‘AirPods for Android’ TicPod’s crowdfunding campaign is going fast
Apple’s Airpods are ridiculed by many people (“half toothbrush in your ear” and that kind of statement) but everyone who uses them turns out to be wildly enthusiastic, because Apple can barely ask the question for wireless earbuds. keep up. That has not gone unnoticed at tech company Mobvoi and they have now, in imitation of their smartwatches, also devised a copy of the AirPods, but then for Android phones. Not only for Android phones, by the way: the Bluetooth caps also work with iOS devices.
The caps are called TicPods Free and on Indiegogo the campaign to have things made (estimated delivery date: July 2018) has already raised more than two million dollars. The TicPods are also wireless, look almost the same as AirPods, you get a box to charge them for 18 hours of listening, they are IPX5 waterproof and noise canceling. You can use them to listen to music, activate your digital assistant and of course to call. One of the things that TicPods do differently is that they have a flat side, allowing you to go up and down with your finger along the length to adjust the volume. Clever.
Also available in white
Also welcome: colors other than white. The TicPods are also available in red and dark blue and that will make a lot of people sound (and stand) better than the white protrusions where you as an Apple user are condemned. What the TicPods of course do not have is Apple’s separate W1 chip that makes it super easy to connect your ears with your phone or other Apple device with such a chip. TicPods are ‘normal’ Bluetooth 4.2, but if your phone is always close, that should not be a problem.
Sounds all right, but then we have not talked about the price yet. That is also remarkably low: for 85 euros you can ‘order’ a few and then you get the charger. That is very little compared to the competition (also on Android), because Airpods cost the double and other wireless caps from Sony and Jabra are possibly even more expensive. Mobvoi also mentions in the campaign that you get a one-year warranty anyway and that they can also send you a single cap if you lost one.
It sounds almost too good to be true, so some restraint is required. The product is not ready, you are not sure if it will be as good as they promise and the chance that there will be a delay with delivery is also great. If it was not Mobvoi, who had previously delivered several products that were in order, I would even say that you have to wait until they are actually produced and tested by people before you give money. All these reasons have not stopped the thousands of people who have contributed to the campaign so far, so if you’re in the market for wireless earphones on Android, this seems like a nice investment.