The best headphones are the ones you love

Because you’ll actually have them with you.

The tech world is in a headphones frenzy these days because phones are losing their headphone jacks and dividing the world into haves and have-nots. The have-nots are largely choosing to ignore the included dongles (and rightfully so) and moving to Bluetooth; the haves are doubling down with audiophile-quality wired headphones that require powerful amps and expensive DACs to extract the best sound. The audio industry is in a state of flux, and it’s difficult to know where to spend your money.

The last week or so I’ve been using OnePlus’s new Bullets Wireless headphones, and they’re great — I’ll say that up front. I was initially quite skeptical given their $70 price tag, but what’s won me over more than the sound quality is the sheer convenience and user-friendliness of the whole package — the way they magnetically attach to one another to turn off and automatically connect to the most recent phone once they’re pulled apart.

I love great-sounding headphones. But what I love more are headphones that I’m actually going to wear every day.

I appreciate that they charge via USB-C, and that, thanks to the standard’s higher output, I only have to top them up for 10 minutes to get a full day’s use from them. I love how comfortable they are, both in my ear and across my neck — anyone who’s worn neckbuds knows the benefits of resting the hardware on one’s nape or collarbone to shift the pressure from the ears themselves, and despite the Bullets’ resemblance to Apple’s BeatsX (or perhaps because of it), I feel entirely at ease using them for long periods of time. They’re just well designed.

Their sound quality is, honestly, the lowest priority me, a stark change to my would-be wireless headphone narrative just a couple of years ago. The signature is pretty good, don’t get me wrong — tight mids, strong but not overpowering bass, and smooth, sibilant-free treble — but they’re not going to overshadow Sony’s gorgeous-sounding WI1000X or Bose’s superlative QC30’s. And they’re not trying to — they’re going up against the Ankers and Plantronics’, at $70, find a pretty nice sweet spot.

It’s not without a healthy glob of irony that OnePlus announced the Bullets Wireless minutes prior to the unveiling of the OnePlus 6, a phone that makes a big show of retaining the beleaguered headphone jack. In fact, it’s one of the few high-end phones offering the port these days (the Galaxy S9 and G7 are the others). That’s why, after using the Koss Porta Pro Wireless, I question the fruitfulness of the “wireless-ization” of older, popular products. At least not without a good reason for doing so.

Koss has been making the Porta Pros since the 80s, and the design shows. They’re light and portable and prized for their warm, articulate sound — not just at their normal $40 price point, but at any price. They sound incredible. So too do the wireless versions, but in shedding wires, Koss didn’t think through what customers would be losing in the process.

The electronics and battery hang down below the wearer like a necklace, which quickly becomes distracting. Worse, a blue LED blinks the entire time it’s connected to a phone or laptop. Who thought that was a good idea? At $80, they still fall into the affordable category for wireless headphones, and their sound is largely unchanged from their forebear’s, which is a notch in the plus column.

But despite the Koss’s better sound, I’m going to choose the Bullets Wireless’s portability and convenience every time, and I have no doubt many would do the same.

Apple removes apps with CallKit framework from the app store in China

Peogeo/123RF

It’s been nearly a year since Apple began removing all VPN apps from the App Store in China, and now the iEmpire is bringing down the hammer on another type of app. Following the enforcement of new regulation from the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Apple is removing apps that use the CallKit framework. This allows developers to integrate their calling services with other call-related apps, providing the calling interface but allowing developers to handle the back-end communication with their own VoIP service.

Apple has begun notifying developers who use this framework that they cannot use this functionality as per new government regulations. In order for their apps to be displayed in the app store, they’ll have to remove any CallKit features. This move doesn’t really come as a surprise, given that popular messaging app WeChat was forced to remove its own CallKit integration after implementing it very briefly.

While it’s not entirely clear why the Chinese government is disallowing CallKit, it’s likely due to the VoIP functionalities, which are generally not permitted in the nation. When Skype was removed from the app store last summer, it was for a similar issue. These VoIP services could allow users to dodge censorship and surveillance, as they make it difficult for government officials to monitor communication.

