Apple AirPods vs. Google Pixel Buds

The Pixel Buds, Google’s $159 headphones designed to compete with Apple’s AirPods, finally launched this week so we thought we’d pit the two devices against one another to see how they measure up.

While the AirPods are widely loved and have received mostly positive reviews from customers and media sites, things aren’t looking quite as rosy for the Pixel Buds. In a lot of ways, the Pixel Buds don’t measure up to the AirPods, and in the video below, we compare design, features, sound quality, comfort, and other metrics.

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Pixel Buds and AirPods both cost $159 and are Bluetooth earphones designed for the Google and Apple ecosystems, respectively, but when it comes to design, they’re quite a bit different. The AirPods are entirely wire-free, but the Pixel Buds have an adjustable cord that connects the two earpieces together. Each is stored in a case that provides extra battery.

Both earphones support touch and tap gestures to do things like activate Siri or Google Assistant and control music playback, but each one has shortcomings. There’s no volume control on the AirPods, meaning you need to use Siri or your connected device to adjust volume, and on the Pixel Buds, there’s no gesture for switching tasks, so you need to use Google Assistant. By the way, when connected to an iPhone, Google Assistant functionality doesn’t work.

AirPods have a nifty feature that stops music playback when an AirPod is removed from the ear, and there’s no equivalent feature on the Pixel Buds. The Pixel Buds do have a unique translation feature, but as it turns out, it requires Google Translate on a smartphone and isn’t too much different from just using your phone for translation purposes.

The W1 chip built into the AirPods allows them to be swapped seamlessly between Apple devices and is one of the best AirPods features, while the Pixel Buds aren’t quite as convenient. On Android devices, you need to put the buds back in their case, hold the pair button, and then re-pair when you want to switch.

At their price point, both the AirPods and the Pixel Buds offer relatively decent sound, but we did feel that the AirPods were better in this regard. The Pixel Buds sounded somewhat muddled, especially when using Spotify.

Given some of the shortcomings of the Pixel Buds, the AirPods seem to have them beat, based on our own experience with the two products and a range of less than enthusiastic Pixel Bud reviews from media sites. And of course, as an Apple-centric site with employees that largely use iOS devices, MacRumors is partial to the AirPods.

We may prefer the AirPods to the Pixel Buds, but as with our comparison between the iPhone X and the Google Pixel 2 XL, choosing between the AirPods and the Pixel Buds largely comes down to the ecosystem you’re using. If you have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, the AirPods are the obvious choice.

If you don’t have an iPhone or another Apple device, you’re not going to get the benefits of the W1 chip, so it may be worth considering the Pixel Buds instead. And, of course, there’s always the neither option — there are hundreds of other Bluetooth headphones on the market.

Tags: Google, AirPods
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OnePlus 5T hands-on

Some smartphone manufactures make a single flagship device each year. Loyal customers will often wait for Google, Samsung, Apple, and others to announce their best and brightest before even thinking about upgrading to anything else. In the case of OnePlus however, flagship launch events are becoming a bi-annual occurrence.

The OnePlus 3T seemed to come out of nowhere when it launched last year, and offered a pretty substantial spec upgrade over the original. This came with a price upgrade as well, though. While the OnePlus 3 launched at just $399, the company asked $40 more for the newer T variant. A lot of users felt betrayed by a sudden upgrade from the phone they had waited eagerly to purchase, but OnePlus saw it as an opportunity to offer the best hardware experience available to the market.

See also: OnePlus 5 vs OnePlus 3T: quick look

This time, it’s not about the speed. Qualcomm still hasn’t released a processor newer than the Snapdragon 835, so there wasn’t much for them to work with. In 2017 it’s all about the screen, though. Join us as we go hands-on with the OnePlus 5T.

The biggest difference on the design front is the screen. It’s essentially the entire reason the company decided to build this revision. It features a 6.01-inch AMOLED screen with a Full HD+ resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The panel looks just as good as the OnePlus 5‘s with nice and punchy colors. It doesn’t have the highest pixel density out there, but the OnePlus 5T’s display will be fine for most people.

It doesn’t have the highest pixel density out there, but the OnePlus 5T’s display is going to be fine for most people.

That aspect ratio adds a new sleekness to the device that helps it compete with other flagship options on the market. One interesting thing about this display is that it’s slightly rounded on the corners. Most probably will only notice it isn’t perfectly angular like the OnePlus 5 if they’re really looking. This is different from phones like the LG V30 and Pixel 2 XL, which have much rounder corners on their displays.

