Knowles Announces SmartMic Headset Development Kit for Baidu DuerOS

Knowles Corporation announced that it has developed with Baidu and Bestechnic (BES) a new hands-free reference design for headphones, headsets and true wireless earbuds that works with smart devices powered by DuerOS, Baidu’s conversational AI system. The Knowles IA610 SmartMic supports the industry’s lowest-power, always-on voice wake capability to enable Baidu voice service on-the-go for ear worn consumer products.

On November 9, 2017, I attended the Futuresource Audio Collaborative 2017 conference, at the Ham Yard Hotel in London. With the topic "A Change is Gonna Come," the conference was a valuable and insightful event. To entice our readers to actually spend the hours listening to those interventions (and for those that don't have the time to do it), I will share some of the key highlights, adding some personal takes on the topics addressed.

German company Bragi anticipated the announcement of Apple’s headphone-jack free iPhone 7 with an announcement of its own. While some audio companies are targeting Lightning connectivity and the benefits of direct digital connection, Bragi decided to make the best use of its technology already developed for The Dash true wireless earbuds to create a new simpler model - The Headphone - focusing on compatibility with any Bluetooth device… including the iPhone.