Wednesday, March 10, 2021

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Russia slows down Twitter for not removing 'illegal content'

Posted: 10 Mar 2021 04:25 AM PST

Twitter users in Russia will need to practice patience every time they visit the website. Roskomnadzor, the country's communications authority, has announced that it's slowing down Twitter's speed for failing to remove illegal content and materials with prohibited information. The decision comes shortly after Russia sued Twitter, Google, Facebook and other websites for allegedly failing to delete posts urging children to take part in illegal protests over the sentencing received by Alexei Navalny, a prominent Vladimir Putin critic. However, Roskomnadzor's announcement didn't mention those posts in its announcement.

Instead, it cited tweets containing child pornography and drug use, as well as posts inciting minors to commit suicide as its reason for the move. The regulator said it has sent Twitter over 28,000 requests to remove illegal content since 2017 and that 3,168 materials with prohibited information still remain on the platform. It put emphasis on tweets calling for minors to commit mass suicide on March 3rd, which the website allegedly didn't remove. Roskomnadzor said its decision to throttle speeds on Twitter is meant to protect Russian citizens and to force the website to comply with the country's legislation. 

The Twitter slowdown will be implemented on all mobile devices and 50 percent of non-mobile devices, including PCs. In addition, the regulator threatened to block Twitter in the country completely if it continues to "ignore the requirements of the law."

Apple publishes first menstrual symptom data from women's health study

Posted: 10 Mar 2021 04:15 AM PST

Back in 2019, Apple teamed up with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for its women's health study. The initiative aims to uncover insights about people's health in relation to menstrual cycle by collecting data through the Research app for the iPhone and Apple Watch. Now, the tech giant has published its first set of data, which came from analyzing the menstrual cycle symptoms tracked by 6,141 out of the first 10,000 participants who enrolled to take part. 

Based on the results, the most common symptom is abdominal cramps reported by 83 percent of the participants. That's followed by bloating and tiredness, reported by 63 percent and 61 percent of the participants, respectively. They also reported acne, headache, mood changes, appetite changes, lower back pain and breast tenderness. 

Meanwhile, the more uncommon symptoms include diarrhea and sleep changes (37 percent each), as well as constipation and nausea (32 percent each). The least tracked symptoms were hot flashes and ovulation pain, which were only reported by 22 percent and 20 percent of the participants, respectively. In addition, Apple and its partners analyzed the reported menstrual symptoms in relation to participants' ages, ethnicities and locations to show similarities and differences across demographics.

Apple
Apple

The team says it's hoping the study can remove stigma around menstruation and normalize the experience of symptoms so that women, girls and people with menstrual cycles don't get deterred from seeking care for menstrual-related pain. "By building knowledge," the results' announcement reads, "the study is helping to understand factors that make menstruation difficult and isolating for some people. This includes cycle irregularity, extreme pain, or ovarian cysts." Anybody interested in contributing to the study can still do so by downloading the Research app, though they need to be at least 18 years old to participate.

Sony's highly-rated WH-1000XM3 headphones are back down to $200

Posted: 10 Mar 2021 03:45 AM PST

If you're looking for world-beating ANC wireless headphones and don't need the absolute latest model, Sony's WH-1000XM3 cans are among the best out there. The smart move with a model like this is to wait for a sale, and there's now a very good one: Focus Photo & Video is matching its previous low by selling them for just $200 with the discount code BDTHANKS. 

Buy WH-1000XM3 at Focus Photo & Video - $200

Despite being replaced by the $350 WH-1000XM4 headphones, the WH-1000XM3 is still a rare triple-threat in its category. It not only offers top-notch sound with powerful base and high clarity, but also excellent active noise cancellation whether you're on the street or in an airplane. They also deliver solid comfort, which is a plus since you can use them for 30 hours before the battery needs to be charged. And when it does, you can get an additional five hours in just 10 minutes thanks to the quick charging. 

Both the sound quality and noise reduction are customizable to your own preferences and they support Alexa voice control, to boot. The only negatives we found are finicky touch controls and the high price tag. Luckily, the deal from Focus Photo & Video renders the latter moot with one of the best prices we've seen. Just remember to add the code, BDTHANKS, when you check out. 

ASUS' ROG Phone 5 focuses on audio quality for mobile gamers

Posted: 10 Mar 2021 03:23 AM PST

It's only been a little over seven months since ASUS launched its ROG Phone 3 gaming smartphone, but the company is already releasing a follow-up model to join Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 party. The latest series is dubbed ROG Phone 5 (skipping the "4" due to tetraphobia; you obviously don't want to associate gaming with death), and while it may appear to merely don some minor cosmetic changes, the innards have been completely revamped for better heat dissipation, weight distribution and audio performance. As a bonus, there's also a Pro model plus a limited edition ROG Phone 5 Ultimate, with the latter boasting a whopping 18GB of RAM.

Let's get the basics out of the way first. In addition to the processor, all three models share the same 6.78-inch Samsung E4 AMOLED display, which packs the same 144Hz refresh rate as before (so Nubia wins this round with 165Hz), but with a slightly taller 2,448 x 1,080 resolution and a slightly faster 300Hz touch sampling rate — giving you an edge over other gamers in terms of responsiveness and accuracy. For those who are wondering, ASUS says there are now over 200 games that support 144Hz refresh rate, with titles including Rockman X Dive, Dead Cells, Shadowgun Legends and more.

ASUS claims this panel is also 23 percent brighter (up to 800 nits across the entire panel), while pushing the dimmest setting to 5 nits with minimal distortion — the latter making a notable difference in the dark areas in videos. It's also rated with a wide 111-percent DCI-P3 gamut, 150.89-percent sRGB gamut, Delta-E of <1 accuracy and HDR10+ support. And yes, there's still an optical in-display fingerprint reader here.

As much as I enjoy the display improvements, it wasn't until I started a game of PUBG that I noticed this screen has rounder corners than before, which cut off some info and buttons. Luckily, I could go into the game's graphics settings and tweak the "non-standard screens" parameter, but this may become a problem for other titles that lack such option.

ASUS ROG Phone 5
Richard Lai/Engadget

Another less obvious but notable upgrade applied to the ROG Phone 5 is the ultrasonic shoulder trigger feature. The new AirTrigger 5 buttons pack more sensors (nine instead of seven) into the same space for improved sensitivity and accuracy, and they are now placed closer to the edges to accommodate smaller hands. Like before, each AirTrigger support swipe gestures, slide gestures (both horizontal and vertical), continuous trigger (long press to simulate multiple clicks) and dual partitioning, giving you a wide range of customizable options. Though personally, I find that the good old default mode is already sufficient for my first-person shooters.

While most smartphones feature an L-shaped logic board with the processor placed near the top, ASUS found a way to place the Snapdragon 888 right in the middle of the ROG Phone 5 — far away from both hands when in landscape mode. This is mainly thanks to MMT (Middle Middle Tab) battery technology which features a higher energy density, thus allowing for a split cell design without sacrificing the generous 6,000mAh total battery capacity. As a bonus, the two cells also offer better weight distribution and thermal control — up to 7 degrees Celsius lower battery temperature when using 30W charging, and up to 3 degrees Celsius lower when using 65W (as bundled with the ROG Phone 5), according to ASUS.

