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The FDA approves Cochlear's Nucleus Profile Plus, a hearing-aid implant that can control an Android phone

The Nucleus Profile Plus is a freshly-approved hearing aid from Cochlear that can connect to an Android phone using Google's new, improved ASHA protocol for this purpose. It allows those with aural impairments to control, stream f...

Qualcomm has a new Aqstic audio codec. (Source: Qualcomm)

Qualcomm unveils its latest series of Aqstic audio codecs

Qualcomm claims that the audio codec integrated into its flagship mobile SoCs can rival DACs produced by dedicated manufacturers. Its latest iteration of these are found in the new Snapdragon 730 mid-range chipsets. They are calle...

The Cable Matters Dual-Input USB-C Docking Station with Dual HDMI for 4K. (Source: Cable Matters)

Cable Matters offers a dock that can drive 2 4K/60Hz monitors with a MacBook Pro for under US$200

The connectivity-equipment maker Cable Matters has released a new docking station that can expand a MacBook Pro's output by up to 2x 4K at 60Hz via HDMI. This Dual-Input USB-C accessory can also support 80W Power Delivery (PD) cha...

UMIDIGI Ubeats launching June 17 (Source: UMIDIGI via email)

US$19.99 UMIDIGI Ubeats Bluetooth 5.0 earphone promises 12 hours playtime

Advertised as "the most advanced 12h playtime Bluetooth 5.0 earphone" created by UMIDIGI so far, the Qualcomm QCC3003-powered Ubeats provides up to 12 hours of autonomy on a single charge and will go on sale via AliExpress next Mo...

Wireless audio has been revolutionized over the last few years. (Source: Outer Audio)

The portable Bluetooth speaker market will be worth nearly US$3 billion by 2025

Speakers with built-in Bluetooth have become better and better at bringing your music places where traditional wired devices can't go. The market built up around these products is now estimated to grow to the tune of US$2.64 billi...

The Aukey Key Series of earphones. (Source: Aukey)

Aukey's first foray into premium audio includes a new pair of wireless earbuds

Aukey is already a familiar name in the affordable personal audio game. Now, it has released a new line of earphones called the Key Series with a higher-end appeal. It comprises the EP-T10 true wireless earbuds and EP-B80 wireless...

Creative will integrate its Super X-Fi audio tech into Clevo notebooks. (Source: Creative)

Next-gen Clevo notebooks will incorporate Creative Super X-Fi audio at a hardware level

Today, (May 31, 2019) Creative unveils a new partnership with the Taiwanese PC-smiths Clevo. It will involve the integration of Super X-Fi technology into this manufacturer's notebooks in the future. Therefore, this platform will ...

Samsung could be calling time's up for the headphone jack. (Image source: PhoneArena/Gizmodo/edited)

Hit the road jack: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 to join the USB-C brigade by ditching the headphone jack

The latest leak about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is likely to infuriate some people. Apparently, there’s a strong probability that the phablet will not feature a 3.5 mm headphone jack. While some have bemoaned the passing...

LG releases its 2019 XBOOM speaker line-up to the US market

LG's XBOOM series is often worth a look, as they can be high-powered speakers in relatively compact or portable form-factors. Its 2019 iterations are not exceptions to this rule. They range from entire sound-systems to smart speak...

The new Bose Headphones 700 offer 11 levels of noise cancelling for US$399. (Source: Bose)

Bose Headphones 700 are its all-new US$399 noise-cancelling cans

Bose has launched an all-new range of premium noise cancelling headphones. The first to hit the market is the new Headphones 700 that packs in 11 levels of noise cancellation.

LG is ready to activate Amazon Alexa on US 2019 ThinQ AI TVs. (Source: LG/Amazon)

2019 LG TVs with ThinQ AI in the US will be able to use Amazon Alexa soon

Some of the most recently-released LG ThinQ TVs have been advertized as Amazon Alexa-capable. However, customers in the US may have noticed that this apparent functionality was missing - until now. The OEM has announced that the s...

