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Jaybird's Run earbuds go fully wire-free
Long before Apple declared the headphone jack obsolete, Jaybird has been a pioneering force in the world of wireless earbuds. With last year's Freedom, the company managed to deliver a solid combination of music quality, battery life and comfort. They weren't just good for athletic gear -- they were among the best wireless headphones we've ever heard. So, what's next? Like Apple with its AirPods, as well as a slew of companies at IFA, Jaybird decided to lose the wires completely with its new $180/£170 Run earbuds.
The best wireless exercise headphones
By Lauren Dragan This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. Read the full article here. If we wanted a pair of wireless headphones for working out, we'd get the JLab Epic2 Bluetooth. After extensive research—we considered a total of 147 sport-specific headphones and tested the 85 best-reviewed and newest options—our panel of experts agreed that they'd want to bring the Epic2 Bluetooth along on their next training session. The tough, lightweight Epic2 pair is easier to fit in a wider variety of ears than the competition, has better battery life than the other Bluetooth models we tested, and offers great sound for a lower price than most comparable cordless models.
Jaybird's Freedom wireless earbuds balance sound and battery life
True to its word, Jaybird's latest wireless sport earbuds are making their debut in the first half of 2016. The company's $200 Freedom in-ears are now available and I've been putting them through their paces for the past few days. This new model follows Jaybird's popular X2, adding customized sound through a companion app and an accessory that could end your battery woes. It's that mix of sound and features that makes the Freedom a worthy competitor when it comes to fitness-focused in-ear headphones.
Logitech buys Jaybird for $50 million
If you already make killer audio products, do you think spending $50 million on a headphone firm is a good idea? It is you're Logitech's management, which just cut a check for that amount to buy sports audio outfit Jaybird. Much like Ultimate Ears, Jaybird will remain an independent subsidiary of its new parent company, selling wireless sport buds. Logitech's interest may rest more on Jaybird's sport-focused wearable, Reign, which measures your heart rate variability during training. In a release, Jaybird founder Judd Armstrong says that his firm will "benefit from Logitech's global distribution network and engineering prowess."
Jaybird's sport earbuds offer customized sound with an app
Jaybird's line of wireless in-ear headphones has become a popular choice for listening to music during a workout. At CES 2016, the company has two new models: Freedom and X3. While both offer wireless connectivity, the MySound companion app is perhaps the most appealing feature for both. The software allows you to customize the audio based on your listening habits: You can tweak the EQ as well as save settings to the Jaybird Freedom earbuds so that no matter which device you're listening from, your sound profile is there. In other words, the settings are synced on the headphones, and Jaybird says it's the first to offer the feature on wireless sport earbuds.
The best exercise headphones
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a list of the best technology to buy. Read the original full article below at TheWirecutter.com. If I were looking for a pair of headphones to use in my workout, I'd want the Relays by Sol Republic. They are hands down the most comfortable headphones to wear while being active. They sound good, stay put without chafing or tugging, are light and resistant to sweat, and come with a lifetime of free tips (because you know those lil' buggers love to get lost in a gym bag). I came to this conclusion after extensively testing 38 models. Our tests involved a professional listening panel, three stress tests, and real workout tests. After all that, I'm confident the Sol Republic are the best fit for your fitness routine.
Jaybird's readiness-sensing fitness tracker arrives October 26th
Want a fitness tracker that can tell you when it's time to get moving, rather than simply record your movements? You won't have to wait long. Jaybird has confirmed that its Reign wristband will reach the US on October 26th at the $199 price promised back in January. The key to the Reign is its "Go-Score," which estimates your readiness for activity based on your heart rate variability -- the higher the score, the better-suited you are to going for a run or bike ride. It's also one of the few trackers that can handle swimming alongside exercise and sleep, so this may be your wearable of choice if you regularly hit the pool. So long as you have an Android or iOS device to pair with, the Reign may be worth checking out if you feel that other activity devices don't cover enough ground.