ASUS ROG Phone 5
Richard Lai/Engadget

This new internal layout, along with the taller body, thinner display panel, new side-mounted port and lack of an external 5G modem (thanks to the Snapdragon 888), allowed ASUS to squeeze extra space into the ROG Phone 5's front-facing stereo speakers. These have the same 1.2cc chamber space each, thus allowing for a symmetrical audio performance as well as improved richness (the ROG Phone 3 actually had a smaller speaker chamber on one side). On top of that, the new Cirrus Logic CS35L45 mono amp driving each 7-magnet 12x16mm speaker is apparently 21-percent more powerful than before. (It's also worth noting that the ROG Phone 5 still has quad-mic noise cancellation.)

Hardware alone doesn't complete the puzzle, though. Following the impressive results on the ROG Phone 3, ASUS continued its partnership with Dirac for audio tuning on the ROG Phone 5. The Swedish audio specialist has since come up with a dedicated solution for smartphones, which apparently resulted in more accurate calibrations for dampening distortion, enhancing the perceived bass, widening the soundstage and more on this new gaming phone. ASUS even tapped into Dirac's MIMO (Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output) technologies — previously reserved for luxury cars only — to co-optimize both speakers as one system for a better overall acoustical response.

ASUS ROG Phone 3 vs ROG Phone 5
Richard Lai/Engadget

In a quick comparison with the ROG Phone 3 and the ROG Phone 5, the audio improvement was noticeable. In the rainy Tokyo scene where Natasha found Hawkeye in Avengers: Endgame, everything sounded shallower on the older phone, with the tinny rainfall noise dominating the dialog and music. The ROG Phone 5, on the other hand, sounded louder, richer and deeper. The difference was rather surprising, given how impressed I already was with the ROG Phone 3. Then I realized I could enable a "cinema" option in the AudioWizard's new "scenario effect" setting, which further boosted the perceived bass.

ASUS hasn't forgotten headphone users who still prefer the good old 3.5mm jack. The ROG Phone 5 has gained an ESS Sabre ES9280AC Pro Quad DAC, which can apparently deliver a "best-in-class" signal-to-noise ratio of 130 dB, and can also drive headphones with slightly higher impedance (over 50 ohm) using 2Vrms output. This should pair well with the newly released ROG Cetra II Core earbuds, which offer a seemingly impressive 20Hz-40kHz range. But if you want a wireless option, ASUS is also releasing the ROG Strix Go BT II today, which offers up to 45 hours of battery life along with AI noise cancellation.

On the photography side, you'll also find the same set of cameras across the ROG Phone 5 series. In fact, the four shooters are identical to the ones on the ROG Phone 3. The rear trio include a 64MP f/1.8 main camera (Sony IMX686 sensor), a 13MP f/2.4 125-degree ultra-wide camera and a 5MP f/2.0 macro camera, whereas the front side feature a 24MP f/2.45 selfie cam.

ASUS ROG Phone 5
Richard Lai/Engadget

Things get a little more interesting with the ROG Phone 5 Pro and limited ROG Phone 5 Ultimate. The first thing you'll notice is the small "ROG Vision" PMOLED color screen on the rear side, which lets you display customizable graphics for incoming calls, charging, gaming and other scenarios. With the Ultimate edition, ASUS picked a bold move by equipping it with a monochrome rear screen to go with its matte white finish. Furthermore, both models offer two additional capacitive touch areas on the rear panel, in case you still need more mappable buttons for your hardcore gaming.

Speaking of, it's worth pointing out that the updated Game Genie app here offers an "Esports Mode," which enables "do not disturb" but disables all key mapping, macros, quick controls and more (so no AirTriggers and no rear touch panels). This may come in handy for tournament organizers who want more control over a fair game. Game Genie also now offers audio haptics to select games (namely PUBG), which automatically maps specific sounds like, say, shooting, to haptic feedback, and different weapons provide different feel to make the game more immersive. But again, Esports Mode disables audio haptics.

Much like the Nubia Red Magic 6 Pro "Dao" edition, the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate even offers a generous 18GB of LPDDR5 RAM (supplied by SK Hynix), though it shares the same 512GB UFS 3.1 storage as the 5 Pro, which packs 16GB of RAM. The Ultimate edition will also come with a gift box containing a baseball cap, a towel, a deck of playing cards, badges, stickers, mask cover and more.

ASUS rarely failed us when it came to the range of accessories for the ROG Phone series, but with the ROG Phone 5, it finally decided to retire the dual-screen TwinView Dock and Mobile Desktop Dock. ASUS admitted that these two devices were simply too pricey, which was probably a hint at weak adoption.

ASUS ROG Phone 5
Richard Lai/Engadget

On the other hand, ASUS made a new AeroActive Cooler 5 which now blows directly at the hot spot, thanks to the repositioning of the processor. The company claims that this clip-on fan, with assistance from the vapor cooling chamber and graphite sheets on the inside, delivers up to 10 degrees Celsius lower CPU temperature, as well as up to 15 degrees Celsius lower surface temperature. On top of that, not only does this attachment still double as a kickstand, it adds two physical buttons as well. In other words, this means with the AeroActive Cooler 5, you get a total of four mappable buttons on the rear side of the Pro and Ultimate editions. Alas, if you're getting the regular ROG Phone 5, you'll have to buy this fan separately.

ASUS ROG Phone 5
Richard Lai/Engadget

The ROG Phone 5 series also supports the Switch-like Kunai 3 Gamepad, so long as you have the updated version which comes with a bumper that fits the slightly longer body. Other optional accessories include the ROG Gaming Clip for attaching console controllers (for Xbox, PlayStation and Stadia), the new ROG Lighting Armor Case 3 (which utilizes the pogo pins on the redesigned side-mounted port) and the ASUS Professional Dock (for HDMI and USB expansion).

It appears that ASUS has once again delivered a well-thought-out package for mobile gamers, thanks to its engineering focus on audio performance, buttons, and cooling, with the Pro and Ultimate editions' ROG Vision screen serving as the cherry on the cake. We're waiting for confirmation on a US launch for the ROG Phone 5 series, but for now, we do know that the regular version is launching this month, ranging from 799 euros (8GB RAM and 128GB storage) to 999 euros (16GB+256GB) in Europe. The Pro edition will launch in April for 1,199 euros (16GB RAM+512GB), followed by the Ultimate edition in May with a 1,299 euros price tag (18GB+512GB).

Instagram Lite reboot squeezes the app into a 2MB package

Posted: 10 Mar 2021 03:00 AM PST

Facebook is today relaunching Instagram Lite, a stripped-down version of the image-sharing app designed for users in emerging markets. Developed by Facebook's team in Tel Aviv, the birthplace of Facebook Lite and Messenger Lite, the app's package size is just 2MB. The team said that the focus, like with the other launches, was on users whose smartphones lack storage capacity, processing power and reliable data. In order to reach that size, the app focuses on images, video and messaging, ditching other features and flourishes that fade into the background on the full-fat version of the app.

