Bose announces noise-masking earbuds to help you sleep better

Bose’s Sleepbuds will be available for all at some point in 2018.

Even if you’re not an audiophile, you still likely know that Bose has created some of the best headphones and speakers we’ve ever seen (such as the phenomenal QC35s). Bose has proven itself over the years to know a thing or two about creating products for entertainment purposes, but the company is now taking a drastically different approach with its latest gadget – Bose Noise-Masking Sleepbuds.

Rather than allowing you to listen to your favorite tunes or movies, the Sleepbuds serve the sole purpose of helping you sleep better by blocking out background noise around you, such as traffic, people talking, or your partner’s snoring, and playing soothing sounds to help you relax and focus on your rest.

The Sleepbuds are truly wireless earbuds that come equipped with a charging case so they have a safe place to be stored and refueled throughout the day, and Bose has three different sizes (S, M, L) to ensure that you can get the best fit possible.

You’ll be able to control the Sleepbuds through the Bose Sleep app, and here you can choose what sound you’d like to hear while going to sleep, how loud you want it to be, the length at which it’ll play throughout the night, and even enable alarms so you can easily wake up in the morning without disturbing anyone else around you.

Bose recently launched the Sleepbuds on Indiegogo so that it can get prototypes in people’s hands ahead of their official release, but at the time of publication, all of the Indiegogo stock has already been sold out.

Sleepbuds will be shipping out to early backers in February, and they’re expected to be widely available at some point later in 2018 for a retail price of $249.

Bose QC35: Wireless, noise-canceling, and near-perfect

Best Modular Phone

A modular phone lets you connect accessories to add new features make it even better. Here are the best choices right now.

Best Overall

Moto Z2 Force

See at Verizon Wireless

There can be no doubt that Motorola has built the most successful modular platform to date with its Moto Mods, and the phone these snap-on enhancements shine the brightest is on the new Moto Z2 Force. Motorola took the “shatterproof” design it has been perfecting for the last couple of years and continued its evolution into this phone. It’s thinner, yet somehow also more durable than its predecessor. This makes it so you don’t need a case for the phone, which means mods can be swapped at will.

It’s also a pretty great phone on its own, with specs that easily rival phones in the same price range, but combining the $750 Moto Z2 Force with Moto Mods creates an experience you can’t get anywhere else.

Bottom line: Moto does modular support right, with some really interesting and useful mods, and an easy mechanism for swapping them in and out.

One more thing: There’s no headphone jack, so you’ll need to use a USB-C dongle to connect most headphones to the Moto Z2 Force. #donglelife

Why the Moto Z + Z Force are the best

Modularity done right.

Without the mods, the Moto Z2 Force might have been yet another decent high-end smartphone. But the mods change all that, allowing Moto to build out meaningful functionality in a series of surprisingly great accessories. If you just want to add some visual flair to the phone, Moto’s Style Shells are for you. There are a couple of great battery mods available, including wireless charging options. Even the seemingly ludicrous pico projector mod could be useful for road warriors, or the Alexa Mod for when you want an Amazon Echo that follows you around the house.

This is hardware personalization the likes of which have never been possible with a phone before. Who says smartphones are becoming boring?

Best mid-range

Moto Z2 Play

See at Amazon
See at Verizon Wireless

The Moto Z2 Play is what you get if you take the central idea of the Moto Z2 and re-engineer it as a really solid mid-range Android phone. It uses Qualcomm’s slightly more capable Snapdragon 626 chip, paired with 4GB of RAM and admittedly disappointing 3,000mAh battery, delivering just enough for a full day without a mod. The 5.5-inch AMOLED display gets bumped down to 1080p, but still looks great. And the glass back from the previous generation has been replaced with the more premium metal feel from the more expensive Moto Z2 Force.

Fortunately, the Z Play uses the same ecosystem of mods as the regular Moto Z, so you can expand its functionality just as much as other phones in the series. For $499, you’re getting access to an incredible hardware ecosystem.

Bottom line: The Moto Z2 Play is a decent mid-range smartphone even without the mods, but those accessories really elevate the experience.

One More thing: Where the original Moto Z Play was all about the battery, the shining star on the Moto Z2 Play is its camera.

Best non-Moto

Essential PH-1

See at Essential

Essential is a new company and its Freshman effort had a lot of kinks to work out in the first couple of weeks after it launched, but now that time has passed there’s no denying what a capable and powerful phone this is. The Essential PH-1 packs a gorgeous edge-to-edge display with a sturdy titanium body and solid battery life. Its camera is just alright most of the time, and you can easily say the same about the speakers. Its a decent phone that will blow your friends away when they see the screen, but using it will quickly reveal it’s well worth the reduced $499 price tag.

