audio

This week the folks at Plantronics have gone to the wireless side with a collection of active/sport oriented earbuds and headphones. Their new lineup includes the BackBeat FIT 300 Series, the BackBeat FIT 500 Series, the BackBeat FIT Training Edition, and the BackBeat FIT Boost Edition. The BackBeat FIT 300 Series will be available starting today in four lovely colors, while the other three series will be made available "in early October."

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Audio company Shure has announced a new line of Bluetooth earbuds, and getting it off the ground are the Wireless SE112 and SE215. Both models sport Bluetooth 4.1 and feature a tethered-cable design rather than the plastic neckband design that some companies use. These models are built upon the foundation Shure set with its SE Sound Isolating Earphones, offering a wireless option for those looking for an upgrade.

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Ahead of Google's phone event early next month, a leak has surfaced showing the Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones with Google Assistant baked in. The original leak has been rounded out with a later one that includes photos of a retail box supposedly belonging to the headphones -- the box confirms the Google Assistant inclusion.

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Still find yourself pining for the witty banter of animated television's most popular futuristic sitcom? Then Nerdist has good news for you. The animated show will be briefly resurrected in the form of a radio show, one being released as a podcast rather than being broadcast on actual radio. This radioplay episode will tie in with Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow, a mobile game that recently hit the iOS and Android app stores.

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A new speaker has arrived on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter, and it claims to be more durable than just about any other consumer-tier speaker on the market. According to the team behind Gigaboom, this speaker is essentially crushproof with the ability to withstand up to 4,000lbs of weight; it is also said to be bulletproof, though it's hard to imagine when that would come in useful for a portable Bluetooth speaker.

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When it comes to ebooks, most people still think of Amazon. The Internet company has long dominated the online publishing market, having been the driving force behind the rise of ereaders and digital books. Still, competitors remain and notable among them is Kobo, which has launched its own ereaders over the years. The company launched its own online ebook subscription service back in February, and now it is back with audiobooks.

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Audio company Urbanears has taken the wraps off its latest collection, the Fall/Winter 17 lineup. This collection features some strong colors, not the least of which is an Emerald Green shade that goes well with the earthy tones of autumn. The company will be releasing three headphones models with this collection's colors, including the Plattan 2, the Plattan ADV Wireless, and the Sumpan.

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Google has introduced what it calls an 'interactive experiment,' one that uses virtual reality to take music lovers inside of songs, doing so in a way that is entirely new thanks to this budding technology. The new experiment has been done in conjunction with the podcast Song Explorer, and it uses audio from a variety of artists. All you need is a VR headset (Cardboard will work) to get started.

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Long before YouTube Red was a thing, many casual pirates filled their MP3 players with music ripped from YouTube videos. Though the earliest methods of getting this audio were cumbersome, websites quickly appeared online that made the process as simple as providing a YouTube URL and clicking a download button. The most popular of these websites is being shut down for good.

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If Sennheiser's new earbuds for audiophiles are too far outside of your budget, the company has a new, cheaper alternative: the CX 7.00BT. These Bluetooth earbuds are designed for everyday listening, according to the company, which went with a neckband design for this model. Among the model's many notable features is the inclusion of NFC for single-touch device pairing.

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Joining its new pair of HD1 Free earbuds comes Sennheiser's newly unveiled IE 80 S, a model the company says it made for 'the discerning music enthusiast.' Though the company didn't ignore the aesthetic aspects of these earphones, the primary focus seems to have been on the audio quality; the company promises this pair gives listeners 'outstanding sonic accuracy and clarity.'

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Sennheiser has introduced its new HD1 Free, a pair of wireless earbuds in the maker's HD1 lineup. The HD1 Free feature a 'traditional' Bluetooth earbuds design -- that is, they're a pair of ear pieces connected by a cable rather than the less popular plastic neckband design. Though the model features a lower battery life rating than some of its newest competitors at 6 hours, it does bring with it a stylish design that stands out from the crowd.

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