The Xperia Ear has existed in some form or another for some time now, but up until this year’s IFA, the strange little wearable looked to be little more than a concept. Next month, Sony will put its money where its mouth is, releasing the device via Amazon on December 13, just in time for a last-minute holiday gift, with further availability following at retailers like Fry’s, Abt and B&H.
Priced at $200, the Ear is designed to compete with the likes of Amazon’s Echo and Google Home, cramming that personal assistant functionality into a form factor that most closely resembles a Bluetooth earpiece. So you can look like an important business person from circa 2000.
In this case, the hardware is powered by Sony’s own Agent assistant. The design offers a more on-the-go take on things, designed around functionality like calendar reminders, driving directions and text messages. It has a variety of sensors built in, so users can, say, nod to affirm a command, making them look slightly less crazy than just talking to themselves in public.
The ear promises a full day of battery life, according to Sony’s specs and is, naturally, designed to work best with its own Xperia handsets.