Acer Moves Into AI Wearables With Translation Earbuds and Smart Ring

Acer Moves Into AI Wearables With Translation Earbuds and Smart Ring

Acer is using the Computex trade show to branch out into “AI-powered wearables” with a health-tracking smart ring and a pair of earbuds that can translate foreign languages.

The Acer AI TransBuds are designed to translate up to 15 foreign languages in real-time. Importantly, they can perform “two-way voice translation,” even though only one person would be wearing the earbuds.

The company didn’t go into details, but it looks like the earbuds feature two prominent microphones that can pick up speech from anyone you’re talking to. Presumably, the earbuds can then speak back through an AI-assisted translation.

“Notably, only one person needs to wear the earbuds to carry out effective translation, making it ideal for casual conversations, business meetings, livestreams, or online study sessions,” Acer said. “The earbuds also support live captioning and transcription, helping users follow conversations in real time and review them later on.”

However, the TransBuds still need to connect to a smartphone or tablet using a “plug-in receiver” to run the real-time translation. It’s unclear what AI programs Acer is tapping.

Smart ring product

(Credit: Acer)

The second product, the Acer FreeSense Ring, looks to be similar to other smart rings that have been hitting the market with the goal of tracking the user’s health stats. In Acer’s case, the company created a ring out of an “ultra-lightweight titanium alloy.” The product itself can track the wearer’s heart rate, heart rate variability, blood oxygen levels, and sleep quality, with all the information displayed in a companion mobile app, which promises to provide personalized wellness recommendations. 

“Users also have full access to all health data without additional subscription fees, making the FreeSense ring a practical and reliable daily wellness companion,” the company added.  

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Specs for the two products

(Credit: Acer)

The two products come from a company subsidiary called Acer Gear, which is focused on some unconventional product categories for a PC company, including electric bikes, scooters, and even luggage. 

So far, there’s no word on price or availability for the earbuds or smart ring. But Acer is expected to display the products at Computex, which kicks off next week. Stay tuned for our coverage.

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About Michael Kan

Senior Reporter

Michael Kan

I’ve been working as a journalist for over 15 years—I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017.

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