This device is not for punishment, nor was it
designed to deny you pleasure. It is, however, meant to preserve the quality of
life of the people around you especially if you work in open offices like
some of us at Engadget do. The Hushme works as a pair of Bluetooth earbuds, but
the real draw is the voice mask attached to them they snap together in front
of your mouth thanks to some surprisingly strong magnets, allowing you to take
your phone calls in relative peace and quiet.
There are ways two ways that your
conversations are shielded from the world at large. A pair of thick cushy pads
does a decent job muffling your voice, but the Hushme team added a series of
sounds that play through some external speakers to obscure things even further. Normally that would be a dealbreaker for a device
tailor-made to keep the decibels down, but the list of available and
forthcoming sounds might make the whole thing worth it.
For instance, a Hushme staffer at the company's CES
booth strapped on the headset and let the sounds of some R2-D2-style beeping
drown out his explanation of the company's plans. Heavy, Darth Vader-ish
breathing is a potential option too, as are more soothing choices like the
sound of rain or a gentle wind.
What's more, Hushme reps floated the idea of
straight-up voice changing as a possibility, which is thematically a little
silly when you consider the device's goals. Really, we'll just have to wait and
see, Hushme plans to get a crowdfunding campaign going this year, and the
headset is expected to cost around US$ 200.
