With the impending extinction of the headphone jack, wireless earbuds are basically necessary going forward. But they aren't without their own problems – battery life and potential for accidental loss are chief among them. To help solve both of those problems, Ascape Audio is launching SoundFlow, a pair of earbuds that tuck away neatly inside a phone case that also charges them up.
Apple's AirPods work well, but they hang right down out of your ears, and some users report that they fall out. The SoundFlow Earbuds are much smaller and neater-looking, measuring just 27 x 17 x 16.5 mm (1.06 x 0.67 x 0.65 in. Instead of hanging down, they curl up into the contours of your ear, and can be tightened to stay put with a twist-to-lock system.
Ascape seems pretty confident that the earbuds won't fall out – just watch for the backflips in the campaign video – but if they do, the SoundFlow app can track their location from up to 1,500 ft (457 m) away. If that still doesn't help, the company says it will replace them for US$20.
Ascape says the SoundFlow is designed to deliver high quality sound with deep lows, crisp highs and clear mids, and this is driven by a graphene membrane. Battery-wise, the company claims the buds will last up to eight hours on a single charge, and can be fully topped up in less than half an hour.
When it's time to charge them, the earbuds can be tucked into the top of the SoundFlow SmartCase. A range of models means it will fit most new or recent phones from Apple, Samsung and Google, and boasts a battery capacity of between 2,600 mAh and 3,750 mAh depending on the model. The case can not only charge the buds but the phone too, and its sturdy design helps protect it from drops. The case itself can be juiced up through either USB-C or a wireless pad.
And if you don't need a phone case, the final piece of the puzzle is the PowerDock. With a 1,000 mAh battery, this small device will charge the earbuds up to six times over before needing a top-up itself.
Ascape is currently crowdfunding the SoundFlow gear on Indiegogo, where it's already more than tripled its goal of $20,000 with 17 days remaining on the campaign. Pledges start at $59 for the earbuds and PowerDock, $99 for the earbuds and SmartCase, or $129 for all three. If all goes to plan, the SoundFlow should be in your ears by February 2019.
Check out the campaign video below.
Source: Indiegogo
