ByteDance unveils its new wearable Ola Friend AI-powered earbuds

TikTok owner ByteDance has launched its first pair of earbuds, dubbed the Ola Friend. Branching into generative artificial intelligence, the wearable, however, is only available in China for now.

Users will be able to talk directly with the earphones without the need for a smartphone, and they’ll be able to ask the chatbot questions, make conversation, and provide tour guide services. According to the South China Morning Post, the buds have an open ear design and is made to “serve as an audio assistant when the user is traveling, practicing English, listening to music or simply looking for company.”

To activate the feature, you’ll need to download the Doubao app, and say “Doubao Doubao.” The service is powered by the firm’s large language model (LLM) that is also called Doubao.

The product is available in four colors which include Streamer Silver, Feather White, Butterfly Black, and Dream Purple. SCMP reports that the buds weigh 6.6 grams each.

It is currently priced at $170 (1199 RMB) and pre-orders already began at 11am on Thursday (Oct. 10). However, the device will only start shipping from October 17 and is available for order on Alibaba Group Holding’s Tmall marketplace, e-commerce platform JD.com, and ByteDance’s own Douyin, the Chinese sibling of TikTok.

In May, ByteDance acquired Chinese earphone manufacturer, Oladance, for approximately $50 million. ByteDance’s acquisition brought in a team of experienced former Bose Corp. engineers who have been developing a line of earbuds that wrap around the user’s ear.

Similar to how U.S. social media companies like Snap Inc. and Meta are exploring connected smart glasses, ByteDance is branching out into new hardware categories to expand its social ecosystem beyond smartphones.

A source cited by Bloomberg said ByteDance sees wearables as a potential platform for offering generative AI services. Its Doubao chatbot recently overtook Baidu Inc.’s Ernie to become the most downloaded ChatGPT-style app in China.

Featured image: ByteDance 

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