Puro Sound Labs BT5200 Bluetooth Headphones review – CNET
The Good The Puro Sound Labs BT5200 wireless headphones let you know when your volume is over 85dB, potentially causing hearing loss. Long battery life and very good passive external noise blocking. Can be used wired and there’s a built-in mic for calls.
The Bad Somewhat generic design and although they’re generally comfortable, the headband might be too tight for some, resulting in ear pain. You can’t tell if the volume is too loud without taking them off your head.
The Bottom Line The Puro Sound Labs BT5200 headphones might look like some other Bluetooth headphones, but they do deliver excellent audio while helping you protect yourself from hearing loss.
The Puro Sound Labs BT5200 wireless headphones are broccoli for your ears.
That’s not really “rock ‘n’ roll,” but the BT5200s are made to save you from yourself and keep your hearing healthy. Inside of the aluminum earcups with their 40mm custom dynamic drivers is a microprocessor that monitors their decibel level and alerts you via an LED when your volume is safe or unsafe.
Basically, to keep your hearing healthy, it’s recommended that you keep volume at or below 85 dB. When you’re in this range with the BT5200s, the tiny LED on the left cup glows green. When you’re between 85 and 95 — a level you should limit to 2 hours or less — the LED glows yellow. Keep raising the volume till you’re over 95 decibels and the LED turns red, letting you know you’re on your way to hearing damage.
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Green is good.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Knowing the safe listening level at a glance is nice (even if it does require taking the headphones off to find out), but you still want to be able to hear whatever it is you’re listening to. For that, Puro balanced the sound quality, so it actually sounds loud at a lower volume.
The Puros have a natural, warm tone to them with full bass, and sound excellent for a variety of music styles as well as spoken word such as audio books and movies and TV. If you’re looking for a lot of booming, hard-hitting bass or highly detailed audio, these probably won’t satisfy. But for those with eclectic tastes or those who want a good multipurpose headphone, the BT5200s hit the mark.
There is no active noise cancellation, so if you’re on a plane, train or bus, you’re still going to hear much of the noise. The earcup padding combined with the pressure of the headband does block 82 percent of external audio according to the company, though, and I believe it. All it takes is listening to some music at low volume to completely block out extraneous noise in my office.
Baltimore PD’s phone surveillance allegedly violated FCC rules
A new legal complaint filed by a Georgetown Law professor claims that law enforcement agencies using Stingray cell-site spoofing devices are in violation of standard FCC rules because they don’t have the proper spectrum licenses to operate the equipment. The complaint, filed by professor Laura Moy on behalf of three different advocacy groups, specifically calls out the Baltimore Police Department for violating the Communications Act, blocking emergency 911 service and disproportionately affecting African American neighborhoods in Baltimore.
Stingrays act as a small-scale cell tower, forcing nearby phones to connect to the device so it can gather identifying information like location or SIM card and carrier data. Newer models can even listen in on phone calls. Although they are generally used to locate criminal suspects, critics claim Stingrays are a violation of privacy because the devices indiscriminately gather information from everyone in the area and cannot be used to specifically target a person of interest. A federal judge also recently threw out a evidence obtained by the DEA while using a Stingray setup, arguing, “absent a search warrant, the government may not turn a citizen’s cell phone into a tracking device.”
According to Ars Technica, the Stingray’s effects on 911 calls were unproven until recently, when several Canadian law enforcement agencies admitted they could only run the devices for three minutes at a time in order to avoid disrupting emergency service and breaking local telecom laws. By applying that same principle to Baltimore, Moy’s complaint alleges police put local communities in danger and violated FCC regulations when they deployed the devices in thousands of cases.
What’s more, the Baltimore Police Department has no formal policy regarding the use of the devices, but by mapping out all of the locations where BPD deployed Stingrays, Moy’s team at the Institute for Public Representation showed the department was using them far more often in black communities. In other words, the civil rights violations committed by the BPD and detailed in the DOJ’s recent report extend to high-tech surveillance as well.
“You have law enforcement agencies around the country making widespread use of licensed spectrum without getting licenses to do that,” Moy explained to Wired. “That’s a very clear violation of the Communications Act. Right now the FCC is just looking the other way.”
Via: Ars Technica, Wired
Source: Complaint for Relief Against Unauthorized Radio Operation and Willful Interference with Cellular Communications
Verizon flirted with more bloatware for its devices
Engadget parent company Verizon apparently wants to litter your phone with even more crap you don’t want. Pre-installed apps from its brand partners would arrive with your new handset from Big Red, according to a report from AdAge. The publication’s sources say that it’d cost advertisers between $1 and $2 per device. Verizon supposedly started pitching the idea to retail and finance companies late last year. Apple’s tight grip on how iOS works means that this would only be available to Android customers, where the apps would download automatically when a new handset was activated.
AdAge writes that it isn’t clear whether the carrier actually secured any deals for this. One of its anonymous sources encouraged his or her client to not throw money down because there was no guarantee the app would actually be used or opened, despite being billed for it. We’ve reached out to Verizon for more information and will update this post if there’s a response.
Source: AdAge
Intel to manufacture ARM chips in a bid for mobile domination
Intel is flexing its manufacturing muscle in an attempt to get inside your next phone. To do that, it has entered a licensing deal with ARM, according to a report from Bloomberg. Without this license, excess manufacturing space goes to waste. But with it, Intel can make processors for Apple, Qualcomm and Samsung — the biggest players in smartphones. This gives Intel a much-needed boost in the mobile space that it couldn’t achieve on its own.
The ARM deal also gives Intel a foot in the door with VR hardware, which might help explain the company’s new Project Alloy all-in-one headset. And if you’re playing along at home, yep, these production lines will include those making 10-nanometer chips. So, more money for Intel and possibly faster and better processors for your mobile device. ARM itself was recently picked up by Japanese tech-giant Softbank for $32 billion. So yeah, this is a pretty big deal although specifics regarding the money involved aren’t known at this time.
