Mobvoi launches a new $ 200 smartwatch and an alternative to the $ 130 AirPod – TechCrunch



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Chinese Society of Artificial Intelligence Mobvoi has always been one of the best players in the smartwatch, which remains dominated by Apple. Today, he launched a sequel to his 2016 TicWatch, a viral success that brought in more than $ 2 million to Kickstarter, and unveiled a cheaper version of Apple's AirPods.

The new TicWatch C2 was presented at an event in London for $ 199.99. Unlike its predecessor, it went from the Mobvoi operating system to that of Google. Wear the OS. This is not a surprise, however, as Mobvoi's new budget watches and "professional" watches have already taken a leap.

The C2, which refers to the classic packs NFC, Bluetooth, NFC and a voice assistant. It comes in black, platinum and rose gold. The last color option – shown below – is thinner, so it's probably designed for female wrists.

However, there is a tradeoff because the watch does not come with Qualcomm. new chip Snapdragon Wear 3100. Mobvoi instead chose the old processor 2100. This could explain the price, but it will mean that the new Android Wear watches shipped in months have better performance, especially in terms of battery life. As it stands, the TicWatch C2 has a life of two days, but the subcontractor should be taken into account by potential buyers.

Mobvoi also unveiled TicPods Free, its interpretation of AirPod wireless. They are priced at $ 129.99 and available in red, white and blue.

Headphones have already raised more than $ 2.8 million from Indiegogo – Mobvoi generally resorts to crowdfunding to garner feedback and evaluate customer interest – and initial assessments have been positive.

They run on Android and iOS and include support for Alex and Google Assistant. They also include gesture-based controls beyond Apple type taps to skip music, and so on. The life of the battery without a case, which also serves as a charger, is estimated at 18 hours, or four hours.

TicPods are available for purchase online now. The TicWatch C2 will be available in advance before the "large" launch planned for December 6th.

Mobvoi specializes in artificial intelligence and includes Google among its investors. It also has a joint venture with VW that aims to introduce Ai into the automotive industry. In China, he is best known for AI services, but overall, in the consumer space, he also offers a Google Assistant speaker called TicHome Mini.

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