Apple has come under fire previously for bending too quickly to China’s will when it comes to app censorship. Not only have users protested the company’s seemingly quick adherence to rather far-reaching rules and regulations designed to stymie communication, but U.S. lawmakers have also expressed their displeasure — last year, senators released a letter noting that they were “concerned that Apple may be enabling the Chinese government’s censorship and surveillance of the Internet.”

Apple has also been noted to be taking down apps in China at a much faster clip than normal, as per a study in 2017. In fact, the company was seen to be removing around 58,000 apps in just a two week period, which 9to5Mac described as a “drastic increase compared to normal” around this time last year. We’ll just have to see what apps fall victim next.

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The Google Play store hosted malware meant to steal from North Korean defectors

McAfee researchers have discovered that hackers with links to the North Korean regime managed to make Google complicit in stealing information from defectors from the nation. As per a recently published blog post, the Google Play store has apparently been playing host to at least three apps designed to collect data from specific individuals. Two of these apps were posing as security apps, while the third claimed to provide food ingredient information. But what they really did was steal information from devices and receive certain code that allowed them to further access data like photos, contact lists, and even text messages.

In most instances, McAfee found the apps were generally sent to select users, generally by contacting them via Facebook. By the time McAfee privately notified Google as to the existence of these apps, 100 folks had already downloaded them, and the apps had been live in the Google Play store for three months — from January to March. Alas, this highlights the shortcomings of Google’s filters that are intended to keep out malware.

The alleged actor behind these apps doesn’t appear to be a new player in the hacking scene. Back in January, McAfee noted that it had found malicious apps intended to infect North Korean journalists and defectors’ devices. The group behind these apps was subsequently named Sun Team, and is apparently the same group behind these latest apps.

At the very least, the apps were all linked to the same developer email address. Moreover, McAfee found that the words used in the control servers were common in North Korea, but not South Korea. There was also a North Korean IP address discovered in a test log file of some Android devices connected to account used to send out the malware. This has led researchers to believe that the attacks are based in the isolated nation.

“These features are strong evidence that the actors behind these campaigns are not native South Koreans but are familiar with the culture and language,” McAfee researchers wrote. “These elements are suggestive, though not a confirmation, of the nationality of the actors behind these malware campaigns.”

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The Google Play store hosted malware meant to steal from North Korean defectors

McAfee researchers have discovered that hackers with links to the North Korean regime managed to make Google complicit in stealing information from defectors from the nation. As per a recently published blog post, the Google Play store has apparently been playing host to at least three apps designed to collect data from specific individuals. Two of these apps were posing as security apps, while the third claimed to provide food ingredient information. But what they really did was steal information from devices and receive certain code that allowed them to further access data like photos, contact lists, and even text messages.

In most instances, McAfee found the apps were generally sent to select users, generally by contacting them via Facebook. By the time McAfee privately notified Google as to the existence of these apps, 100 folks had already downloaded them, and the apps had been live in the Google Play store for three months — from January to March. Alas, this highlights the shortcomings of Google’s filters that are intended to keep out malware.

The alleged actor behind these apps doesn’t appear to be a new player in the hacking scene. Back in January, McAfee noted that it had found malicious apps intended to infect North Korean journalists and defectors’ devices. The group behind these apps was subsequently named Sun Team, and is apparently the same group behind these latest apps.

At the very least, the apps were all linked to the same developer email address. Moreover, McAfee found that the words used in the control servers were common in North Korea, but not South Korea. There was also a North Korean IP address discovered in a test log file of some Android devices connected to account used to send out the malware. This has led researchers to believe that the attacks are based in the isolated nation.

“These features are strong evidence that the actors behind these campaigns are not native South Koreans but are familiar with the culture and language,” McAfee researchers wrote. “These elements are suggestive, though not a confirmation, of the nationality of the actors behind these malware campaigns.”

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OnePlus 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus: Which big phone is better?

