied trying to square peg a general purpose smartphone into the round hole of a run. Devices that were made specifically for this purpose and did it brilliantly used to exist, and don’t now.

              • mycodesucks@lemmy.worldOP
                1·
                8 days ago

                Appreciate the perspective. I’ll keep it in mind, but I generally use extremely cheap headphones with no controls because they don’t last long for me anyway. Between the sweat and the rough use, they only last a few months, and the extra cost for controls is an ongoing loss for me.

                If it comes down to it though, I’ll keep your suggestions in mind.

                • Ghoelian@piefed.socialEnglish
                  1·
                  8 days ago

                  Even those cheap af apple earbuds you used to get with ipods had a button on the wire. All but one of the sub 10 euro pairs i just found after one search also have it.

        • exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          1·
          8 days ago

          A belt should hold that down so that it’s not bouncing at all. It’s worth finding one that’s comfortable, and you can get used to it pretty quickly.

          I didn’t like mine touching my skin so I would tuck in my shirt while running with a belt.

          For a bigger ergonomics/comfort challenge, you might even extend out to run lengths where you have to bring your own water. I switched between handheld water bottles and backpacks, depending on length of run and amount of water needed. At that point, the weight and size of a phone is pretty insignificant in comparison.

          I don’t run as much anymore, but these days I’m on a smartwatch plus wireless headphones. The watch doubles as a payment card too, in case I want to buy something while I’m out. Like candy fuel for my run.