Bose Audio Sunglasses Launch in India with Voice Support

on June 18, 2019 at 4:15 pm

Image Source: Bose

Six months after its U.S. debut, Bose Frames will launch in India Thursday. The audio sunglasses were “designed for sun and sound” according to Bose as the glasses have standard UVA/UVB protection as well as Google Assistant and Siri access. They are available in matte black and in two styles: classic angular and distinct rounded. There is an on/off button on one side of the glasses and miniature Bose Speakers directed toward the wearer on the other. The frames start at INR 21,900 or $199.95 with the option to add polarized or non-polarized lenses.

Key Audio Sunglasses Features:

Bluetooth
Augmented reality
Music streaming
Access your phone and contacts
3.5 hour playback battery
12 hour standby battery

India’s Growing AI Market

Voice supported devices are becoming increasingly accessible in India. The Bose Frames launch comes one week after Google Assistant and Alexa connected JBL headphones launched in India and two weeks after Alexa announced their plan to expand support for Hindi and other Indian languages.

Bose Frames Audio Sunglasses2

It makes sense that companies want to tap into the second most populous country in the world. India has nearly 1.5 billion people and tech giants like Google and Facebook are tapping into the growing AI market, both launching accelerator programs in 2018. Facebook partnered with T-Hub, India’s largest incubator for startups, to create an Innovation Accelerator Program designed to mentor and support startups. The program is now entering its second phase that focuses on AI.

“With the second edition of the India Innovation Accelerator program, we want to help to build the ecosystem for AI in India and support startups with the resources and opportunities,” explained Satyajeet Singh, Facebook’s Head of Platform Partnerships, India and South Asia.

Last week Microsoft announced a three year plan to build AI digital labs in coordination with 10 colleges and universities in India. The initiative hopes to expand the existing skill sets among students. “With the right technology infrastructure, curriculum and training, students can be empowered to build the India of tomorrow” said Microsoft India President Anant Maheshwari.

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) released a paper in June 2018 that summarized the country’s AI strategy. The roadmap identified five sectors that should take priority in the AI expansion: