Valkee Launches New Generation Bright Light Headset Valkee 2, Combines Health Benefits with Mobility, Usability and Design

OULU, Finland, September 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Completely redesigned earbuds, stylish new aluminum casing and improved functionality significantly enhance user experience

The bright light headset maker Valkee today launched the Valkee 2 - a redesigned version of its revolutionary pocket-sized light therapy device that channels bright light into the brain via the ear canals. The Valkee 2 marks a new milestone in bright light treatment, allowing people to prosper during the seasonal lack of light without being tied down in front of bulky lamps.

"Three years since the initial launch of Valkee, we have shipped 45 000 Valkee bright light headsets to 20+ countries around the world," said Pekka Somerto, CEO of Valkee. "A staggering 87% of users recommend Valkee to others too. Building on this success, the new Valkee 2 seeks to further empower people by supplying their brain with the needed daily light signal in the most efficient and comfortable way."

Key features of the new Valkee 2 device include redesigned Valkee earbuds for better fit and more comfort, a thinner and smaller new casing carved out of a single piece of aluminum, and improved usability that allows managing all settings directly on the device. Valkee 2 will retail for 199€ worldwide via selected retailers and the Valkee online store. Available for pre-order immediately, the devices are estimated to begin shipping in early October.

"When designing the Valkee 2, we were guided by customer feedback as well as the company vision of simplicity and functionality," commented Jouni Teittinen, Design Director at ED Design. "The solid, tactile casing of the Valkee 2 is carved from a single piece of high-grade aluminum with anodized coating to make it strong, scratch-resistant and stylish. Minimalistic design underlines the intuitive use."

Valkee 2's LED earbuds, the LedSet, have been redesigned with a highly ambitious goal of the most comfortable in-ear headphone experience on the market. The new earbuds fit tightly in a variety of ear shapes and feature a longer and more elastic cord for ease of use. The LedSet is now detachable from the device, allowing users to share the device more easily while keeping their personal earbuds fine-tuned for optimal fit and dosage: personal settings are conveniently stored in earbuds' internal memory.

The redesigned single-piece aluminum casing is significantly smaller and complemented with intuitive functionality. All settings can now be customized using the device itself, with no need to connect the Valkee 2 with a computer. The single micro-USB port connects both with a LedSet connector and a USB charger.

The Valkee bright light devices are based on long-term scientific research and placebo-controlled studies, building on an array of bright light studies published since the 1980s. The results published thus far have confirmed that bright light projected directly into the brain stimulates brain activity, and proved the efficiency of the ear canal as a channel for projecting light to photosensitive areas of the human brain.

"Research has shown three ways to stimulate brain activity in addition to chemically prepared medication: electricity, magnetic fields, and bright light. Every unnecessary pill not taken thanks to Valkee is another victory for both us and the entire bright light category," explained Valkee CSO and Co-Founder Juuso Nissilä. "As more and more people turn to technology to measure and improve their wellbeing, there is a fast growing market for 'medical iPods' - intuitive, useful and beautiful devices that appeal to a far bigger market than just quantified self pioneers."

Together with Finland's University of Oulu, Valkee continues their pioneering research to further deepen the understanding of how bright light affects the human brain, and to extend bright light therapy from winter blues treatment to other areas of wellbeing and performance. Currently, the company has clinical trials ongoing in the areas of jet lag, cognitive performance and different depression types.

The Valkee Bright Light Headset has CE Class II(a) medical device certification for treating seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and is clinically tested. Valkee's scientific program and results are presented at http://www.valkee.com/about/science. The Valkee 2 is available via selected resellers and the Valkee online store http://www.valkee.com.

Valkee 2 product photos: http://www.pinterest.com/humancharger 

About Valkee:

Valkee is a health technology company focused on harnessing the benefits of bright light to the human mind and performance. Based on long-term scientific research and development work together with Finland's Oulu University, Valkee introduced the world's first bright light headset in 2010. Clinically tested to remove seasonal affective disorder symptoms from nine out of ten study participants, the Valkee user base has already grown to tens of thousands of people in 20+ countries. Of all Valkee users, 87% recommend Valkee to others. Additional tests and studies concerning the effects of bright light on cognitive and physical performance and jet lag, among other areas, are planned and in progress. Founded in 2007, Valkee headquarters are located in Oulu, Finland. For more information, please visit http://www.valkee.com and follow us at http://www.facebook.com/valkeecompany and http://www.twitter.com/humancharger.

For further information, please contact:

Pekka Somerto, CEO, Valkee
Tel. +358-40-829-6343
pekka.somerto@valkee.com

Agency contact: Juha Frey, Netprofile for Valkee
Tel. +358-9-6812-080 / +358-40-572-4674
valkee@netprofile.fi