Bose Sleepbuds revived by former employees under Ozlo brand on Kickstarter

When Bose discontinued its sleep-centric Sleepbuds II earphones citing low adoption, it left a lot of ardent fans disappointed at the loss of a flawed yet necessary device that filled a unique niche in the market. Now, the startup Ozlo, founded by three former Bose employees, has launched a Kickstarter campaign for an updated version of the Sleepbuds, incorporating new features that should adequately justify both its positioning and price.

Like previous iterations, the new Sleepbuds are small and optimized for comfort and a secure fit, thanks to soft silicone tips with pliable wings in four sizes. Battery life on the earphones is still 10 hours, with the case holding an additional four charges. However, the biggest upgrade this time is the ability to stream any audio content over bluetooth, and not just noise-masking, relaxing soundscapes (which were previously stored on the earbuds).

Also new is the ability to sense when the wearer is asleep and to detect noise, light and temperature disturbances in the surroundings, through a combination of biometric sensors in the earbuds and environmental sensors in the charging case. This data is used to generate detailed nightly sleep scores and to stop or change the playback automatically. The earbuds also feature an in-ear alarm.

Bose has tried its hand twice at the Sleepbuds, the first version discontinued with full refunds within months due to widespread battery issues, and the second, in 2020 due to low adoption. This time, the project is led by three veterans from the audio giant who are equipped with not only the proprietary technology licensed from their old company but also decades of experience in bringing quality audio products to the market, and fans of the original device have high hopes.

The Ozlo Sleepbuds can be reserved now on Kickstarter at discounted pre-sale prices, and will be available in December this year at an MSRP of US$299 on Ozlosleep.com.

Meanwhile, you can buy the highly praised Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II at Amazon