Following Dr. Dre‘s enormously successful Beats by Dre, celebrities are entering the wearable/headphone market, combining audio with health/fitness monitoring features.
Intel and rapper 50 Cent, through his SMS Audio venture, have announced a partnered to develop BioSport headphones. Their key feature is a series of biometric sensors integrated into a custom heart rate monitor. An optical sensor measures a user’s heart rate during exercise, relaxation and in between. Intel claims that the sensors can remove noise signals caused by body motion and ambient light. They will feature support for the RunKeeper app, and other app support is planned. Basketball player Carmelo Anthony will be the product’s spokesperson.