Sometimes we need 'space' to enjoy the silence, after a week
of struggling with a flurry; silence becomes something precious to us. But
unfortunately it's not that easy to get the peace that we want, there's always
'noisy voices' from outside which unsettle us, and in the end we feel annoyed
and disturbed.
Seeing this problem, a company named Doppler Labs is trying
to present an effective solution. They introduces Here Active Listening, a pair
of earplug which can manipulate the sounds around us in real-time.
Here Active Listening looks like a standard wireless
earphone, the outer part is a microphone that will accept any noise from
outside, but before the voice is transferred to our ears, DSP (digital signal
processor) will first process the sound in accordance with the specifications
that we want.
In performing its duties, Here Active Listening needs to be accompanied
by a companion application on the smartphone. Through this application you will
define what kind of sound you want to hear, for example when you are in the
aircraft, you can muffle the sound of aircraft engines, or the voice of
children who are running around or crying.
In such applications, Doppler Labs has prepared a number of
presets that are tailored to a variety of conditions in public places. For
example, when you are on the streets, you can reduce the voice of horn, or when
you are working at the office, you can drown out the voice of colleagues that
bothers your concentration.
In other situation, for example when you are visiting a
nightclub, Here Active Listening can serve as an equalizer. If you like blaring
bass, you can set it through the application, so this device will give you an
extra bass injection to your ears.
From a technical perspective, Here Active Listening uses
Bluetooth 4.0 to connect to a smartphone. The battery is believed can last up
to 4-6 hours, depending on the intensity of use. When the battery runs out,
Here can be recharged in a case that also serves as a charger - the charging
case is equipped with an internal battery that can recharge the device to full
twice in a one-time charge.
Here Active Listening campaign is still running on Kickstarter
until the next July, but their target has successfully exceeded. For this time
this earplug is only available for the US market, even so, Doppler Labs has
promised to immediately release Here Active Listening in the international
market in the near future, with a retail price of $ 249.