During MWC 2016 in February, Sony unveiled the Xperia Ear wireless earbud – think of it as a wireless bluetooth headset with AI-like functionality. After having gone dormant for some time, the Xperia Ear is back in the spotlight at IFA with a launch timeframe to go with it.

So how exactly does Xperia Ear work? Like any Bluetooth device, it needs to be tethered to your smartphone though it’s unclear if it’s limited to Android phones or if iOS devices can get in on the fun as well. That’s because the headset isn’t simply activating Google to pull up inquiries. Instead, like Alexa from Amazon, and Siri from Apple, this is Sony’s own AI assistant.

Once connected, you can have ‘her’ give you information like the latest news, weather reports, send texts, and even give you turn-by-turn directions by asking it something like:

 Show me how to get to the Empire State Building 

Like all AI assistants, Sony plans on improving the things it can do which should be tied purely to its software and not hardware, meaning you won’t have to purchase a new unit every time Sony adds a few more commands. Going forward, AI is going to play a bigger and bigger role in our lives and like its competitors, Sony wants to be in control of its own destiny and not be so reliant on Google. To that end, we’ve seen Sony purchase their own AI startup with products like the Xperia Ear and Xperia Agent that will be built upon it.

Though originally thought to launch in Summer, Sony is now set to release the Xperia Ear in November but no official pricing has been announced. Also, no word yet if you’ll look as awesome as the person pictured above or if you’ll look like a crazy person talking to yourself until people realize you have a headset on. As a final bummer, despite Sony’s heavy involvement with Hollywood, the Xperia Ear AI won’t be voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Shame.

Discuss:

Does the Xperia Ear interest you?