Because the screen is taking up so much room on the front of the phone, OnePlus moved the fingerprint sensor to the back. I personally like rear-mounted fingerprint sensors, but it’s not everyone’s preference. OnePlus says its sensor is the fastest out of any other sensor on the market, and will recognize your print within .2 seconds. We’ll have to spend more time with the device to see if that’s actually the case.

OnePlus has also introduced a new face unlock feature which uses the front-facing camera to recognize you and unlock your device in an instant. This method was extremely fast during our hands-on time, though it didn’t recognize me 100% of the time. OnePlus said this would get better eventually, but we’ll have to spend a little more time with the feature to get a better sense of its capabilities.

Face unlocking was extremely fast during our hands-on time, though it didn’t recognize me 100% of the time.

The only other major design change is the dual-camera setup on the back. The bump that houses those sensors is just a tad more pronounced than the OnePlus 5, but it is noticeable. I asked OnePlus about the change, and the company said expanding the screen-to-body ratio left less room for the camera components, so it had to make the bump slightly larger. This wasn’t an issue for me, but it is there, in case you have a raging hatred of protrusions sticking out of your phone.

See also:

How to get the most out of the OnePlus 5’s camera

The OnePlus 5 may have a heck of a lot of features, but the standout selling point for this device is undoubtedly the camera system. Having two cameras at the top of the device’s back …Speaking of the camera, some changes have been made here as well. The first lens is the same 16MP sensor from the OnePlus 5, but the secondary telephoto lens has been replaced with a 20MP f/1.7 sensor that uses groups of four pixels to capture more light for better performance in the dark. This change is going to be very controversial.We know many were very fond of the telephoto lens. OnePlus says they made this change because a lot of customers couldn’t tell the difference between optical and software zoom. I don’t buy this argument, but we’ll have to wait for the full review to see how the new sensor stacks up.

One new feature present in the camera is quick shot. While many phones now have the ability to quick-launch the camera app with the double tap of a button, the OnePlus 5T will launch the camera and immediately snap a photo. This is great for those who want to get a picture of something the moment it happens, and really speeds up the whole process from launch to shot.

If you’ve seen a OnePlus 5, the rest of the body essentially looks exactly the same. The headphone jack, speaker grill, and USB Type-C port are all in the same place. The aluminum body feels just as familiar. The biggest update here is really the screen, and for many that’s a worthy upgrade.

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How to use Reading Mode and Night Mode on the OnePlus 5

OnePlus’s OxygenOS takes a lot of the best parts of stock Android and iterates on it to include a number of useful additions. One of these additions is the ability to use both Reading Mode …The software experience on the OnePlus 5T is same as you would find on the OnePlus 5. It maintains the vanilla Android look and feel while adding nifty features like reading and gaming modes. These modes have also been expanded to change the contrast of the screen to fit what you’re doing, allowing for a better experience tailored to the task at hand.

Out of the box, the 5T runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat, but OnePlus has promised an update to 8.0 Oreo in Q1 2018, with a beta coming by the end of this year. If you happen to own an older OnePlus device, the company says the 3T and 5 will receive official Oreo builds by the end of this year.

Under the hood, the OnePlus 5T features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, either 6 or 8 GB of RAM, and 64 or 128 GB of storage. The 6/64 GB model will cost $499, while the 8/128GB model will cost $559. Yes, that is $20 more than the price of the OnePlus 5, but we think the updated design is worth it.

Related: Everything you need to know about the OnePlus 5T | OnePlus 5T specs | Where to buy the OnePlus 5T

What are your thoughts on the OnePlus 5T? Is it a worthy upgrade? Should the company have waited for the OnePlus 6 in order to keep its OnePlus 5 customers happy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Apple pushes iOS fix for unresponsive iPhone X screens in cold weather

Last week, reports trickled in that the brand-new iPhone X’s screen was unresponsive in cold weather. Apple has rushed out a new iOS update (version 11.1.2) to quick-fix the issue, which is available now to download.

The new update also fixes an issue that distorts Live Photos and videos shot with the iPhone X. It’s the second time in as many weeks that Apple has pumped out an iOS patch to fix an annoying flaw in the mobile operating system. Last week, it was the autocorrect flaw that switched the letter ‘i’ for gibberish.

Apple VP of Diversity and Inclusion Denise Young Smith Leaving the Company

Denise Young Smith, Apple’s current vice president of diversity and inclusion, plans to leave Apple at the end of this year, reports TechCrunch. Smith was promoted to her position in May of 2017, and prior to that, she was in human resources.

