I tried using Sony's wireless headset 'Link Buds' that can hear outside sounds without blocking my ears and has a built-in microphone.

Sony has released a wireless stereo headset ' LinkBuds ' that is a completely wireless Bluetooth earphone that allows you to hear external sounds firmly even if you wear it because the driver unit part is ring-shaped. I actually used it for listening to music and online meetings.

LinkBuds | Headphones | Sony

The outer box looks like this.

When you remove the exterior, a gray box will come out. The letters 'Link Buds' are debossed on the front.

When you open the box, you will see a sheet with easy steps to use, and the charging case is under it.

The set of contents looks like this. In addition to the charging case + main unit, it contains a fitting supporter, warranty card, reference guide, and USB cable.

The reference guide only describes safety precautions, and you need to see the help guide (Web instruction manual) for operating instructions.

LinkBuds | Help Guide | Top Page

The size of the charging case is approximately 50mm x 42mm x 32mm.

Press the lid open button on the front of the case to open the lid. The hinge has a spring, but it's not strong enough to push a button and open it vigorously. The green lamp indicates the remaining battery level. When the headset is set in the case, the headset is displayed, and when the headset is removed from the case, the remaining battery level is displayed in the charging case. increase.

The total weight including the headset is actually 41g.

Measured 8g for the headset itself.

The size is about 30 mm on the long side connecting the ring-shaped driver unit and the round housing part. The diameter of the driver unit and the housing are about 15 mm each.

The back side looks like this. The driver unit is placed in the back of your ear to hear the sound, so holes are lined up on the back side.

The fitting supporter is equipped with M size by default, and 4 sizes of XS, S, L, XL are included for replacement.

When the Link Buds in the initial state is taken out from the charging case, it will be in the pairing standby state, and it will be possible to pair with nearby terminals that can connect to Bluetooth. In the case of Windows 10, a dialog like this will be displayed, so click 'Connect' and it's OK.

The same applies to pairing with a smartphone. In the case of Xperia, the following dialog will be displayed at the bottom of the screen, so tap 'Connect'.

You will be asked to install the app, but you can use it without it, so tap 'Finish' now.

When pairing with LinkBuds for the second time or later, with the headset in the charging case, press and hold the pairing button on the back of the charging case for about 5 seconds.

If the lamp on the case flashes blue twice, it means that you are in pairing mode, so you can perform the default pairing operation.

When I actually put it on and used it in various scenes, even when listening to music or radio, I noticed enough if someone called me, so I felt that it was an excellent match for work. The same is true while you are on the move, and you can continue to listen to music while listening to announcements from inside the vehicle or inside the station. However, due to the specifications that allow you to hear outside sounds, the sounds you are listening to are easily leaked to the outside, so it is not suitable for making the volume too loud. Also, since the bass sound is considerably suppressed, it does not give a feeling of intimidation to the people around you, but it may not be suitable for powerful types of sounds.

When used in an online conference, the voice of the other party reached very clearly as much as I heard the story. Also, this varies from person to person, but even if the noise reduction function is completely turned off in the online meeting app, the noise that LinkBuds itself is 'realized by a machine learning algorithm using AI'. The reduction system may treat your voice as environmental noise, and the voice itself may be erased during a call, so if you are thinking of using it as a headset instead of just an earphone, in advance You should try it at a Sony showroom / Sony store . Since it is a powerful noise reduction system, it can bring environmental noise such as air conditioners, humidifiers, and keyboard rattling noises to almost zero, so it should be usable as long as the properties match. Officially, the battery life when using continuous calls with a headset is only two and a half hours , so it is unrealistic to say 'use it to keep talking online endlessly from morning till night'. .. However, if you use it for a meeting within two and a half hours, there is no feeling of oppression, and you do not mind wearing it at all. It is positioned as extremely comfortable to use for remote work, such as being able to react.

After this, I will install the app and plan an article that I have used a little more.