Instagram Lite still has the main feed, as well as Stories — the ephemeral messaging feature cribbed from Snapchat — but not IG Live or Shopping. Engineering manager Gal Zellermayer said that, as well as live filters and other AR effects that wouldn't work on low-power devices, animations have been edited down. He cited the example of the cube animation seen when swiping between different users' Stories, a very processor and data-intensive transition that didn't work well on older devices, which has been removed. Zellermayer added that a lot of extra compression work is handled on the server side to relieve the burden off the device itself.

Michelle Lourie, product manager, explained that there were a number of additional UI tweaks to better suit "new digital users." This included ditching a trash can to represent a delete icon, in favor of an X, which testers found made more sense. In addition, Lourie said that GIFs and Stickers remain part of the app since, unlike AR filters, they were space efficient while remaining fun. Lourie added that the team is currently working on Dark Mode, a feature that users were requesting long before the app was released.

The first version of Instagram Lite was little more than a wrapper around a web app. Facebook shut it down that version in May 2020, and at the time said that it was working on a new version with better on-device support. This new edition has been in testing in several territories already, but is today rolling out to Google Play in 170 countries around the world.

Apple to invest over $1 billion in new Munich silicon facility

Posted: 10 Mar 2021 02:30 AM PST

Apple is pouring over €1 billion ($1.2 billion) into a huge R&D project in Munich, Germany, at the heart of which is a new European Silicon Design Center. The 30,000-square-meter facility will be home to the iPhone maker's expanding cellular division, which is tasked with building 5G and future wireless technologies such as modems. Apple says the building in Munich's city center will run on 100 percent renewable energy, like its other global offices. It is preparing to move into the new European site in 2022, with plans to spend the €1 billion over the next three years, according to a blog post.

Munich is Apple's largest engineering hub in Europe, so the expansion makes sense, with roughly 4,000 employees and some 1,500 engineers from 40 countries working on power management design and application processors. Its Bavarian Design Center has also created custom silicon for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Macs.

Germany is also integral to Apple's supply chain: The tech giant has spent over €15 billion ($17.9 billion) with more than 700 local companies, including phone and automotive chip giant Infineon, AirPods battery maker Varta and chemical company DELO, whose resin is used in the Face ID tech in newer products like the iPhone 12 Pro.

Just as important is the timing of the announcement, arriving on the heels of a new 5G iPhone lifecycle, Apple's decision to embrace its own M1 chips in its MacBooks over partner Intel's processors and persisting rumors that it is planning an electric vehicle. More broadly, Apple's expansion comes amid a perfect storm of pandemic-induced semiconductor shortages — hurting output across car manufacturing, gaming consoles and smartphones — and a tussle between global powers including the US, China and Europe who are seeking to boost their chip manufacturing industries and assert their digital sovereignty.

"I couldn't be more excited for everything our Munich engineering teams will discover — from exploring the new frontiers of 5G technology, to a new generation of technologies that bring power, speed, and connectivity to the world," said Apple chief Tim Cook. "Munich has been a home to Apple for four decades, and we're grateful to this community and to Germany for being a part of our journey."

One of Google Voice's best features is going away

Posted: 10 Mar 2021 01:21 AM PST

A Google Voice number allows you to forward calls and messages from one number to all your other phones, something of a godsend if you have multiple devices. However, Google has announced that the "messages" part of that equation is about to go away. The Google Voice app now tells users that "message forwarding to linked numbers will stop soon because mobile carriers have started to block those messages," according to Android Police.

Call forwarding is not affected, so you'll still be able to use your Google Voice number to ring all your other phones. However, you'll only be able to see your Google Voice messages on the Google Voice app located on your phone or the web. That could cause issues for notifications, as some wearables and other devices don't support notifications directly from Google Voice, as Android Police noted. You'll still be able to receive Voice message on your email address, however.

Google Voice is one of Google's longest-running services, having started in 2009. However, it has received only sporadic updates and users live in fear that it might one day be discontinued like many other Google products. The search giant didn't say when SMS forwarding would end, but you'll likely want to make sure you have Voice installed on your Android smartphone(s) so you can still get notifications on the go. 

Nikon's full-frame Z9 with 8K video will arrive later this year

Posted: 10 Mar 2021 12:05 AM PST

Nikon has announced that it's developing the Z9, a flagship full-frame mirrorless Z mount model with "the best still and video performance in Nikon history." The new model will be released in 2021 with 8K video and other advanced features. 

Nikon said that the Z9 will have a "newly developed FX-format stacked CMOS sensor," likely in the 40- to 50-megapixel range. It will also feature a new image-processing engine that will be necessary if it wants to keep up with Sony and Canon in terms of shooting speeds an autofocus/eye-tracking performance. The image shows a built-in camera grip, much like the $6,500 D6, meaning you wouldn't need to buy a separate one as with Canon's latest EOS R5 and the Sony A7S III. 

Besides 8K video, Nikon said the Z9 will offer "other video specifications that fulfill diverse needs and workflows." That likely means you can expect 10-bit or even RAW internal video recording, along with a generous range of 4K resolutions and frame rates. 

The news isn't a great surprise, as I mentioned the possibility of a new Nikon flagship with 8K video in my review of the company's current top-end model, the Z7 II. Nikon has been lagging behind Canon and Sony in terms of technology with its full-frame cameras, so hopefully the Z9 will bring it up to par, at least. There's no word yet on pricing, but Nikon has promised more information in the months to come. 

Elon Musk reveals why the SN10 Starship exploded

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 11:02 PM PST

For a short while after SpaceX's SN10 Starship touched down, it seemed like the prototype made it out of its test flight unscathed. The vehicle exploded on its landing pad around a minute later, though, creating a massive inferno like its predecessorsdid. Now, Elon Musk has revealed what went wrong in responses sent to followers on Twitter. The SpaceX chief said the SN10 engine was low on thrust probably due to "partial helium ingestion from [the] fuel header tank" and that the impact crushed the rocket's legs and part of its skirt. SpaceX is now working on multiple fixes for the issue so that it doesn't affect SN10's successor, the SN11, anymore.

Chris Bergin of NASA Spaceflight tweeted that the issue is a "tricky one," seeing as the helium ingestion was caused by the pressurization system added to the CH4 tank to prevent what caused SN8 Starship's explosion. Musk said that's a "fair point," and he approved the change because it sounded good at the time.

SpaceX's Starship is a heavy-lift launch vehicle that's being developed to carry cargo and human passengers to Earth's orbit and beyond. SN10's explosion won't be slowing down the company's testing efforts — in fact, it recently rolled out the SN11 prototype to its Boca Chica facility to start preparing for its fourth high-altitude test launch.

Xbox March update adds toggles for old games, kills the live TV guide

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 08:52 PM PST

Xbox consoles — from Day One Xbox Ones all the way up to Series X — are getting a new software update that adds some features and removes others. The Xbox Accessories app for PC as well as consoles both new and old will get a patch that adds compatibility with Microsoft's new Xbox Wireless Headset, so gamers can access all of the available audio controls and even the brightness of its lights.

One feature that's going away is the live TV listings in OneGuide that has been a part of the Xbox One since it launched. Microsoft's aspirations for controlling TV via the HDMI passthrough of the Xbox One didn't work out, and live TV viewing isn't nearly as important as it once was, so that feature will join Windows Media Center and WebTV in the great beyond. The OneGuide itself will stay for watching TV through the HDMI input or add-on tuner, but without the schedules of what is airing where.

