Hearables

Heaeables
It's perhaps easier to begin with an anti-definition - an explanation of what hearables are not. We're not talking about a classic pair of on-ear or in-ear headphones or a Bluetooth headset, wired or wireless, that takes care of music and in some cases, phone calls. These are, instead, a starting point for something much more interesting.

Still, according to Gartner, 100 million Bluetooth headsets are sold every year. That's right Bluetooth headsets, otherwise known as the dorkiest piece of mobile tech ever (tied first place with Google Glass 1.0).

But compare that 100 million headsets to the sales of smartwatches so far - 1 million Pebbles here, 720,000 Android Wear watches there - and it's clear that unless the Apple Watch exceeds all forecasts, we're more interested in wearing tech in our ears than on our wrists, at least for now.

Nick Hunn, a 'wireless evangelist', CTO of consultancy WiFore and the author of widely read reports on the future of wearable tech, said in The Market for Smart Wearable Technology: "What makes hearables a very interesting sector is that they use new technology to enhance an existing experience. That's a powerful combination for a successful market.

"Lower power consumption does not just make hearables more effective for audio," he continued. "It also allows designers to add other capabilities. They're beginning to realise that the ear has potential beyond listening to music – it's an ideal site for measuring a variety of vital signs."Hearables could even boost the image of wearables as a whole. Take the Bragi Dash, an example of a truly futuristic wearable device. It's a pair of wireless earbuds - connecting wirelessly to each other as well as your smartphone - that's waterproof, gesture controlled, stores music, tracks heart rate and fitness, acts as a Bluetooth headset and looks very, very cool.

That last bit is important as in-ears have two chances at survival in a crowded market - look stylish or sound amazing. And just to be clear, the Dash means you can leave your smartphone, sports watch, chest strap and sports headphones at home when you're out for a run or training at the gym.

The $299 Dash started life as a Kickstarter campaign and should ship to 16,000 backers in the first half of this year. Not quite 100 million but expect a rash of upgrades to existing wireless, sports in-ears by 2016 and at lower prices too.

Read this:The best sports headphones for hi-tech training

We've already tested the in-ear coaching abilities of the Jabra Sport Pulse and Intel and SMS Audio's BioSport. These early devices have competition in the form of the upcoming Parrot Zik Sport and Sony's prototype Smart B-Trainer which adds heart rate tracking to its existing wearable Walkman.

Some wearables forego the connected/hearable aspect in favour of pushing classic style such as the world's first smart earring, the fitness tracking Ear-o-Smart, but this is the exception not the rule. If it's in or around your ears, chances are it will be talking to you.