Who would’ve thought that a man’s failed search for pink-colored
headphones would result in one of the most influential wireless headphone
brands in the world? Well, if you asked the founders of Happy Plugs, there
could be no other explanation. A rising leader in the consumer electronics
industry, the Stockholm-based Happy Plugs has brought itself to the forefront
of the fashion tech industry with their innovation lab, Yevo Labs, which
offers stylish, high-quality wireless headphones throughout 10,000 retailers
in 70 countries worldwide. NXP had the pleasure of sitting down with Andreas
Vural, Founder of YEVO Labs, to discuss their brand, their mission and how
NXP’s MiGLO NFMI technology made their influential wireless earbuds
possible.
Q: So, what sparked your business idea?
A: The company was born at the end of 2011 when I was looking
for a pair of pink headphones for my girlfriend. When I didn’t have any
luck, I took the matter into my own hands – and painted a pair of
headphones myself. And she loved them! That made me realize there was a gap in
the market, and there was room for well designed, affordable headphones that
went beyond functionality. From this belief, the brand Happy Plugs was born.
Soon after, the YEVO Labs brand was added to the family.
Q: How did YEVO Labs join the family, and what made you decide to do
something separate from Happy Plugs?
A: Initially, the YEVO 1 was meant to be a Happy Plugs
product. During the R&D phase, we soon realized that to create a really
good product we really needed to tell another story than what we do with Happy
Plugs. While Happy Plugs and YEVO share a lot of design and fashion-focused
DNA – the price point and customer are different.
Q: How did you discover MiGLO NFMI? What made you get in touch with us?
A: We discovered the MiGLO NFMI (Near Field Magnetic
Induction) technology very early in the R&D process for the YEVO 1 when
Bluetooth technology couldn‘t meet our expectations. The Bluetooth
signal can’t transfer through water, and the human body mainly consists
of water.
Q: How do YEVO earbuds make a change in everyday life, and what advantages
do they provide for headphone users?
A: YEVO is the next generation of headphones. Hence the name:
Your EVOlution. The contemporary YEVO 1 design is engineered without any wires and with the
best sound quality. They are full of cutting-edge audio technology, including
MiGLO, so that you can push your headphone experience to the next level. And
for us, how headphones look is just as important as the performance. So,
we’ve designed them to look as good as possible while being packed with
the best technology.
Q: Wh
y did you choose MiGLO NFMI? How does your product benefit from our
technology?
A: One of the big advantages is that MiGLO uses far less
power than Bluetooth, and sends voice and music with a much more secure and
flawless signal through water, which is vital to making sound efficient
headphones.
Q: You mentioned wanting to make headphones that look good. How does MiGLO
help facilitate that goal?
A: Thanks to the support of the great team at NXP and MiGLO
technology, we could dream bigger than we ever could have hoped to during the
design process. We are big dreamers, but in this case, 1+1 really
turned in to 11.
Q: Yevo Labs is collaborating with a charity organization that created the
world’s most valuable metal, Humanium. What are you hoping to achieve
by teaming up?
A:
The YEVO
is the first product crafted out of illegal fire arms. By introducing
Humanium Metal
– a commodity for peace – into the YEVO 1, we will help create
new sources of funding for victims and projects aiming to rebuild
conflict-torn societies affected by illegal weapon violence. This
collaboration is bigger than headphones. It’s part of a global movement
that removes illegal firearms from the streets and recycles them into a
material that helps move us towards a more peaceful future, all while giving
back to those affected by violent crime.
Q: So what does the future look like for Yevo Labs? How do you see NFMI and
applications like yours evolving over time?
A: We’re working on a smarter version of the second
generation YEVO – The YEVO 2. We’re big dreamers, and we
basically see headphones as small computers for your ears. Imagine how much
computers have changed over the last 10 years – they are smaller,
smarter and more powerful. Then think about headphones, which haven’t
changed at all since they were first introduced in 1910. Merge these two
together and you have something extraordinary.
Find out more about NXP’s MiGLO technology, and YEVO Labs’
wireless hearables below:
NFMI Radio Solutions
YEVO
