These wireless earbuds transform the sounds around you and preview a future of in-ear computers — here’s what they’re like
The Here One hooks your smartphone up with a pair of fully wireless earbuds to bring about ‘a new wave of computing’
Noah Kraft is definitely thinking big.
“Just as Microsoft put a computer on every desk, and Apple put one in every pocket, we want to put a computer in every ear,” he says.
The “we” there is Doppler Labs, the four-year-old, New York-based company that Kraft co-founded. It’s been interested in your ears since its inception — first with a pair of noise-filtering earplugs called the Dubs, then with a noise-altering follow-up called the Here.
The “computer” he refers to is the next step. They’re called the Here One, and they’re a US$300 pair of fully wireless earbuds, a la Apple’s AirPods. They start shipping this month.
In simple terms, they advance the sound transforming properties of the Here, then throw music streaming and a bunch of other tricks on top. In Kraft’s eyes, they could help bring about a new wave of computing.
Will that happen? Who knows! After briefly testing a working prototype of the Here One late last month, though, I can at least see why he’s excited.