It"s been eight months since Sony unveiled the Xperia Ear back at Mobile World Congress alongside a range of new handsets. The Xperia Ear is a small Bluetooth earpiece that allows users to interact with the company"s new digital assistant.
Now, at long last, Sony has opened pre-orders for the Xperia Ear in Europe. In the UK, the device is priced at £179, while in select eurozone markets, it will cost €199, but those who pre-order before November 13 will get a free voucher - worth £45 or €50, respectively - to spend on a new phone from the Xperia Store.
The device slots into your ear, and with the tap of a button, it can be used to ask the assistant for calendar reminders, travel directions, sending and receiving messages, searching for information and more, without needing to look at your phone.
Sony hasn"t given its assistant a name, like Siri or Cortana; instead, it"s known simply as "Sony Agent Technology". It currently supports seven languages: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Japanese.
Unlike Apple"s new wireless AirPods - which come as two units - the Xperia Ear is a single earpiece, so it won"t be much use for listening to music. The Sony device weighs just 6.8 grams and has a 65mAh battery, which Sony told us in February should be good for up to three days of "light use". But if you run out of juice on the go, it also comes with a Charging Case that has a 300mAh battery inside it, allowing you to recharge the earpiece.
We had the opportunity to try out a pre-production prototype of the Xperia Ear earlier this year. The product has no doubt improved since then, but be sure to check out our hands-on experience of using the device here. You can also get an overview of the Xperia Ear in the video below:
Source: SlashGear