Former Linksys CEO Harry Dewhirst knows a thing or two about connecting people. After moving on from the monolithic internet connectivity company, the action sports enthusiast was looking for a better way for skiers to communicate on slopes and trails than shouting.
He founded YoAudio to design a solution to that problem. The water-resistant units arrive from the factory already paired to one another over a robust Bluetooth connection that can stretch up to 2000 feet. This one-to-one connection means YoAudio doesn’t need a cell signal to work, so they’re ideal for use in remote places to warn ski and trail ride partners about dangerous conditions (or to heckle their wipeouts).
The little black units are about the size of two AirPods cases laid end-to-end and promise 14 hours of talk time or 200 hours of standby. Swapping colors is as easy as pulling the old one off and clicking a new one into place.
YoAudio clips easily to helmets or other gear so that the one-touch mute button is never far from reach. Of course, leaving the channel open has its benefits: listening to friends eat it on the bunny slopes never loses its appeal. Interested slope shredders can back it on Kickstarter for $199.
In other tech news, check out Astell&Kern’s AK HC3, a hi-fi grade USB DAC with microphone connectivity.