TEAC ships first bone-conducting headphones

Audio specialists TEAC have joined the realm of bone-conducting headphones with its Filltune HP-F100s. Bone-conductors differ from ordinary headphones in that they do not pump sound into the ear canal; instead they sit just above the ear, stimulating auditory nerves more directly. Aside from preventing damage to eardrums, this also offers the advantage of keeping ambient noise audible, which is useful in situations such as dangerous urban traffic.

Another unusual aspect to the F100s is the remote control, which not only adjusts volume, but has its own amplifier to produce better output. Each channel receives 0.76W, and frequencies range from 25Hz to 25KHz. Three AAA batteries provide up to 10 hours of listening. The headphones go on sale in Japan mid-April. [via Akihabara News]