Smith, who has been with Apple for more than 20 years, reports directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Prior to Smith’s promotion, Apple had a head of diversity and inclusion, but her role was an executive level role with more responsibility.

Christie Smith, who was with Deloitte for 17 years as a Client Advisory Principal, will be taking over the position. Smith’s LinkedIn profile says she has 28 years of experience building and leading high performance teams with expertise in “talent management, analytics, inclusion & belonging, leadership, organizational design, performance management, coaching, change management and culture.”

In a statement to TechCrunch, Apple said the company is thrilled to welcome Christie Smith to the team.

“We deeply believe that diversity drives innovation. We’re thrilled to welcome an accomplished leader like Christie Smith to help us continue the progress we’ve made toward a more diverse workplace.”

Smith will report to Apple’s vice president of people Deidre O’Brien, and has reportedly been speaking with Tim Cook since about a year ago. Apple has been looking for a replacement for Denise Young Smith for the last several months.

After departing Apple, Denise Young Smith will become an executive in residence at Cornell starting this January. She will work with students to “build an early career-stage awareness of inclusive leadership and diverse talent.”

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Like your whisky straight, no color? Graphene turns aged spirit transparent

Looking for a geeky magic trick to show your friends? All you need is a supply of all-around wonder material graphene and some booze. A membrane made of graphene oxide (GO), aka the world’s thinnest material, can filter the color out of whisky — leaving it as a transparent liquid you could potentially sip from a water glass throughout the day, with no one being the wiser. Well, the alcoholic beverage does retain one crucial telltale trait — its smell.

While the whisky component of the experiment is its most eye-catching element, the most exciting part of the work is actually the development of the ultrathin membrane itself. These new graphene-oxide sheets are assembled in such a way that pinholes formed during the assembly process produce an atomic-scale sieve, which can carry out incredibly fine grain filtering.

“Using GO membranes, we filtered several dye molecules — as small as 1 nanometer — dissolved in organic solvents, and found that the GO membrane only allows solvents to permeate, while blocking the dye molecules depending on their molecular size,” Professor Rahul Nair from the U.K.’s University of Manchester told Digital Trends. “The absence of dye molecule permeation was apparent even from the color of the solution after filtration. The original dye solution is colorful, while after filtering through the GO membrane, the solution lost its color and became a pure solvent.”

As to how this could be used in the real world, Dr. Yang Su, who also worked on the project, said: “Many chemical-related industries could [benefit] from this research — from [the] pharmaceutical and petroleum industry to food production. For example, in pharmaceutical manufacturing, most of the active ingredients are dissolved in organic solvent. Our research would enable efficient, stable extraction of the pharmaceutical ingredients from their organic solvents.” This could help reduce the costs of molecular extraction.

The team tested various dye molecules in addition to whisky and cognac. After filtering the whisky through the graphene-oxide membrane, its amber color (the result of small molecules leached from the oak barrels during production) was removed. As to how this affects the taste, Nair said, “We haven’t tested the flavor yet, due to safety rules in the lab.”

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Nature Materials.

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The FCC will make a final vote to reverse the net neutrality rules in December

On December 14, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote to dismantle net neutrality rules set in place by the Obama administration in 2015. The vote will be led by Chairman Ajit Pai, who introduced a plan to reclassify broadband internet access as a utility allegedly in favor of corporate and job growth. Pai introduced his plan in April, which received a 2-1 vote to advance into the planning stage, reeling in more than 22 million comments from the public.

Reversing the net neutrality rules will allow internet service providers (ISP) to possibly block or throttle specific traffic. For instance, an ISP could choose to slow the data flow of Netflix in favor of its own video streaming service. To bring its video flow back up to speed on that specific ISP, Netflix would have to pay more money for a “fast lane.” That additional fee would be felt by Netflix subscribers through an increased monthly rate.

Right now, the Obama administration’s net neutrality rules provide an even flow of data across the internet. The only speed throttling involved is tied to clamping down on pirates and on people using more than their allowed amount of monthly data. But with the net neutrality rules revoked, ISPs will be free to throttle and block content at will.

“We fully support net neutrality,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said a few years back. “We want to keep the internet open. Net neutrality ensures network operators don’t discriminate by limiting access to services you want to use. It’s an essential part of the open internet, and we are fully committed to it.”

Even members of the FCC are opposed to reversing net neutrality rules. FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn called the plan a “destructive path” that doesn’t place broadband subscribers first. Without the rules, affordable internet access will become more difficult to obtain by low-income Americans. The FCC majority, according to Clyburn, is siding with billion-dollar companies instead of the public interest it was established to protect.