Jaybird's Reign fitness wearable promises to tell you when you want to work out (updated)
Because there might not be enough fitness wearables, Jaybird has announced its own wristband -- Reign. Health-centered (just like the company's recent Bluetooth headphones), we're promised activity and sleep monitoring, separating out users' movements by specific physical activity and sport. Details are otherwise pretty scant at this point: It will work with iOS, but we're waiting to confirm Android compatibility and we're looking to hear more details about "Go-zone," which will apparently read when your body "wants" to exercise and then remind you to do so. We've still got a lot of questions left to answer, but we'll be hunting down the band at CES for the rest of the answers. Update: Here's a few extra details. Yes, it will work with Android phones, and it'll be priced a buck shy of $200. But, while that might seem a little pricey for yet another fitness band, the Reign addresses quite a number of our niggling issues with most wearables. For one, its silicon heart is smart enough to know when you're walking, running, swimming or (with a foot-mounted strap) cycling. The details of how long you've performed those activities and how many calories you've burned are fed to a rather slick looking app that presents data to you both in broad strokes and in fine grained detail, if you like. It also knows when you're asleep and how well you've slept, without you having to manually put it into sleep mode. Based on that info, he Reign is able to figure out your ideal amount of rest based on your activity level, and will even tell you if you need to sleep a bit longer after a particularly restless night. Jaybird is perhaps most proud of the Go-Zone, which monitors how prepared your body is for exercise. It determines that based on variations in your heart rate. While you might only think you're ready to hit the gym when you're feeling 100 percent, the truth is your body is capable of quite a bit, even if you're operating at just 50 percent. In fact, you might even feel better if you push past that initial wall. The Reign will put all other activity trackers on notice around February.
Liquipel 2.0 nanocoating debuts with improved water protection, matches IPX7 and beyond (video)
We were rather stoked when Liquipel brought its "watersafe" nanocoating service from California to South East Asia in fall 2012, but it turns out that the Santa Ana-based company had another surprise lined up for us later on. At Startup Debut 2013 in Las Vegas today we saw the announcement of Liquipel 2.0, which claims to have "significant advancements in durability, corrosion resistance and water protection" than its predecessor. Specifically, the new version is "up to 100 times more effective... while maintaining component integrity and RF sensitivity." Obviously we had to see it to believe it, and to our surprise, this time Liquipel had a demo that let us submerge a 2.0-coated iPhone 5 under two feet of water -- you can see us going bonkers with it in the video after the break. According to Managing Director Sam Winkler, a device thoroughly treated with Liquipel 2.0 can actually achieve a liquid protection rating of at least IPX7: immersion at a depth of 1m for 30 minutes. While the iPhone 5 we tortured did eventually take in too much water and thus disabled the touch panel, it quickly came back to life after we shook off some of the water. Winkler added that his company's now offering its 4ft x 4ft "Liquipods" for shops that want to provide the Liquipel treatment themselves, but it'll be a while before all existing partners -- mostly outside the US -- can be upgraded to 2.0. That said, interested customers can already get the 2.0 treatment for the same price via the online service in the US. One final note: it turns out that Jaybird also uses Liquipel during the assembly of its sports headphones. Hopefully we'll see more products treated with the same goodness in the near future. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub. Myriam Joire contributed to this article.
JayBird launches BlueBuds X in-ear Bluetooth headphones for $169.95
If you thought JayBird's Freedom Sprint headphones were the only pair the company had planned for release this year, think again. Today marks the launch of BlueBuds X, an in-ear Bluetooth set with a microphone for taking calls, and a selection of the company's trademarked features. "Shift" technology promises lossless decompression of audio, while "PureSound" filters out white noise present in the vocal range. The headphones also boast "SignalPlus" to ensure stable pairing, the secure fit wings you see above so they stay nice and snug, and an eight-hour battery life. As usual, JayBird is targeting BlueBuds X at the fitness and sports market, but we reckon they'll probably work just as well outside of the gym. If you fancy picking up a pair, then head to the source link below to order them in "Midnight Black" or "Storm White" for $169.95 a piece.
JayBird intros Freedom Sprint: the JF3 Bluetooth stereo fitness headset gets 40% smaller
It's been quite a while since we last heard from JayBird, but now it's back with another set of Bluetooth in-ear headphones for fitness activities. Unveiled and available today, the new Freedom Sprint ($130, pictured right) joins the ranks of the company's Freedom JF3 headset ($99) -- it's essentially the same Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR headset, albeit with 40-percent less of a footprint for the earpieces (33 x 16 x 8 mm vs. 44 x 19 x 9 mm). The petite size naturally means a smaller internal battery (rated for 4.5 hours, compared to the original's six), but JayBird let us know that the Sprint is acoustically identical to the JF3. While size is the main focus, there are also a few other improvements being toted in the Sprint -- it sports a micro-USB port for charging (changed from mini-USB), a softer cable between the buds, an inconspicuous notification LED, enhanced call quality and the multifunction button has been repositioned to the top of one of the earpieces (the JF3's is on the outside). Sounds like the Sprint could be the $130 ticket if Bluetooth, small size and a secure fit are your main concerns for a pair of in-ears. You'll find more images in the gallery below and further details at the source link. %Gallery-163628%
Jaybird JF3 Freedom Bluetooth stereo headset shipping next week, enhanced with new cushions
Jaybird's been pretty quiet about its latest Bluetooth offering. In fact, the company actually sneaked a few of its JF3 Freedom sports headphones into some stores back in April, but they quickly ran out of stock -- we imagine it was either a test run or the product needed some tweaking. Regardless, we've just been informed that the JF3 will finally be available to all starting next week, with Jaybird's online store currently taking pre-orders for $99 a pop (including free delivery), followed by wider availability at retail stores in late July. What's more, these sweat-proof stereo buds are now enhanced with new blade-like silicon ear cushions -- head past the break to watch Jaybird founder Judd Armstrong ecstatically shake his head to show off the secure fit. %Gallery-126241%
Jaybird's SB2 Sportsband Bluetooth headset ain't afraid of no rainbow
Not wasting any time on trumping the original, are we Jaybird? Just a scant five months and change after introducing the eye-pleasing SB1 Sportsband Bluetooth headphones, along comes the SB2 for those who just like to live life on the vivacious side. In fact, the SB2 isn't all that different than the SB1 in terms of features, but if you're scouting a set with a little lot more flair, you'll find these available in nine fresh colors: Limonade Green, Sonic Blue, Orange Crush, Runner's Red, Toffee Apple Red, Midnight Black, Polar Blue, PowderPuff Pink and -- drum roll, please -- Snow White. You should know, however, that these also ship with apt-X onboard, which is said to "clean up" your jams while adding depth, bass and treble, and if your BT device has apt-X (or if you use an apt-X enabling BT adapter), these guys can kick it up a notch further with "CD quality output." Best of all, these are still priced at $99, making the toughest decision of all which hue to pick.
