We’re in an age of specialization, so it’s no wonder that even our coolest tech innovations are now being rethought and reengineered to better suit the needs of a variety of niche customer segments. First, there were drones. Now, there are drones for real estate and construction, drones for agriculture uses, and even drones for Hollywood filmmakers. And where we were once satisfied by smartwatches, we now have smartwatches designed for health, smartwatches built for the military, and now, even smartwatches for musicians. While that may sound a bit unusual, ask any musician after they get ahold of the Soundbrenner Smartwatch for Musicians, a wearable that offers a handful of musician-centric features that’ll make even experienced players wonder why they’d never thought of something like this before. While a traditional metronome click-clacks back-and-forth to set the time signature that guides musicians to the beat, the Soundbrenner Pulse ($79 after code PULSE20) puts that metronome right next to a musician’s wrist. Just tap the Pulse and the stylish minimalist black band issues a steady vibrating tempo of around 120 bpm to match the pace of the music. The outer dial can then dial up the speed or notch it back with a couple extra taps, so the wearer will always feel that surging burst of the music, no matter the speed. Once the Pulse is synced to its accompanying Android or iOS app, its functionality skyrockets as well. In addition to the tempo, that connection lets the wearer also change up the Pulse’s time signature, note subdivisions, vibration intensity, and the beat duration. It even lets users change the color of the pulse when the Pulse is pulsing, so the wearer’s wrist can flash an insistent red or a soothing purple, up to the user’s mood. While the Pulse is loaded, musicians can also step up to the Soundbrenner Core ($189 after code CORE40), which also has all the cool features of the Pulse, plus a few of its own tricks up its sleeve. The Core comes with a contact tuner, a dB meter, plus all the standard features of a regular smartwatch, including text notifications, phone alerts, and more. And if style is just as important as function — and for musicians, it’s hard to argue that it isn’t — many will also appreciate the Soundbrenner Core Steel ($225 after code MUSICIAN60). It does what the regular Core does, but in a glistening stainless steel body that looks like a watch at double or triple the price. Prices are subject to change