“What consumers want is fast, affordable broadband access,” Clyburn said. “What consumers want is access to a free and open internet without fear of being throttled or assessed a toll by their broadband service provider. Sadly, what they have is an FCC majority that feels otherwise.”

Reclassifying ISPs as a “public utility” (think land-based phones) will push them under the corporate-friendly “telecommunications business” envelope. Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler used the Communications Act of 1934 two years ago to better regulate broadband providers. Up until then, broadband providers were managed under the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

But even in 2015, Pai argued that the FCC had no business regulating broadband access and that the rules were unnecessary. The big tug-of-war in Washington, D.C., it seems, is that the Federal Trade Commission regulated broadband access prior to the FCC’s net neutrality rules. Thus, the bigger broadband picture is more than just net neutrality — it’s also about your privacy. The FTC said in March that the broadband classification shift from “business” to “utility” in 2015 created a privacy protection gap.

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The FCC will make a final vote to reverse the net neutrality rules in December

On December 14, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote to dismantle net neutrality rules set in place by the Obama administration in 2015. The vote will be led by Chairman Ajit Pai, who introduced a plan to reclassify broadband internet access as a utility allegedly in favor of corporate and job growth. Pai introduced his plan in April, which received a 2-1 vote to advance into the planning stage, reeling in more than 22 million comments from the public.

Reversing the net neutrality rules will allow internet service providers (ISP) to possibly block or throttle specific traffic. For instance, an ISP could choose to slow the data flow of Netflix in favor of its own video streaming service. To bring its video flow back up to speed on that specific ISP, Netflix would have to pay more money for a “fast lane.” That additional fee would be felt by Netflix subscribers through an increased monthly rate.

Right now, the Obama administration’s net neutrality rules provide an even flow of data across the internet. The only speed throttling involved is tied to clamping down on pirates and on people using more than their allowed amount of monthly data. But with the net neutrality rules revoked, ISPs will be free to throttle and block content at will.

“We fully support net neutrality,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said a few years back. “We want to keep the internet open. Net neutrality ensures network operators don’t discriminate by limiting access to services you want to use. It’s an essential part of the open internet, and we are fully committed to it.”

Even members of the FCC are opposed to reversing net neutrality rules. FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn called the plan a “destructive path” that doesn’t place broadband subscribers first. Without the rules, affordable internet access will become more difficult to obtain by low-income Americans. The FCC majority, according to Clyburn, is siding with billion-dollar companies instead of the public interest it was established to protect.

“What consumers want is fast, affordable broadband access,” Clyburn said. “What consumers want is access to a free and open internet without fear of being throttled or assessed a toll by their broadband service provider. Sadly, what they have is an FCC majority that feels otherwise.”

Reclassifying ISPs as a “public utility” (think land-based phones) will push them under the corporate-friendly “telecommunications business” envelope. Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler used the Communications Act of 1934 two years ago to better regulate broadband providers. Up until then, broadband providers were managed under the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

But even in 2015, Pai argued that the FCC had no business regulating broadband access and that the rules were unnecessary. The big tug-of-war in Washington, D.C., it seems, is that the Federal Trade Commission regulated broadband access prior to the FCC’s net neutrality rules. Thus, the bigger broadband picture is more than just net neutrality — it’s also about your privacy. The FTC said in March that the broadband classification shift from “business” to “utility” in 2015 created a privacy protection gap.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Comcast wants the FCC to pre-empt state net neutrality laws
• Google to deploy Project Loon balloons to Puerto Rico to restore cell service
• Think your ISP is cheating you? The best internet speed tests help you find out
• Verizon will start throttling smartphone video to 480p or 720p
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Decide who sees what and when with Netgear and Circle’s parental controls

The internet is a bit like the Wild West, but much to the relief of concerned parents, there is a new sheriff in town. Netgear partnered with Circle Media Labs to provide smart parental controls of your home network. While it may not be a solution when it comes to determining what young internet users can and can’t see across the board, at the very least, it allows parents to control what goes on under their roof.

With this new partnership, Netgear’s flagship Orbi Tri-Band Home Wi-Fi systems and Nighthawk Smart Wi-Fi routers will include Circle with Disney software. This, the company says, will give the heads of a household the ability to manage not only content but also the amount of time users can spend online. Everything can be controlled by the Circle app (free to download on both iOS and Android devices), and parents will be able to create individual profiles for individual family members, customizing what is available and for how long. Parents can even schedule BedTime for each family member and their unique devices, or pause internet use with the touch of a button. What’s more, Circle claims that you will even be able to keep tabs on a family member’s mobile device outside of the home through Circle Go.

