The US-based company, Sonical, is here with a new headphone tech that aims to change the way headphones work. Named Headphone 3.0, it is undoubtedly an evolution for headphones.
According to the brand, it will give control back to the user. And it will do that through a headphone-based operating system. Eventually, Headphone 3.0 aims to enable a new world of headphone apps, which will go far beyond merely musical.
“End users select how they hear the world,” says Sonical about Headphone 3.0. ‘CosmOS’ is the operating system that it will come with, and the idea of Headphone 3.0, according to the California-based company behind the operating system, is that it is an evolved app system.
Sonical further states, “App developers are given direct access to the consumer to deliver a truly differentiated experience, exactly what they need, when they need it.”
So, basically, headphone manufacturers today have to make a choice on whether they want to include one feature or the other, or both.
With CosmOS, it would be possible to allow the users to install third-party apps, which can eventually enable the users to get additional features. The basics are pretty much the same as the OS present on smartphones.
As an example, the brand has recently made an announcement regarding a partnership. The partnership is with Segotia, an Ireland-based company that works with neurotechnology and advanced audio.
The Ireland-based company also works with sensing brain activity and user engagement technologies.
Headphone 3.0 would take advantage of these technologies and enable users to download personalized neuro-sensing applications. This could work in concert with music playback. It could also work for different purposes.
McClintock, a key member of the team which drove the aptX Bluetooth audio codec to success from its origins as a professor at Queen’s University Belfast, is involved with several new codecs and headphone technologies. And he is the one that is introducing the concept of Headphone 3.0.
The idea of having computers in our ears is not new. However, the aim of CosmOS and Headphone 3.0, which describes as the world’s first ear computer, seems to implement every possible new headphone technology and pack them in one OS.
Afterward, developers of smart devices could take advantage of the platform’s abilities and provide more flexibility to the end users.
Basically, what Sonical is aiming to achieve is to put in place the host that will allow App Stores to grow. Each of the apps that will be for the ear computer will bring enormous innovation.
And the same scenario is happening today. We are already seeing loads of developers of apps pushing audio devices to their limit to make the users get more out of them.
Slava is a man of mystery and no-one seems to know exactly where he is at any point in time. When he isn't enjoying writing about all things audio and technical he can be found researching his next project of interest. The man never rests.
