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ReviewsLG’s New Dual-Screen Phone Is Like Two Phones in One!
The name says it all: LG G8X ThinkQ Dual Screen. It’s an updated LG G8 phone with an additional screen that effectively operates as a second device tethered to the main one. In a briefing at IFA in Berlin, the company framed the dual-screen phone as the inevitable solution to our multitasking inclinations. After spending … Continued
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Tech NewsJabra’s Great Truly Wireless Earbuds Just Got Better
Jabra just announced the next generation of its popular truly wireless earbuds. The new Elite 75t look like a slimmed-down version of the 65t earbuds, which we love. Based on our first peek at the product, it sure looks like Jabra took a great set of earbuds and made them just a little bit better. … Continued
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ReviewsCan You Spot the Upgrades on the New Samsung Galaxy Fold?
Look closely. That’s a closeup of the new Galaxy Fold, taken at Samsung’s sprawling space at IFA in Berlin. One of the apparently major design upgrades is staring you right in the face. Do you see it? I don’t either. Last night, Samsung announced that the new and improved Galaxy Fold would go on sale … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsTCL’s New Soundbar Uses Acoustic Tricks to Bring You Cheap Dolby Atmos
There’s a common problem with soundbars. They only sound as big as they are, and soundbars, by design, are compact systems. TCL wants to solve this problem with a new acoustic solution that can blast sound all around your living room thanks to some slick curves and Dolby Atmos technology. It’s a wacky idea, and … Continued
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ReviewsThe Expensive New Sonos Bluetooth Speaker Baffles Me in Many Ways
Sonos is expanding its horizons with a rugged new portable outdoor speaker. It’s called the Sonos Move, and it costs $400. Also, as its portability might suggest, the new device will be the first Sonos speaker that can stream music over a Bluetooth connection. As I held the thing from its gracefully designed handle at … Continued
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ReviewsHeadphonesSennheiser’s New Momentum Wireless Are Still King of the Headphones
The celebrated sound junkies at Sennheiser have done it again. The company just released the third generation of the widely lauded Momentum Wireless headphones, and thanks to some meaningful upgrades, they’re still the king of the category. Bow down. The new $400 Momentum Wireless headphones come with a familiar but evolved look. The trademark headband … Continued
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Tech NewsRoku’s New Soundbar Is Also a Roku
Roku is charging further into the home audio zone with a new soundbar that also works as a Roku set-top box. In other words, the new Roku soundbar turns any TV into a smart TV that’s running Roku software supporting 4K HDR content. Oh, also, Roku made a beastly subwoofer to round out its speaker … Continued
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Tech NewsYup, We’re Getting Some New iPhones Soon
Apple just sent out media invites to its annual iPhone event. This year, as everyone expected, the big party will happen on September 10. And that’s literally all we know because Apple is always extremely vague in these invitations. Based on months of rumors, however, we’re fairly certain the event will feature three new models … Continued
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Tech NewsGoogle Wants It Both Ways
Google is facing a flurry of backlash after announcing plans to protect user privacy by continuing to allow cookies in Chrome in a proposal it calls the Privacy Sandbox. This felt like a surprise, since the company suggested in May that it would “update how cookies are handled in Chrome.” Since Apple, Mozilla, and Microsoft … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityYour Xbox Is Listening to You, and So Are Microsoft’s Contractors
Microsoft Xbox owners will bummed to learn that humans have been listening to some of their voice commands. Motherboard recently spoke to a number of Microsoft contractors who said they’d been hired by the company to review Xbox and Cortana voice commands to improve the technology. This is the same sort of thing that’s been … Continued
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Tech NewsSo What Did Amazon Do to Piss Off Disney This Time?
Disney just announced plans to roll out its new streaming service in November. Executives announced that Disney+ will be available on platforms and devices made by Apple, Google, Microsoft, Sony, and Roku. Missing from that list is Amazon, with whom Disney has had an on-again-off-again slap fight for the past few years. This ongoing feud … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityThe Bright Side of Humans Eavesdropping on Your Alexa Recordings
Over the past few months, a waterfall of details about how companies handle voice recordings has poured into the news. First, there was news that Amazon hired thousands of contractors to review Alexa commands. Apple and Google were doing the same thing with their voice assistants. Then, more recently, we learned that Facebook and Microsoft … Continued
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ReviewsOther GadgetsDJI’s New Ronin Is a Remarkably Cheap Way to Shoot Like a Pro
The concept behind a gimbal is surprisingly ancient—like Byzantium ancient. But in recent years, DJI has been building an increasingly useful arsenal of gimbals that stand to upend the traditional hierarchy of cinematography. The newest addition is the Ronin-SC, a handheld gimbal designed for mirrorless cameras. Although it’s really just a variation on an already … Continued
Adam Clark Estes & Raul Alexander Marrero -
Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityGoogle Does Good Privacy Thing, Users Revolt
If you own a Google Nest cam, you recently got an email from corporate explaining that you’ll no longer be able to turn off the status light on your camera. The status light is that little green glow that lets you as well as strangers know that a camera (and possibly a human) is watching … Continued
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ReviewsHeadphonesFinally, a Proper AirPods Competitor
The first time I picked up the Jaybird Vista truly wireless earbuds, a thought started looping through my head: These things are impossibly tiny and light. Even the case is pocket-sized. The sheer portability reminded me of AirPods, but there’s an essential distinction. The new Jaybird earbuds are practically bombproof. You can get them wet … Continued
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Tech NewsFacebook Did the Sneaky Listening Thing, Too
Facebook has paid hundreds of contractors around the world to transcribe some of its users Messenger messages, according to a new Bloomberg report. The social network stopped doing the transcriptions a week ago, following public outrage after journalists revealed that Amazon, Google, and Apple employed similar teams to review voice commands for Alexa, Assistant, and … Continued
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ReviewsHome Entertainment & Smart HomeVizio’s Quantum Dot TV Feels Like All the Quality for Half the Price
Not so long ago, the idea of a cheap 4K TV felt like a dream. Now that the market is flooded with them, there’s a new aspiration for a cheap 4K TV that performs like a much more expensive flagship. That’s the value proposition that Vizio has offered for years, although the approach has seemed … Continued
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Tech NewsAmazon Really Doesn’t Give a Shit, Huh?
Apple and Google recently revealed that they have temporarily stopped letting contractors listen to recordings from their voice assistants. The announcements come after reports that some of these hired hands heard Siri users doing things like having sex or discussing private medical information. Amazon has not announced a pause in its process of letting humans … Continued
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ReviewsHome Entertainment & Smart HomeSennheiser’s $2,500 Soundbar Makes Me Want to Cry
Sennheiser has spent years teasing its first-ever home audio product: the Ambeo soundbar. This hulking all-in-one home audio system is designed to deliver surround sound without the need for satellite speakers or extra wires. Well, we’ve spent the past few weeks testing out the $2,500 device, and it’s certainly is an exciting piece of hardware. … Continued
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Ikea’s $100 Sonos Speaker Breaks the Mold
In a week, millions of people will be able to walk into an Ikea store and buy a Sonos speaker for $100. There’s a more expensive speaker-lamp combo, too, but the idea is simple: Ikea wants to sell you affordable smart home goods that fit into Ikea furniture and work impressively well right out of … Continued
Adam Clark Estes
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