Intel Teams with SMS Audio to Release In-Ear Health-Tracking Headphones
posted Friday Aug 15, 2014 by Nicholas DiMeo
As we've talked about on the show, the health tech space is growing so rapidly that government agencies are now afraid of it. That means the industry is doing quite well. It also means we're seeing new and cool ways to implement health features into technology products, as well as some interesting partnerships. This all happened when SMS Audio and Intel joined forces this week to launch a new line of in-ear health headphones.
SMS Audio, the lifestyle brand of headphone backed by rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, has released a new smart headphone that will be able to measure your heart rate, which will be powered by Intel. Intel mentioned in January at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that the company was looking to get more involved in integrating health metrics into consumer products, and the SMS Audio BioSport In-Ear Headphone will do just that.
During the launch party, the two companies said that the new product will cater to runners, sprinters, exercise enthusiasts and anyone looking to improve their lifestyle. It was clear from the event that Intel is trying to outdo the current health tech competitors out there, taking subtle jabs at Nike+, Apple and Samsung throughout the evening.
Michael Bell, corporate VP and New Devices Group GM at Intel, said,
Intel is focused on driving innovation in the wearable technology segment by partnering with lifestyle brands like SMS Audio that complement our technology and design expertise. With SMS Audio, we will bring smart headphones to market that eliminate the inconvenience of add-on devices with an integrated, one-device fitness accessory offering high-end style and premier sound quality for an exceptional fitness experience. This is a prime example of Intel driving innovation in wearable devices while being a forerunner in merging lifestyle and technology.
We should expect the BioSport earbuds to launch sometime around holiday season. Intel said the headphone will be able to monitor your heart rate at any time so that the program will be able to identify workout habits by recording all of that data. There will be an accompanied app that will give out health tips and exercise advice in order to get the customer motivated to workout each day. Plus, the headphones will have the same high-quality sound that the SMS line has been known to have, essentially giving you the best of both the health and sound worlds. Additionally, the headphones are also water and sweat resistant, which is something some exercise products forget to include.
While pricing has not been announced yet, are you excited for these headphones? Would you try them out? Let us know in the comments.
