Bose gave up on Sleepbuds after two generations. It was a tragic, early demise for a product that showed such tremendous promise. The headphone company came closer to making truly great sleep headphones than anyone else. In the end, though, it seems the company had simply lost interest in the product, which ended up being a huge problem for the category as a whole.

Not that the two generations of Sleepbuds we were supplied with were free from faults, however. Sitting proudly at the top of the list was a case of a company that was sure it knew what the consumer wanted better than the consumer themselves. Something the buds couldn't do was stream Bluetooth audio; something Bose could easily reconcile with the Sleepbuds 2.

Instead, the company was confident users would be satisfied streaming preloaded white noise tracks. Any decision to limit choice in a consumer product must be justified by the manufacturer but Bose never came forward with a compelling reason for limiting such choice. No doubt hardware limitations played a role, but streaming is an essential feature for a pair of $250 specialty earbuds.

In August 2023, a new challenger entered the fray. Unluckily, however, most other startups in the space were building something from a base of zero. Ozlo, on the other hand, was founded by former Bose executives and makes use of IP licensed from the headphone manufacturer.

For all intents and purposes except branding, these are the Sleepbuds 3. The form factor is the same. They are housed in a puck-shaped charging case. The buds themselves are compliant and soft, with small wing tips that assure they won't fall out if you're tossing and/or turning. Most importantly, however, they're small and sit flush with the wearer's ear, assuring there's no pressure or discomfort for side sleepers.

When I led my first meeting with a group of several former Bose sleep workers last year to discuss a mystery product, I don't think one of the first questions out of my mouth was whether the new product would stream. The answer was an enthusiastic "yes." The team then went on to talk some about the technical hurdles that needed clearing in order to deliver that promise in a similar form factor to Bose's buds, but that was enough to get me excited.

So, since then, it's all waiting time with emails to the team every couple of months for a status update-a spurned Indiegogo backer, really. Patience may be a virtue in the world of hardware startups, but I thought Ozlo had more running start because licensing Bose's IP represented an initial investment that would help grow the product forward.

Maybe the problem is compounded by the fact that some of the initial backers had already started to receive deliveries. I can, however, completely understand why a hardware startup would be more reluctant to ship a first-gen device to hardware reviewers as opposed to crowdfunders.

Finally, after some false starts, on Tuesday Ozlo said its Sleepbuds are now available to buy. At $299 they are $50 more than the previously Bose offering. Such disparities are, of course, unsurprising. For one thing, electronics are naturally more expensive to manufacture in smaller sizes. For another, there's R&D and a boatload of other expenses to go into building such a product — even one that, again, was atop a solid enough foundation. You must factor, too, in the simple fact that the cost to manufacture has increased during these post-COVID times.

As for whether the price will come down in future iterations, who knows? But I wouldn't hold my breath. The truth is that no one gets to be a pure hardware manufacturer anymore. Someone else needs to be an additional leg on the stool. For some, it's software; for others, it's AI. For Ozlo, it appears to be health. Which isn't a surprise, given how important it's become to the whole wearables category.

In addition to news about product availability, Ozlo is also announcing a new funding round of $12 million led by LifeArc Ventures and including Drive by DraftKings, Wise Ventures, Scrum Ventures, Wheelhouse 360, Modi Ventures, Niremia Collective, and 5Point Venture Partners. The funding brings to bear the around $8 million the company raised through crowdfunding.

Ozlo says the money will naturally go toward developing the second-generation Sleepbuds. More noteworthy, however, is the portion going toward "FDA-clearance for Ozlo's tinnitus therapy." That second bit lays plain why many — myself included — are interested in Sleepbuds. But the obvious use cases of snoring partners and noisy cityscapes aside, such technology is no doubt intriguing to the 10% of the population living with ear ringing.

He has actually written something about the condition in the past, but till date, he's labeled such text with a disclaimer that his products are not FDA approved for treating tinnitus. Getting that regulatory stamp of approval would no doubt give the young startup a big push.

So far I'm really enjoying the time spent with the buds. Every now and then I'll have some finicky wireless connection, but I have found that the length and quality of my sleep really do improve when I'm listening to ambient music streaming. Nice feature, the preloaded sounds — it's handy for some long flight or thing. You can get such soundscapes, though, through your streaming service of choice.

They now firmly have a place in my bag while travelling.