In a rather dramatic introduction, Mvox walked through a demonstration promising to throw out all your existing wired communication devices and replace it with a hands-free voice activated solution for dialing, talking, and communicating (in the demo they called Yao Ming). The Mvox DUO is both a Bluetooth headset and hands-free car kit with speaker phone. The speaker phone capability allows it to double as a portable conference room phone and it integrates with VoIP over Bluetooth, assuming your computer is Bluetooth equipped.
The idea here is that by clipping the DUO to your lapel, you get easy access for both talking via speaker phone as well as issuing voice commands. For a more private conversation, an ear fitting turns the communicator into a headset similar to most of the existing Bluetooth rigs. Noise cancellation was demonstrated with The Phantom of the Opera blaring in the background while still successfully issuing voice commands, which either proves the voice recognition works well against loud noises or that they successfully designed a way to tune out Andrew Lloyd Weber (if it’s the latter, I’ll invest). Small array microphones are used to improve both speech recognition and noise cancellation, which is what makes DUO different from existing devices. Mvox is based in Cupertino, so I’m not entirely sure what makes this unique for the Chinese market, as it seems geared toward anyone who spends a great deal of time on the phone.
In their own words: “Mvox Duo is the world’s first wearable smart communicator with one-touch voice dialing. It’s a handsfree car kit, Bluetooth headset, mobile conference phone, and VoIP headset …all in one small wearable device. Innovative features include near 100% voice recognition, superior noise and echo cancellation through patent-pending small array microphone technology, and a holistic design integrating headset and speakerphone. Ideal for road warriors and commuting drivers to enjoy handfree, loud and clear conversations anywhere without sacrificing road safety.”
I was not able to get better photos of the device. After the company found out I was American, they wouldn’t let me take better shots because they haven’t announced the device in the U.S. just yet. Someday, companies need to remember that the Internet has no borders.