If you missed out on a pair of Bose's noise-masking Sleepbuds during the Indiegogo campaign last November, you can sleep easy knowing that the company has now made the device available to the rest of the public. The Bose Sleepbuds are designed to sit comfortably in your ears all night, masking traffic noise or snoring partners with relaxing natural sounds.
The company is quick to point out that the technology in the Sleepbuds isn't active noise cancelation – instead, it's what they call "noise masking." It works a similar way, but the buds play relaxing sounds that have been designed to take the edge off certain frequencies, rather than actively listening for them and emitting canceling wavelengths on the fly.
The Bose Sleepbuds come pre-loaded with 10 chilled-out "sleeptracks," including crashing waves, bubbling brooks, chirping crickets and crackling flames. According to Bose, other soundscapes could be coming in future software updates, so we're holding out for the classic "rain on a tin roof." Using the Bose Sleep app on iOS or Android devices, restless users can pick a sound, adjust the volume and how long it plays for, and set an alarm for the morning. The added bonus there is that only you can hear that alarm, so you can let sleeping partners lie.
The buds themselves have been designed to stay in a wide variety of ears, and they do so thanks to a banana-shaped bit that follows the contours of the ear. The rubbery tips come in three sizes and are designed to feel comfortable all night. Weighing 1.4 g each and measuring 1 cm by 1 cm (0.4 in), Bose says the Sleepbuds are the smallest product the company has ever made.
Battery life is said to reach 16 hours, and the buds are topped up through a wireless charging case that plugs in by the bed or can store another full charge when unplugged.
Now that backers of the Indiegogo campaign have all received their Sleepbuds, Bose has opened them up to the general public. The design of the commercial product has apparently been tweaked and informed by feedback from the backers.
A set of Bose Sleepbuds will cost US$249, and they're available now in the US and Canada. People in other parts of the world will have to wait until later in the year.
Source: Bose