However, the big addition that's relevant to current gamers is a new set of toggles for backwards compatible titles. They'll let gamers enable or disable Auto HDR and FPS Boost on a per-game basis in order to only have them when there's actually a benefit and they don't negatively affect the experience. Auto HDR is pretty easy to figure out, but can be more hassle than its worth, while FPS boost can up the framerate to 30, 60 or even 120 fps on certain games.

Smaller tweaks include the return of Achievements to the mobile Xbox app and improvements to "My games & apps" that more clearly explains what parts you need to install if you don't want to install every possible item for a particular title.

Hacked surveillance startup Verkada leaked live feeds for Tesla, others

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 07:08 PM PST

A report from Bloomberg says that hackers breached the security of Verkada, an enterprise surveillance video company, and were able to access live feeds from over 150,000 cameras. The reporter were in contact with the hackers, who said they had access to hundreds of cameras in Tesla facilities, as well as other companies like Cloudflare.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Verkada said "We have disabled all internal administrator accounts to prevent any unauthorized access. Our internal security team and external security firm are investigating the scale and scope of this issue, and we have notified law enforcement."

The hackers said they lost access after Bloomberg contacted the company, but that they initially got in via a "Super Admin" login that was exposed on the internet, then used built-in camera features to obtain root access and remote control. Motherboardhad previously reported on Verkada employees who used surveillance cameras in their own office to harass others and take pictures of women they worked with, and now obtained a spreadsheet from the hackers identifying 24,000 organizations that may be using its cameras.

Verkada
Verkada advertises video analytics that can track a person or vehicle as they move through a surveilled location.
Verkada

On its website, Verkada touts its ability to provide secure remote access to camera feeds "providing real-time visibility into events across sites." It also advertises "video analytics" which can rely on facial recognition, identification and vehicle tracking using technology built directly into the cameras. One of the people in the group behind the breach told Bloomberg that this incident "exposes just how broadly we're being surveilled, and how little care is put into at least securing the platforms used to do so, pursuing nothing but profit."

Twitch might be testing a streamer scoring system to facilitate ad sales

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 04:42 PM PST

Twitch appears to be toying with a program that automatically rates streamers based on a handful of factors — including age, suspension history and partnership status — in order to pair them with advertisers. It's called the Brand Safety Score, and it was discovered in Twitch's internal API by cybersecurity student Daylam Tayari, who posted images of the changelog on Twitter.

A Twitch spokesperson stopped short of confirming the existence of the Brand Safety Score to Engadget, but offered the following statement:

"We are exploring ways to improve the experience on Twitch for viewers and creators, including efforts to better match the appropriate ads to the right communities. User privacy is critical on Twitch, and, as we refine this process, we will not pursue plans that compromise that priority. Nothing has launched yet, no personal information was shared, and we will keep our community informed of any updates along the way."

According to Tayari, the Brand Safety Score rates streamers based on their age (whether they're over 18 or 21), suspension history, relationship with Twitch, partnership status, whether they use automod and at what level, whether a stream is set to mature, and the ESRB ratings of their games. There's also a section to add a manual rating from a Twitch employee.

As described, the Brand Safety Score sounds similar to ad-rating systems already employed by sites like YouTube and Twitter, or even ratings on ridesharing apps. It should help advertisers sort through the sea of streamers, and could affect Twitch's Bounty Board, where advertisers offer specific gigs to a handful of chosen partners and affiliates. 

Knowing which metrics Twitch is tracking can help streamers stay at the top of the pile, though there's no guarantee that the company will make any of its rating algorithms public — unless a curious researcher takes another dive.

Samsung will hold its next Unpacked event on March 17th

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 03:07 PM PST

It was only two months ago that Samsung held an Unpacked event to announce the Galaxy S21, but the company is already sending out invites for another event it plans to hold on March 17th at 10 AM ET.

What could we see at the event? Well, this time last year we got our first look at the Galaxy Z Flip. Samsung didn't talk foldables at its January Unpacked event, so we could see something on that front. Another possibility is that we could get our first glimpse at the company's rumored Exynos-powered Windows 10 PC with AMD GPU. However, if recent leaks are any indication, Samsung's mid-range devices like those in the Galaxy A series could finally get their time in the limelight. Given their increasing importance to the company's bottomline, we wouldn't be surprised if that's the case.

This robot artist stops to consider its brushstrokes like a real person

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 02:52 PM PST

A team of researchers from IBM Japan, the University of Tokyo and Yamaha Motors have created a robot that uses canvas, paint and a brush to create paintings on its own. What sets this artificial intelligence apart from some of the other artistically-inclined ones we've seen in the past is that it doesn't generate the paintings it creates at random. Instead, it's programmed to work with concepts and has a set of "values" it turns to for guidance. It's possible to shape the images it creates by providing it with additional instructions. Limit it to 30 or fewer brushstrokes and it will paint a more abstract piece. Conversely, with some 300 brushstrokes at its disposal, it will create something more realistic.

In its current iteration, the robot can work with both watercolors and acrylics and can mix paints with water. The team behind the project is currently working on a visual system that will allow the machine to see its paintings as it's working on them. That same system could also open the door to human artists working with the robot. The AI Painting Project will be on display at SXSW 2021, which you can check out virtually starting on March 16th.

How to pre-order the Sonos Roam speaker

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 01:02 PM PST

Sonos confirmed the rumors of a new device today by announcing the Roam portable speaker. It's meant to be a smaller, more affordable alternative to its existing portable speaker, the $399 Move. At $169, it certainly fills a big gap in Sonos' lineup, but it remains more expensive than competing devices.

The $169 Sonos Roam is available for pre-order starting today from the company's website. It will officially be available starting April 20, and pre-order customers can expect their speakers to ship around that time.

Pre-order the Roam at Sonos - $169

Unlike the relatively large Move, the Sonos Roam has a smaller, narrower design and weights just about one pound. It's IP67-rated, protecting it from dust and from being submerged in water for up to 30 minutes. Inside are two Class-H amplifiers, one mid-woofer and one tweeter, and the Roam supports adjustable EQ using the companion app. You'll be able to pair two Roam speakers together for stereo sound and connect the new speaker to existing Sonos devices you may have around your home.

But similarly to the Move, the Roam can play music via Bluetooth or WiFi and it supports a plethora of streaming apps including Spotify, Apple Music and others. You're also able to use Apple AirPlay 2 with it and control the device using either Amazon's Alexa or the Google Assistant. The Roam uses Sonos' Automatic Trueplay tuning to adapt sound to your environment, and it'll be able to use the company's new Sound Swap feature. This lets you press and hold the play/pause button to swap the music to the closest Sonos speaker to you, making it easier to move sound with you from room to room.

When it comes to power, the Roam charges via USB-C or via any Qi-compatible wireless charging pad. The speaker comes with a charging cable, but Sonos will also sell a separate, wireless dock for $49. The company promises up to 10 hours of playback on a single charge, or 10 days of life when in sleep mode.

