#IFA2017 Sony is coming to IFA with a next-gen wearable, the Xperia Ear, a wireless headset packed with sensors and microphones. The best innovation of the Xperia Ear Open-style Concept is the ability to prevent the device to block your ear canal, so while you listen to your music, you can also hear the sounds around you. This is a great safety feature for people who love to wear headphone while walking or skate boarding in the streets.
The device was shown as a prototype at Mobile World Congress this year, and we saw a prototype briefly. I hope to try it again on the show floor here at IFA where the level of noise is high, so I will be able to provide a better appreciation of the technology.
Compared to the shiny silver device shown at MWC, the new prototype is different; it comes in two colors, black and pale gold.
The headset is equipped with multiple low power sensors: proximity, barometer, gyroscope, accelerometer, and compass. With those sensors, and the connection to the phone, Sony plans to make the device context-aware, so you will get the information you need when you need it.
To allow voice recognition in noisy environments so you can connect to Google Assitant or Apple Siri, Sony developed a new audio technology. Using four microphones placed on the top of the external part of the Xperia Ear, the device is capable of suppressing the noise even with microphones away from the mouth. Each ear piece has two microphones.
Thanks to the sensors, you can just nod your head to say yes or no to the virtual assistant and do the same to answer or decline a call. To skip to the next or previous track by shaking your head to the left or the right. We did not try this feature yet, and we hope to do it soon, it is available for Android only for now.
On the left earpiece, you can control the media by tapping once for play/pause, tapping twice for next song, three times for the previous song, and hold press up and down to control the volume.
On the right earpiece, you can tap once to access the voice assistant, and hold press up and done to control the volume.
The battery life is still to be confirmed. Sony plans to provide four hours on one charge and deliver quick charging time of 12 minutes for 2 hours of listening time. The charging case that provides three time full charge.
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