Apple AirPod alternatives? The £40 TicPods will be music to your ears

Apple's AirPods could have a new rival in the wireless earbuds world, with an affordable alternative now up for pre-order in the form of Mobvoi's TicPods Free. You may know Mobvoi from its Ticwatch line of Android Wear smartwatches, which we've reported on before. Just launched on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo, the TicPods Free are available for the'early bird' pre-order price of $59 or £42 – approximately £120 less than the AirPods' RRP. Key features of the TicPods include cross-platform smart assistant compatibility, with Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa all supported as AI helpers. There's also a number of touch-based controls on-board: swipe up and down on the stem of the TicPods to adjust the volume, double tap to answer or end a call, and long-press for two seconds to activate your voice assistant or (if you're feeling really mean) reject a call.