STG News
Through a new strategic approach, JBL is exploring a sustainable, solar-powered headphone: the JBL REFLECT Eternal. A first for the brand, JBL is using Indiegogo to crowdsource interest for a solar-powered headphone with unlimited playtime.
This concept marries Exeger’s revolutionary light converting material into a stylish form-factor for everyday use, paired with JBL’s legendary Pro Sound credentials. By collaborating directly with customers, JBL hopes to gain insights and feedback from consumers on self-charging, eco-friendly technology to ensure they meet the needs of the JBL user.
Consumers are able to participate in the Indiegogo campaign and provide early response to the concept. The initiative is live through to January the 14th, 2020. By receiving real-time responses, JBL and Exeger will incorporate consumers’ reactions into the optimal go-to market strategy and make any necessary product adjustments to meet customers’ needs.
In response to growing consumer interest in sustainability, the prototype for the JBL REFLECT Eternal was developed for music enthusiasts looking to implement greener habits into their audio world. Unlike traditional solar cells, which require a large surface area and are optimized only for outdoor use, Exeger’s unique Powerfoyle material is specifically engineered to generate power with indoor light and indirect sunlight. This makes the REFLECT Eternal perfect for active lifestyles, allowing the headphone to continuously charge whether in the office for the 9 to 5 or meeting up with friends from 5 to 9. Exeger’s compact and efficient solar cells bring uncompromised aesthetics with virtually unlimited battery life. JBL’s popular noise management technologies, Ambient Aware and TalkThru, will also be built-in to further complement the performance.
“We are looking forward to hearing from our customers and workshopping this sustainable technology with them in real-time,” said David Owens, Vice President, Business Development at HARMAN. “JBL has been working closely with our partners at Exeger to bring this cutting-edge solar technology into a headphone with JBL’s legendary Pro Sound, and we hope our customers are as excited about it as we are. JBL is pleased to be working with the right partners to contribute where we can to a more sustainable future.”
Exeger Founder and CEO Giovanni Fili said: “I am very excited to share the first culmination of our partnership with HARMAN – one of the world’s leading technology brands. Together we will introduce a self-powered headphone that can charge from any light around you. Like every investment in integrated clean energy, the more you use the JBL REFLECT Eternal headphones, the more you help restore the carbon balance of the planet.”
Consumers who choose to participate in the crowdsourcing will have the opportunity to pre-order the headphone once it becomes available at a discounted rate.