Deutsche Telekom and i.am+, created by entrepreneur and musician will.i.am, have formed an exclusive partnership, the companies announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The first product to be launched through this prospective long-term partnership will be "dial" – a next-generation wearable that is a computerised wrist device and smartphone, based on the new voice-focused software platform AneedA.
The “smartphone on your wrist” combines lifestyle, entertainment and communication features. The business partnership is focused on the exclusive marketing of this product in the footprint of Deutsche Telekom. During the course of this year, Dial will be available exclusively for the first time in specific Telekom EU countries.
Dial is operated with the AneedA voice control system, and operates independently of any smartphone. The unique voice user experience stands out for its intelligent and contextual search function, DT said. Most of Dial’s features will be available through voice control without the need for further manual input. AneedA knows music, information and is a personal AI (artificial intelligence).
The device accommodates a nano SIM card to operate independently of the smartphone. At the same time, it can be associated to existing telephone numbers, no matter the smartphone. Users can keep their existing mobile number and make and receive calls or messages via a single identity, anywhere.
