Accessory

Skullcandy has released Vert, a new set of Bluetooth wireless earbuds. Unlike most products in this category, however, they are not of the typical "neckbud" form-factor. Instead, the buds are linked to a dial-like clip-on module, which may fit in better with pursuits needing heavy gloves or helmets.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Active 2 has been on the market for a weeks but its special Under Armour Edition has been MIA until now. The Apple Watch Nike challenger has finally hit the market in the US with its global rollout also underway

Turtle Beach has released the Atlas Edge, a new USB adapter for any conventional wired headset. It is intended to enhance any headset connected to it with an in-house panel of software called Control Studio. This suite is designed to convert audio through the Atlas Edge into a "full panoramic 3D audio experience".

The Mi Band is a popular fitness wearable series worldwide, albeit with one potential drawback: many units sold outside China come without NFC. Its maker, Xiaomi, will reportedly address this deficiency in its next generation. This device is also now said to be more durable and sophisticated that its predecessor.

Sony has launched its latest alpha-series flagship, the a9II. This new 24.2MP premium unit is distinctly pitched at professional photographers in sports reporting and other fast-moving fields. It is designed for continous shooting while still delivering top-flight auto-focus and auto-exposure.

The blog ChargerLab claims to have found that some wireless chargers are being restricted to 5 watts (W) of power while iPhones are placed on them with the new iOS update, whereas the same devices could deliver 7.5W under the older software version. However, this apparently does not affect those brands that are sold in the Cupertino giant's stores.

Along with its (impressively varied) new PCs, Microsoft also introduced its first-ever true wireless earbuds today (October 2, 2019). These Surface Earbuds are capable of noise-canceling and voice-activation features. However, they are also designed to carry out tasks such as slide-switching and translation during PowerPoint presentations.

The Surface Pro 7 has finally stepped up to USB type C support. Otherwise, it remains a 12.3-inch 2-in-1 with advanced Pen features and a refined Type Keyboard attachment. The Pro 7 starts at US$749 and ships from October 22, 2019.

LG has unveiled new products called the Tone+ Free earbuds in its home country. Unlike the OEM's earlier similar products, these wearables are completely wireless and come in a charging case like the AirPods and other similar devices. They come in black or white and are available for pre-order from now.

A new registration of Microsoft's with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hints at a new accessory that could be launched tomorrow in conjunction with the Surface 7 line. It is a wireless charger with a 300 milliwatt capacity. This is also more evidence that the next Surface Pen may go with the same device.

One of two cameras that GoPro has announced today, the GoPro Max replaces the GoPro Fusion 360 as the company's premier 360° action camera. The GoPro Max features 16.6 MP 360° and 5.5 MP sensors and costs US$499.99. GoPro is offering a complimentary 64 GB SanDisk Extreme microSD card with pre-orders, which will ship on October 15.

On cue, GoPro has taken the wraps off the successor to the Hero 7 Black, aptly named the Hero 8 Black. The new action camera features a 12 MP sensor that can shoot in up to 4K at 60 FPS or 1080p at 240 FPS. The Hero 8 Black supports HyperSmooth 2.0, TimeWarp 2.0, 1080p live streaming and four lens modes ranging from 16 mm to 39 mm. The Hero 8 Black is available to order now for US$399.99, and GoPro is including a 32 GB SanDisk Extreme microSD card with pre-orders. Pre-orders will ship on October 15.

The enthusiast headphones will work on consoles and PCs alike and will come with one full year of Tidal Premium for a limited time. The manufacturer is promising 30 hours of battery life with its 50 mm Nanoclear speakers.

There is only one day to go until GoPro unveils its next action cameras, but advertising materials, packaging and pricing of the Hero 8 Black have appeared online. The leak even details some of the accessories that GoPro will sell with the successor to the Hero 7 Black too.

Although US$1099.99 for an unlocked 256 GB Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ cannot be considered affordable, US customers can take advantage of the free Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Fit that come with the flagship. Samsung is also offering a free 6-month Spotify Premium trial and 4 months of YouTube Premium access.

Soundcore has unveiled its new Liberty 2 Pro truly wireless earbuds. The company claims that they have been designed in a way that produces true "sonic alignment", thus delivering a more accurate soundstage, clear bass and distinct treble. They will be available in October 2019 for about US$150.

The PRO TREK Smart WSD-F21HR is a new Casio watch with a heart-rate monitor, as well as a range of other sensors for outdoor functions and general location management. It has a 1.32-inch dual display to save battery, a microphone and Wear OS.

The Manifest has conducted a study to find out which name was most familiar in the wearables sphere. 77% of those polled were able to name Fitbit in this context, compared to 73% for the next most recognized name ("Apple Watch"). Ironically, the latter sold a million more units in the second quarter of 2019 (2Q2019) than the former.

Amazon has introduced a new Echo Studio speaker and Echo Buds in-ear wireless headphones. Both feature the latest sound technologies including support for Dobly Atmos in the former and Bose active noise-cancelling circuitry in the latter.

Xiaomi normally releases fitness bands or watches that run proprietary apps rather than a dedicated, familiar OS. A tech blog may have found evidence that this may change soon. It claims to have detected code in the Wear OS phone app that points to upcoming compatible products from this OEM.

Canon has released a new mirrorless camera that can record 4K vertical videos and then share them directly to social media. The EOS M200 has a 24.1MP APS-C sensor and CMOS auto-focus. It can also record in 60fps FHD and has a lightweight, convenient build.

Xiaomi has followed up on the success of last year's Mi AirDots Pro with a suitably named successor, the Mi AirDots Pro 2. The headphones will be available in China from September 27 for CNY 399 (~US$55) and look uncannily like the AirPods, which Apple currently sells for between US$159 and US$199.

