The Weirdest Shit Out of Silicon Valley
Weirdest Shit Out of Silicon Valley is a weekly series from the Bold Italic documenting the bizarre news, gadgets, and developments in the tech world.
I know we’re a mask nation these days (well, not all of us), but I think we can all agree that we wear masks out of collective care for the world and other people, not because “chin diapers” are particularly comfortable, stylish, or especially breathable.
But startup Binatone, in its wisdom, has decided people probably want to pay even more to wear a mask. Recently showcased at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2021, enter the MaskFone, a $49.99 mask-and-Bluetooth-earbud-microphone-combo which I’m sure is not going to be the slightest bit annoying to use.
The company asserts that wearing the mask “gives you a sleeker look for all your hands-free calls,” and thank goodness they said so because I didn’t know I should be ashamed of my lack of sleekness on the phone these days. They also say it will give you “crystal clear audio” with background noise isolation, but they don’t really say how, so let’s just say I’m not convinced.
Look how dead-eyed the blonde in the company’s PR picture above is. She’s only got a surgical mask on — how lame. But then look at the MaskFone chap who gets to be all like, “Bro, have you seen the latest on crypto today” while everyone else just wishes he’d shut up and stare vacantly out the window like you’re supposed to (playing Candy Crush is also acceptable). Available at Amazon and Target by February 1, 2021, in two sizes, the MaskFone takes removable N95 or PM2.5 filter inserts.
The battery lasts for around 12 hours of talk time and charges via USB cable. The mask uses Bluetooth to pair with your smartphone, and you can change the volume via the discreet on-mask controls. There’s also an app, embedded with Amazon Alexa, that potentially lets you use your MaskFone to control your smart home, though why you’d wear a mask at home is unclear. It also plays nicely with Siri and Google Assistant as well, they say.
Once paired, the idea is you’d use it similarly to your regular wireless earbuds, just with the potential added benefit of being less muffled. Or not.