Along the top corner of this phone there are a pair of attachment pins for modular accessories. Essential claims to have big plans for this accessory slot, but for now the biggest thing you can do is add on a 360-degree camera or drop the phone into a charging dock. This is a healthy start, especially when you see how small and capable the 360-degree camera is, so there’s hope more will be available soon.

Bottom-line: Essential has a lot or work to do to be anywhere near as capable a modular setup as Moto’s, but it does boast a nice camera and a more hand-friendly form factor.

One more thing: The Essential PH-1 comes in two beautiful colors now, with two more expected to be available soon.

Conclusion

Motorola has taken modular smartphones beyond a mere concept, and shown how you can build out modularity in a way that’s easy to use, and adds value. The Moto Z2 Force will both give you the best modular experience available, thanks to snap-on accessories that are simple to attach, and do a bunch of cool stuff. Beyond that, they’re just good, enjoyable phones to use in their own right.

Best Overall

Moto Z2 Force

See at Verizon Wireless

There can be no doubt that Motorola has built the most successful modular platform to date with its Moto Mods, and the phone these snap-on enhancements shine the brightest is on the new Moto Z2 Force. Motorola took the “shatterproof” design it has been perfecting for the last couple of years and continued its evolution into this phone. It’s thinner, yet somehow also more durable than its predecessor. This makes it so you don’t need a case for the phone, which means mods can be swapped at will.

It’s also a pretty great phone on its own, with specs that easily rival phones in the same price range, but combining the $750 Moto Z2 Force with Moto Mods creates an experience you can’t get anywhere else.

Bottom line: Moto does modular support right, with some really interesting and useful mods, and an easy mechanism for swapping them in and out.

One more thing: There’s no headphone jack, so you’ll need to use a USB-C dongle to connect most headphones to the Moto Z2 Force. #donglelife

This $6 TaoTronics car mount holds your phone so you can focus on the road

Go hands-free and drive safe!

This TaoTronics car mount and phone holder is down to $6 with code CGXFYQXU on Amazon. It sells regularly at $13 and hasn’t dropped below that with a direct price drop for all of 2017. This is the lowest price we’ve seen.

The phone holder is adjustable, which means it can fit any smartphone, even larger ones like the Galaxy Note 8.

Features include:

• Redesigned For Phone Safety: Redesigned with a one-button rear release, phone safety will always come first with a safer method of unlocking
• Flat Suction Cup Sticks Better: Covering a larger area while letting in less air, the flat suction cup grips on tighter to more surfaces including dashboards and windows
• Adjust, Rotate, Or Swivel: Features three different ways to move, including adjustable arm length, 180° arm rotation, and a 360° joint ball – together they get the perfect angle
• Improved Usability: The adjustable support tray, rubber holder arms, and improved adjustment knobs add convenience and usability

This car mount has 3.8 stars based on 424 user reviews.

See at Amazon

Google Now vs. Quickdrawer: An Action Launcher dilemma

To Google Now or not to Google Now? That is the question.

For the longest time, Google Now panes were reserved for the Google Now Launcher, but when its retirement was announced in early 2017, Google released a way for manufacturers to integrate it into their own launchers. It didn’t take long after that for some enterprising third-party launcher developers to bring it to their own launchers, and Action Launcher debuted their Action Launcher Google plugin to add a Google Now page to the left-most side of the launcher.

There was just one problem: that Google Now pane takes the place of the Quickdrawer.

Action Launcher has many, many hallmark features, from Covers to Quickbar to Shutters, but one of the most easily implemented — and best implemented — is the Quickdrawer. Quickdrawer is a vertical app drawer that docks in a panel on the left side of Action Launcher, and allows you to quickly and easily scroll through your apps by letter. No matter how many ridiculous apps you have installed, Quickdrawer lets you find what you’re looking for almost instantly.

When I stray from Action Launcher, Quickdrawer is the feature I miss most, and adding Google Now automatically disables Quickdrawer, since they can’t both sit in that left-most spot. This makes Action Launcher feel a bit hobbled, but what could be done to remedy the situation?

You could use a gesture to launch the Google app and use its feed. This isn’t quite as fast or intuitive as the Google Now pane, but it lets you keep Quickdrawer and access the most current version of the Google feed.

Perhaps there could be an option in Action Launcher to move Quickdrawer to the right pane of the launcher in place of Quickpage, which I’d bet money isn’t half as popular as Quickdrawer. Better yet, Action Launcher could allow you to pick which side is which, as Quickdrawer on the left is ridiculously intuitive. There’s no telling how specific the Google Now pane is on its placement in a launcher, but it might be worth investigating.

In the meantime, Google Now can go back to the Pixel Launcher. I am sticking with the far more practical and far more functional Quickdrawer — and I’d wager I’m not alone.