The Roam is Sonos' cheapest and most portable speaker yet

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 01:00 PM PST

Today, Sonos revealed its least expensive, most portable speaker yet, the Roam. It's a follow-up of sorts to the Move, the company's first portable speaker which debuted in 2019. That speaker may have Bluetooth and a battery, but its relatively large size and heavy weight meant it wasn't exactly a grab-and-go device. The Roam, on the other hand, is made with portability first in mind, putting it in competition with speakers like the UE Boom 3 and the JBL Flip 5.

My first impression of the Roam is that it's a portable speaker first that can also be used at home. The Move, on the other hand, is a larger speaker built for the home that you can also take with you. It's a subtle but important difference in how the Roam was conceived. The $169 Roam is a full-fledged Sonos device, which means when you're home and connected to WiFi, it works just like any other Sonos speaker. You can group it with other Sonos devices; stream audio from dozens of services; take two Roams and pair them in stereo; use Google Assistant or Alexa for voice control; and stream from Apple devices using AirPlay 2.

Sonos Roam
Sonos

But like the Move, the Roam also has Bluetooth on board, which means you can pair a device and stream music to it when you're away from a WiFi network. Its built-in battery is rated for 10 hours of playback, and it automatically goes into a low-power sleep mode when it's not in use. It should last about 10 days in sleep mode.

Obviously, being able to link the Roam into a system of Sonos products is a plus for people already in the Sonos ecosystem, but it also has a lot of clever features that further separate it from other portables. For example, the Roam can automatically switch between Bluetooth and WiFi. Once you've paired it with your phone, it'll remember that pairing and be set to go when you take it out of the home. Likewise, when you return it'll rejoin your WiFi network without prompting. This is an improvement over the Move, which required manual switching between Bluetooth and WiFi.

Sonos Roam

This speaks to the philosophy Sonos has for the Roam, which is making it simple to use both at and away from home. The Bluetooth-only speaker market is already pretty crowded," Maxime Bouvat-Merlin, the company's senior VP of hardware development," said in an interview ahead of the company's launch event. "For us, going into this specific market, we had to do more than just put Bluetooth and great sound into these products. We thought really hard about how to bring the Sonos experience from in the home to outside the home."

That's the inspiration behind things like the new "Sound Swap" feature. If you're playing music on the Roam and want to bounce it to another Sonos speaker, pressing and holding the play button will search for the nearest speaker and send the music to it. The idea is to keep the music flowing from away from home into the home.

Sound Swap makes use of some intriguing technology. "Pressing and holding play/pause signals the other players to emit an ultra high frequency sound that only Roam can hear," Hadley Simmons, a product marketing manager at Sonos, explained to Engadget. "Roam can pick up those chirps with its microphones and detect the nearest speaker. It's basically an easier way to move music throughout your home without having to go back to the Sonos app and sort through your different rooms." In the same vein, if the Roam is playing music via Bluetooth, you can hold the play button and it'll automatically stream that music to other Sonos speakers — effectively turning the Roam into a Bluetooth line-in to the rest of your system.

Sonos Roam
Sonos

The technology for Sound Swap came out of the Sonos advanced technology group, a team that came together in the last few years. "In the past, we'd try and innovate in the product development process, but that's the worst place to try and do it when you have a specific schedule and deadlines in front of you," Bouvat-Merlin said. "So I created a special, standalone group that works on things for two, three, four years down the road."

All these features are meaningless if people don't want to take the Roam with them, which means its physical design is probably more important here than with standard home speakers. Based on what we've seen so far, the Roam looks compact and easy to move. It weighs less than a pound, and Sonos described it as about the same size as a water bottle. The idea is for it to be small and light enough that you don't need to think about taking it with you; it just becomes a habit. I haven't used it yet, but I could definitely imagine it being the kind of thing I'd toss in a bag when I leave the house, whether for a quick trip or a cross-country flight (when that's doable, anyway).

As usual, there are some smart Sonos flourishes here. The speaker can be used in vertical or horizontal orientation. It detects which way it's positioned and adjusts the sound accordingly. It's compatible with all Qi wireless chargers, or you can simply use the included USB-C cable. Sonos is making its own magnetic wireless charger, but unfortunately it's a $50 extra rather than something included in the box.

Sonos Roam
Sonos

The Roam is also rated IP67 for dust and water resistance. In fact, it can be submerged in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes and still work. The Move has superior resistance to temperature fluctuations, but it can't be dunked in water. Given other companies have speakers that can even float in a pool, the fact that the Roam can survive a trip underwater is crucial.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Roam needs to sound good — no small feat, given its diminutive size. I haven't listened to it, but. Simmons said users should expect sound quality comparable to the larger Sonos One speaker, albeit without the same max volume. But the bass presence is said to be much larger than you'd expect out of a speaker that small. Of course, we'll need to wait to hear it for ourselves, but given what companies like Amazon, Google and Apple have done with their own relatively small speakers, I'm hopefully Sonos has worked its magic on the tiny Roam.

As usual for Sonos, the Roam features a number of custom internal components, like the so-called "racetrack" mid-woofer. Since a traditional circular design wouldn't work in the slim, tall Roam, Sonos went with this oval shape to maximize its size. It also has a dedicated tweeter and two class-H amplifiers. Fitting both a tweeter and mid-woofer into the Roam rather than using one all-purpose driver should make a significant difference in audio quality.

Sonos Roam
Sonos

Sonos also included the "Auto Trueplay" speaker-tuning technology it first built into the Move. This means the speaker will use its built-in microphone array to listen to its output and optimize the sound for wherever it's placed. Trueplay has been available for Sonos speakers since 2015, but they require an iOS device to use to manually tune the device. Not so for the Move and the Roam, and the Roam takes things a step further this time. It'll be able to tune itself even when you're not on WiFi, using profiles built directly into the speaker hardware itself.

The Roam is entering a crowded market, but it's priced competitively, even if it's still more expensive than many Bluetooth-only devices. It does offer a load of features if you're already a Sonos user — but its low price also makes it a gateway drug to the Sonos ecosystem if you've never tried their products. We'll need to take a listen before we can judge if Sonos hit the mark, but from what we know so far it's looking like a compelling option in the ultraportable speaker category. Pre-orders for the Roam are open now on the Sonos website, and the speaker will be available on April 20th.

T-Mobile will start automatically enrolling customers in an ad targeting program

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 12:57 PM PST

If you're a T-Mobile subscriber, you'll soon be automatically enrolled in a program that will see your online and device usage data sold to advertisers. In a privacy policy update spotted by The Wall Street Journal, the carrier said it would start sharing that information with marketing agencies starting April 26th unless customers opt out. "We've heard many say they prefer more relevant ads so we're defaulting to this setting," a spokesperson for T-Mobile told the WSJ. The new policy will include everyone who came over to T-Mobile through the carrier's 2020 merger with Sprint. That's notable because Sprint previously allowed its customers to opt into sharing their data with advertisers.

T-Mobile's decision to enroll as many of its customers as possible in a program that sells their data to advertisers runs counter to what we've seen from tech giants like Google and Apple recently. It was only earlier this month the former said it would stop selling ads that rely on a person's browsing history, and not build any cross app tracking tools in the future. Apple, meanwhile, will soon require developers to explicitly obtain a person's permission before they track them across websites and applications. It's even a step beyond the data collection AT&T and Verizon (Engadget's parent company) currently run. While both carriers automatically enroll their subscribers in programs that pool them into shared interest groups, as an AT&T or Verizon customer, you don't have to go out of your way to prevent your wireless provider from sharing more detailed information on you.

