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After almost five years of development, Seattle's tech start-up, Human, has released its long-awaited $ 399 wireless headphones, promising audio quality, 32-point touch control, seamless integration of digital assistants, Real-time language translation, 9-hour battery life and 100-foot wireless range. They even become a Bluetooth speaker when they are connected to each other.
But the first thing everyone notices is the design.
The unique form factor includes two completely wireless cups designed to wrap the ears. Whether you're a fan of looks or not, there's no question they stand out among a group of existing competitors ranging from popular Apple AirPods to traditional Bose wireless headsets and more.
"It's a market that's just smothered with nothing really different," said the co-founder and inventor of Human, Ben Willis. "Everything is alike."
This is certainly not the case with Human helmets, as we discovered in more than a week of tests at the office and in the surrounding area.
When we first brought them into the GeekWire newsroom, several colleagues snorted and said that they found the headphones ridiculous. But jaded journalists are one thing and buyers are another.
A quick poll on Twitter suggested that many people would not wear the helmet, at least based on their image.
Would you like to wear them?
– Taylor Soper (@Taylor_Soper) August 16, 2019
But nothing beats trying the devices in person. So we went to the streets of Seattle to do our own market research. The general consensus of our small sample: most people thought that the design was cool. Some said the headphones looked like earmuffs. Some had trouble getting them in properly, at least in the beginning. Most found that the sound was nice.
"I thought that was the case, but I saw it in the ear and I understood that it was actually the headset," said one person to who we talked to.
Seattle start-up Human has just launched its $ 399 wireless headphones today. We walked around Fremont to find out what people think about this unique product. Here's what they said. https://t.co/G6pAUktUfo pic.twitter.com/TpAh3JK2VV
– GeekWire (@geekwire) August 20, 2019
Bill Moore, CEO of Human, who joined the company in 2016 after leading RootMetrics, said he and his colleagues had conducted consumer surveys on design, and that the results "have been extremely positive" without too much repercussion on aesthetics. The design will account for 90% of the ear forms, the company said.
Related: Will the AirPods unleash the next wave of technology? How could personal audio computing reshape the sector?
"It's almost shocking to see the difference between the imprint, the elegance and the curves we've tried to incorporate into this product," Willis said, comparing the Human product to the traditional in-ear headset. "And we think it's going to be something that's warming up very quickly in the market."
But everyone we talked to (in our certainly limited sample size) was hesitant to pay the price of $ 400. At this price, Human will compete with similar in-ear headphones at well-established brands such as Bose and Beats, and less expensive solutions such as Apple's popular $ 159 AirPod.
During our last week's use, we managed to get a perfectly fitted helmet, after putting up a helmet using the unique hinged design that secures and stabilizes them behind the ear . They felt a bit wobbly when they ran and exercised, which gave us the impression that they might fall, but they never did it.
The sound quality was impressive. touch controls are very useful; and the translation feature that works with an accompanying app (iOS / Android) was certainly cool, allowing a user to say something in any of the 11 languages and hear it immediately in another. There is also a thoughtful "mix" function that increases the sound of the outdoor environment, allowing the user to keep the headset all day long.
"We have designed this headset so that it fits your everyday life like no other headset, that it's about your commuting, your work at the office, your place when you go home and listen to Netflix or HBO, Willis said. "Helmets are used in a totally different way than they were five or ten years ago."
The product contains a ton of technologies, such as the six microphones that triangulate voice capture. Human has invested heavily to maintain optimal audio quality in a lightweight hybrid design. But the cost could be too high for consumers looking to buy a nice wireless headset.
Human hopes to ride the wave of wireless headphones, encouraged by Apple's popular AirPod, in a market that is expected to reach $ 15 billion by 2024, alongside the proliferation of voice technology.
The company has raised more than $ 26 million from investors, including Microsoft, which has signed a strategic partnership with Human that gives the startup access to translation services developed by the technology giant based in London. Redmond, Wash. Other contributors include Sage Venture Partners, Sugar Mountain Capital, Darling Ventures and Ropart Asset Management II.
Human also raised more than $ 500,000 during an Indiegogo campaign in October 2016.
Willis had previously sold two startups before launching Human. (Its co-founder, Joe Dieter, is no longer working full-time with the company and leaders, including Paul Cole and Mark Kroese, have left in the last few months.)
Human has 40 employees. Other company leaders include Ann White, director of marketing, who previously led marketing and device design for Amazon, and had spent more than six years at Microsoft before; CFO Ron Stevens, former CFO at RootMetrics and Haggen; Eliza Arango-Vargas, vice president of engineering, who spent eight years at Microsoft working on products such as Zune; and Jim Holt, executive director of firmware and software who previously worked for Microsoft and Intellectual Ventures.
GeekWire journalist Kurt Schlosser contributed to this story.
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