Intel is working on new headphones in partnership with 50 Cent

Intel and SMS Audio have teamed up to create a new category of “fitness wearables,” or smart headphones with sensors that can measure your heart rate. The audio headphones will carry the lifestyle brand of entertainer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. The wearables combine technology, fitness metrics, and fashion design in a fusion that reflects the corporate strategy of Brian Krzanich, chief executive of Intel, as outlined in his speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. Intel is the world’s biggest maker of chips, but it will design its own systems in this case to stoke demand for wearables and the internet of things, or the use of computer and communications technology in everyday things.

Eager to get its chips into a broader array of gadgets – while also generating a bit of nice publicity – Santa Clara chipmaker Intel on Friday announced a fitness-audio product collaboration with rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, pictured here. The partnership involves developing what Intel calls “the first personal audio system that brings together lifestyle and technology to provide smart exercise capabilities to athletes of all levels.” The product, to be sold later this year, will be a pair of Intel-powered audio headphones bearing the name SMS, a company Jackson heads as CEO. According to Intel, “the headphones have biometric sensors in the ear piece which monitor heart rate, empowering users to collect fitness data and achieve peak physical performance.” “Intel is focused on driving innovation in the wearable technology segment by partnering with lifestyle brands like SMS Audio that complement our technology and design expertise,” Intel Vice President Michael Bell noted in a press release. “With SMS Audio, we will bring smart headphones to market that eliminate the inconvenience of add-on devices with an integrated, one-device fitness accessory offering high-end style and premier sound quality for an exceptional fitness experience.” The press release didn’t say how much the headphones will cost.