You can opt out of the advertising program by opening the T-Mobile app on your phone, tapping the "More" tab and then going into the "Advertising & Analytics" section. Switch the toggle next to the "Use my data to make ads more relevant to me" option to off.

Instagram starts rolling out an auto-caption sticker for Stories

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 11:43 AM PST

Instagram is taking a step forward for accessibility with the rollout of automatic captions on Stories. Social media consultant Matt Navarra shared a video of the feature in action.

There's a new sticker called CC captions that you can add to your Story. When you do, the app will transcribe the audio. You'll have the option to change the font of your captions. However, Instagram didn't transcribe Navarra's story completely accurately, mistaking "finally" for "find."

This move is a big boost for accessibility, especially for hard of hearing users. It could come in useful for those who speak different languages too. There are third-party services that Instagram users can harness to add captions, but a built-in auto caption tool could translate the text. Engadget has contacted Instagram for more details on the feature, including rollout plans.

Several other platforms already support automatic captions, such as YouTube. Similar features are also on the way to Zoom and Twitter.

Update 03/09/21 10:00PM ET: According to Instagram, the feature is not widely available yet. In a statement sent to Engadget, a spokesperson said: "We're always exploring ways for people to better express themselves in Stories. This feature is not publicly testing at the moment."

Disney+ has more than 100 million subscribers

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 11:25 AM PST

Less than two years into its existence, Disney+ has 100 million subscribers. According to Deadline, Disney CEO Bob Chapek shared news of the milestone during the company's annual shareholder meeting. Today's announcement caps off a period of rapid growth for the platform, with no signs of it slowing down anytime soon. It was only less than a year ago that Disney said the service had 57.5 million customers, and last month that it revealed that it had come just shy of the 100 million mark with 94.9 million customers.

Much of that growth has been thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, but it's fair to say if not for shows like The Mandalorian and WandaVision people wouldn't be turning to Disney+ to pass the time in the numbers that they have to date. With more Marvel and Star Wars content coming later this year, Disney is well-positioned to keep attracting subscribers to the platform. The service still has a long way to go before it becomes the 200 million subscriber juggernaut that is Netflix, but clearly it's a dominate force in the space.

Amazon’s IMDb TV comes to more devices, including PS4 and LG Smart TVs

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 11:00 AM PST

Amazon is expanding US availability of its free, ad-supported IMDb TV streaming app. As of today, you can access the platform on LG Smart TVs, PlayStation 4, NVIDIA Shield and TiVo Stream 4K. If you own a TV from LG, the app is available on models made between 2018 and 2021, including those with OLED panels.

Today's announcement follows IMDb TV's recent expansion to Roku, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Sony Android TVs and Chromecast with Google TV devices. Since March 3rd, you've also been able to access IMDb TV content through an Amazon Fire TV live channel. Provided you're willing to sit through commercials, you can watch movies like Arrival and The Lincoln Lawyer through the app. Amazon Studios originals like Top Class are also available.

'Valheim' surpasses 5.7 million copies sold in five weeks on Steam Early Access

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 10:45 AM PST

Valheim went live on Steam exactly five weeks ago, and it's been on fire ever since. Iron Gate's Viking survival sim rocketed up the charts, hitting 5 million copies sold after just one month in Early Access and surpassing huge titles like Dota 2 in terms of concurrent active players.

Steam reviews for Valheim exude a palpable sense of awe and relief. Players regularly compare the feeling to the first time they played Minecraft, marveling at the game's scope, depth and atmosphere, and questioning how a team of just five developers managed to pack such an engrossing experience into a 1GB download. Valheim sets players loose in an original realm of Viking purgatory, a vast, procedurally generated world filled with mythical Norse beasts, high seas, hunting and crafting. It's dense yet forgiving; action-packed yet peaceful.

To date, Iron Gate has sold more than 5.7 million copies of Valheim. There are still only five people on the development team.

"We're doing our best," Iron Gate co-founder Henrik Tornqvist told Engadget. "It has become pretty hectic around here since launch."

Valheim
Iron Gate

Tornqvist and studio co-founder Richard Svensson are looking to hire a few more people, including a QA manager to handle the influx of bug reports from millions of new beta testers. Otherwise, it's getting support from Coffee Stain Publishing — the folks responsible for Goat Simulator,a veritable granddaddy of viral video games.

Svensson began working on Valheim in 2017, as a side hustle. By day, he and Tornqvist were colleagues at Swedish studio Pieces Interactive, but by early 2018, Svensson had left to focus fully on Valheim.

"At the end of 2018 I also left to join forces with him," Tornqvist said. "We founded the company Iron Gate in April 2019, and by then we pretty much knew where we wanted to take Valheim."

Valheim

Despite their faith in the core ideas behind Valheim, neither Svensson nor Tornqvist expected the game to explode in popularity the way it has. This is clear in an Iron Gate blog post published on January 1st, 2020, a full year before Valheim's Early Access launch. In the entry, Svensson recaps the game's development progress, officially welcomes Tornqvist to the team, and celebrates the birth of his son. It's soaked in optimism from the first line (edited for clarity):

It's Jan 1st, 2020, and I'm a bit hungover =). I will try to write a quick summary of this year's happenings related to me and Valheim. It's been an eventful year for sure. Crazy eventful to be honest. I have probably aged like 10 years this year. So here we go =). ...We quickly registered a new limited liability company and in the last minute I came up with the name Iron Gate! I like the idea that our logo is a gateway to other worlds. What lies beyond the iron gate?

Truly, Svensson and Tornqvist had no idea.

"We did feel modestly confident in that we had a game that would see some success and provide the means for us to continue development through the Early Access-period, but nothing on the scale of the success we've actually had," Tornqvist said. "It is a bit crazy actually, a once-in-a-lifetime hit, I think."

Valheim
Iron Gate

Tornqvist said he's particularly enjoying all of the community-created content that's spawned out of Valheim, including the memes, which he called "delicious." Svensson and Tornqvist are hurrying to hire some more hands, and Iron Gate developers are focused on squashing bugs and continuing to support Valheim through Early Access, promising plenty of new content in 2021.

"Not to sound too corny, but we're just very happy that so many people are enjoying the game really," Tornqvist said. "So a big thank you to all the people who have taken the game to heart."

Verzuz music battles are moving to Triller

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 10:15 AM PST

Triller is beefing up its music credentials. Triller Network, the video app's parent company, has bought the battle series Verzuz, as Billboardfirst reported.

Verzuz pits two musicians (usually from the spheres of R&B and hip-hop) against each other. They compete in a live stream to see which of them has the better song catalog. Timbaland and Swizz Beatz created the series. They were the first duo to battle it out on Instagram Live last March. Verzuz battles also streamed on Apple Music.

Timbaland and Swizz Beatz have joined the Triller Verzuz management team to guide several strategies for the TikTok competitor, including music. They split some of their stake in Triller between the 43 musicians who have performed on Verzuz, who include Brandy, Monica, John Legend, DMX, Alicia Keys, Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight.

