Audio

Remember that time in Batman: The Dark Knight when they hacked into every phone in the city and used audio matching and GPS to locate The Joker? It would seem that the app developers behind the app LaLiga had the same idea as Bruce Wayne - because they've essentially made that nightmare a reality. With their app, they've been detecting pubs and bars broadcasting pirated football (soccer) matches illegally, using geofencing and live audio from everyday users with their LaLiga app.

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Spotify has formed a partnership with Higher Ground, the production company owned by President Barack and Michelle Obama. Under this deal, Higher Ground will produce exclusive podcasts for Spotify, making them available to the service's millions of users. Among other things, Spotify says the Obamas will 'lend their voices' for certain podcasts.

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The Razer Kraken X headset was revealed this morning alongside word that 7.1 surround sound would come standard with all 2019 Razer headsets. The Razer Kraken X headset is easily the most easily-accessible headset (or set of headphones, if you prefer to call them such) in the Razer headphones collection. These headphones will be released later today for the first time.

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Spotify is attempting to tackle the podcast discovery problem with a new test that'll start this summer. The service, which only recently added podcasts to its vast library, will present five podcast playlists to a small percentage of users in the United States, Canada, UK, and a number of other countries. Each playlist will be themed to help users choose which contains content most appropriate for their current needs and interests, including things like 'geek culture' and comedy.

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Ultimate Ears has given its chunky little WONDERBOOM speaker a revamp, with the UE WONDERBOOM 2 promising louder sound and more bass. A new Outdoor Boost mode promises to retune the Bluetooth speaker's EQ settings, with a special configuration designed for outdoor listening.

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Marvel has tapped Dreamscape Media to turn a number of its comic books into audiobooks, the company has announced. The audiobooks will be made under a multi-book agreement, Dreamscape said in an announcement on Thursday. The project will result in around 25 audiobooks featuring 'classic and iconic prose stories' from Marvel's vast library, including multiple notable characters from the Marvel universe.

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Iconic New York radio station 95.5 WPLJ will go off the air for good tomorrow night, leaving only hours to stream or call in before it transitions to entirely different content. The station launched back in 1971 as an album-oriented rock station, having persisted over the decades since into the hot adult contemporary destination it is today. That will change on 7PM ET on Friday, when the station's new owner flips the switch.

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Bose has revealed a new set of noise-cancelling headphones, the first of a three-product launch aiming to claw back the "traveler's favorite" crown from upstart rivals like Sony. The new Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are the first step of the trio, building on the well-esteemed tech inside the QuietComfort range, and integrating smart assistants and more.

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What on earth is going on with Nokia OZO Audio, and why is it important to the phone called OPPO Reno 10x Zoom Edition? Since we've been following along with both brands for approximately a decade, we're ready to explore this strange pairing with aplomb. Nokia is a brand that creates all sorts of things, now - and OPPO is one of the most interesting smartphone brands in the world.

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Google Podcasts is slowly developing into a proper podcast app with the addition of new -- and some would say, basic and expected -- features already available in many competing products. With the most recent update, Google Podcasts can now be set to automatically download the newest episodes in the podcasts you listen to, eliminating the need to manually find and download the content.

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Headphones and earbuds are designed for all ears but not only does no one size fits all, not everyone hears the same as well. In the past year or so, audio accessory makers have been pushing for a "personalized audio experience", many of them requiring rather massive headphone cups. Nura is one of those at the forefront of that thrust and it is now pushing the envelope even further by bringing all the lessons of the Nuraphone into the more portable form of the NuraLoop.

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The OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2 were revealed today with a collection of new features. This pair of buds works with a triple-armature driver structure and one GoerTek dynamic driver - plus they sound pretty great. They're designed with the OnePlus 7 family of devices in mind - they match the hardware - but they're smooth and simple enough to collaborate with any phone that supports Bluetooth.

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