By Chris Smith
Are smart headphones the next mobile breakthrough? That’s what LBTech seems to think, as the company created and launched one such product type on Kickstarter. Announced on Tuesday, the Elbee smart wireless in-ear headphones are available for preorder on the popular crowdfunding site, aiming to reach $250,000 in pledges by November 21st.Priced at $149 on Kickstarter, or $120 off the future retail price, the Elbee headphones are only scheduled to ship next November, assuming the project is fully funded.Each pair of Elbee headphones will provide a variety of smartphones will provide various features on top of playing sounds. The company behind the project says the Elbee can recognize your voice or movements, and integrates with apps for voice-based app control.
The Elbee headphones come with a dedicated app for iPhone or Android that lets users customize gestures (head tilting) and voice commands. There’s also a button that can be pressed for added controls. The headphones also come with always on listening features – just say “Ok Elbee” out loud followed by a voice command to obtained the desired effect.Elbee headphones will supposedly work with music apps, Google Maps, email and messaging apps, and smart home apps and devices. As shown in the video below, Elbee can be used to turn the lights on and off, as long as the light system is also a smart one.
The full press release also follows below, with the Kickstarter campaign available at this link.