Ola Friend earbuds link up with the company’s generative AI assistant
A recent report shows that ByteDance is stepping deeper into hardware by launching its first pair of earbuds. The TikTok parent company’s Ola Friend buds will be exclusive to China for the time being. These earbuds connect to the company’s generative AI assistant, Doubao, which happens to be the most popular GenAI app in China, boasting 47 million monthly active users. The new earbuds allow users to chat directly with ByteDance’s GenAI chatbot without having to pick up their smartphones. Basically, the open-ear Ola Friend buds are crafted to act as a personal audio assistant for various situations – whether you’re traveling, practicing English, enjoying some music, or just want some company.
To unlock all the features of the Ola Friend earbuds, users need to install the Doubao mobile app. Once you’ve got the app on your smartphone and connected to the earbuds, you can wake up ByteDance’s chatbot by simply saying, “Doubao Doubao.”
The new Ola Friend buds in all its colors. | Image credit – ByteDance
Each earbud weighs just 6.6 grams and is available in four colors:
With a price tag of 1,199 yuan (about $170 when directly converted), the earbuds are slated to start shipping on October 17. As for when they might make their way to international markets, that’s still up in the air.The launch of the Ola Friend earbuds comes on the heels of ByteDance finalizing its acquisition of Oladance, a company known for its wearable audio gear, earlier this year.
I think it makes sense for ByteDance to dive into the AI wearable scene. Other tech giants and start-ups are also jumping on the GenAI bandwagon, hoping that advancements in AI tech will breathe new life into wearables.
For instance, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has been zeroing in on smart glasses. Meanwhile, a few start-ups are getting creative with unique form factors, like Rabbit’s compact R1 device and Humane’s AI Pin. However, these unconventional options haven’t exactly taken off since their debut.
