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Amazon’s Alexa voice control has spread to third-party wireless speakers like wildfire in the past year, and it's now starting to trickle into Bluetooth headphones - as it has done with the Bose QuietComfort 35 II (pictured top).
Qualcomm wants more Alexa-powered headphones to hit the market, and it’s come up with a hardware and software package to sell to manufacturers to help them produce them ‘more efficiently and cost-effectively’.
The chipset manufacturer has today announced a new Bluetooth Smart Headset reference design featuring push-button activation support for Alexa, for Android smartphone owners with the Alexa app.
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The customisable design is based on its ‘most advanced family of Bluetooth audio chips’, the QCC5100-series (which Qualcomm designed to help facilitate true wireless earbuds), and in addition to support for Alexa also gives device makers options to add ultra-low power consumption for extended battery life, active noise cancellation and aptX HD Bluetooth.
The Bluetooth Smart Headset reference design is available now, so are more – and perhaps more affordable – Alexa headphones for Android smartphones on the horizon? Qualcomm for one, and smart supporters for two, will sure hope so.
Becky is a hi-fi, AV and technology journalist, formerly the Managing Editor at What Hi-Fi? and Editor of Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica magazines. With over twelve years of journalism experience in the hi-fi industry, she has reviewed all manner of audio gear, from budget amplifiers to high-end speakers, and particularly specialises in headphones and head-fi devices.
In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.
