Sony today announced its next generation of Xperia smartphones and along with a slew of accessories including an Apple AirPod rival at the ongoing Mobile World Congress. Called Xperia Ear ‘Open-Style’, it is Sony’s new wireless smart earbud concept and is based on open-ear audio technology. It is a product out of Sony’s Future Lab Program, which means it is yet to be commercialized.
With a metallic body, the Xperia Ear Open Style concept features a loop like design by incorporating ‘open-ear’ stereo headphones for music and receiving notifications, without shunning off sounds around you. As Sony explains, the Xperia Ear Open Style concept earbuds use two spatial acoustic conductors and driver units which work together to transmit sounds directly to the ear canal. This unit is placed behind the ear, making the whole unit look a bit like some hearing aid.
As the product goes through more R&D and more prototypes are tested, it will be eventually powered by Sony Agent Technology which is the company’s in-house personal assistant that uses voice commands and head gestures for navigation and communication with the smart device. It will also offer support for the Google Assistant, given Sony uses the Android platform for its smartphones. Sony is also developing new features for the concept earbuds to help improve in-ear assistant capability. It will also be added with support for third-party apps and services.
For an example, when the product is commercialized, it will come with a new voice-chat service called ‘Anytime Talk’ that will allow users to instantly start a group conversation in real-time without searching through contacts or needing to dial, all by simply pressing a button or with a head movement. The beta version of this service will roll out for the first-generation Xperia Ear over the coming months.
With the new concept wireless earbuds, Sony is aiming to offer a different audio experience to compete with the Apple AirPods which also feature a wireless design and come with support for the digital assistant Siri. To recall, the AirPods, which made their debut alongside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, have been designed for individual usage and can take voice commands to execute actions. It is worth mentioning that Apple received a lot of flak for the seemingly impractical design of the AirPods. Given their miniscule nature, many argued that the expensive pair of wireless earbuds (Rs 15,400) are prone to get misplaced.
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