Siri on the Run

I have finally decided to pull the trigger and get myself a pair of Apple Airpods (Pro 2). The key motivation has been to get a set that is comfortable for daily runs while providing decent sound isolation.

It the past I praised the virtues of the non-isolating headphones. I still use the Bose Frames on my trail runs at home. But these runs are in nature's sanctuary: it is just me and the woods and some wildlife. I also absolutely love the bone-conducting Shokz with a boom mike for teleconferencing. They sound fabulous (on both ends of a teleconference). And I also have Bose Earbuds which I use when flying - still nothing comes close to Bose when noise canceling is concerned. But they don't feel quite right when running.

One reason that had prevented me from buying the Airpods in the past was the white color. They just look like you have cigarettes sticked in your ears. And per the Apple / Ford rule you can have them in any color as long as it is white. But there is a solution: ColorWare. While not exactly cheap, the end quality they deliver is top-notch. 

I received my pair just over two weeks ago, just in time for the Singapore trip. Singapore is a great spot for morning runs - either along the river or around the Marina. Yes you come back totally wet, either just by sweating or combining sweat with rain. And the running paths are busy even before the sunrise. 

The noise isolation has proven to be just enough to immerse myself in an audiobook while still having some touch with the surrounding reality. The Airpods definitely fall behind Bose when flying, but for running in a city are perfect - lightweight and with easy controls, even with sweaty hands during rain.

One other aspect I have started cautiously exploring when running is the Siri interaction. The Airpods (unlike the other wireless audio devices I have) do not require any physical action (like pressing a button or double-tapping) to invoke Siri. And the runs almost always shift me to the "open mode" when many ideas come to mind and it is great to be able to capture them. So just "hey Siri take a note" and then dictate the key points it just works. I still need to explore this deeper and build some experience in efficient voice interaction, but for taking notes on the run it just works and sounds (pun intended) quite promising.