Qualcomm’s high-res Bluetooth audio codec aptX HD is now on over 60 devices

Qualcomm announced that more than 60 devices use its aptX HD codec, bringing more detailed music over a wireless connection.

As more and more manufacturers turn towards ditching the headphone jack, more and more users are turning to Bluetooth headphones and speakers to get their jam on. This used to mean compressed, horrible sounding music, but no so: with features like aptX, your songs sound much better than they used to with older headphones.

The latest version of the aptX codec family is aptX HD, and at CES 2018 Qualcomm shared that over 60 products were on the market with support for the codec. Manufacturers with devices with aptX HD include:

• Audio-Technica
• Bowers and Wilkins
• Beyerdynamic
• iRiver
• LG
• Google
• Nura
• Sony
• OnePlus
• Huawei
• HTC
• SHARP
• NAIM
• PSB Speakers

Wondering if your device supports aptX HD? Qualcomm has the full list on its site. From Qualcomm:

At CES® 2018, Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd, a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), today announced its high definition Bluetooth® wireless audio codec, Qualcomm® aptX™ HD, is now available on more than 60 products, meaning consumers and audiophiles now have more options than ever to access and enjoy premium HD sound with the support of our technology.

aptX HD is an enhanced codec that supports 24-bit music quality over Bluetooth and has been engineered to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, resulting in lower background noise. This improved technology helps listeners to hear even the smallest details in their music and is designed to provide realistic audio quality that is hard to distinguish from the actual live sound produced by the musician.

“We helped to revolutionize the Bluetooth stereo listening experience with aptX, which is designed to vastly improve the quality of music delivered over a Bluetooth connection and the aptX logo on a package represents this proven quality. Now with aptX HD we are helping to meet growing demand for high resolution audio from consumers looking for even higher levels of sound quality from their devices,” said Jonny McClintock, director, product marketing, Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd. “It’s a very exciting time for both consumers and the audio industry because with aptX HD we’re helping to make the Bluetooth wireless listening experience indistinguishable from wired and we’re seeing growing traction commercially as a result.”

Does your smartphone feature aptX HD? Let us know down below!

Oculus’ first standalone VR headset is manufactured by Xiaomi

Xiaomi is manufacturing the Oculus Go and a second standalone VR headset exclusively for China.

Hugo Barra, who now leads the VR efforts at Facebook, has announced at Qualcomm’s CES press conference that Oculus’ first standalone VR headset will be built by Xiaomi. Xiaomi is also rolling out a standalone VR headset of its own — dubbed the Mi VR Standalone — that will be launching exclusively in China later this year.

The $199 Oculus Go was first announced late last year, but details were light on the hardware powering the device. We now know that the device — as well as Xiaomi’s VR headset — feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 Mobile VR Platform.

The Oculus Go is notable because it doesn’t need to be hooked up to a phone or PC to function. The Snapdragon 821 should provide plenty of juice for the headset to run visually-demanding titles. Oculus didn’t announce availability details just yet, but with the headset making its way to the FCC recently, a launch is imminent.

Meanwhile, the Mi VR Standalone has the same core features as Oculus Go, and both headsets look similar too. Xiaomi’s headset also supports Oculus’ Mobile SDK, which allows Oculus developers the ability to port their content over to the Mi VR platform. Xiaomi has stated that it is working on bringing popular content from the Oculus store to its users in China.

Qualcomm’s Bluetooth SoC aims to make truly wireless headphones a whole lot better

Qualcomm’s new Bluetooth SoC will bring Bluetooth 5.0, Active Noise Cancellation, and aptX HD to future truly wireless earbuds.

While Qualcomm is mostly known for its smartphone chips, it also makes components for PCs and headphones. The latter category is our focus today, as Qualcomm has announced its new QCC5100 Bluetooth SoC.

This component will go into truly wireless Bluetooth headphones, and will bring features that only larger headphones have had until this point. Most importantly, the new chip will be more power efficient than current solutions, allowing you to spend more time listening to music and less time with your earbuds in their charging case.

Qualcomm is also including support for “Hybrid” Active Noise Cancellation on the SoC itself, rather than requiring a dedicated component for the ANC. There will also be dedicated support for voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. From Qualcomm:

At CES® 2018, Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that its subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., introduced the new Qualcomm® Low Power Bluetooth SoC QCC5100 series that is designed to help manufacturers develop a new generation of compact, feature-rich, wireless earbuds, hearables and headsets. To help meet consumer demand for superior audio quality as well as extended battery life and playback time in wireless audio devices, the breakthrough SoC series is engineered to reduce power consumption by up to 65 percent for both voice calls and music streaming, compared to previous single-chip Bluetooth audio solutions.

