Audio company Bose has announced that its Sleepbuds are now available to purchase. These truly wireless earbuds are designed specifically for night use, helping wearers get and stay asleep via noise-masking technology, among other things. According to the company, Sleepbuds is its smallest product ever, bringing with it all-new technology.
Google released their Google Podcasts experience in app form this morning to the surprise of Podcast lovers everywhere. Before now, Google had a podcast-collecting experience available in their Search app, but it wasn't particularly comprehensive. Now there's an app for that, and it's free, and we're expecting apps like Pocket Casts and Sticher to be ... disappointed, to say the least.
Yamaha has announced its new YAS-108 sound bar, a low-profile audio offering designed to blend seamlessly with a home entertainment setup. The company calls the YAS-108 a reimaging of its most popular sound bar, one that adds a single-chassis design with a low profile and "simple TV connections."
Gaming audio company Turtle Beach has introduced a pair of new gaming headsets: the Recon 200 and Stealth 300. The headsets were announced during E3, and the company wasn't shy about exploiting the battle royale genre's popularity to hawk the new models, saying they're "perfectly suited" for games like Fortnite. Both headsets are wired and feature amplified audio.
AirPods were arguably the flashpoint for the truly-wireless earbuds industry. The market has seen models launched by big and no-name companies alike, some with nearly perfect functionality, others that are barely usable. Now that these wire-free earbuds are more common and competition is stronger, we're seeing makers pack increasingly useful features into their own offerings. Firefly is no exception.
This week the folks at Essential decided to go the dongle route when it came to a headphone jack for PH-1. Their device already had the ability to administer sound through its USB-C port, but barring that or Bluetooth, there was no traditional way to plug in and jam. Now, with the Audio Adapter HD, there's a headphone jack again. It connects through the pogo-pins at the back of the PH-1 phone.
Apple will add Live Listen support for AirPods in iOS 12, according to a new report. The company didn't include the detail during its WWDC 2018 keynote, but a leak claims iPhone users will soon be able to enable the feature on their handsets. Live Listen was originally exclusive to hearing aids under the Made for iPhone program.
Spotify is sending out a survey to certain users that contains an interesting question: would those users be interested in a data-only mobile plan from Spotify that includes the streaming service as a bundled feature? The company doesn't currently offer any such plans, but the question hints at a business idea Spotify has behind closed doors.
Plex has been updated with support for podcasts, the company has announced. The software, which enables anyone to create their own home media server, now allows users to access podcasts on both their television and mobile devices without a subscription or separate app. The new feature is currently in beta but available to anyone with the Plex App.
Pandora has launched a new premium family plan that gives subscribers access to higher quality audio with certain benefits including offline music access. The new plan allows for up to six individuals to access and use the account, bringing the total per-person price down to about $2.50/month. Subscribers can easily send invitations directly to family and friends.
Chinese company Fiio has launched a new high-res audio player called the M7. The new Fiio M7 model has a stylish, blocky design with both a touchscreen and physical buttons, as well as one big, important feature: USB-C. With this, buyers can use a pair of USB-C headphones with the audio player rather than traditional 3.5mm headphones.
Sonos has launched a new series of bundle sets that include both speakers and turntables, enabling new customers to get entire systems for their home or office. The bundles range from two-speaker sets intended for two rooms all the way up to four speaker bundles, entertainment sets with soundbars, and even a couple bundles that include turntables.