6 reasons why everyone's making those weird neckband headphones

Jabra on Monday introduced the Halo Smart, a new set of Bluetooth earphones aimed at mobile professionals.

The Danish company claims the headset is particularly adept at making calls, and says its battery can last up to 17 hours. Jabra has a decent track record with these things, so it should be fine.

What's more interesting is its design. The Halo Smart is yet another take on the neckband-style headsets that have steadily grown in popularity over the past couple of years. As with LG's Tone series, its earbuds protrude from a band that you wear around your neck.

If you've never encountered one of these before, you might be asking yourself why anyone would want to wear a human collar. That's a fair question: These things look, let's say, unorthodox, compared to a traditional pair. An electronic necklace isn't terribly conducive to working out, either.

Still, they're not going away - Samsung, Bose, Sol Republic, and others have all introduced their own "neckbuds" in recent months. And if you take a closer look at what this design entails, it actually does carry some advantages over ordinary Bluetooth earphones.

With those in mind, here are a few reasons why more and more headphone makers are trying to get you to embrace the neckband.