The SoC architecture supports low power performance and includes a Bluetooth 5 dual-mode radio, low power audio and application subsystems. Designed to serve various “on-the-go” consumer use cases requiring robust, high quality, truly wireless listening experiences, the platform supports advanced features including Qualcomm® TrueWireless™ Stereo, Qualcomm® aptX™ HD audio, Integrated Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and third-party voice assistant services.

“This breakthrough single-chip solution is designed to dramatically reduce power consumption and offers enhanced processing capabilities to help our customers build new life-enhancing, feature-rich devices. This will open new possibilities for extended-use hearable applications including virtual assistants, augmented hearing and enhanced listening,” said Anthony Murray, senior vice president and general manager, voice & music, Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd. “Without sacrificing our superior sound quality, we can now help to pack tremendous functionality into small, wireless hearable devices. Audio designers are looking for a platform solution that brings an ideal combination of power, size and functionality and user experience – and the QCC5100 series is designed to deliver exactly that.”

The exact features will depend on exactly what OEMs want to enable, so your next pair of earbuds may not have all the features this SoC will bring. Are you in the market for a new pair of earbuds this year? Let us know in the comments!

Netgear’s new Nighthawk router is built for pro gamers

Netgear is rolling out two new products designed for hardcore gamers. Launched today at CES 2018, the Nighthawk Pro Gaming WiFi Router (XR500) and Nighthawk Pro Gaming SX10 10G/Multi-Gig LAN Switch (GS810EMX) have been designed for heavy-duty, uninterrupted gameplay, offering best in class features neatly packaged in formidable black casing.

The Pro Gaming Router streams simultaneously to multiple devices on the same network, so you can game online at the same time as your friends without eating up one another’s performance. Its geo filter guarantees a local connection and lets you create preferred server lists, while the Dual-Core 1.7GHz processor supports multiple devices for better 4K streaming. It’s pretty nippy, too, with up to 800+1733 Mbps wireless speeds and dual-band WiFi doubling available bandwidth. Plus there’s the usual network tools that let you check for performance-hogging devices and view real-time usage across multiple parameters.

The Pro Gaming Switch, meanwhile, succeeds the Nighthawk S8000. It promises “close-to-zero” latency, ports that automatically adapt to deliver the speed you need (up to 10Gbps), the option to aggregate ports for even faster speeds and stream prioritization with QoS to fine tune your game play. Plus its aluminium enclosure dissipates heat, so without the need for a vent or fan it’s totally silent, and you can fiddle with the customizable RGB LED controls so you can personalize every light on the device – if you’re not busy taking advantage of the tech inside it, of course. The router and switch are available in the US for $300 each.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Watch the best of Samsung’s CES 2018 press conference in 12 minutes

Some of Samsung’s biggest announcements broke cover before the company’s big CES press conference, but that didn’t stop a parade of execs from sharing their vision of a Samsung-fueled future. If they have their way, we’ll be brainstorming on connected whiteboards, commuting in DRVLINE-powered autonomous cars and talking to Bixby a lot. More than anything, though, Samsung tried to paint a picture of how it will take all of its disparate products and weave them together into a cohesive ecosystem — it’s fascinating stuff, but we’re not sure the presentation had to be an hour long. To prove it (and to help you easily catch up on the company’s biggest news), we put together a 12-minute supercut you can check out above.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Intel teams up with Ferrari for AI-powered drones to analyze races

Normally when you think Intel, your mind wanders to computer chips and those four tones from their commercials. You definitely don’t imagine Ferrari’s racing around a track with drones overhead capturing video and analyzing it with AI. But that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

At CES, the chipmaker unveiled a partnership with Ferrari North America to deploy video-capturing drones during races that use artificial intelligence. The captured footage will be analyzed in real time and offer up telematic information to drivers and their crews to help them tighten up lap times. Intel also says that the data can be used by broadcasters to help create a race narrative with data not previously available to TV crews.

Of course, the data could also be shared with viewers interested in data about individual drivers or how the whole pack is taking a certain corner.

Intel says that the data gleaned from the cars will far more detailed than anything a human could produce since the AI will recognize subtle variations that could go unnoticed by a person.

The drone-mounted AI camera system will go live during this year’s Ferrari Challenge North America Series.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Nokia’s sleep sensor controls your smart home

Nokia has announced the Nokia Sleep, a bed sensor that sits under your mattress to provide you with data about what you get up to while unconscious. Like many of its rivals, the device will track your sleep duration, interruptions and the quality of the shut-eye you’re getting each night. In addition, the pad integrates with IFTTT, letting you automate your smart home to operate in tandem with your rest periods. If you’re having trouble sleeping, then you will also be entitled to try out an eight-week course on improving your sleep, designed by Dr. Christopher Winter.

