Rapper 50 Cent’s headphone brand, SMS Audio, revealed last night that it’s developing its first wearable fitness audio device for an October release. Twice reports that the unveiling came at a launch party for SMS’ Sport line, a product series repped by NBA star Carmelo Anthony that includes three pairs of cans: the wired, in-ear Street by 50, the wired, on-ear Street by 50, and the wireless, on-ear Sync by 50.
Brian Nohe, SMS’ president, referred to the as-of-yet unnamed fitness device as a “biometric airbud,” perhaps implying that the ‘phones – which we can only assume will be wireless and earbud-like, with Nohe’s strange use of the term “airbud” – will monitor physiological statistics to provide the user with real-time information on their body.
We’ve seen an increased focus on this type of technology from audio gear purveyors, both big and small, recently. Earlier this year a relatively obscure company called Bragi revealed their pair of smart, wireless in-ear headphones – the Dash – that netted nearly $3.5 million in just 50 days, smashing its $260,000 Kickstarter goal more than thirteen times over. Among the device’s many cool vitals-monitoring features, the Dash tracks speed, time, distance, cadence, heart rate, oxygen saturation and energy usage. And on the other end of the aisle, we caught wind back in February that Apple had apparently been waiting patiently for six years on approval of a patent for earphones that can monitor your physical vitals in real-time, as well as provide feedback and motivation, personalized via their assessment of the body.
So while SMS hasn’t quite dropped any truly worthwhile particulars for this new device slated for a fall release, we can safely assume it will carry at least a few of the characteristics that have already become hallmarks of the wearable fitness niche.
We’ve reached out to SMS for any further details on the product – updates such as photos, specs and the device’s name will be posted here.
