You see someone walking down the street speaking aimlessly into mid-air, conducting what appears to be a strange, one-sided conversation with no one in particular. Not long ago, you might have assumed some kind of mental instability.

In the age of mobile communications, you now look for an earpiece with a wire snaking down to a cellphone in their pocket.

Modern technology has created the new breed of air talker -- cellphone users who converse using small earpieces and tiny microphones that let them speak and listen without ever holding a phone to their ear.

It's a peculiar form of communication that blurs the line between public and private conversation. And it's getting more peculiar all the time. [...]

With some adjustments, the bud tucks into your ear and a tiny embedded microphone in the device picks up and transmits your voice from its perch at the side of your head — all with no wires.

Wireless Bluetooth technology has advanced the evolution of the air talking phenomenon by linking devices such as phones and earpieces together invisibly using wireless communication. [...]