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Sony’s ‘open-ear’ Xperia Ear Duo buds ship in the US May 25th
Sony's Xperia Ear Duo "open-ear" buds will debut on May 25th in the US. Sony had already opened pre-orders at Amazon, and now you can place an advance order via brick-and-mortar gadget retailer b8ta. They'll set you back $280, with a choice of black or gold designs.
Sony's Xperia Ear Open Style is its most promising concept yet
After teasing its Xperia Ear Open Style Concept earlier this year at MWC 2017, Sony is now sharing more details about the wireless audio set. For starters, as we found out in Barcelona, the Xperia Ear has traditionally consisted of a single device, but now it's a pair built for both of your ears. Another big change is that they're now meant to be clipped around the bottom of your earlobes rather than sit without any support near your ear canal. That also means the earbuds are designed to let noise from the outside world in as you're wearing them, a feature that may be both good and bad.
Sony's new Xperia Ear lets in sounds from the outside world
Sony already debuted wireless earbuds with the Xperia Ear device last year. Here at MWC 2017, the company is showing off the next iteration of its virtual assistant-equipped audio gear. For now, Sony is calling the new gadget the Xperia Ear Open-style Concept as the product is style in the prototype phase. Unfortunately, that means we aren't able to listen to it here at the show, but the company is still offering some details on the setup.
A closer look at Sony's Xperia Ear voice assistant
Sony has been teasing its Xperia Ear voice assistant since last year, but now we know the concept will be an actual consumer product later this year. At IFA 2016, the tech giant announced that the tiny Bluetooth- and NFC-powered device is set to arrive in November, though it still hasn't said how much it's going to cost. Still, unlike at MWC 2015, Sony's now letting people try the device here in Berlin, as opposed to only showcasing it behind a glass box.
Sony's Xperia Ear voice assistant arrives in November
When Sony announced its Xperia X family of smartphones earlier this year, it also snuck in a quick mention of a curious device called the Xperia Ear. When paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth, the wireless earpiece is said to let you tackle all manner of tasks by issuing verbal commands. We're talking dictating messages, searching the web, getting directions, checking your schedule, the weather, the news -- all that stuff. Sony hasn't really talked about the thing since, but today at IFA it revealed the accessory will launch this November "starting in select markets," though its price is still a mystery.
The next big thing in smartphones is uncertainty
You've probably noticed something about smartphones. They haven't been exciting lately. Chances are, your current smartphone looks and works a lot like your last one. Your next will probably seem pretty familiar, too. But there are signs that smartphones, and the ways we use them, could be about to significantly change -- even if no one can quite agree on exactly how.