Google Now or Quickdrawer?

Which choice did you end up making? Do you wish there was a practical way to do both? Let us know in the comments below!

CompuServe’s still-active forums are finally shutting down

It turns out that Instant Messenger (AIM) isn’t the only thing that AOL is shutting down next month. On December 15th, Oath (AOL and Engadget’s dear parent) is also closing what remains of the CompuServe forums which, yes, still actually exist. CompuServe had the first ever mainstream online forums well before the internet came along, letting users connect to its central servers via old-school dial-up modems. You can credit (or blame) the company for allowing some of the first online group chats about subjects like investing, politics and religion.

CompuServe provided a less nerdy alternative to BBS systems, making it easier for investors, gamers and families to connect to services and meet others online. The company charged a whopping $5 an hour, which didn’t include the telephone line, by the way. When AOL came along in 1991 with lower prices, followed soon after by the internet, it was the start of a long descent for CompuServe. Its parent, H&R Block, sold it to AOL in 1998 for what probably seemed then like all the money, $1.2 billion.

After AOL bought CompuServe, it renamed it to WorldCom Advanced Networks. That division eventually purchased the MCI telecommunications group and, after a bankruptcy, was renamed MCI. Verizon, the parent of Oath and AOL, eventually acquired MCI, completing a weird circle of old-school tech acquisitions.

When it shut down AIM, Oath VP of communications Michael Albers told Engadget that “it ignited a cultural shift … [but] the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed.” Obviously, that applies in spades to CompuServe, a much older technology.

While much reduced from their glory days, the forums still have an active user community which is obviously dismayed by the news. “I’m in the stunned-and-disbelieving phase, which will no doubt last a while,” said one member. So, if you’re old enough to remember the squeal of a 1,200 baud modem, pour one out for another deceased technology.

Via: Fast Company

Source: CompuServe

Bandsintown opens its music event listings to venues and festivals

Bandsintown is helpful if you want to find out when your favorite group is playing nearby, but it’s not as authoritative as you might like when the venues themselves have had to resort to targeted campaigns to get the word out. Thankfully, it’s about to get much better. The live music discovery service has announced that venues and festivals can set up their official pages, including an option for them to add and modify events. They won’t have to wait to announce a new gig or make a last-minute change. And crucially, you could discover gigs you weren’t aware of just by visiting the venue page.

It could be be a while before your frequent haunts are using this feature. Bandsintown says it has “over 500” venues signed up for the current beta phase, and its public launch isn’t slated until December 15th. When it does roll out in earnest, however, you may spend less time checking out artist and venue websites (or getting lucky with searches) and more time planning that big night out.

Source: Bandsintown Biz Blog

GameStop halts its unlimited used game rental program

Back in October, GameStop announced that it would debut a used game rental service called PowerPass. Interested gamers could pay $60 for six months to have one title out at a time. At the end of those six months, subscribers would be able to choose a title to keep. But now, according to Kotaku, it looks like GameStop is suspending the program indefinitely.

It’s not clear why the retailer is putting PowerPass, which was in the middle of its soft launch, on hold; Kotaku reports that employees have been ordered to remove all signage about the program from stores and put it in the back rooms. Employee speculation centers around GameStop’s antiquated point-of-sale system, and specifically that it isn’t equipped to handle the mechanics of a game rental service.

If you already have signed up for PowerPass, a GameStop spokersperson told Kotaku that you can bring your pass and rented video game in for a full refund, and you’ll be allowed to select a free used game. The spokesperson specified that the roll out was being paused due to “program limitations.” It’s not clear when or if PowerPass will be open to the public again.

Source: Kotaku

Pinterest’s take on QR codes will unlock curated boards

Pinterest has really ramped up its visual search efforts lately. In February, it launched Lens, a tool that lets you shop for an item just by taking a photo of it. It incorporated that same tech into browser extensions, enabled the detection of multiple items, let you create and shop for outfits and, more recently, made those visual search tools more prominent in the app. Today, Pinterest is boosting visual search once more with an array of updates — which include custom Pinterest codes, a new way of shopping for outfits and more shoppable pins — just in time for the holiday shopping season.

First up: It’s introducing Pincodes, which are essentially the Pinterest version of QR codes. Of course, users aren’t the ones making them; businesses are. But according to Pinterest, you’ll soon see these Pincodes everywhere. One of Pinterest’s launch partners is Nordstrom’s, and starting today, you’ll see placards in select stores with signs such as “Gift ideas under $10” along with a Pincode underneath. Scan the Pincode with the camera in your Pinterest app, and it’ll take you straight to a Nordstrom-curated board of gift ideas.

