The Xperia Ear, an in-ear Bluetooth piece from Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE) will be available December 13 on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN). It will be retailing at the cost of $199.99. The first announcement of its availability was made back at a Mobile World Congress in February. Having been released in Japan the “smart ear” accessory, which is capable of doing much more than just the ordinary Bluetooth earpiece is now headed to the United States starting next month. Apart from Amazon, other retailers the likes of Fry’s and B&H will also stock the device.
The release of the Xperia Ear comes at a time when every tech company is looking for ways and means of not only retaining its customers but also poaching others from their rivals. It also comes at a time when Sony has officially said that it will not be releasing any more phones in its Xperia Z, M, E or C lines. Instead, it will divert all its focus on the Xperia X range.
What should consumers expect from Sony’s Xperia Ear?
From every device, performance is critical, and this will be Sony’s drive. Hideyuki Furumi, Sony Mobile EVP of Global Sales & Marketing says, “Our focus is on essential features as well as making the product much more intelligent, and that’s the kind of common theme of your Smartphone.”
The Xperia Ear will provide 3.5 hours of battery life on a single charge. However, the company notes that this could be a bit too low for most users, but then it justifies itself by saying that it is not likely that people will be using the earpiece all the time. It has the capability of using voice commands to perform internet searches, navigation, and dictation. It can also provide time-based alerts as well as prompts for missed calls and news.
It is a lightweight earpiece designed to fit snugly in one’s ear. With the presence of proximity sensors, it turns itself on automatically once inserted. The multiple ear bud tips will provide a comfortable fit alongside the storage case that doubles up as a charger.
X Marks the Spot for Sony
The Japanese company will not just rest on the ear piece. The Xperia name is also expanding to other products including wearables. They have more innovative lines such as the Xperia Projector and Xperia Agent. However, Sony has confirmed that the Xperia X line will remain on sale despite the fact that the Z threshold is dead.
Sony’s stock closed at $29.18, a decline of $0.52 or 1.75%.