Sony has begun taking pre-orders for its Xperia Ear, a smart earpiece that integrates a digital personal assistant which can be controlled using natural language interface and simple head gestures.

The Xperia Ear, a prototype of which appeared at various tech shows earlier this year, is designed to offer a new form of communication and interaction without disrupting users activities in the same way as a smartphone or even smartglasses.

The earpiece can make calls, perform internet searches, read and dictate messages and interact with mapping apps to guide you to a given location. The device offers a number of gesture based controls, such as nodding to reply to messages.

Sony is illustrating the devices capabilities with a series of content marketing videos, following three brand ambassadors in three European cities – Berlin, London and Paris – as they use the Xperia Ear in the course of their day-to-day lives.

“As a photographer, I like to be aware of the world around me and I found it a liberating feeling not being tied to a smartphone,” said Tom Oxley, portrait photographer and one of the Xperia Ear brand ambassadors. “I was able to travel and work around the city, know Xperia Ear would remind me of my schedule and messages.”

The Xperia Ear will start shipping from mid-November 2016, and retails for £179.00, with customers who pre-order receiving a £45 voucher redeemable against any Xperia smartphone.