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AuraVisor takes on Gear VR, no phone required
Most current virtual reality headsets fall broadly into one of two categories: high-end options (Vive, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR etc.) that connect to a console or PC, and glorified phone holders (Samsung Gear VR, Google Cardboard et al). AuraVisor offers a third way: the freedom of an untethered headset, but you leave your phone in your pocket -- everything is built-in to the visor. It's a fairly logical solution to the fast-growing problem of family-friendly VR. Using your phone in a headset is quick and dirty, but it comes with compromises on compatibility and comfort. Not to mention the ever-present risk of your fun being interrupted by all the other things your phone does (email, calendars and myriad other notifications). AuraVisor put VR into a single, Android-based device that could provide a Gear VR-like solution to everyone, minus the anxieties of using a phone.
Bone conduction headphones let me ditch the boombox, but still cycle safely
Long bike rides are an easy way to burn calories without terrorizing your knees, but it helps to have some tunes to keep things fun. My rides usually take me through bustling urban streets and isolated stretches of waterfront, so pumping out a soundtrack using a Bluetooth speaker is usually a viable option -- mostly, anyway. Unfortunately, the wind-dampened output is never ideal and a high audio volume can burn through battery life, and bringing a backup device adds weight. Luckily, the ideal solution recently crossed my desk: AfterShokz's Bluez 2S bone-conduction headphones.
These wireless bone-conducting headphones let you listen while you listen
Kickstarter, it's a funny old place. A weird soup of real ingenuity and beermat ideas. Headbones might initially sound like it'll fall in the latter camp, but you'd be wrong. Once you know they're bone conducting headphones, the name reveals its clever twist. Yes, you may have seen bone conducting buds before, but Damson audio (who already makes related products) has added a few neat features that make Headbones worth a look. Headbones (we just like saying it now) are Bluetooth enabled, and have a 3.5mm passthrough, so you can add "wireless" to existing buds too, should you so desire. A built in microphone means Headbones works as a hands-free for your phone, and it's estimated you can natter/listen for 10 hours per charge. Damson hopes the sporty crew will like these, and bendy ear hooks and an IPX5 water resistant rating means that they should. As you can see from the photo, we got to check a prototype in person, so we know they're real (and they work!). The ingenious part? a special soundproofing technology means Headbones can run at higher volume without irritating audio leak -- happy you, happy people around you. We'll say it one last time: Headbones.
