Sony Ericsson reveals skin-activated headphones

 

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Posted on 22 Sep 2009 at 11:28

Sony Ericsson has announced a pair of inner-ear headphones that know when you're using them.

According to Sony Ericsson, the MH907 headphones use capacitive technology to start the music when you insert both headphones into your ears.

Removing one of the earbuds will pause the music, while reinserting it will cause the music to resume - all without the need to touch the controller, which could be useful for those gasped conversations on the treadmill.

For added convenience, removing one of the headphones will allow you to answer an incoming call on your smartphone, while removing both will cause you to hang up. Not necessarily that helpful if you simply want to switch somebody to speaker phone.

Powering all this inner-ear gimmickery is "capacitive sensing technology", much like that used on smartphones such as the iPhone. Capacitive technology uses the body's natural electrical charge as an input, basically making these devices skin activated.

The headphones will work with any Sony Ericsson device with a Fast Port connector, and also feature a built-in microphone and FM antenna, according to the company.

Sony Ericsson claims they'll be available worldwide later this week, with a price of between $55 and $60 - UK pricing has yet to be confirmed.

Author: Stuart Turton