Muzik
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Do you really need a pair of smart headphones?
Muzik CEO Jason Hardi started his headphone company back in 2013 to, as he puts it, "connect the world." But even though he's been showing off versions of the hardware throughout the years -- and even received a small investment from Twitter earlier this year -- it's never actually made it to market. Until a couple of months ago. That's when Hardi and co. finally unveiled the Muzik One, which launched alongside a partnership with Spotify. What's the big deal? Well, the One is a pair of "connected" headphones that lets you share whatever you're listening to on the social media platform of your choice with just a tap of a button. Sharing music has never been so easy. Whether or not that's worth $300, however, is less clear.
Muzik's $300 headphones are ready to share your #nowplaying
Twitter-backed high-end headphones startup Muzik has finally released the smart Bluetooth cans it's been showing off for years. Muzik One's defining feature is what the company calls "programmable hot keys." Simply put, it's the ability to perform tasks by tapping on the headphones' ear cup. For instance, so long as you link your Spotify, Facebook and Twitter accounts to it, you can tap on a cup to start up a playlist, follow artists or share what you're listening to on social media. You can also use IFTTT recipes to give it the power to control various connected elements in your home, including the lights or your thermostat.
Muzik wants its smart headphones to do more than just share
Muzik's smart headphones are set to arrive this spring, and the company is looking for more apps to integrate with its newfangled cans. Thanks to a hand from Microsoft, Muzik launched an SDK for Windows 10, iOS and Android that will allow apps and services to make use of the headphones' smart keys. Muzik already announced the audio gear would allow to you share what you're listening to via social networks, and the folks at Microsoft used the SDK to allow sharing to Slack as well.
Why did Twitter invest in a headphone company?
Here's the hard truth: Twitter, as popular as it is, isn't turning a profit. Its shares recently hit an all-time low. Though it brings in plenty of money, It seems that the company is having trouble attracting new users. In an effort to do so, it's turned stars into hearts. It's launched Moments, a curated news experience for new users. It's diversified into video with Vine and, more recently, Periscope. It's even looking into expanding its 140-character limit to 10,000. And now, Twitter might also be looking to get back into music.
Muzik's smart headphones share your tunes on Twitter
Just about every streaming music app has an option to share whatever you're listening to. However, using that feature on your phone can be a pain -- by the time you've reached into your pocket and crafted that social post, the moment might already be over. Muzik thinks it can help. For a while now, it's been developing smart headphones whose smart keys let you perform numerous tasks just by tapping keys on an ear cup, including sharing to social networks. If you just had a musical epiphany, you can let the world know on Twitter or Facebook. In fact, Twitter loves it so much that it decided to make the company its first ever hardware investment.