"By putting Verzuz in the Triller Network ecosystem and expanding the Verzuz brand to be side by side with the powerful Triller app, we will be able to continue to grow and evolve the music business as a whole, as we have been doing," Timbaland and Swizz Beatz said. Timbaland mentioned some plans the team has to build on the success of Verzuz, including a move into comedy. In January, a series centered around the Pro Bowl saw NFL stars pit their best highlights from the 2020 season against each other.

Russia and China want to build an 'international' station on the Moon

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 10:10 AM PST

Russia and China plan to work together to build a research station on the Moon. In an announcement spotted by Ars Technica, the two countries said they will collaborate on an "International Lunar Science Station." There aren't many details on the project yet, but Roscosmos, Russia's national space agency, suggests it could include facilities both in orbit around the Moon and on its surface. It will also be open to other nations to join.

China and Russia were the two countries that were notably missing from NASA's Artemis Accords. Announced in October, the agreement seeks to create a template for peaceful, cooperative and transparent exploration of the Moon. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, said the Lunar Gateway, a space station NASA plans to build in orbit around the Moon as part of Project Artemis, was too "US-centric." That's despite the fact NASA and Roscosmos have collaborated productively for decades on the International Space Station and the same agreement that made the ISS possible will govern the Lunar Gateway. Rogozin later left open the possibility for the two space agencies to work together again, but with Roscosmos now partnering with China, the chances of that happening look much less likely.

Bose Sport Open Earbuds review: Great for workouts, but not much else

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 10:00 AM PST

Bose is no stranger to sports earbuds. The company has made a number of them over the years, including multiplepairs of true wireless buds. However, for its most recent option, Bose is taking a different approach. The Sport Open Earbuds ($199.95) are indeed true wireless, but they don't have the typical ear tip that goes inside your ear canal.

Instead, as the name suggests, they have an "open" design that sits outside of your ear. Not only does this increase comfort, but it also allows you to hear what's going on around you at all times — a key safety feature for runners. Add a sporty over-the-ear hook design and water resistance and you've got earbuds prepped for the gym or trail. The only question is whether you're willing to make some sacrifices for the sake of staying in tune with your surroundings.

Design

Like a lot of sports buds, both wired and wireless, the Bose Sport Open Earbuds have a hook that goes over the top of your ear and down behind it. This, of course, keeps them in place while you're moving around on a run or in the gym. And that's even more essential with these since there's nothing going inside your ear that would otherwise keep them from falling out.

Bose definitely achieves what it set out to do with its latest true wireless earbuds. The company keeps your ears open to your environment while you exercise, which can increase safety for runners and other workout situations. At home, you won’t seem like a jerk for not answering your partner while listening to a podcast. However, the design that makes the Sport Open Earbuds compelling for workouts limits performance elsewhere, so you have to accept sacrifices that could be deal breakers.
Billy Steele/Engadget

The hook design keeps things stationary, but they're made of hard plastic. They don't offer as much comfort as a soft-touch or flexible material would. Plus, they don't bend to adjust to the contours of your ears. You're stuck with the exact shape Bose's designers selected, which isn't uncomfortable per se, but it also isn't as comfy as it could be.

Due to the Sport Open Earbuds design, the actual "earbud" component sits at the top of your ear rather than just outside of your canal. This allows for the "open" design that keeps your ears free to hear what's going on around you while you listen to music or podcasts. Bose has created what it calls OpenAudio technology that beams "rich, full-range sound" into your ears while reducing what others nearby might pick up. It's a similar concept to the Bose Frames, though these earbuds position the sound source much closer to your ear. So instead of using bone conduction, the Sport Open Earbuds employ specifically placed acoustic ports that channel music to its intended destination, powered by two 16mm drivers. It sounds good on paper, but in practice, my family could easily hear noise from these even at medium volumes.

Samsung's Galaxy Buds Live, also offers an "open" type design. But with those, Samsung puts the speaker directly over your ear canal. So while there's no ear tip inside your ear, the buds are much closer, which helps with noise isolation and overall sound quality.

Bose Sport Open Earbuds
Bose

Lastly, Bose didn't totally nix on-board controls for the Sport Open Earbuds. There are two tiny physical buttons — one on each side — that offer a few options. On the right, a single press will play/pause, a double press will skip to the next track and a triple press will return to the previous track. That same button is used to power on the earbuds and answer/end calls. The control on the left earbud activates your voice assistant of choice when you hold it down, and you can set it to announce the battery level with a single press. Thanks to a post-launch update, you can adjust volume with a tap on the outside of the earbuds. Use the right to increase volume and the left to turn it down. Bose also gives you the ability to disable volume control entirely inside of its app (it's disabled by default).

It's interesting that Bose employs both a physical button and touch gestures for the on-board controls on these earbuds. The tap is the less invasive action, so it would be great if the company could make some of button-pressing items touch enabled. At any rate, it's clear Bose plans to improve the experience over time, since it's already doing so shortly after launching the product.

Sound quality

Bose definitely achieves what it set out to do with its latest true wireless earbuds. The company keeps your ears open to your environment while you exercise, which can increase safety for runners and other workout situations. At home, you won’t seem like a jerk for not answering your partner while listening to a podcast. However, the design that makes the Sport Open Earbuds compelling for workouts limits performance elsewhere, so you have to accept sacrifices that could be deal breakers.
Billy Steele/Engadget

Going into this review, I had flashbacks to testing the Galaxy Buds Live. Samsung's design choices were pretty unique and those earbuds accomplished a lot of what it set out to do. However, the audio quality just wasn't there. Plus, the company included active noise cancellation (ANC) on a product that didn't seal off your ears, which kind of defeated the purpose. My first experience with a set of "open" design earbuds showed me having your ears always tuned into what's going on around you meant big sacrifices in audio quality.

That's the case again with the Bose Sport Open Earbuds. Bose has achieved a lot of what it intended: primarily, keeping your ears unobstructed when you're exercising. There's no denying this has massive implications for safety, especially for runners. But, I could overhear plenty at home while testing these. And, if your gym is anything like the one I went to pre-pandemic, it blasts a variety of pop music at an unreasonable volume. The main reason I wore headphones was to block that out, and these Bose earbuds won't help you much there. You also have to be aware that these aren't going to give you the audio quality you'll likely be looking for in a set of $200 earbuds. That's especially true when it comes to low-end.

While the Sport Open Earbuds have decent clarity, the lack of bassy thump sucks a lot of energy out of songs that are otherwise big and boomy. And if you're like me, you rely on an ample amount of low-end to keep you motivated during a workout. With these earbuds, you get plenty of treble and some mid-range but that's about it. This means they're great for podcasts but just okay for most genres of music.

Bose Sport Open earbuds

For example, the drum machines and percussion on Com Truise's synth-heavy instrumentals retain detail, but the songs just don't have the depth and droning bass lines that make them so atmospheric. The discrepancy is even more noticeable with hip-hop tracks like Lil Baby's "Heatin Up." The beat that's the backbone of the track fades into the background.

