Wearables maker Misfit, now owned by Fossil, is following up on yesterday’s news of Ray, a slimmer alternative to its flagship fitness tracker the Misfit Shine, with the launch of its first set of in-ear wireless headphones. Called “Spector,” Misfit says the idea was to create a “smart hearable” product – headphones that actually work like a fitness monitor.
Instead of just delivering your tunes during your workout, run or bike ride, the Spector headphones can also track your activity (and sleep, if you wear them at night), monitor your steps, calories, and distance, and even interoperate with the Misfit Link app to control things around you, like your smart light bulbs.
Misfit Link lets you do a range of other things via your wearable device, like advance the slides in your presentation, control your music, take a picture or a selfie or call yourself in order to find your misplaced phone, and it works with Misfit Bolt, the company’s smart bulb.
The headphones themselves were built in partnership with 1MORE, a Chinese acoustic technology company, and are endorsed by four-time Grammy winner and music producer Luca Bignardi, Misfit says. The device is described as offering deep bass and clear treble, noise isolation technology to allow for necessary ambient noise, and hearing protection safeguards.

Spector also features in-ear design with magnetic ear buds and a dedicated voice call microphone. This design is meant to make them comfortable enough for all-day wear or for sleeping in – in case you want to track your sleep duration and quality.
However, in order to function as a fitness tracker, the Spector headphones also have a small module attached to the end of the cord where the built-in accelerometer is housed. But this can attach to your clothing, so it’s not flapping around as you move. Spector syncs with Misfit’s mobile app over Bluetooth, like the company’s other fitness trackers.
How well the devices actually sound, of course, remains to be seen. Misfit says the Spector will become available in 2016.
“We developed the next essential product that we believe our customers want – seamless, comfortable in-ear headphones that deliver high-end sound and useful connected functionality in a gorgeous form factor,” said Preston Moxcey, vice president and general manager at Misfit, in a statement.
The idea to integrate Misfit’s health-tracking technology into a pair of headphones is an interesting one, as not everyone wants to remember to put on a bracelet, wristband or necklace to monitor their activity and movement. But headphones are an essential item that also get used daily – whether just walking around town or during workouts. It could make for a more passive way to get involved in the wearable space for those who don’t want to be bothered to put on a fitness accessory every day.
Misfit has not yet revealed pricing or availability dates for the Spector, beyond saying that it will arrive this year.
