Amazon is developing Alexa-powered wireless earbuds that feature fitness tracking capabilities.
That's according to a person directly involved in the project, who revealed the hearable is in the works to CNBC. The project is currently going under the codename 'Puget', and, along with smart assistant support, is also expected to house an accelerometer motion sensor.
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That will enable it to track fitness metrics such as distance, pace and also estimate calorie burn during workouts.
Apparently, the earbuds will play nice with Android and iPhone, and would be priced below $100. That would make them significantly cheaper than a pair of Apple AirPods.
It's not clear when the Alexa earbuds will launch, though Amazon is hosting a hardware event on 25 September in Seattle. It's possible we could see them there.
This certainly isn't the first time we've heard talk that the company has been exploring launching a hearable, though. Back in April this year, a report from Bloomberg suggested Amazon was working on a wireless pair of earbuds.
The buds would work similarly to AirPods, and even come with a USB charging case. It was also suggested Amazon was testing black and grey colorways for the hearable to launch in.
The report did also refer to delays Amazon had faced developing the device - one that was hinted to let Alexa do everything it can do on your phone from the ear. So, it would be able to provide things like forecasts, smart home control, flash briefings and even letting you make calls.
Alexa has already appeared in some hearables, including the ill-fated Bragi Dash and headphones from the likes of Bose. We've also seen fitness tracking headphones from Jabra and Bose, though it will be interesting to see if Amazon can offer something more compelling when it comes to tracking fitness from the ears.
The company has already made big moves to put its smart assistant into more devices, and it wouldn't be all that surprising to see the ears get the Alexa treatment, too.
For now, we wait to see whether the AirPods rivals turn up in the coming days, months or this is one to earmark for some point further down the line.
How we test
By Michael Sawh
Michael Sawh has been covering the wearable tech industry since the very first Fitbit landed back in 2011. Previously the resident wearable tech expert at Trusted Reviews, he also marshaled the features section of T3.com.
He also regularly contributed to T3 magazine when they needed someone to talk about fitness trackers, running watches, headphones, tablets, and phones.
Michael writes for GQ, Wired, Coach Mag, Metro, MSN, BBC Focus, Stuff, TechRadar and has made several appearances on the BBC Travel Show to talk all things tech.
Michael is a lover of all things sports and fitness-tech related, clocking up over 15 marathons and has put in serious hours in the pool all in the name of testing every fitness wearable going. Expect to see him with a minimum of two wearables at any given time.