You like big screens and you cannot lie — and the recently revealed OnePlus 6 has one of the biggest in the business. But the “flagship killer” isn’t the only large display in the Android game, and the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is one of the best premium, large-screened phones that you can get.

With tip-top performance and the latest technology, both phones are amazing choices — but which one deserves your hard-earned money? We took a look to find out.

Specs

OnePlus 6
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Size
155.7 x 75.4 x 7.8 mm (6.13 x 2.97 x 0.31 inches)
158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm (6.22 x 2.91 x 0.33 inches)

Weight
177 grams (6.24 ounces)
189 grams (6.67 ounces)

Screen size
6.28-inch AMOLED display
6.2-inch AMOLED display

Screen resolution
2,280 x 1,080 pixels (402 pixels per inch)
2,960 x 1,440 pixels (529 pixels per inch)

Operating system
Android 8.1 Oreo
Android 8.0 Oreo

Storage space
64GB (with 6GB of RAM), 128GB, 256GB (both with 8GB of RAM)

64GB, 128GB, 256GB

MicroSD card slot
No
Yes, up to 256GB

Tap-to-pay services
Google Pay
Google Pay, Samsung Pay

Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845

RAM
6GB, 8GB
6GB

Camera
Dual 16MP and 20MP rear, 16MP front
Dual 12MP (with OIS) and 12MP (with OIS) rear, variable aperture, 8MP front

Video
2,160p at 60 frames per second, 1080p at 30/60/120, 720p at 480 fps super slow motion, HDR
2,160p at 60 frames per second, 1,080p at 240 fps, 720p at 960 fps

Bluetooth version
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth 5.0

Ports
3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C
3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C

Fingerprint sensor
Yes (back)
Yes (back)

Water resistance
No
IP68

Battery
3,300mAh

DashCharge

3,500mAh

QuickCharge 2.0

Qi wireless charging

App marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store

Network support
AT&T and T-Mobile
T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint

Colors
Midnight Black, Mirror Black, Silk White
Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Lilac Purple

Price
$530
$840

Buy from
OnePlus

Samsung, Amazon

Review score
Hands-on review
4.5 out of 5 stars

Performance, battery life, and charging

Make no mistake, these are two fast phones. Both are powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 845, which gives blisteringly good performance, and top-tier real world speed. You’ll find the same amount of RAM in the Galaxy S9 Plus and the OnePlus 6’s 64GB model, but the OnePlus 6 does have more RAM in the 128GB and 256GB models, giving the challenger something of an edge — even if that edge is minimal.

Moving to battery life, there’s not much in it again. The Galaxy S9 Plus is rocking a larger battery, but the lower resolution on the OnePlus 6 should see some power savings there. The OnePlus 6’s Dash Charge leaves the Galaxy’s QuickCharge 2.0 in the dust — but the Galaxy S9 Plus has the convenience of wireless charging.

We’re finding it too difficult to separate these two in this category. While the OnePlus 6 has a larger amount of RAM, the performance impact from that is likely to be minimal. The same goes for the S9 Plus’s larger battery. Until we’ve had more time with the OnePlus 6, this is a tie.

Winner: Tie

Design and durability

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

2018 is calling with two of the best looking phones of the year. No matter which of these two behemoths you pick, you’re getting a phone worth gazing at. OnePlus has broken its love affair with metal to give the OnePlus 6 a full glass construction and a gorgeous bezel-less design, and while the Galaxy S9 Plus is very similar to the previous S8 range, that’s not a bad thing, since the S9 Plus is utterly stunning. Both phones get full marks in the design category.

Things start to go downhill when we look at durability, though. Glass is, well, fragile — even if it is Gorilla Glass — and you’re probably going to want a case for both of these phones. However, this is where the Galaxy S9 Plus starts to show some of its premium quality, with an IP68 rating which indicates that it can handle a short dunk. The OnePlus 6 lacks any water resistance, making it a phone you’re going to have to be careful with around the bath or toilet.

