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.
Over the past week we've been keeping up with the relatively few issues OnePlus 7 Pro users had with software right out the box. In the mix is an "optimized" Double Tap to Wake and Ambient Display - both of which had some tiny issues (at least with SOME users) in the first week since release. There's also a set of improvements for the camera.
Apple has been the one that single-handedly pushed wireless audio forward by ditching the headphone jack on its iPhones. Since then, other phone makers have followed which, in turn, also motivated audio accessory makers to step up their game. But despite leading the charge, there are areas where Apple's adoption of Bluetooth audio technologies have actually lagged behind the industry. That may change in the next iPhones as Apple is now rumored to soon add support for dual Bluetooth audio streaming.
Thanks in part to Apple pushing its AirPods onto the smartphone market, the in-ear Bluetooth earbuds industry has gotten some attention and improvements. From truly wireless designs to touch-sensitive surface, these audio accessories have greatly improved in all but one aspect: battery life. Considering their size and the technology they use, it's not surprising that they could last only a few hours at most. That's where Cleer's new Ally earbuds try to break the mold with 10 hours of playback that could get you through your work day with no problem at all.
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.
Thanks to the removal of headphone jacks on smartphones, Bluetooth headsets and earphones are becoming more and more common. With that comes expectations of standard functionality in addition to acceptable audio quality. Sometimes it's no longer sufficient to just sound good, these audio accessories need to be smart as well. To help prepare audio accessory makers for that reality, Qualcomm is updating its Smart Headset Platform to support two Google technologies that would immediately make Bluetooth headsets smarter.
Sonos revealed today that they'd be releasing a Sonos One (Gen 2) starting tomorrow, March 6th, 2019. Because of this release, the original Sonos One (the one still in stores right now), will be put on discount at some retailers. Sonos One was originally approximately $200 USD, and Sonos suggested today that some retailers will be cutting the price down by $20, while Sonos One Gen 2 is "transitioning into market."
Rarely do you need to review a product twice, even electronic devices that receive occasional or regular software updates. There are rare times, however, when an update changes the game so significantly that it almost feels like you’re using a completely different and newer product. That’s the miracle that Australian startup Nura tried to pull off with the G2 update to its already groundbreaking wireless headset. But does the nuraphone G2 leave up to the company’s own high standards? We prick up our ears to find out.
Holding the Jaybird Tarah Pro box in my hand, I’m struck by the image of a mountain runner moving fast and free as a bird over technical terrain. A lone human in a range of misty mountains – with no visible sign of dangling wires; simplicity at its best. Man in nature with the Tarah Pro delivering driving beats to override a mental, emotional, and physical state of exhaustion. I connect instantly with the image, since, I myself, am a mountain runner - one whose been on the hunt for the perfect sport headsets. Heartbroken, at having cycled through four pairs of dead-beat buds over the last year... might I have found my best buds ever? Tarah Pro offers me some real hope.
Some, especially real estate agents, would say it’s all about location. That’s only partly true when it comes to location-based services and technology. Because as important as knowing the location of an object may be, it’s sometimes just as important to know its direction relative to you. That’s why in the latest core specification of the Bluetooth standard, the wireless technology is finally getting a sense of direction.
Bluetooth-enabled tags and trackers aren’t exactly new but they all have one limitation in common. Aside from the range limit of Bluetooth itself, of course. Because of the electronics required to make them work, they require energy sources, often the thinnest and smallest of batteries. But if semiconductor startup Wiliot successfully proves its new tech, they won’t have to. Bluetooth trackers can be as small and as thin as a postage stamp and get what little power they need almost from the air.
Back in August, Skullcandy's Venue headphones launched with a particularly interesting feature: they had Tile's technology embedded inside. This meant that you'd be able to use Tile's app to locate your headphones in the event that you lost them. As it turns out, that team up with Skullcandy was just an indication of things to come for Tile, as it today announced that it's partnering with a number of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) chip companies.