Anyone who has ever had their headphones yanked off their head after getting the cord caught on a doorknob or dealt with a loose plug from from too many insertion cycles will appreciate the idea behind Magzet, a new adapter that adds MagSafe-like functionality to the audio jack.
consists of two parts: a jack that slots into the headphone port on a smartphone or tablet, and a magnetic adapter into which you can plug a pair of headphones. The two pieces then snap together magnetically, with automatic alignment.
The company says that all of the functionality of inline remote controls will still work, including the ability to place and receive calls and control audio playback. Users can leave the jack portion in all the time, with a special design preventing the device from detecting an inserted plug unless both Magzet pieces are together.
Magzet is aiming to ship before the end of 2015, and backers can receive a variety of plug and jack combinations, based on their contribution level. $20 will net 1 jack and 1 adapter, with additional levels topping out at 3 adapters and 5 jacks plus 2 limited-edition t-shirts for $99.
A press time, Magzet had raised nearly $10,000 of its $294,000 goal on Kickstarter.