The open design also has a benefit for calls: you can chat without feeling like you have to yell to hear yourself. Like podcasts, call audio comes through the earbuds crisp and clear. However, the person on the other side noted I sounded only slightly better than a speakerphone and background noise was an issue. They also said that they could hear themselves coming through — likely because the earbud mics were picking up sound from the open speakers.

Software features

Bose definitely achieves what it set out to do with its latest true wireless earbuds. The company keeps your ears open to your environment while you exercise, which can increase safety for runners and other workout situations. At home, you won’t seem like a jerk for not answering your partner while listening to a podcast. However, the design that makes the Sport Open Earbuds compelling for workouts limits performance elsewhere, so you have to accept sacrifices that could be deal breakers.
Billy Steele/Engadget

A lot of headphone companies offer the ability to use audio presets, manually tweak the EQ or customize on-board controls with an app. That's not an option Bose gives you with the Sport Open Earbuds. Instead, the app primarily handles software updates and monitors battery levels. There is one handy item in relation to charging: the app knows when the earbuds are on the base and displays progress.

Like most earbud and headphone apps, it also reminds you what the controls do, but that's really it. It's clear Bose wanted to keep things simple here, but that comes at the expense of literally any degree of customization.

Battery life

Bose claims up to eight hours of battery life on the Sport Open Earbuds. During my tests, I actually managed slightly better, stretching them about 30 minutes longer than the stated figure. This listening time is slightly above average for true wireless earbuds these days, but there's a catch: these buds don't come with a charging case. You don't have a place to constantly top off the battery in your pocket when you're taking a break from tunes. It also means there are separate accessories for charging and for storage.

Bose includes a magnetic charging base with a USB cable that connects to either your computer or a plug you likely already have. The Sport Open Earbuds fully charge in two hours, and 30 minutes will give you three hours of playback. Lights on the outside of the earbuds pulse white during charging and remain solid when done. The company also put a hard shell carrying case in the box. It's not the fanciest thing, but it gets the job done. And a magnetic closure should keep them from falling out if the case gets jostled around in your bag.

The competition

Bose Frames

Bose actually offers some solid competition for the Sport Open Earbuds within its own product lines. The Bose Sport Earbuds are a more traditional true wireless product, with ear tips and fit wings to keep things in place and block out noise. They lack the company's powerful ANC and they're quite big, but the sound quality is solid and they're cheaper at $179.95.

As I mentioned, if you're a fan of the "open" wear style, Bose also offers it with sunglasses. The Bose Frames Tempo are specially designed for exercise and sports, though the company does have options for "regular" use. The sport model offers eight hours of battery life and better water resistance, but they're also one of the priciest options at $249.95 (some models are $50 cheaper). All of the audio sunglasses have swappable lenses, some are even prescription friendly, and they keep your ears tuned in to what's going on around you.

For non-Bose alternatives, I'd actually suggest the Galaxy Buds Live from Samsung. Like the Sport Open Earbuds, these don't have an ear tip and sit outside of your ear canal. However, they're positioned just at the outside of the opening, rather than above it. This ensures better sound quality while still keeping things comfy and allowing ambient noise through. I'm not a big fan of them overall, but if a set of "open" earbuds are what you're after, they're worth a look. As of this writing, they're $130 on Amazon (regularly $170).

Wrap-up

Bose definitely achieves what it set out to do with its latest true wireless earbuds. The company keeps your ears open to your environment while you exercise, which can increase safety for runners and other workout situations. At home, you won’t seem like a jerk for not answering your partner while listening to a podcast. However, the design that makes the Sport Open Earbuds compelling for workouts limits performance elsewhere, so you have to accept sacrifices that could be deal breakers.
Billy Steele/Engadget

Bose has a long history of great-sounding headphones. The company may be mostly known for its noise-cancelling chops, but overall audio quality has also been respectable. With the Sport Open Earbuds, Bose decided allowing you to be hyper aware of everything around you was paramount. This means you gain the comfort of not having something crammed in your ears, but you have to accept sacrifices to sound quality.

I can appreciate these earbuds have a very specific purpose, and they could be a solid compliment to a set of over-ear noise-cancelling headphones that allow you to tune in and tune out the world. Of course, that's the wrinkle: Do you want to invest in two sets of headphones or earbuds? There are plenty of all-around options that are well-suited for both casual listening and exercise. You'll just have to decide if keeping your ears open is more important than great sound quality.

Chrome OS is getting a big redesign for its 10th birthday

Posted: 09 Mar 2021 10:00 AM PST

To celebrate the 10th birthday of Chrome OS, Google is announcing a revamp today and a new set of tools to make the platform much more useful. Of note, it's adding a new clipboard that remembers the last five things you copied, a Phone Hub to make accessing your Android device easier and support for Nearby Share.

Phone Hub is a little dashboard that lets you access your phone's controls and see its status for things like battery life and data connectivity. Not only can you use your Chromebook to ring your Android device when you've misplaced it, you can also enable tethering with one click as well as see recent Chrome tabs on your phone. You'll continue to be able to send and receive texts from the laptop (which you could already do before with the Messages app). 

Two new features make life a bit easier for those who have Android and Chrome OS devices. First, WiFi sync will let you automatically connect to trusted networks that you've used on your phone or other Chromebooks without having to re-enter passwords. And in the coming months, Nearby Share is coming to enable file sharing between your Chromebook and other Chrome OS or Android devices without an internet connection (over Bluetooth or local WiFi). 

Chrome OS 10th birthday update images Phone Hub
Google

Google is also boosting the screen capture tool in Chrome OS, making it easier to access from the Quick Settings panel. You can now outline exactly what you want to copy on your display, and create screen recording videos, which will all be saved to your clipboard. Speaking of, the clipboard can now store up to five things you've copied, and you can access them from the new Tote feature. This is a holding zone for all the files you and Google think you'll need, in addition to the screen captures. You can pin files to Totes for easy access, which should come in handy for things your frequently send like checklists or reference sheets. 

As part of the redesign, Google is integrating media controls directly into the Quick Settings panel for easier access and refreshing the icons for built-in apps. Sharing files, images and links between apps and your browser is becoming slightly easier — now when you click Share on supported websites, you'll see a list of apps you can send your content to directly. When you want to translate, define or convert something on your screen, right-clicking it will bring up Quick Answers in a panel so you won't need to open another tab.

The company is also updating the Desks feature by adding support for up to eight virtual workspaces and bringing a new Overview mode to make switching between them easier. Now, when your laptop reboots, your windows in various Desks will restore so you can quickly get set back up in your workflow again. 

Chrome OS 10th birthday update images support for up to eight Desks and a new overview mode
Google

Select-to-speak, the Chrome OS screen reader, is getting improved controls including options to pause, speed up and slow down the playback. Google is also making it easier to skip to different sections of text. 

Since many parents are buying their kids Chromebooks to make homework easier, Google is also making it simpler to set up Family Link, which allows students to use school accounts on their own devices. This way, parental controls can still apply while children get access to their school's apps. 

With Chromebooks being the most popular laptop in schools, it's good to see some useful updates coming to the platform. For those of us on Windows (or even those on macOS), some of these features will seem more like Google bringing its desktop software closer to what we're familiar with. Chrome OS may still not be the productivity ecosystem for people who need powerful apps for work, but with these updates it appears to be starting to catch up. 
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