While both of these phones are neck and neck in looks and design, the Galaxy S9 Plus really pulls ahead with that water-resistance — and that wins it the round.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Display

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Both of these devices showcase great visual fidelity with their massive AMOLED screens, and you might be hard pressed to notice any differences at first glance. The differences are definitely there once you look for them, though — you’ll find a 2,280 x 1,080-pixel resolution on the OnePlus 6’s 6.28-inch screen, which just isn’t as sharp as the 2,960 x 1,440 pixels on the Galaxy S9 Plus. The OnePlus 6 also has the notch at the top of the screen, extending the available screen real estate — but possibly at the expense of style, if you’re not a fan of the notch trend.

While the difference between 1080p and 1440p might not be hugely noticeable on screens this size, we have to award this to the phone with the objectively better display.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Camera

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Camera quality has become a serious battleground for higher-end phones, with recent phones seeing some serious upgrades in this area. The OnePlus 6 isn’t necessarily focused on the camera, but that doesn’t mean OnePlus has slacked off. You’ll find two lenses arranged vertically on the back of the OnePlus 6 — a 16-megapixel and 20-megapixel lens — as well as a 16-megapixel selfie shooter around the front. Both the front and back cameras are kitted out with Portrait Mode selective blur, and the few sample pictures we took looked good.

In contrast, the Galaxy S9 Plus was focused on the camera, and comes with two 12-megapixel lenses, and an 8-megapixel lens at the front. The S9 Plus has all the same selective blur trickery, but Samsung has really upped the game here with a variable aperture that does the business in strong and low light, and provides good pictures across the board.

Moving over to video, both offer support for shooting in 4K at 60 frames per second, but the S9 Plus delivers super slow-motion at 960 fps, while the slow-motion option in the OnePlus 6 is limited to 480 fps.

We’re hesitant to declare a winner before we’ve had a proper chance to play with one of the cameras, so this is a tie for the moment.

Winner: Tie

Software and updates

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Being flagships of their respective brands, you’ll find the top tier of Android on both of these, albeit with both manufacturers having placed their own skins over the top.

OnePlus can be pretty speedy in getting new versions of Android out to its phones, with the OnePlus 3 and 3T receiving updates to Android 8.0 Oreo in November of last year. By contrast, Galaxy S8 users had to wait until February 2018 to get Oreo on their phones. While it was longer until the OnePlus 5 and 5T got the Oreo update, based on previous performance we’re confident that OnePlus will have an Android P update out faster than Samsung.

Winner: OnePlus 6

Special features

Being a phone focused on bringing great performance to a lower price bracket, the OnePlus 6 doesn’t have all that many special features to call its own. There’s a face unlocking feature, as well as the Shelf, which contains recently used apps and the like — but otherwise, it’s fairly barren in this regard.

By contrast, the Galaxy S9 Plus is stuffed with features. If you’re into using your phone as a workstation, there’s the Dex Pad or Dex Station. If trying your hand at VR sounds like fun, the Gear VR is there. There’s Samsung’s built-in voice assistant Bixby too, not to mention AR Emojis.

The Galaxy S9 Plus has so many extra features built-in that this is simply one-sided.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Price

You’ll be able to pick up the OnePlus 6 from May 22, with prices starting at $530 for the 64GB model, but the handset will only work on AT&T and T-Mobile. The Galaxy S9 Plus is a lot more expensive, starting at $840 for the 64GB model, but it will work on all the major U.S. carriers.

Overall winner: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

While this result may mean the OnePlus 6 falls short of its reputation as a flagship killer, don’t let that put you off. With all the latest hardware and software, the OnePlus 6 is a force to be reckoned with, and it delivers all the power and performance you’d expect from a phone that costs hundreds of dollars more — it’s only in the peripheral areas that it falls short, like water-resistance, special features, and not having a 4K resolution. These are areas that most people can afford to ignore or may not notice. If you’re restricted to around $500 for a phone, then the OnePlus 6 is one of the best phones you can buy, maybe the best.

