A new idea to wear an AI speaker, quickly test the AQUOS sound partner "AN-SC1"

Portable audio is a field with a long history. I think that there are two groups of people who want to listen to bone conduction speakers and neck speakers.

The neck speaker appeared on the market around 2017, and at first it was a hit for those who wanted to watch TV and movies with great power while worrying about their families. The mainstream was to combine it with a dedicated transmitter without using Bluetooth.

On the other hand, Sharp also entered this field with the model "AN-SS1" in 2018, but the direction was completely different. Since it is an "AQUOS Sound Partner", it is the same for listening to TV sound, but with a weight of 88g and a specification of continuous 14-hour drive, it is a wearable speaker that can be used for some purpose all day without being particular about TV. I was. Bluetooth was also installed from the beginning, so I was able to connect to my smartphone and use Google Assistant and Siri.

The sound-focused “AN-SX7A” was released in 2019 as a successor, but things have changed since then. Many people have started to hold remote meetings for a long time due to the corona crisis, but the first generation "AN-SS1", which is small and light and has a long drive, has many people saying, "Oh, isn't this the best for remote meetings? ”, so it is attracting attention again.

The first refined model "AN-SS2" will be released in 2020, but it was a product with many highlights, such as improved speakers, extensive Bluetooth codec support, and "Clear Voice".

This is a long introduction, but Sharp is currently crowdfunding AQUOS Sound Partner's new model "AN-SC1" at GREEN FUNDING. This time, I would like to borrow a prototype and test the functions as soon as possible to see what is different from the conventional model.

■ Is this the power of "wearable Alexa"?

The biggest point of the AN-SC1 is that it has become a stand-alone AI speaker. I don't think you'll understand what's going on even with such a soft talk, but I'll break it down and explain it.

The previous model was basically a Bluetooth speaker, even though it came with a transmitter to send the TV sound. If you connect directly to your smartphone via Bluetooth, you can call the smartphone's voice assistant, that is, Google Assistant for Android and Siri for iPhone.

On the other hand, in the case of this unit, even if it is not connected to a smartphone, this speaker itself supports voice assistant. Specifically, it will be on par with the Amazon Echo. The reason why this is possible is that this unit can now connect not only to Bluetooth but also to Wi-Fi. When powered up, it connects to Wi-Fi and accepts audio commands with its internal SoC and programmatically. It's sent to Amazon's cloud for processing, just like the Amazon Echo. It's actually a "wearable Alexa".

Currently, the version of the setting tool is under development. After that, use the setting tool to set the home Wi-Fi that you originally use and put your Amazon account into this unit, and you're done.

Because of these specifications, the body looks almost the same as AN-SS2, but the internal base is completely different. The difference in appearance is that what used to be the "Clear Voice" button has been changed to the "Action Button". When you press this action button, it will be in the voice command listening standby state.

I actually connected with my personal Amazon account and tried it out. Voice commands to Alexa are a single press of the action button. You don't need to call "Alexa" as a wake-up word, just listen to what you want to know. In fact, I have two Amazon Echos around me, but I don't have to say "Alexa", so I don't get confused by various Echos moving.

I always work while playing music on Amazon Music HD, but with this unit, music playback is easy. The speakers don't produce bass, so it's not a rich sound, but unlike earphones or headphones, the sound comes from behind you, but with a strong stereo feel. I feel like

Of course, it's the same as using Amazon Echo for weather forecasts and reading the news. Until now, voice commands have been troublesome to say "Alexa" each time, but with this unit, you just press a button, so you can easily try out various functions. Even if the other party is an AI, the hurdles to "call someone to do it" may be lowered.

Like the previous model, it comes with a transmitter, so you can listen to the TV sound. "Clear Voice" has lost its dedicated button, but the function is still there. You can turn it on and off by pressing and holding the action button and volume "+" button.

Of course, the function as a Bluetooth speaker remains the same, so you can connect it to a PC and use it for Zoom meetings. To change the pairing destination, press and hold the action button and the volume "-" button. I actually had a remote meeting with the editorial department, but the audio was reasonably audible from both here and over there. However, in remote meetings, I didn't really understand the difference between ON and OFF of "Clear Voice".

If you connect it to your smartphone via Bluetooth, you can also use voice commands for Google Assistant and Siri on the smartphone side. In this case, press the Bluetooth button on this unit to activate the voice assistant.

The neck speaker started with the need for private viewing of TV, but I didn't think it would shift to smart speakers. Conventional smart speakers are stationary with a direct connection to the power supply, and there was no concept of moving from one place to another.

Even though it is remote work, it seems to be a strong ally for those who cannot stay in the same room all day.