Listen Up! World’s First Smart Headphones Want to Be Your Workout Buddy
On your mark, get set, strap on your wearables, sync up any companion apps… and go! With The Dash making it across the finish line to be crowned the world’s first smart headphones, it seems like there will soon be as many options for wearables on our workouts as there are sneakers. And we’re totally okay with that.
This Kickstarter campaign from German company Bragi introduces us to a pair of wireless, in-ear headphones that aim to take the place of and then totally go beyond your current MP3 player and fitness tracker.
The lightweight little earbuds add a microphone, Bluetooth headset and heart rate monitor to sweeten the deal for the everyday jogger. Extra performance-tracking possibilities might pique the interest of extreme athletes by documenting cadence, g-force and airtime on top of distance, steps and pace. Like a little treadmill in your ear, Dash monitors heart rate, body temperature and even calories burned too. All without any pesky cables.
With 4GB in storage (room for about 1,000 songs) and built-in Bluetooth technology you can use The Dash with or without your smartphone in hand. Select, start and stop a workout by touching the left bud, and select a playlist, adjust volume or take a call with the right one. Audio transparency controls let you choose whether you want to cancel out noise or allow ambient sound in with a swipe.
While it may look a little bulky, Bragi tested hundreds of ears and shapes to come up with three sizes (small, medium and large) of its ergonomic design that they say will fit comfortably in a range of ears. The company calculates a pair to be worth at least $500, but you can dib your own set with a $199 pledge now to the Kickstarter project already surpassed its $260,000 goal.
iOS and Android apps will be available for free when the product officially launches and Developers are being encouraged to start planning Dash’s destiny now. The headphones seem worth their (light)weight in fitness-related gold, but Bragi hopes to expand Dash’s duties to include business, personal security, even telemedicine. With the right apps, they could be used as a walkie talkie, to make emergency calls, operate as a sightseeing guide or an audio prompter during a big presentation. Sounds good to us.
What type of tech would you want to bring on your next workout? What other use beyond your next jog could you see Dash being used for? Sound off below!