Jabra, the big name in headphones and headsets, is releasing a pair of wireless earbuds that continuously measure the user’s heart rate. Designed for athletes, the Jabra Elite Sport are essentially an advanced activity tracker, earbuds, and a Bluetooth communication device all in one.
The heart rate tracking technology is called PerformTek, and was developed by Valencell, a company out of Raleigh, North Carolina. It uses an optical emitter and detector to notice tiny changes in the reflected light as blood moves through the capillaries of the ear.
Having a built-in tri-axis accelerometer, the device can even count your push-ups and sit-ups and the accompanying Jabra Sport Life app can act like a coach that talks to you through exercise routines. You can even take calls without stopping what you’re doing, as there’s a microphone built in and buttons to pick up or hang up.
The company promises they’ll stay safely put inside the ear and will run for about three hours at a time, which means a lot of people can run a marathon without having to recharge. It does come with a battery you can take along with you that can be used to recharge the earbuds for another two three hour sets.
Another advantage is that these buds are water proof down to one meter (3 feet) , so maybe you can even swim with them, and they’re guaranteed to not be damaged by your sweat.
While we haven’t tried these yet, and they’re still on pre-order, we’re certainly curious if they really solve the problem of measuring the heart beat while the user is exercising, something that wrist-worn heartbeat trackers seem to suffer from universally.
Here’s a Jabra promo video introducing the Elite Sport:
Product page: Jabra Elite Sport…
Link: Valencell technology info page…
Original press announcement…