Google Coral comprises hardware, software and content for AI applications. (Source: Music Paradise Pro APK)

Computex 2019 | Asus is now partnering with Google Coral for AI and Edge applications

Coral is a platform developed by Google to support and facilitate on-device AI. Asus has announced that it will use its system-on-module (SOM) on its new AI development kit and single-board computer (SBC). They will be called Tink...

The Chatterbox has already reached nearly four times its funding goal. (Image source: Chatterbox)

The Chatterbox, a Raspberry Pi smart speaker that you can build and teach yourself

The Chatterbox is a DIY smart speaker that even children can build. The device has a chipboard case and is built around a Raspberry Pi 3B. The speaker can be taught new commands using the Chatterbox app too. The Chatterbox is curr...

Nura has launched its first adaptive earphones dubbed the NuraLoop. (Source: Nura)

Nura's new learning NuraLoop earphones are up for pre-order

Nura the company behind the critically acclaimed NuraPhone learning headphones has launched its first Bluetooth earphones. The like NuraPhone, the NuraLoop learns and adapts to the way a listener’s ears respond to audio tones to c...

Asus ZenFone 6 is official and may be one of the best phones of the year

The ZenFone 6, announced today, offers a unique solution to the notch problem plaguing modern smartphones. In addition to its flagship specifications, the ZenFone 6 features a rotating camera module that flips the dual-camera arra...

The OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro. (Source: YouTube)

The OnePlus 7 Series is now official

OnePlus has launched its latest flagship series. As expected, it includes the 7 Pro and the base 7. The 4G variant will go on sale on May 21, 2019; however, there will be some special events prior to that.

The earphones and headphones market will remain healthy into the next decade. (Source: headphonezone.in)

The US earphone/headphone market will be worth US$9 billion in 5 years

Earphones and headphone sales drive a healthy market in the United States. The market analysis firm ReportBuyer estimates that it will grow at a compound rate of over 12% until it is worth approximately US$9 billion in 2024. The p...

The Samsung Galaxy Home was supposed to launch in April, but is MIA. (Source: Samsung)

Samsung Galaxy Home delayed, still coming 1H 2019

Samsung’s Galaxy Home smart speaker has missed its April launch date. The company, however, says that the device will still ship in the first half of the year but hasn’t offered any explanation for the delay.

The Skullcandy Indy earbuds. (Source: Skullcandy)

Skullcandy releases Indy, its latest truly wireless earbuds

The popular audio company Skullcandy has unveiled Indy, a pair of truly wireless earbuds aimed at those wishing to get into this product category at a decent price. They offer IP55 ingress protection, Bluetooth 5.0 and a combined ...

tHE Hisense H8F Android TV. (Source: Hisense)

US consumers reportedly prefer Hisense TVs over those of this brand's competitors

A number of 'new brands' are emerging rapidly in the US smart TV market, despite being less than readily associated with this product category. Prominent examples include Hisense, TCL and Vizio. Recent research indicates that, of ...

A Qualcomm reference headset based on its latest audio chipsets. (Source: Qualcomm)

Qualcomm announces new levels of support for Google Assistant on its Smart Headset platform

Today (May 9, 2019), Qualcomm unveils support for Google Fast Pair and for Google Assistant on its current Smart Headset hardware platform. It incorporates the most up-to-date low-power Bluetooth audio SoCs the chip-maker has to o...

Spotify's claims against Apple may have sparked a new investigation of the latter. (Source: Consumer Reports)

EU set to investigate possible anti-trust behavior by Apple, based on Spotify's complaints

The Financial Times claims that its sources have told it that the EU will indeed probe Apple's potential anti-competition business practices. The decision follows 'surveys' of interested parties such as Spotify, who claim that the...

Some ads on Spotify may gain voice-control options in the US. (Source: TechCrunch)

Spotify reportedly pilots a new kind of in-app ad in the US

Spotify has reportedly rolled out a new kind of ad to grab user attention in the United States. The messages involved apparently encourage the user to give a voice command in order to navigate to relevant sponsored content. These ...

AirPod inside the stomach and outside the bathroom. (Image source: Daily Mail/AsiaWire/edited)

AirPods survive brutal durability test by passing through human digestive system without a scratch

It has been reported that an AirPod has managed to survive passing through the entire digestive system of an adult male human being. Fortunately, this is not some new horrifying development test by Apple nor is it an extreme bench...

