World’s first fitness-tracking technology Jabra

WORLD’S FIRST FITNESSTRACKING TECHNOLOGY

Jabra is a global leader in the development and manufacture of wireless and corded headsets for mobile phone users, contact centres and office-based users. Philip Yorke reports on a company that through innovation and acquisition has strengthened its position on the world stage to be included in the top headset makers worldwide.

Jabra Corporation is a subsidiary of GN Netcom and has its roots in the Norcom Electronics Corporation of America, which was founded in 1983 by entrepreneur Elwood Norris. In 2006 GN Netcom consolidated its contact centre and office headset division under the Jabra Brand and this was followed by a restructuring of the company in 2008. This strategic move resulted in a greater focus on business-to-business and consumer markets respectively.

Today the company continues to focus on innovation and investment in new technology in order to extend its lead in the headset marketplace. Jabra’s head office is located in Copenhagen, Denmark from where it manages its diverse global operations.

Next generation sports headphones

Recently Jabra announced the launch of its next generation of wireless sports headphones with a fitness tracking feature – a world first. The company unveiled its Jabra sports pulse and Jabra Sport Coach special editions with improvements in fit, sound, durability and a range of other smart new sports features.

Just like the company’s existing line-up of Jabra sports headphones, the new editions offer quality calls, music for motivation and intelligent in-ear coaching to help enhance training effectiveness. In addition, these next generation versions deliver innovation in all areas, with passive noise cancellation, a broader choice of fitting options, improved durability and many unique, intelligent sports features.

Max data generated by the Jabra Sports Pulse Special Edition allows the user to track their fitness development and to get the most from a work-out. It uses intelligent in-ear coaching to provide real-time feedback based upon the athlete’s heart rate and level of fitness.

At the end of a run, the Jabra Sport Life app provides a range of information to help improve future fitness levels, including distance covered, pace, route, calories burned and training effect.

In addition, the Jabra Sport Coach Special Edition models are the world’s first headphones to feature automatic repetition counting through the TrackFit® motion sensor. Along with the integrated in-ear coaching, they provide the freedom to plan, track and focus on the day’s workout.

Advanced sports earbuds

Drawing on the heritage of the GN Group’s long-standing headset and hearing expertise, Jabra continues to pioneer unparalleled sound capabilities with the launch of its high-tech Elite product franchise. The first product to emerge from the new franchise is the Elite Sport range, which are the most technically advanced wireless earbuds on the market.

Elite Sport is the ultimate training aid that, delivering freedom of movement on any terrain. The fully water- and sweat-proof Jabra Elite Sport models are packed with advanced features including ground-breaking in-ear fitness analysis, strong battery life and music for all. When it comes to phone calls, Jabra Elite Sport benefits from two integrated microphones in each earbud. One captures the user’s voice and the other focuses on external noise. Together the earbuds overlay the two feeds, identify the background noise and remove it. This allows the athlete to take calls without interruption, listen to music and receive in-ear training tips.

Innovation and acquisition driving growth

In October 2016, GN Audio, the owner of Jabra, announced that it has acquired the VXi Corporation, the headset manufacturer of both the VXi and BlueParrott brands. “We are delighted to have reached an agreement with VXi. The acquisition further strengthens our position on the North American market, where we have shown strong

progress in recent years. We will build on VXi’s strong presence and reputation in the US and combine it with the international reach and professionalism of GN audio and the Jabra team,” said Paul Hamnet, president for GN Audio in North America.

Jabra is a brand of the global GN Group, which stands out as a world leader in intelligent audio solutions that transform people’s lives through the power of sound. The GN Group is made up of GN Hearing, with the flagship hearing-aid brand ReSound; and GN Audio with its flagship brand Jabra, which now also includes the VXi and BlueParrot brands.

The cutting-edge headsets and industry leading medical smart hearing aid technology makes the GN Group unique in the industry. This mix enables the GN Group to be the only company that can transform deep insight from both the hearing aid and the headset customers into world-leading expertise in the human auditory system, sound processing and wireless technologies.

The acquisition of VXi will further strengthen GN Audio’s presence and market share in the important North American market as well as enabling access to new and attractive market segments. It also gives GN Audio the opportunity to leverage VXi’s best-in-class expertise within ‘High Noise’ communication environments. n

For further details of Jabra’s latest innovative products and services visit: www.jabra.com