VI Headset: First Ever Bluetooth Headset with AI Run Coaching (Video)

I’m not a runner. I wish I was, though. I live in a part of NYC that has a beautiful park along the river that is pretty much the perfect spot for running, but I’m just not good at running. Like at all. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve gone for a run and the treadmill is basically my idea of torture.

So when LifeBeam reached out and told me they might have a gadget that could help, with a deep sigh at the upcoming anguish I was about to endure, I said sure.

Sign up for the giveaway here for a chance to win a Vi headset for free!

Allied Content: This Video was Sponsored by LifeBeam (but it is something I thought was interesting to talk about or I wouldn’t have done the video 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!)

What Does Vi Do?

Now, the idea behind the VI headset from LifeBeam though, and why they thought it might help, is that it’s an AI whose sole job is to help you get better at running, be more fit, etc. She won’t open your notes program, she doesn’t want to help you be more productive at work, she’s a specialized personal trainer, and that’s it.

On top of the AI component, which we’ll talk about more in a sec, VI is a voice-activated Bluetooth headset complete with Harmon Kardon speakers that frankly sound really good and do a great job of staying put while you’re running.

Vi also has no shortage of built-in tech either.

There’s a heart rate sensor in one of the earbuds that I’ve found is actually super accurate and capable of pulling your heart rate quickly.

There’s a barometer for elevation, gyroscope and accelerometer for step tracking (and she uses that to help you with pacing, as well) and she can access weather data to tell you if you should maybe run inside today (or like me decide that mother nature is simply crying at the idea of me running today and so I just shouldn’t at all)

She can also respond to voice commands like “what’s my heart rate”, “am I in my optimal range” and more.

The AI aspect though is what allows her to also learn from your previous runs and health data to help adjust and coach you as you go.

You set goals in the app and choose one as your primary, which she’ll make her main focus on helping you improve. I clearly needed to set mine to Run Farther, for example.

And with that, you can link Spotify or play music stored locally on your connected phone, select a run and you’re off.

Why I Liked Vi

Thanks to her coaching, I realized real quick that I go way too fast too soon.

And when you say “step to the beat” she’ll give you a consistent beat to try and help you keep your pace (something else I learned I needed help with). And after a while she started to realize when I would normally be giving up and started to offer encouragement around that time letting me know I was about to beat a personal best (and there’s just something about knowing that that really helps you go just a bit further).

After the run is done, the app displays a ton of nerdy data that people like us really appreciate, like my pace as I was going, my heartrate, speed, etc. And made it easy for me to see how I was improving which, of course, further encouraged me.

The sheer amount of data she provides along with the great sounding speakers, and personalized coaching all for about the same price as decent running Bluetooth headset is pretty good, but at the end of the day though, what really mattered was that I found myself really wanting to put the headset back on and go for a run.

Sign up for the giveaway here for a chance to win a Vi headset for free!

Let me know what you guys think of the VI in the comments below! Thanks for reading!