The future is ear: Why "hearables" are finally tech's next big thing

Donning pre-production versions of Doppler's Here One wireless earbuds, they experienced the device's ability to cancel out unwanted background noise, amplify the voice of a particular person in the room, and even converse with people speaking in another language. About a half-second after a Doppler staffer asked a question in Spanish, the wearer heard a computerized translation back into English. At least two of the companies made informal acquisition bids, but none offered a high-enough price to convince Doppler to give up its dreams of launching a momentous new product. Sales failed to take off, and a year later the company was shuttered. Within weeks of its closing, more than half of Doppler's top technologists were working for the tech giants.