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CLOSER LOOK
The Wi-Gear mission
statement is one that grabs you and
doesn't let go: "At Wi-Gear, we believe
that innovation comes from bringing value
to the user and not through blindly
pushing the technology envelope."
Sounds good, right? Their iMuffs wireless
headphones sound even better. Wi-Gear's
goal is to "create intelligently designed
products that improve people's lives." To
this end, they have focused on two
particular aspects of emerging
technology, Bluetooth and the iPod.
Said Mark Pundsack, president and CEO
of Wi-Gear, Inc. "(There were) two major
things, the iPod being one big side of it.
The (other was) Bluetooth maturing and
offering more capabilities. When we
started there were a lot of Bluetooth
(wireless) headsets being used in Europe
but not here yet. But then as Bluetooth
capabilities started to emerge (in the U.S.)
we decided to (make a wireless headset)
for iPod."
Pundsack said he had some hesitation to
start working with the iPod, which he
feared might just be a fad. "When I first
started with the company we weren't
even sure if we were going to go for the
iPod market, but then when the news
came out and we saw that their sales
were skyrocketing that was it."
He has never regretted his decision, and
admits that, even to this day, he continues
to be astounded by the iPod's broad
appeal. "I'm amazed at how early on we
had calls from grandmothers, literally 70
and 80 years old talking about how they
are excited about getting iMuffs – and it's
for them, not for their kids. This is the only
product I've ever worked with that literally
doesn't have a demographic."
iMuffs provide that same broad appeal in
large part because Wi-Gear worked hard to
make sure using them was easy. "We want
the user to be able to use this right out of
the box, (so we designed it so that) you
take two pieces out of the box, you plug
one in, you turn one on and that's it."
He adds, "One nice side effect of having
making the adapter that plugged into the
iPod was that we had control of both
pieces so we could make them work really
well together. We also spent time making
sure the ergonomics worked out. We tried
some competitive products and I kept on
having to take them off my head to figure
out what buttons to push – so we made
sure that our product worked without
having to look at it. Our buttons are easy
to touch when they are on your head,
there are three buttons, the big one is
play, and there's forward, back, and
volume is an actual dial.
The iMuffs also come with a feature that
allows them to be paired with your
Bluetooth phone, which means your iPod
stops playing when your phone rings.
Said Pundsack, "I've missed calls when I
was listening to my iPod and (this feature)
is really great. It automatically pauses the
iPod and you can switch over and talk, and
then go back to your music.
The iMuffs are selling well, and users love
them. In fact, Wi-Gear's Web site is loaded
with positive, unsolicited comments. But
the company is not content to rest on its
laurels, and continues to look for ways to
make their product better.
"We are going to continue to improve
software and hardware for the iMuffs, and
then there are a bunch of things we can
do within the stereo Bluetooth realm, like
making it smaller and wider, more sporty,
or stretching it to transmit from a
computer to speakers wirelessly."
Sporty, comfortable, and with a range of
up to 30 feet, iMuffs may just be the only
accessory your iPod or Bluetooth phone
needs. See for more
details. The iMuffs are priced at $179.99.
IMUFFS BY WI-GEAR > YOU'LL DEFINITELY WANT TO STAY TUNED
WORDS BY JONE DEVLIN