The Recon 70 headset line. (Source: Turtle Beach)

Turtle Beach releases Recon 70 headset for PlayStation and Xbox

The Recon 70 headset already exists for the Nintendo Switch; now, Turtle Beach has released variants of the same that are compatible with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The headphones have faux-leather cups over 40mm drivers, com...

Massdrop becomes Drop, announces new range of own-brand products

Massdrop has become increasingly well-known among the tech community as a company that makes or sources products based on the feedback given by its customers. This has released in novel electronics such as the Massdrop x Sennheise...

The OPPO Reno series apparently uses Nokia's OZO for audio. (Source: Nokia)

OPPO Reno allegedly uses Nokia's OZO audio technology

The latest OPPO smartphones use OZO, a form of audio capture developed by Nokia. This claim can reportedly be found in the latter's first-quarter financial report for 2019. The rest of this report apparently makes for less intrigu...

The Soundesk wireless speaker table. (Source: Coolgeek)

The start-up Coolgeek has made a coffee table that is also a speaker

Need an original twist on the common-or-garden wireless speaker? The start-up Coolgeek might have you covered with their new Soundesk product. It is a round glass coffee table with a conical aluminum stand - that also houses a 360...

The new Creative Outlier Air earbuds. (Source: Creative)

Creative releases the Outlier Air true-wireless earbuds

Creative has finally joined the true wireless earphone market with the new Outlier Air buds. They boast IP5X ingress protection, 10 hours of playback on a single charge and graphene in their driver-diaphragms. These Bluetooth 5.0 ...

The Samsung Galaxy Buds. (Source: TechRadar)

Samsung Galaxy Buds: latest update adds voice-control via Bixby, other new features

Samsung designed the Galaxy Buds as a wireless audio companion for devices such as the Galaxy S10s. However, they have recently improved in this capacity through a new software update. It allows the user to operate them using Bixb...

Voice-controlled smart speakers are getting more and more popular. (Source: Entrepreneur)

36% of US households with high-speed internet own at least one smart speaker by now

A new report released by Parks Associates has found that 36% of US households with broadband-level internet connections also owned at least 1 voice-controlled smart speaker in early 2019. This data suggests that these connected de...

The next Xiaomi Black Shark is set to have a headphone jack

Xiaomi's Black Shark 2 is a powerful gaming phone that can be spec'd out to as much as 12GB in RAM. However, it does have one drawback: no 3.5mm jack. However, a brand spokesperson has indicated that this discrepancy will be recti...

Skype for Mobile now allows for screen-sharing. (Source: Digital Trends)

New Skype Insider Preview build adds screen-sharing on iOS and Android

Skype for Mobile now offers the user an option to share their screen with a caller. This could enable people on a Skype call to share things such as slideshows, webpages, a homescreen and so on. The new function is found in the '....

The AirPower has been cancelled some 18 months after being officially introduced by Apple. (Source: Apple)

The prevailing theory about why AirPower failed

The ultimate demise of the AirPower charging mat appears to have been foretold by Apple insider Sonny Dickson several months ago. In the absence of any official word from Apple, other than it cancelled AirPower because it couldn’t...

Google leaked its apparently upcoming Nest Hub Max device. (Source: Android Police/Google)

Google leaks its Nest Hub Max smart home device

Google has accidentally leaked a new product in its Google Home range. The Nest Hub Max, which was spotted by Android Police, was featured in the Connected Home section of the tech giant’s website. The information about the Nest H...

AirPods were the most popular true-wireless earbuds for the last quarter of 2018. (Source: Apple)

Apple got at least one thing right: AirPods were the most popular true-wireless earbuds in 2018

Apple's original AirPods snatched the majority of the true wireless earphone market at the end of 2018, according to Counterpoint Research. Its latest report on the subject put the earbuds' share at 60%. Jabra, Samsung, JLabs and ...

LG G8 ThinQ US launch set for April; preorders on Sprint start sooner

The G8 ThinQ is LG's latest flagship, and introduces its Crystal Sound technology among other features. This smartphone will become available in the United States from April 11, 2019. However, those who want it on Sprint can pre-o...

