Amazon is designing wireless earbuds, similar to its rival Apple's AirPods, that feature built-in access to voice assistant Alexa, Bloomberg reports.
The retail giant aims to launch the wireless earbuds by mid 2019, sources with knowledge of the plans told Bloomberg. The Alexa-enabled device will allow wearers to use their voice to access information on the go, such as the weather, or listen to music. Amazon also recently unveiled software that makes Alexa HIPAA-compliant, which could potentially let users access the voice assistant's new healthcare skills through the earbuds.
To access Alexa, wearers will use physical gesture controls, like "tapping to pick up and end calls and switch between songs," according to the report. The earbuds will not feature built-in cellular connectivity, and will need to be paired with a phone for use.