Wearable technology isn’t all smart glasses and smartwatches. Motorola has just unveiled the Moto Hint, a “discreet wireless earbud” that’s molded to fit comfortably into your ear. You can use it as you would any Bluetooth headset for hands-free calls, but it will also respond to voice commands using Google Now and other third-party apps.
Going beyond phone calls, you can have Moto Hint read text messages to you, take notes, search for information, or give you directions. It’s optimized to work with the new Moto X, but it will happily pair with any device running Android 4.3 or higher.
It has a proximity sensor that detects when it is in your ear so it will turn on and connect to your device automatically. You can tap the Moto Hint or use voice controls to activate it for a new query. It has pass through audio so you should be able to hear the world around you as normal, even with the earbud in.
Motorola says you’ll get 10 hours of talk time from a fully charged Moto Hint and it comes with a carry case that can provide two extra charges. It looks a bit like a cufflink and it comes in a variety of colors and finishes, including natural materials like wood.
It costs $150 and will be out this fall in the U.S. and before Christmas globally. You can register for updates at the Motorola website.
We’ll bring you more details just as soon as we can get some hands-on time.
Moto 360 release date and price
The Moto Hint seems to cover many of the same bases as Motorola’s new smartwatch, the Moto 360, and there was some concrete news about it as well. You can buy the Moto 360 from today (5th September) in the US and it will cost you $250 (£200 in the UK). You’ll have a choice of grey or black leather straps to go with it.