Those with long memories will remember that Withings, which Nokia bought in 2016, produced a device that was pretty much this, called the Aura. Back then, the Aura was a combination lamp and bed sensor that worked in tandem to help you get better sleep. The lamp would blast you with red light to help you doze off in the evenings, waking you with whiter and bluer shades the following morning. The bed sensor would then tell the lamp to shut down if it detected you’d zoned out ahead of its program.

One of Aura’s biggest strengths was that it also integrated with Nest, enabling it to turn your home’s heating off when you were safely asleep under a comforter. Unfortunately, the hardware never gained IFTTT integration, although it’s not clear if such a feature was ever considered in its original incarnation. The revamped Nokia Sleep, which is more properly known as the Nokia Sleep and Home Automation Sensor, is intended to right that particular wrong.

It’s going to be very interesting to see if there’s a market for the sensor, shorn of its night-and-day-light simulation lamp. Not to mention that other sleep sensors that offered similar insights — such as the Peter Thiel-backed Sense Hello — have foundered. That won’t deter Nokia, however, which is pushing out the sleep pad at some point in the next few months, priced at $99.95/under £100.

The other big announcement to come out of the company this year is the addition of a new colorway to its Steel HR hybrid smartwatches. The rose gold version of the Steel HR will ship with two different face designs: black and white, and a choice of black or blue leather straps, or gray and black silicone bands. The timepiece will drop in February this year, with prices starting at $180 and running all the way to $250.

Intel will patch all recent chips by the end of January

The potential impact of the major processor security flaw that went public last week can’t be understated. But hardware and software companies alike have been quick to patch fixes for the first two reported exploits, Meltdown and Spectre.

Intel, which to date is the company most affected by the exploits, already committed to patching “90 percent” of affected processors made in the past five years by the end of this week. Today on stage at CES, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich promised the remaining 10 percent would see fixes by the end of the month.

“We believe the performance impact of these updates is highly workload dependent,” Krzanich said, referring to claims that processors may be slowed by as much as 30 percent as a result of the fixes. “We expect some may have a larger impact than others, so we’ll continue working with the industry to minimize the impact on those workloads over time.”

Krzanich reiterated Intel’s stance that there’s no evidence either exploit has been used to steal customer data, and said the company is “working tirelessly on these issues to ensure it stays that way.”

There’s still no word on a timeline for when affected processors made over five years ago will be patched.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

The Puffco Peak is the future of dabbing

Dabs aren’t just for Cam Newton. It’s also a great way to consume cannabis concentrates. Problem is, dabbing traditionally requires the use of either a butane blowtorch and titanium nail or a clunky electronic heating ring (aka enails). But no longer! With the advent of the Peak by Puffco, consuming concentrates is now as easy as pressing a button.

The Peak is to concentrates as the Pax 3 is to looseleaf vaping — that is, dead simple. The rig itself stands under a foot tall and weighs a bit over a pound. The battery needs just 2 hours to fully charge and offers between 25 and 30 hits before it depletes.

You just need to add the concentrate of your preference — whether its shatter, crumble, wax, or oil — to the heating chamber, double click the the activation button. The rig requires only 20 seconds to fully heat, regardless of which of the four temperature settings you’ve selected. That’s magnitudes faster than enails and far safer than wielding a blowtorch. What’s more, the system will automatically adjust the heat settings as you use it so that every session delivers the same experience.

The Peak will be available for pre-order beginning January 15th and will begin shipping in early February. It’s expected to retail for around $350 when it does.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Intel is making a big bet on autonomous driving in 2018

Now that Intel’s MobilEye acquisition is complete, the tech titan is ready to get the ball rolling. In fact, we might see semi-autonomous vehicles powered by MobilEye’s Road Experiment Management (REM) system as soon as this year. Intel has signed contracts with 11 carmakers, which will use the Level 2+ autonomous driving tech MobilEye developed and will release them throughout 2018 and 2019. This particular technology will add semi-autonomous features, such as simple braking, steering and acceleration, to cars, but REM will eventually make fully autonomous cars possible.

Intel and MobilEye will also begin gathering data to create near real-time maps. They’ll be relying on the software built into MobilEye’s EyeQ4 system-on-a-chip that’s embedded in 2 million cars — BMWs, VWs, Nissans and other brands — already on the road. The chip will use onboard sensors to build HD maps showing roads’ current conditions, including such as incident reports and construction information.

Finally

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Source: Intel (1), (2), (3)