Because Circle with Disney will come pre-installed on Netgear hardware, there is no need to add any additional equipment to ensure user safety. As part of the free app offerings, you will be able to set individual filter levels, pause internet access by device, user, or the whole home, see a full web history, turn on safe search, and filter out ads. If you opt for the premium service, which will set you back $5 a month, you will also be able to set time limits, BedTime, and enjoy Amazon Alexa connectivity, which will allow you to ask Alexa about your family’s usage, time limits, and more.

“We find it so gratifying that Circle is already helping so many families, and we have seen that the sooner parents are able to set some limits and reward online behaviors, the better it is for the family,” Circle Media Labs CEO Lance Charlish said in a statement. “By partnering with one of the most trusted router brands to offer our technology on their products, we are thrilled to be making Circle accessible to even more families.”

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Explore the land of the dead in Pixar’s virtual reality experience, ‘Coco VR’

Pixar has a new movie out in cinemas later in November and it’s set to be accompanied by the studio’s first foray into virtual reality. Coco VR lets you experience the day of the dead firsthand, donning your headset to perform a range of activities inspired by the film.

“Pixar and Disney take human imagination and render it larger than life,” Coco VR producer Marc Sondheimer said in an interview published on the Oculus blog. “VR is the natural next step in our evolution, letting people experience these worlds in living color.”

The experience begins in the home of Miguel, the protagonist of Coco. As he’s called away by his mother, you fall into a trance, where you meet a skeleton called Ceci who helps you customize your avatar with a variety of different clothing options.

From there, you are given the freedom to explore the virtual environment at your own pace. The Land of the Dead bears all the artistic flourishes that it boasts in the movie, inspired by traditional Mexican artwork and, of course, the type of celebrations we associate with Día de los Muertos.

Teleporting around the town square will lead you to a swathe of different diversions. An elevator can be used to gain a better view of your surroundings, while a theme park-inspired ride will let you get a glimpse of the whole square. Alternatively, you can just try on a selection of hats and items of facial hair and take some silly selfies.

There is also an art studio where you can pore over concept art and other imagery. It’s jam-packed with information about the traditions that inspired the movie, according to Road to VR.

Pixar’s output carries a prestige beyond most animated movies, so it’s no surprise to see that every effort has been made to imbue this tie-in with a similar level of quality. The team Coco VR, Magnopus, also produced the well-received Memory Lab experience that was released in support of Blade Runner 2049.

Coco VR is available now via the Oculus store for free. A version optimized for Gear VR is set to launch alongside the movie on Wednesday, November 22.

No room for an aquarium and a garden? Malawi compact ecosystem gives you both

If you live in an apartment, particularly if it’s in an especially sought-after part of the country, chances are that space is at a premium. Forget the sprawling balconies and foosball tables shows like Friends promised us, in real life you’re far more likely to be choosing between a sofa and a decent-size bed. That’s where a nifty new product called Malawi comes into its own.

Malawi, the first product made by startup Just Grow, is a miniature garden and aquarium in one. Turning both into a compact ecosystem that consumes less space than a microwave, it’s the perfect conversation starter for the modern home. Oh, and did we mention that maintaining it takes just a couple minutes per day? That’s about the length of time it’ll take you to read this story.

“Malawi is the ultimate indoor gardening experience,” Djimo Serodio, founder and CEO of Just Grow, told Digital Trends. “It scales down an emerging sustainable agriculture technology — aquaponics — into an elegant statement piece. Malawi is a garden powered by an aquarium. A pump cycles water from the aquarium to the garden, where bacteria convert fish waste into plant food. Plants are always watered and fertilized while the tank stays naturally clean. No water changes, no synthetic filters to replace, and no mess.”

The Mozambique-born Serodio said he learned about aquaponics after working in the sustainable agriculture industry, starting during his university years. He was impressed by their low maintenance and high productivity, but found that most existed at commercial scale, rather than being suitable for the home. “I founded Just Grow to bring this technology to more people by scaling down aquaponics from farm to apartment applications,” he said. “Our ideal customers are those limited in time and space, living amid more gray than green in cities.”

If you’re interested in getting your hands on a Malawi fish tank/garden, you can currently pre-order one on Indiegogo. Prices start at $279, which will net you a fish tank, aquarium light, grow bed, wire cleaner, pump, cycling starter kit, owner’s manual, and more. Growing can commence as of May 2018, when the product is expected to start shipping.

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