Microsoft is expected to unveil at least the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro 7 at its hardware event on October 2. A recent FCC filing suggests that the company may also have a new Surface Pen in the works, though. The certified accessory has an interesting detail that existing Surface Pens lack too.

LG Electronic's solar energy solutions are in show at the 2019 Solar Power International expo. They include the new NeON R ACe Solar Panel, which comes with its own AC micro-inverter so as to be compatible with conventional power circuits. It will be available in markets such as the US soon.

Set your watches to 06:00 PDT (UTC -7) on October 1, for that is when GoPro will be hosting its next annual hardware refresh. The company is expected to unveil the GoPro Hero 8 and GoPro Max, which will succeed the GoPro Hero 7 and GoPro Fusion 360 respectively, with many high-resolution marketing pictures of both having already appeared online.

The Japanese lens-maker Tamron already makes 17-28mm and 8-75mm f/2.8 products for Sony full-frame cameras. Now, it has released a video teaser hinting at 4 more of the same to be launched soon. Their specs are left to the imagination, but a photography blog claims to have worked them out.

Pete Lau, OnePlus' CEO, teased a new feature of the upcoming 7T series in a new interview. It will be called Warp Charge 30T, as opposed to the Warp Charge 30 found in the existing 7 Pro device. Lau claimed that the new standard will power a compatible phone 23% faster compared to its predecessor.

Puro Sound Labs describes itself as "the world's leading manufacturer of premium, safe-listening headphones". It has developed the PuroGamer, a "studio-grade" headset with 50-millimeter (mm) graphene drivers for better audio at lower volumes. This product also has a noise-canceling, detachable boom mic.

Smart materials may prove to be the basis of the electronic components of the future. Their market's value was estimated at US$36 billion in 2017. That figure is now thought to grow until it hits $127 billion in 7 years from now.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 is this OEM's latest smartwatch. It has a 1.39-inch HD OLED display encased in "3D Glass". It comes in 42 and 46 millimeter (mm) variants, and is rated for 2 weeks of battery life.

Huawei released its new Mate 30-line flagships at a Munich event today (September 19, 2019). A new special edition of the same developed in collaboration with Porsche was also introduced. It was unveiled on stage by the OEM's Richard Yu and Jan Becker from the car-maker's design team.

Business Insider has published a new report that claims to offer an insight into the development of Google-brand smartwatches. It also outlines the nature of the "secret" technology purchased by this company from Fossil, which allegedly results in hybrid devices that are removed from the pure Wear OS device that may be expected of a first-gen Pixel Watch.

The Live Free truly wireless earbuds are the latest products from the company JAM Audio. It is claimed that they are smaller and more comfortable than their predecessors. They also come in a handy case that is rated for a battery life of 54 hours or more.

The PRT-B50 is a new PRO TREK model that can connect to a smartphone app via Bluetooth. Unlike some other Casio watches with this ability, however, this new product has a non-digital watchface. Its physical hands can be used to do things such as point to a saved location.

Nikon has introduced the Nikon Z 6 Essential Film Kit, its first mirrorless camera bundle that the company has designed for video professionals and filmmakers. The kit offers a quick introduction to the production of high-quality films and videos. The Essential Film Kit costs £2,639 (~US$3,291).

The OEM OnePlus has made its anticipated 7T series of phones official, and has also announced dates for its launch around the world. The first of these will be in India on September 26, 2019. The 7Ts will then get a 2nd event in London on October 10. There will also be a third, virtual event for the North American market.

Huawei has more up its sleeve for its next launch event than just the Mate 30 series. In anticipation of this Thursday's event in Munich, the Chinese company has teased the successor to the Watch GT, aptly named the Watch GT 2. Read on to see what the video reveals and what we know so far about Huawei's next smartwatch.

Huawei unveiled a new line of smart glasses along with the P30 smartphone series. However, nothing has been heard of them since. Now, however, they have reportedly been released to the Chinese market in several different styles and opacities.

The Google Camera app v7 has leaked out and has been torn down. This has resulted in references to a slew of new abilities that may debut in the Pixel 4 and 4XL. They include the Mountain View's versions of Samsung's Motion Blur and Audio Zoom. They may also extend to real-time HDR edits, phone astrophotography and a new form of depth-perception.

Leviton's new duplex wall socket also has in-built USB outputs. These welcome and increasingly welcome upgrades to electrical fittings are type-C ports with the Power Delivery (USB-PD) standard. This means they are rated to charge compatible devices at up to 30 watts.

Our 'Weekend Discussion' series asks questions and "what if" scenarios to our readers about how they use their smartphones, laptops, or other portable devices with the intention of encouraging insightful discussions. For this week, we want to know how you would feel about potentially losing the 3.5 mm audio jack on your next Ultrabook purchase.

Razer has patented the perfect Nintendo Switch, or is it a Razer Phone accessory? What about a resurrected Wii U GamePad or a Razer Edge Pro? Your guess is as good as ours.

Two new GoPro action cameras on the horizon, with the company announcing the successors to the GoPro Hero 7 and GoPro Fusion 360 this month. High-resolution marketing images of the GoPro Hero 8 Black and GoPro Max have appeared online, complete with modular accessories.

Among a host of other revelations at the recent Apple Special Event, the Cupertino company also officially announced the Apple Watch Series 5. The latest iteration of the highly successful smartwatch features an Always-On Retina display and comes in a huge range of customizable options. Prices start from US$399 for the basic 40 mm space-gray aluminum case with sport band GPS-only model (requires iPhone connection).

The Apple U1 chip is new hardware that controls ultrawide band (UWB) energy transfers between devices. This enables compatible products to locate each other and exchange data in a way non-U1-enabled counterparts cannot. These new features are exclusive to the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max.