Sony confirms Xperia Ear release date, shows off Agent and Projector concepts

Sony has announced that its Xperia Ear peripheral will release in select markets in November 2016. The confirmation came at the IFA 2016 tech show in Berlin, where Sony is also displaying several other members of its "Smart Product" range, including the Xperia Agent and Project.

First unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2016 in February, the Xperia Ear is an in-ear audio companion for the Xperia range of smartphones that responds to voice commands and delivers notifications without having to fumble around for your phone in a bag or pocket.

Among the "personalised" aural updates include messages, app notifications, weather reports, news and calendar events. The Xperia Ear also enables hands-free music playback control, text message dictation and is compatible with navigation smartphone apps, both via simple voice commands. You can even use it to search Wikipedia on the fly.

The 6.8g Xperia Ear can be customised through Sony's Voice Control app and includes Sony's Agent technology and a proximity sensor so you can alter the peripheral's schedule to fit your personal lifestyle.

With the newly-announced Xperia X Compact and Xperia XZ launching in September and October respectively, Sony is likely hoping that buyers will pick up the in-ear companion in November to complement their new purchase.

Sony also announced that its Siri-like smart assistant Xperia Agent and touch-based Xperia Projector tech will be on display in Berlin in concept-form. If Xperia Agent still utilises an in-built camera, let's hope that Sony has a back-up plan on the show floor, just in case its eagle-eyed AI has a 2001: A Space Odyssey moment.