Bone Appetit: Savoring the Benefits of Bone Conduction Technology with the Shokz OPENCOMM 2 UC Stereo Headset

The buzz of the exhibit hall at this year’s riveting ITEXPO (held this past February in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,) was a rousing good time. There, I happened upon the opportunity to test out the Shokz OPENCOMM UC Stereo Headset with bone conduction technology, and it was time well spent. (My full review can be found here.) The headset’s transducer is able to convert electric signals into mechanical vibrations that, in turn, pass through bone and are interpreted as sound waves. (Such technology, I’ve since learned, is also applicable for bone-anchored hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other types of communications devices.)

Well, as fate would have it, the bone conduction-related, eardrum-bypassing news keeps coming! (Do pardon my puns; I just love the sound of them.)

Shokz officially announced its OPENCOMM 2 UC headset. This is an upgrade to the OPENCOMM UC (that still uses Shokz’s patented open-ear technology), and it includes a new and important feature:

It’s Zoom Certified.

Designed specifically for optimized at-home and on-the-go workplace experiences, the OPENCOMM 2 UC is engineered with 7th-generated bone conduction tech and is fully coated in soft silicone, making it lightweight and flexible (on top of super comfortable for all-day wear). And as mentioned, it’s Zoom Certified; this allows the headset-wearers to easily control Zoom functions via the dedicated buttons built right in.

Per Zoom’s Hardware Certification Program: “Zoom Certified Hardware has undergone comprehensive testing and review to ensure seamless communications. The Zoom Certified badge lets customers know they can expect a truly high-quality, reliable user experience.”

If you (or a hybrid worker – or even a gym-frequenter or an always on-the-goer – that you know) are looking for clear and properly filtered vocals with sustained situational awareness (and no moments spent removing earbuds or over-the-ear headphones to hear or concentrate), this Shokz headset is worth the consideration - especially in an age when, according to a U.S. Census Bureau Survey, 17.9% of Americans, i.e., roughly 27.6 million people, worked from home by the end of 2021 alone. This doesn’t even take into account stats from last year, when the pandemic began to finally settle and – still, as it turns out – remote and hybrid work have prevailed.

The OPENCOMM 2 UC’s features also include:

• Advanced DSP noise-canceling boom microphones and Clear Voice Capture (CVC) technology
• Easy connectivity with the Shokz Loop 110 USB-A or USB-C wireless adapter
• PremiumPitch 2.0 stereo sound
• Bluetooth 5.1 for simple device pairing
• Up to 98 feet (30 meters) of wireless range; i.e. more than triple the OPENCOMM UC’s original range
• Rechargeable Li-polymer battery (183mAh battery capacity)
• Up to 16 hours of talk time/8 hours of continuous play time/14 total days of standby time
• IP55 water-resistant protection

“We began revolutionizing workplace communication in 2020 when we brought bone conduction to offices of all kinds with OPENCOMM,” said Ken Chen, Chief Technology Officer at Shokz. “Now, we’re introducing our most advanced workplace headset to help professionals stay connected while staying aware of their surroundings, providing them with outstanding audio quality whether they’re at the office, a coffee shop, the airport, wherever. Its advanced open-ear design has simplified audio controls that keeps you aware of your voice levels, ensuring you’re heard without disturbing others.”

“It’s also,” reminded Chen, “the first workplace headset in our line to be Zoom Certified. This will easily become your new must-have headset for work, thanks to its amazing features.”

Wrapping up with some fun facts, bone conduction is actually one of the many ways we, as humans, are able to hear our own voices. (It’s how whales hear, too.) And how’d we discover bone conduction?

It’s credited to, of all folks, Ludwig van Beethoven.

So if you or someone you know picks up the OPENCOMM 2 UC headset, listening to a Beethoven symphony or piano sonata isn’t necessarily required, but you could give it a try. (All while hearing clearly and being safe and aware of what’s happening in the background, thanks to this technology from Shokz.)

The headset is available today for enterprise customers by contacting Shokz directly here. It will be commercially available for consumers later this year.

Edited by Greg Tavarez