AnkerWork S600 Uses Artificial Intelligence to Block Out Background Noise, and It’s Not Just a Gimmick
With remote work now more normal than ever, hands-free phones like the AnkerWork S600 can be a reliable way to improve the quality of your audio calls, no matter your environment. However, the S600 goes further by adding artificial intelligence to the mix that picks up individual voices and blocks out unnecessary noise.
The S600 is currently available on Kickstarter , where you can back the device at a limited early bird price of $113. The regular price will end up being around $180 USD when sold through retailers and the Anker website , based on the discount percentage AnkerWork listed on its Kickstarter. It’s a good deal if you want a speakerphone with these capabilities, but is AI worth it? I think so.
AI is not just a gimmick
While there are certainly other Bluetooth speakers and hands-free devices out there, some of which can block out background noise like barking dogs, the S600 stands out as one of the first hands-free devices to feature AI-powered voiceprint recognition. This technology uses built-in algorithms and neural networks to hone in on a specific person’s voice, cutting out noise from everything else.
It’s an ambitious project, but it actually works surprisingly well. I tested it on several calls in different environments, including outdoors, a kitchen, a small room with an echo, and an office where the background noise was fairly constant.
Voice printing technology was able to quickly pick up my voice and the voices of those around me. There were two ways to reduce background noise: First, he muted the microphones I wasn’t talking into. Second, it applied noise reduction to sound sources other than me. The end result didn’t mask everything, but made everything look cleaner.
While noise cancellation is nothing new, the ability to quickly identify sound sources is. AnkerWork claims that the S600’s VoiceRadar 3.5 technology can identify more than 300 different types of background noise, and it certainly did a great job in the environments I tested in, although it was impossible for me to test every possible scenario. There’s also echo cancellation, which helped me in my testing in a small room and should be suitable for cramped home offices.
Design and portability
The S600 is highly portable thanks to its minimalist design. Although my device was a pre-production model, I was told that it should be identical to the real thing. Essentially, the S600 looks like someone upended a coffee shop cup and then added speakers and some buttons to it. It’s a fairly simple design that doesn’t distract too much from the functionality it offers. There are only two physical buttons: one for power, the other for pairing with your devices via Bluetooth. It also has multiple touch controls that let you pause or play music, accept and reject calls, change volume levels, and even mute or try someone’s voiceprint.
The S600 also has two USB-C ports: one for charging the internal battery, which Ankerwork claims offers up to 16 hours of battery life, and a port that allows you to connect it directly to a device such as a computer or smartphone. The device features a MagSafe Qi2 articulating wireless charger that can charge your phone at up to 15W while taking calls. The charger can rotate 70 degrees, so you can place your phone in a convenient location for video calls or anything else you need it for.
The S600’s speakers surround the device, and four microphones at the base pick up noise and voices 360 degrees around it. Music playback is fine, but the lack of real bass will likely force you to turn to a more music-oriented speaker.
Speakerphone that provides
Overall I was very impressed with the S600. Having received the device early, I had to jump through a few hoops to install the beta software to take full advantage of the voice typing technology, but once that was done, the initial setup was very easy to complete. The final modules will not have to overcome these obstacles.
By the way, don’t worry about security with this device. Everything it records, including your voiceprint, is stored entirely on the speakerphone and is never sent to the cloud.
Connecting my smartphone to the speakerphone was easy, and changing volume and other settings using touch controls was also a breeze. I didn’t have any connection issues when using the speakerphone, and the quality is more than clear enough for any important business calls you might need to make.
The device itself is quite attractive, if not a bit simplistic, so you won’t have to worry about it being an eyesore on your desk. In addition, it is convenient to be able to charge your phone directly while using the device. If you make a lot of phone calls, the AnkerWork S600 is a great addition to your everyday work gear. Shipping will begin after the Kickstarter campaign ends on May 20th.