With the PC market declining, this gives Intel a chance to get into mobile without technically getting into mobile itself. The company is already rumored to be making the modem chips for Apple and this deal could put Intel silicon elsewhere inside future iPhones. First in line to test out Intel’s tasty production lines? LG, which, according to Intel, will “produce a world-class mobile platform based on Intel Custom Foundry’s 10 nm design platform.”
Source: Bloomberg, Intel
Google tells you how to vote by state with a simple search
You’re running out of excuses to not vote in this year’s US presidential election. Google has rolled out a new, state-specific voting guide for anyone who searches “how to vote” or other related queries. Google breaks down the voting process in your state, complete with information on early voting, mail-in ballots, requirements and deadlines. There’s also a drop-down menu that allows you to toggle among states.
Google rolled out a voter registration guide in July that also displayed state-specific information. The company says millions of people have used that tool and searches for voter registration information are up 190 percent nationwide compared with four years ago. Of course, internet penetration in the US has risen over that same time period.
Google is making the data behind its “how to vote” and “voter registration” searches available to the public, “so nonprofits and organizations promoting voter education can benefit and expand the reach of this critical information,” the company says. Apply for access right here.
Source: Google
Enter this giveaway for a free Note 7 from Android Central!
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review is out, and the phone will be available to purchase starting August 19. This phone offers some new features and a freshly refined design. More internal storage, an improved S Pen, some fresh software and the oft-rumored iris scanner allow the Note 7 to differentiate itself from the Galaxy Note 5.
We know many of you are anxious to get your hands on this phone, and we’re here to help! One of you will be taking home a FREE Galaxy Note 7 at the end of this contest. Read on for all the details.
THE PRIZE: One Android Central reader will be taking home a brand new Note 7!
THE GIVEAWAY: Head down to the widget at the bottom of this page. There are multiple ways to enter, each with varying point values. Complete all of the tasks for maximum entries and your best shot at winning! Keep in mind that all winning entries are verified and if the task was not completed or cannot be verified, a new winner will be chosen. The giveaway is open until September 6th, and the winner will be announced right here shortly after the close date. Good luck!
Win a Note 7 from Android Central!
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Entering is easy! Simply jump into our Honor forums and contribute your expertise, knowledge, and interest in smartphones. For your efforts, you’ll have an opportunity to earn discounts, free products (did we mention the brand new Honor 8, and maybe even a trip to an Honor event later this fall! Excited? Here’s how you can started earning valuable prizes!
Start a thread in Honor 8 forum!
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EE has new pay monthly handset plans, including one for roaming abroad
EE has launched a three-tier handset plan pricing structure, with the purpose of offering customers more choice and flexibility, it said.
The three tiers include the 4GEE Essentials handset plan, the 4GEE handset plan, and the new 4GEE Max handset plan, with the latter plan featuring a ‘roam like home’ perk, which means you’ll get 500MB of data a month for use abroad in the European Union, as well as access to the BT Sport app for the length of the plan. Keep in mind these are 24-month, entry-level handset plans.
The pay monthly handset plans offer access to 4G speeds of up to 20Mbps for as little as £16.99. They come with unlimited UK minutes and texts and set data allowances, which you can cap in order to never run up a bill. You can visit EE’s site to see a list of handsets available with each of the plans. Some devices have no no up-front cost and let you place Wi-Fi calls and 4G calls across the UK.
EE
We especially like that EE finally has a tariff that includes roaming, as it’s especially handy for those of you who like to travel.
That said, if you plan to play Pokemon Go while abroad, check out Pocket-lint’s piece on how to avoid bill shock.
Lyft now allows you to select your pickup and dropoff locations
Lyft knows sometimes it’s difficult to catch the ride you’ve paid for. While you’re standing across the road staring at your driver and can’t quite cross the street because there’s no crosswalk, you’re missing precious minutes of a concert or that show you’re trying to reach.
That’s why the company has updated the app to make it easier to be picked up and dropped off, allowing you to select your exact drop-off and pick-up locations. According to Lyft, since the feature’s release in March (which some users must have gotten over others) pre-ride calls and texts between riders and drivers actually decreased by 25%.
Much like Lyft’s offer to allow users to schedule rides ahead of time, this feature is quite useful, setting it ahead of the pack when it comes to purchasing rides. Being able to pinpoint exactly where you need picked up in addition to scheduling out rides when you need them are a combination of excellent augments for the app, and should go a long way when it comes to improving the user experience.
Source: Lyft
Amazon’s pilot episodes are now free on YouTube and Facebook
If you don’t have a Prime subscription but want to check out some of Amazon’s original series, you’re in luck. The company has made ten pilot episodes from some of its best dramas, comedies, and kids’ series free to watch on YouTube and Facebook for the first time ever. The lineup includes Amazon’s most-streamed show, The Man in the High Castle, as well as Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent, both of which have won multiple Golden Globes.
This new promo is an attempt by Amazon to make its video content a bigger incentive for people to sign up for Prime at $99 per year. By putting free episodes on YouTube and Facebook, the company is better able to generate buzz and encourage viewers to comment and share their opinions on its best shows.
Not that people need that much convincing: Prime has seen some strong momentum recently, with membership growing over 50 percent in 2015. Naturally, Amazon wants to keep that growth going. It’s now working on exclusive Jack Ryan and Woody Allen series, and is partnering with former Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond for a new car show. Whether or not these new series and free pilots are enough to entice you to pay for Prime, you can’t doubt Amazon’s effort.
Via: Deadline
Source: Amazon Studios (YouTube), Amazon Studios (Facebook)
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