Jawbone introduces LiveAudio to deliver 3D audio to Jambox speakers

Jawbone has announced an update called LiveAudio, a new spatial 3D sound technology, for its Jambox Bluetooth speaker.

Most of the time, we wouldn’t care about a new speaker. But Jawbone has a gift for making innovative audio technology, as evidenced by its Jawbone line of cell phone headsets. The Jambox speaker is a platform which can be updated via software for innovations such as LiveAudio.

LiveAudio is available as a free update via MyTALKjawbone.com, which allows you to change the settings on your Jambox speaker or Jawbone headsets and download new features. Live Audio delivers enhanced acoustics and spatial detail — which means that the sound is directional. You can hear sounds coming from different directions, like hearing somebody’s footsteps as they move through a room.

Previously, this kind of 3D audio experience required playback through headphones, said Travis Bogard, vice president of product management and strategy at San Francisco-based Jawbone. Jambox can play music on an iPad, a laptop, or iPhone via a Bluetooth connection.LiveAudio uses advanced crosstalk cancellation filters that reproduce the “binaural” (meaning signals meant for both ears) audio’s hidden dimensions and then deliver them to the listener’s ears in the right way.

Jawbone was founded in 1999 by Alexander Asseily and Hosain Rahman. They debuted their first headset in 2006 and they have raised $170 million from venture firms such as Andreessen Horowitz.