After going through an Indiegogo campaign, the Bose
soundbuds are now on sale across major retailers for US$ 250. The Bose soundbuds
are a unique sort of product and a departure from the usual audio equipment
that the company is known for. Despite the fact that they look like wireless
Bluetooth earphones, the soundbuds don't actually play music.
What they do instead is sit in your ears and play
specifically designed sounds that help mask ambient noises. Bose is very clear
on the fact that this isn't their usual active noise isolation that is present
on their noise canceling headphones. The noise masking in the sleepbuds works
by using sounds that distract your brain from surround noises fall asleep
easier.
The sleepbuds come with a range of sounds to help
you sleep better, ranging from the sound of the ocean, leaves in a forest, a
campfire or crickets in the evening. There are 10 different sounds currently
available, all of which are stored on the sleepbuds themselves, and more will
be added later through software updates. The sleepbuds pair with a phone app to
let you select your preferred sound but no actual audio is sent from the phone.
Along with letting you fall asleep, the sleepbuds
can also be used to wake you up. An alarm feature is included that wakes you up
privately without disturbing others around you. The sleepbuds are designed to
be worn while sleeping, so they feature a discreet design that doesn't stick
out of your ears and cannot be felt when you sleep on your side. Bose's
StayHear+ tips keep them in place so they don't fall out at night and are
comfortable on your ears.
The sleepbuds have a battery life of 16 hours. They
are able to manage this despite the small size because there is no transmission
from your phone and they aren't exactly blasting music in your ears. They come
in a case, which charges them when they are not in use. The case provides one
full charge, adding another 16 hours, giving you roughly four days of usage on
one charge.
The Bose sleepbuds are designed for those who have a
hard time falling asleep, whether naturally or due to background noise like
construction work or someone snoring next to you. Whether you think that's
worth spending US$ 250 is up to you but early reviews suggest people have found
them useful.
