More pre-CES news includes an intriguing tie-up between social media and music hardware. Twitter announced an investment in Muzik, a startup company making connected headphones. The audio gear offers listeners controls build into the cans. That means the listener can program the buttons on the headphones to tap or swipe your way between songs or to adjust volume. The headphones also have integrations for sharing to social networks; it now seems likely that Twitter will be a highlight of that feature. The social sharing can include a Google Street View image of your location, as well as the weather, time, and track you’re listening to.
Twitter has made many efforts to offer a solid music integration, but nothing has made a serious splash. The company may be feeling extra pressure now that Facebook is making native audio inroads thanks to some partnerships with Deezer and NPR. The Muzik investment is the first hardware company recipient from the Twitter Venture branch.