The curiously-named Mad Catz is bringing its range of AirDrives Interactive Earphones to the UK. Aimed specifically for people who do a lot of listening outdoors and want to hear their tunes while still being aware of their surroundings, the patented outer-ear design claims genuine safety benefits.
AirDrives use the ear "to conduct and radiate sound through bone and tissue" while, unlike in-ear phones, they leave the auditory canal unplugged - which has its benefits for the squeamish.
There will be three products from the company on launch in the UK. The AirDrives Adult and AirDrives Kids are aimed at the obvious audiences as the name suggests, with the latter claiming to be specifically designed for younger, more sensitive ears... clearly they'ne never been on a bus with a dozen schoolkids.
Last up is the AirDrives for iPhone, complete with all the required technology for integrating with your phone – a microphone and a cabled control system.
The products are available from www.airdrives.com, with suggested retail prices of £50 for the Adults, £40 for the Kids and £50 for the iPhone.