Timekettle, a Chinese gadget brand that specializes in AI-powered translation gadgets, just unveiled a new set of earbuds designed for everyday use – with some clever tech in tow.
The W4 interpreter earbuds use bone conduction to pick up your voice for more accurate speech recognition via the vibrations of the bones in your face, leading to better translation. The company says this eliminates background noise even in loud environments like airports and conference halls.
That's paired with Timekettle's Babel OS software, which works behind the scenes to translate speech between 42 languages and 95 accents in real time, with a claimed lag of just 0.2 seconds.
The company says its updated translation system uses large language models to go beyond Babel's 98% accuracy by grasping the context of your conversations and correcting confusing homophones (words that sound similar but have different meanings (such as "right" and "write").
How do you use these translator earbuds?
You can use the W4 in two ways. If you're conversing in person with someone whose language you don't speak, you can each wear one earbud, and set your spoken languages and accents in the companion app in One-on-One mode. You'll both get simultaneous translation while you converse in real time via your respective buds.
Listen and Play mode is for when you intend to use both buds solo, like when you're with a bunch of clients at a private meeting. Wear both earbuds, place your phone near the people speaking another language (in this case, your clients), and the app will stream their translated speech to your earbuds. Meanwhile, everything you say will be translated into their language, and be displayed on screen and played aloud to them from your phone.
The app will also save transcriptions of your translated meetings, and summarize them as well. It also offers downloadable language packs so you can translate speech offline. And of course, if you just want to listen to music, podcasts, or other content, the W4 buds can serve as regular wireless buds too.
The W4 buds come in two finishes with a distinctive rectangular case that weighs a modest 4 oz (116.5 g). You can expect about three hours of translation from a 1-hour charge of the buds; the case juices up in just 1.5 hours, and can recharge the buds about four times.
The buds themselves feature an open tip design without silicone tips – so they're more like the Apple AirPods 4 than the AirPods 2 Pro. The package comes with silicone grips for wide ear canals, and ear hooks for narrow canals.
If you glance through Timekettle's catalog, you'll notice there's already a W4 Pro. Those have an open-ear design that wraps around your ear, don't use bone conduction tech, translate videos and virtual meetings, and are priced at US$450.
The W4, meanwhile, come in cheaper at $350, with a smaller feature set. If you travel extensively for work or enjoy conversing with people around the world on your travels, these might be worth a look. They'll be available from today via the company's site and on Amazon.
Source: Timekettle
