SONOS

Sonos is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of wireless home speakers. As one of the trailblazers, the company has developed numerous patents regarding wireless speaker connectivity (as Google discovered in court recently). All of that research and development typically doesn't come cheap, however, and coupled with Sonos' desire to deliver high-quality sound, its speakers can cost a little more than the competition, including speakers from Google and others.

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Google and audio company Sonos have been in a long-standing legal battle over patent infringement. After two years of lawsuits and countersuits and a preliminary ruling in favor of Sonos last year, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) has fortified that Google did, indeed, use Sonos's patented audio streaming features and has issued an order that could potentially ban all Google products violating the patents from being imported into and sold in the US (via The New York Times).

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Sonos has inadvertently confirmed the existence of a smaller, likely cheaper subwoofer for those who aren't interested in the Gen 3 Sub. The new model was revealed in the Sonos app on a page that details adding a second subwoofer to a Sonos audio setup. Though the company hasn't yet officially announced the model, the menu reveals a couple of key details.

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An update was sent by Sonos to users on November 16, 2021 with upgrades for Battery Saver, EQ Settings, and DTS Digital Surround. This Sonos S2 software update delivers different features to different devices, and the software will not necessarily be available to all users all at once, as is the case with massive updates such as these. Amazon also tipped that Amazon Music Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos Music support is on the way - not quite here just yet, but soon.

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Sonos' collaboration with IKEA continues to flirt at the odder edges of the smart home, and the new IKEA Symfonisk table lamp speaker (Gen 2) is a perfect example. Like the original, launched back in 2019, it's a Sonos speaker and an IKEA lamp in the same footprint, combined with the relative affordability the Swedish furniture-maker is infamous for.

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Sonos' original Beam wowed with just how much home theater audio it packed into its tiny footprint, and now the Beam (Gen 2) is adding Dolby Atmos to the mix. A little more expensive at $449, and a lot smarter inside, this new Beam sees Sonos double-down on targeting an audience that wants surround sound but doesn't want to be surrounded by speakers. There, with some qualifications, the surreptitious soundbar succeeds.

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IKEA and Sonos have revealed a new version of their Symfonisk lamp speaker, upgrading it with more flexibility around design and more choices for bases and shades. The original Symfonisk table lamp was launched in the first wave of Sonos and IKEA's collaboration back in 2019, effectively combining a connected speaker in the base with a simple lamp on top.

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Sonos has revealed its newest soundbar, with the next-generation Beam (Gen 2) keeping the compact footprint but adding Dolby Atmos support and more. The updated version follows on from the larger Sonos Arc, with HDMI eARC support and 3D audio from a single box, though at a much more attainable price.

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More than a year ago, speaker company Sonos filed a lawsuit against Google, seeking to have certain Google products blocked from import into the US over alleged patent infringement. Fast-forward several months and a preliminary finding on the matter has been revealed: the ITC has sided with Sonos, but this is only an initial decision.

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Sonos is exploring the potential of its own voice assistant, offering an alternative to Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant, with one big advantage over its existing voice control feature. Sonos speakers launched in the past few years have distinguished themselves by including support for either Google or Amazon's voice tech, user-selectable rather than preconfigured like most smart speakers.

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For a while it seemed like IKEA and Sonos' Symfonisk collaboration had stalled, but the new Symfonisk Picture Frame is a reminder that, much like artwork, unusual tech can take time to create. Packaging a connected Sonos speaker into a piece of wall art, it bypasses the traditional aesthetic associated with home audio for something that - depending on your decor - will either be more or less surreptitious than anything else from Sonos' line-up.

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IKEA's SYMFONISK Picture Frame speaker has arrived, and if you didn't know it hid wireless music talents behind the abstract art, you'd be forgiven for not realizing Sonos' involvement. Third addition to the SYMFONISK range, the new Picture Frame speaker joins the Bookshelf Speaker and Table Lamp Speaker as some of the most affordable ways to add Sonos to your home.

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