We finally get to see FreeWavz at CES 2015. For those that have not heard of FreeWavz, it is a wire-free headphone that merges fitness tracking into one. To make this possible, FreeWavz uses Bluetooth’s latest technology in which the left and right earphones form a wireless connection with each other. Similarly, one of the two earphones assumes a master relationship with the user’s smartphone to wirelessly stream audio. What emerges is a system that’s particularly liberating, with no messy wires dangling from user’s ears or leashed to user’s device.
Each earphone weighs about 1.5 ounces, with a battery life of 6 to 8 hours. FreeWavz also includes two microphones on each earpiece to not only pick up voice commands for smartphone control, but also ambient noise for what FreeWavz calls “environmental listen-through.”
FreeWavz’s unique over-the-ear design allows for the use of pulse oximetry technology, which shines a light from one side of the sensor to a sensor on the other in which it takes important readings like heart rate, beats per minute, steps, and oxygen saturation.
The data recorded through FreeWavz is sent to an app on the user’s smartphone. It also read audibly in the ear of the user, giving them frequent updates as their readings change. This means that users can workout with their heads up the entire time, which is ultimately safer than stopping or fiddling with their smartphone while in motion.
FreeWavz will be available to the public in early Q2 of 2015 for a price of $249.99.