Tech accessory manufacturer ZAGG revealed a wireless version of its Flex Arc headphones at CES Wednesday. The Flex Arc combines Bluetooth wireless headphones and wireless external speakers into a single, wearable package.
Similar to many current wireless earbud sets, the Flex Arc stores the Bluetooth receiver in a collar-style frame that wraps around the back of the user’s neck. Unlike most manufacturers, which try do everything they can to minimize the size and weight of what they see as a necessary evil, Zagg puts the Flex Arc collar to good use by adding external speakers on either side of the frame. If sharing your music with others isn’t your thing, a built-in microphone allows the speakers to function as a hands-free headset for taking calls from a paired smartphone.
Aesthetically, the Flex Arc also adds a novel design tweak to the traditional Bluetooth earbud headset; the cords connecting the earpieces to the collar can retract into a housing on both ends of the collar, minimizing clutter when stored and removing dangling earpieces from the sides when the Flex Arc is in speaker mode. As with many Bluetooth headsets, the frame also features basic control buttons for changing song volume or taking a call on either side of the neck.
According to ZAGG, the Flex Arc lasts for up to eight hours of “music and travel time,” but did not specify how using key features, such as the speakers and microphone, might impact battery life.
The headset intends to come in three color combinations, black with gold buttons, black with gunmetal gray buttons, and gunmetal gray with gold buttons.
As one might expect, the wireless version of the Flex Arc headphones is quite costly compared to past models. The ZAGG Flex Arc Bluetooth headset will cost $99.99.