Jaybird's SB1 Sportsband Bluetooth headphones finally find their aesthetic calling
With product names like "Endorphin Rush," "Freedom," and "The Tiger Eyes" for its headphones, it's always been clear that Jaybird strives for a little bit more when it comes to the image associated with its listening devices. So naturally the imaginatively named "SB1 Sportsband" set of Bluetooth headphones would bring one of the classiest designs we've seen for that purpose, and certainly Jaybird's most stunning contribution to the market. The headphones boast about eight hours of stereo music use, feature moisture-protected music controls, and can even handle the odd call or two. They're shipping now for $89. [Thanks, Matt A.]
Jaybird releases 2009 Bluetooth Stereo Claws, earbuds, and more
Jaybird's just unleashed their products for 2009, with updates for their athlete-targeted A2DP Bluetooth Stereo Claws. The new ones (which look exactly the same as their previous models) feature apt-X audio compression, giving these puppies a high sound quality the company says will "rivaling wired" ones, plus new tips for sound isolation and a modified design to fit a wider range of ears. The company's also rolling out new metal-cased Tiger Eyes earbuds and over ear Acoustic Dens. We don't have any word on pricing for this stuff, but we'll get an up-close gander at them at CES and they should be available in April... when our Go-Go's-infused work outs should get a little more high def. Check out the other two products after the break.Update: Just got word that the company will release all three of the above with tweaked product names, and we also got the pricing info: Freedom Wireless Headphones will run you $129.99, the Tiger Eyes Earbuds will be $99.99, and the Endorphin Earphones will also be $99.99
JayBird reveals JB-200 Bluetooth Stereo Headset
Chances are, that JB-100 you picked up 'round Christmastime last year isn't even broken in yet, but JayBird's already launching the aforesaid device's proper successor. The just-introduced JB-200 features complete AVRCP music / call controls, an improved fit (25-percent narrower ear-tip), better sound isolation, higher-grade silicon tips, boosted bass performance and a 1-inch longer behind-the-neck cord. For those rolling without an A2DP-capable handset / handheld, the company still offers up its Bluetooth Adapter for iPod or the Bluetooth adapter for MP3, the latter of which functions with practically any DAP or PMP. You'll also get around 5.5-hours of music listening time, 6.5-hours of talk time and 110-hours in standby mode. The JB-200 should be shipping out as we speak for $129.99, but folks needing one of the previously mentioned adapters will be coughing up an extra $30.[Thanks, Donald] %Gallery-21121%
JayBird reveals JB-100 Bluetooth stereo headset, iPod adapter
Granted, you've got some options out there when scouting a new set of Bluetooth earbuds, but you won't find us kvetching over a little competition in the totally unsaturated market. JayBird is stepping up to the plate with its stylish JB-100, which boasts a built-in microphone for handling handsfree calls, noise / echo suppression technology and 6.5-hours of talk time (5.5-hours when listening to jams). Additionally, the unit is said to be water resistant, and you'll even get a handy charging dock and mesh carrying case should you choose to pick one up. For those clamoring for iPod / DAP support, you can snag one of two adapters (shown after the jump) -- a Made for iPod version that plays nice with dock connector inputs and a vanilla iteration that plugs directly into any 3.5-millimeter audio jack. So, what's all this kit going to cost? Try $129.99 for the headset and $49.99 apiece for the BT adapters, all of which are available right now.[Via CNET]