The Jabra Evolve 65e neckbuds. (Source: Jabra)

The new Jabra Evolve 65e is a pair of neckbuds with "professional-grade sound quality"

Jabra has released its latest generation of neckbuds, the Evolve 65e. The audio company claims that this wireless set of earphones has consumer-grade comfort with professional levels of audio. This product has attained Skype for B...

The Apple Music app has been downloaded over 40 million times on the Google Play Store. (Source: Apple)

Apple Music for Android is surprisingly popular

Apple Music on Android has been more popular than you would think. New data from SensorTower shows that since it has launched, over 40 million users have downloaded the app from the Google Play Store.

The Huawei CEO introduces the company's most unusual wearable yet. (Source: YouTube)

Huawei unveils its own line of smart glasses

Huawei also revealed the existence of some new wearables at its early-2019 launch event in Paris. The least expected of these are the new 'smart' glasses the OEM has developed with the eyewear company Gentle Monster. Their main fu...

The new Beats PowerBeats Pro earphones have been spotted in iOS 12.2. (Source: 9to5 Mac)

Apple’s black AirPods leak out, but they are from Beats and don’t look ridiculous

Apple subsidiary Beats will be launching its first pair of truly wireless earphones imminently. The discovery of the name PowerBeats Pro and black and white versions was uncovered by 9to5 Mac in the code for iOS 12.2 which went li...

The connected living room is a billion-dollar marketplace these days. (Source: Amazon)

The "connected living room" is a concept that may make a US$900+ billion market in 5 years

Transparency Market Research's latest report is based on the observation that the demand for a 'smart' or 'connected' living room is growing steadily these days. It may consist of entertainment or media hardware that works seamles...

Apple is reportedly losing traction in China. (Source: Apple)

Apple is losing its majority in the Chinese smartphone market

Apple's market share in China has reportedly fallen by 26.6% in 2018. Unsurprisingly, the culprits are more 'local' OEMs such as Huawei and Xiaomi, who offer more innovative features in premium handsets that go for less than those...

The Powerbeats are Beats' take on the wireless earphone. (Source: Amazon)

Next-generation Powerbeats could come in true-wireless form and with the new Apple AirPods' features

Beats by Dr. Dre has been an Apple subsidiary for some time now. The brand's next product may be a pair of truly-wireless earbuds. According to a CNET report, they may run on the new Apple H1 chip, which is also found in the newly...

The Blue Yeti is apparently the best USB mic. (Source: Amazon)

The best USB microphone is made by Blue: new analysis

In a world where everyone seems to be a streamer or caster or some kind, a USB microphone may be a viable purchase. They combine the possible advantage of improved audio with a power source that is already built into your machine....

The latest LG OLED TVs will be available for purchase soon. (Source: LG USA)

LG announces US availability of 2019 OLED TVs - and that they will be super expensive

LG has stated its US dollar prices for its new OLED TVs. These state-of-the-art panels were previewed at CES 2019, and come with Dolby Vision, ThinQ AI and inbuilt Google Assistant. They start at US$2,499 - and work their way up t...

Myspace has lost all the music that once made it the world's most visited website. (Image source: Myspace)

Myspace has corrupted and lost 12 years of music uploaded to its website

In an embarrassing admission, Myspace has confirmed that it has lost every piece of music that users uploaded between 2003 and 2015, which equates to over 50 million files. The company reports that there is no way to recover the l...

In-ear Bluetooth headphones could pose a health risk, despite relatively low emissions. (Source: Notebookcheck)

If AirPods pose a potential health risk, what are the options?

Our article about the possible detrimental health effects of wireless devices including Apple’s AirPods, among others, seemed to strike a chord with a lot of readers. We are exposed to a lot of EMF radiation on a daily basis and 2...

Do wireless headphones like Apple's AirPods post a cancer risk? (Source: Notebookcheck)

250 scientists sign petition warning of dangers posed by AirPods, other wireless devices

Concerns have been raised by a group of scientists about the possible carcinogenic effects of electromagnetic radiation emitted by modern devices. Of particular concern are wireless headphones like Apple’s popular AirPods as they ...

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