Another Pincode partner is Real Simple magazine, which will have a few Pincodes scattered throughout their upcoming issue. Readers can scan them to see additional content, like extra recipes or bonus tips. Kia will also have a custom Pincode at the upcoming LA Auto Show, where visitors to the company’s booth can view other car configurations and behind-the-scenes info. Other launch partners include The Home Depot and Kraft, though any company can start making their Pincodes today if they like.

The next big update is an improvement to Pinterest’s Lens feature that’s called Lens Your Look. As we mentioned, the company already lets you find outfits that match an item of clothing you already have. So, snap a photo of your denim jacket, and the Pinterest app will scour its library of more than 16 billion pins to find matching outfits, and in turn, help you plan your next wardrobe purchase.

Lens Your Look, however, adds yet another layer to that search. You can combine that image search with a few keywords, like “autumn outfit” or “spring fashion” and it’ll not only find outfits that match that denim jacket, it’ll also find clothes that match that corresponding style.

“This is an evolution for search that makes it more like human conversation,” said Jeff Harris, Pinterest’s lead of visual search. “When people are talking to each other, we communicate with words, but we also show each other things.”

Other Pinterest updates today include more than five million new shoppable products courtesy of ShopStyle, a new feature that lets you pinch to zoom on a pinned object to trigger a visual search and, last but not least, Pinterest’s visual search extension will now be on Firefox. These updates to Pinterest will roll out to users starting today.

Pandora’s app now offers direct control for Sonos speakers

If you use both Pandora and Sonos, there’s a pretty useful update coming your way today. Pandora’s apps for iOS and Android now let users directly control music streaming to your Sonos speakers. The Sonos controller app is still required to set up Pandora, but once that’s done, users can select songs, playlists and stations directly through the Pandora app to play on their speakers.

Additionally, Sonos now works with Pandora Premium, the company’s on-demand music service. Previously, Sonos only worked with the traditional radio-style stations that Pandora creates based on songs, artists or genres, but Premium subscribers can now send any music they want from Pandora’s catalog to their speakers.

It’s a pretty notable addition that rounds out the Pandora experience — as a Sonos owner, using Pandora Premium has been a non-starter until now. And being able to control music directly through the app makes for a much-improved experience as well. Just like using Spotify Connect with Sonos, you can group and un-group speakers, move music to different speakers around the house and adjust volume right in the Pandora app. This all follows the recently-added support for Pandora stations on the Alexa-powered Sonos One speaker. Unfortunately, you can still only use your voice to start stations — Pandora Premium users can’t just pick anything from their libraries and ask Alexa to play it just yet.

Anyone who uses Pandora will be able to use the app to control their Sonos speakers, regardless of whether they pay for one of Pandora’s two subscription options or use the free, ad-supported station service. And with the addition of Pandora Premium support, Sonos users will be able to access their full Pandora libraries through the Sonos controller app, as well. These updates are going live in the Google Play Store and App Store today — if it’s not on your phone yet, it should be soon.

FDA approves first drug that doctors can track remotely

Doctors in the US might soon start prescribing a pill that can tell them whether you’ve truly taken your medication. The Food and Drug administration has approved the country’s first digitally tracked medicine to ensure patients comply with their prescriptions, since non-compliance is a costly problem that could negatively affect a patient’s health. Still, medical professionals are raising concerns about using pills that can be tracked, especially because, for some reason, the drug the FDA approved is an antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

The pill called Abilify MyCite has a sensor made of copper, magnesium and silicon that produces an electric signal when your stomach acids start the digestion process. Its accompanying patch that you need to stick to your ribcage sends the date and time when it detects the signal to a mobile app. You can then choose to share that data with your doctor or a family member.

While opting for the digital pill is voluntary — you’ll need to say yes to wearing a patch, after all — some medical professionals are worried that insurers might offer huge incentives so that people would feel forced to use it. It could also eventually be required as a condition for parole or to release patients from psychiatric facilities, giving authorities an easy way to track individuals.

Which brings us back to the fact that Abilify MyCite is an antipsychotic drug.

Columbia University’s chairman of psychiatry, Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, told The New York Times that “there’s an irony in it being given to people with mental disorders than can include delusions. It’s like a biomedical Big Brother.” His colleague, Dr. Paul Appelbaum, Columbia’s director of law, ethics and psychiatry pointed out that “drugs for almost any other condition would be a better place to start than a drug for schizophrenia.”

That said, drugs that can be tracked do have a number of benefits. They can help medical professionals monitor the medicine intake of elderly patients who keep forgetting to take their medication. Doctors could use them to ensure post-surgical patients don’t take too much opioid medication, which could develop into an addiction. And researchers can use them to make sure clinical trial participants are taking their experimental drugs correctly for the most accurate results possible.

Via: The New York Times

Source: FDA, Abilify MyCite