There are a lot of Bluetooth speakers around already in all shapes and sizes but a new one from Sony is probably the first of its kind. Sony announced its newest speaker, the SRS-NB10, which is known as the Wireless Neckband Speaker. From the name itself, you will surmise that it is an actual speaker that you can wear around your neck and you are not wrong. You will be able to carry the wireless speaker wherever you go as it actually wraps around the back of your neck and rests on your shoulders.
The fact that a lot of people are still working from home is probably the inspiration behind this unique speaker. It’s probably okay to go around your house with a speaker playing your music or podcast or use it to take calls. At least it’s only your family members or housemates that you’ll be annoying with your walking “boom box” and not officemates. It’s still a weird albeit unique device to have but if you need to be moving around and you don’t want to wear earphones, then this will come in handy.
The SRS-NB10 is actually designed for “personal sound” rather than as a Bluetooth speaker for the entire room. The speakers are angled upward rather than outward so the user can use it both for calls and music/podcasts without disturbing the others in the room. Normally we have something called earphones/headphones/earbuds for that but okay sure, let’s see what these speakers can do. The battery can last up to 20 hours on a full charge,
For voice calls, you have something called “Precise Voice Pickup Technology” that reduces the echo by tapping into two Beamforming microphones. You can connect the speakers to two different devices so one can be used to listen to music while you can switch to your phone or laptop when a call comes in. Sony can definitely say there’s nothing like this out there in the market so let’s see if there will actually be interest in it.
The Sony Wireless Neckband Speaker will be available in charcoal gray and white. It will be in the market by September and will cost you $149.99 if you’re interested in wearing speakers around your neck.
