Beats’ new Solo2 headphones sound way better than they feel

After the news broke yesterday of Apple officially acquiring Dr. Dre’s headphone and music streaming business, Beats isn’t putting the new product announcements on hold. The success of the brand is without question, and its most popular set of cans just got a refresh. This is the Beats Solo²: a redesigned on-ear model with re-tuned audio that does quite a bit to combat the “too much bass” argument.

Let’s start with the sound, shall we? As I’ve already mentioned, Beats touts “updated and improved acoustics” that boast “a wider range of sound and enhanced clarity.” That summary is pretty much spot-on. When I unboxed the Solo², I was quick to queue up some bass-heavy tunes to see if the company would remain consistent with its affinity for the low end. Well, the best way I can describe the sound here is “more balanced.” Don’t get me wrong: There’s still plenty of bass when tunes call for it, but you can also clearly pick up other elements — things like hi-hats, snares and others all seem to stand out more when compared to previous releases.

As recently as the Pill XL, the extra bass was great for some genres, but just seemed to muddy others. That’s not the case here. When switching from hip-hop to metal, and then on to something mellower, like bluegrass, each tune I threw at the headphones came through clearly and with a wider range of tones than existing efforts. Those looking for a truckload of bass will still get it when a playlist demands, but folks who prefer a myriad of styles in their music libraries are catered to as well.

Where Beats didn’t excel with the new model is comfort.

Where Beats didn’t excel with the new model is comfort. I’ve never been a fan of the way this brand of headphones feels when I wear them, and unfortunately, the Solo² is more of the same. Despite a new headband and ergonomic, pivoting earcups, the headphones still feel like they’re pinching in on my head — a feeling that gets uncomfortable about 15 to 20 minutes into a listening session. That’s a common criticism of the Solo HD set, too. This new model is 45g (1.6 ounces) heavier than the Solo HD, and while it’s 25g (0.88 ounce) lighter than my usual (albeit more pricey) B&O H6 set, the way the headphones take hold makes them feel a lot heavier. There’s new material wrapping the earcups to help dissipate heat though, and that tweak was quite noticeable after several minutes of listening.

In terms of aesthetics, the area housing the iconic circle logo on the outside of the earcups is concave and the leather-esque material meets the plastic on the inside seamlessly. That bunched-up hemline is no more. There’s still a color-coordinated in-line remote for toggling tracks, adjusting volume and taking calls, but only on iOS devices. The center play/pause button was all that worked with both Spotify and Google Play Music or answering calls on my Moto X. Finally, the cans still fold in on themselves just like the previous version, should you feel the need to toss ‘em in a bag or the included carrying case for transport.

If you’re looking to update from the latest model, or opt in for the first time, the Beats Solo² headphones are available for a $200 investment starting today. As you might expect, there are six color options (gray is pictured) to match your smartphone, wardrobe or football cleats.

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video

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Source: Beats Electronics

Germany turns to 3D printed food to help those who can’t swallow

See that meal up there? All of it was crafted on a 3D printer. Smoothfood is a project designed to provide better meals for both the elderly and sufferers of dysphagia — an inability to swallow food. The process requires freshly-cooked ingredients to be pulped like baby food, before being mixed with a secret additive mix and regurgitated by a modified Foodjet 3D printer. The meal looks, and even apparently tastes, the same as it did before the process, but simply melts in the mouth instead of choking whoever would eat it. Smoothfood can currently create meals with Cauliflower, Peas, Chicken, Pork, Potatoes and Pasta, with more foodstuffs coming at some point in the future. We’re slightly nervous that we’re going to have to try some of this at a forthcoming trade show, so let’s hope it’s all as tasty as its creators claim.

Filed under: Misc

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Via: Munchies

Source: Smoothfood, Biozoon, Foodjet, PERFORMANCE

Black cab feud with Uber will be decided by London’s High Court

It’s safe to say that London’s black cabbies don’t like Uber, or anything like it. While it could simply be that they’re bothered by the new-style competition, traditional taxi drivers also argue Uber’s use of smartphones to calculate fares is illegal, since private cars aren’t allowed taximeters. Transport for London (TfL) doesn’t believe they’re the same thing, and it has long said it’s happy that Uber complies fully with regulations (as the company itself has pointed out). To add more legal weight to its stance, TfL has now asked the High Court to step in. All interested parties will have a chance to say their piece before the court gives a definitive ruling on whether Uber acts within the law. The decision isn’t expected for several months at the earliest, but in the meantime black cabbies are planning a protest against Uber in London on June 11th.

[Image credit: sjiong / Flickr]

Filed under: Transportation

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Via: BBC

Source: TfL

Lian Li’s new desk is a computer, no, wait, it’s a desk, no, wait…

We’ve seen plenty of modders build gaming PCs into their desks, but what about those of us without any DIY skills? Lian-Li has stepped in, offering the DK-01 and DK-02, a pair of Table PC chassis that straddle the intersection between high-end technology and furniture. The big difference between the 01 and its bigger brother is the 02 can house a pair of PCs instead of just one, so where the former has a quartet of USB 3.0 ports and an audio jack up front, the latter doubles it. Inside, there’s room for a HPTX motherboard, as well as a secondary mini-ITX board if you go for the 02, as well as 10 expansion slots for HDD or SSDs. Unfortunately, this technology does come at a price, since the DK-01 will set you back $990, and the larger variant marked up at $1,200 — even before you start buying components.

Filed under: Desktops

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Via: Tom’s Hardware

Source: Lian Li, (2)

Doctors urge the World Health Organization to lighten up on e-cigs

The World Health Organization suspects that e-cigarettes should be treated with the same regulatory scorn as Tobacco, even if it hasn’t yet made this conclusion legally binding. A group of 53 doctors, however, are now urging the WHO to take a gentler approach. They’ve signed an open letter admitting that while the dangers of vaping aren’t fully known, the technology is vastly preferable to people choking down on the real thing. One of the signatories, Professor Robert West, can back up his claims with the study he published last week, which says that e-cigs are much more effective at getting people to quit than patches or cold turkey. We’re expecting a lot more back-and-forth on this matter in the next few months, since the WHO’s anti-smoking treaty group doesn’t meet to reveal its final decision on the vaping issue until mid-October.

[Thanks, Ronny]

Filed under: Misc

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Source: BBC News, Reuters