I first wrote about the Bose Sport Earbuds way back in June 2019. Back then, Bose was calling them the Earbuds 500 and I got to try on a nonworking prototype. At long last, more than a year later, they’re about to hit stores. At $179 (£180, AU$300), they’re the more affordable, non-noise-canceling alternative to Bose’s …
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Hear TV dialog the way it was meant to be heard with the Zvox soundbar, on sale for $140
Please don’t go for the easy joke — yes, I know that my ears are getting older. But that’s beside the point. The speakers built into modern TVs are terrible and do a lousy job of reproducing dialog. Compound that problem with the fact that many modern TV shows go for a more realistic approach to sound design, which means …
Read More »The new Powerbeats 4 are old
When Beats released the truly wireless Powerbeats Pro last year, it was a kind of dream product for Beats fans. Except for the downside of its bulky charging case, the Powerbeats Pro were essentially AirPods on steroids, with richer, more dynamic sound and better battery life — and they stayed in your ears more securely, particularly during athletic activities. Now …
Read More »Got a new Amazon Fire TV stick? Here’s how to set it up for the first time
If you’re one of the bazillion people who just got an Amazon Fire TV Stick media device, you may have some questions about how to set up and start using Amazon’s tiny streaming stick. With the Fire TV Stick ($23 at Amazon) attached to your smart TV, you can access streaming video from Netflix, Hulu and YouTube TV ($65 at YouTube TV). …
Read More »Google Duplex: What it is and what Google’s doing next
Duplex is Google’s name for AI software that can be used like a super-smart assistant to make reservations for you, both over the phone and online. There are two services right now that use this name, one that’s decidedly creepier than the other. We’re going to break them down. Google first rolled out Duplex last year as a powerful voice …
Read More »Mobile apps give the blind and visually impaired a new sense of freedom
Ask anyone who was around before smartphones, and they’ll tell you life was different. But for Nutsiri “Earth” Kidkul, who went blind eight years ago, life-changing doesn’t begin to describe the impact of mobile apps. Before specialized apps came along, Kidkul would have to plan and prepare much more for basic tasks like grocery shopping, traveling or reading documents. What’s …
Read More »Comcast unveils $5
Comcast announced a $5-a-month streaming video service Thursday called Xfinity Flex, an offering that bundles a streaming box, a voice remote and a digital interface aggregating on-demand video from your subscriptions like Netflix Amazon Prime Video and HBO, as well as free ad-supported shows and options to rent or buy programming. It essentially replicates some of the elements Comcast’s X1 …
Read More »What you need to know about unlocked phones vs. locked phones
The US wireless market is more competitive than ever, which is great news for consumers who have lots of choices when it comes choosing a service provider. But one barrier still exists when trying to switch carriers: the locked smartphone. The end of wireless contracts marked a watershed trend for consumers because it finally opened the door for them to …
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