By Will Goodbody, Science & Technology Correspondent
“What is it” they asked when I started wearing and talking to the Xperia Ear around the office?
“It’s a smart wireless earbud,” I said.
“A Bluetooth headset,” they enquired, “like from two decades ago?”
“Well yes, but this one is smart – like a virtual assistant,” I replied.
“So, like Siri then or Google Now?” they probed.
“Yes I suppose so,” I said.
“So why wouldn’t you just use a pair of wireless earbuds or headphones, and open Siri or Google Now?” they asked.
Umm. Good question I thought, in silence.
And that is the heart of the issue with the Xperia Ear – which claims to be a smart handsfree device, which to some extent is.
But arguably not smart or helpful enough to be any better than the alternatives suggested by my colleagues.
First, what does it look like?
It’s a small (very small in fact) splashproof ear bud type device that sits quite firmly into your ear.
It has a button on the outside edge to operate it and a light to tell you when it is on.
It comes with different sized rubber covers to go over the earpiece and a selection of rubber hooks which presumably help to anchor it in place.
I found it felt a little like it was going to fall out all the time, but in fact it didn’t and stayed quite well anchored in my ears even when moving around.
Inside it has a plethora of different sensors including a gyroscope, accelerometer, Bluetooth radio, NFC transmitter and proximity sensor.
It must be connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth to work and right now that phone must run the Android operating system – there is no iOS version of the app.
Once it is paired (using Bluetooth or an NFC tap) and the Xperia Ear app is installed, you must then press the button on the side to make it listen to you – it doesn’t react to a keyword.
This is a bit tedious and counter-intuitive for a device that is supposed to make certain tasks handsfree for busy multi-taskers, but is done to preserve battery life.
You then must wait for the identity-less helper to tell you (in its slightly robotic sounding voice) that it is listening to you and for a series of beeps, before you bark your instructions at it.
This is where the fun begins.
Because while Xperia Ear is smart, it isn’t the sharpest tool in the box.
You can ask it simple questions like “what’s the weather like” in a certain location, or “what time is it”?
You can ask it to carry out simple tasks too, like set an alarm, read notifications like text messages, emails or social media updates.
You can instruct it to open a map for a particular location, or ask it to call someone for you so that you can speak with them through the inbuilt microphone.
If you want to listen to music, Ear will call it up and play it for you through the single ear bud.
You get the gist.
There’s good and bad about all this.
The good is that when it works, it is quite handy, particularly having notifications read to you.
The dictation function is quite accurate too and Ear is pretty good at hearing what you are saying, even when there is background noise.
The bad though is that while it hears you well, Ear often doesn’t understand what you are saying or asking it to do.
Review: Sony Xperia Ear - the (sort of) smart ear-bud assistant. https://t.co/PFIJwp2OL4 pic.twitter.com/uDtY1ea6Vm
— Will Goodbody (@willgoodbody) March 9, 2017
For example, if I asked it what the weather was like in London it would tell me it was wet or whatever.
But when asked what the weather was like in Dublin, it would tell me it didn’t know that place.
Yet, if I asked it for a map of Dublin, it called one up on my phone without a hitch.
Also, when it reads certain notifications like emails out, it can read back irrelevant information like email addresses etc.
What is quite clever about Ear is that it uses the sensors in it to detect particular gestures like nodding or shaking the head.
Those gestures can then be used for actions, like subtly responding yes or no to the assistant or to answer/decline calls.
And it works quite well.
You can also customise the kind of messages you get when you first put it on, including a greeting by name, the date and time, updates on missed calls and unread messages etc.
These messages change depending on when and how often you put the device into your ear.
You can also customise what happens when you short or long-press the activation button, so that alternative apps open.
This can include the Google app, which in turn means you have access to the power of the “Ok Google” voice controlled assistant which may regularly be a more useful alternative.
The battery life will depend on how you use it.
For moderate use, it should last a day.
But if you have all the supported apps notifications turned on, plus you are doing lots of talking on the phone etc, you may find it doesn’t do so well.
Fortunately Ear comes with its own rechargeable charging case that houses a 300mAh battery.
The sound quality of the in-ear speaker is quite good – fine for calls and hearing the assistant, but not a wonderful experience for music listening.
In summary, Xperia Ear is (for now) a pretty unique device that works to a point and shows a good bit of potential.
But it requires a lot more refinement before it is genuinely useful and more valuable than just a set of wireless headphones connecting into Google Assistant or Siri.
Two big drawbacks are its price of €199 and the way it looks.
It has the appearance of an old-style Bluetooth headset, which isn’t good and is likely to attract sniggers and snorts.
The only way this can be overcome is by making it so useful, that those wearing it don’t care that they look like someone from an early noughties TV drama.
Comments welcome via Twitter to @ willgoodbody