However, if money is no object, then it simply has to be the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. Yes, it’s over $300 more, but money really does talk, and in this case it means an extra level of polish that the OnePlus 6 simply doesn’t have the budget to meet. It has the power, the performance, the display, the design, and that amazing camera which all adds up to a seriously tempting smartphone.

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It’s easy to get serious about self-care with the quirky, fun Aloe Bud app

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

App Attack is a weekly series where we search the App Store and Google Play Store for the best apps of the week. Check out App Attack every Sunday for the latest.

More often than not, life can become busy and stressful — which means self-care gets put on the back burner. This week we have an app that will help make it easier and more enjoyable to check in with yourself each day.

Aloe Bud is a self-care companion app that gives users gentle reminders via push notifications. Whether it’s staying hydrated throughout the day or making sure you’re taking a break from work, you have the freedom to choose from a variety of different activities to set for yourself.

How Aloe Bud grew into an app

The idea for Aloe Bud came to fruition when creator and entrepreneur Amber Discko was looking for a tool that would help motivate her to keep up with self-care in a positive way. Having just finished working on the Hilary Clinton campaign in 2016, Discko realized their own personal needs were severely neglected throughout the process. But having noticed the lack of apps out there for simple self-care reminders, Discko turned to the Calendar app on their iPhone — until the notifications started to become too much.

“I had my calendar booked by the half an hour and I was trying to find a way to separate my personal from my professional because it was so important. I tried different apps and I just felt like I wasn’t sticking with it… and I felt really guilty. So, I decided that I needed to build something for myself that I knew what would work for me,” Discko told Digital Trends.

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

Aloe Bud first started as a free online survey check-in tool, which Discko posted to the online community they founded called Femsplain. After thousands of people (a majority of which were mobile users) took the survey, Discko started receiving requests to turn it into a mobile app.

Having had prior experience in fundraising to bring Femsplain to life, they were able to raise the funds needed to create Aloe Bud. With a background in computer science, Discko also teamed up with a development team to help build the app into what it is today.

While the concept of Aloe Bud clearly resonated with a large group of people, there were also those who were puzzled by its simplicity.

“When I did the Kickstarter campaign people were like, ‘Who needs an app to be reminded to drink water?’ and … a lot of people do … Establishing routines is not the easiest thing,” Discko said.

Using Aloe Bud on a daily basis

When you first download Aloe Bud, you’re brought to your personal dashboard where you can start to add in activity cards. After tapping on the plus sign in the left-hand corner, you can then choose your activity and begin to customize it. For example, by choosing ‘Move’ as my activity type, I can then add in what day and time I’d like the push notification as well as what the reminder will say. You can either choose from the custom reminders already written out or you can write your own. You can also pick whether you want the notifications to repeat everyday, every work day, every weekend, or only on specific days of the week you set.

I was immediately drawn to how light and airy it felt when it comes to its look and features. In comparison to other self-care apps, Aloe Bud goes against the grain to remind users that taking care of yourself doesn’t have to feel like a chore and that it can actually be fun. Filled with bright colors and pixel art illustrations, the app gives off a nostalgic vibe to it that feels comforting.

For someone like me who tends to lose track of time when there’s deadlines or will sometimes become so hyper-focused on what I’m doing, I can forget to complete essential tasks that are crucial to my mental health. Even though it may not seem like it in theory, taking a walk or rehydrating can do a lot for one’s mental clarity. Seeing the push notifications on my phone gently nudging me in a way that’s nurturing, makes me want to stay committed to checking in and completing the activities.

But while you can find yourself wanting to set notifications for every activity, Aloe Bud does remind you to set them sparingly, for the most effective results. That way, you can avoid “notification fatigue” and won’t feel like you’re receiving too many alerts or  taking on too much.

In addition to checking in, Aloe Bud also includes a feature that allows for self-reflection. Instead of choosing to check-in with each notification, you can choose the reflection option instead. This will prompt questions like “What are you currently grateful for?” or “What have you been reading lately?” followed by a space to write up to 350 characters with your particular thoughts. That way, you’re also able to use the app as your own personal journal to help express how you’ve been feeling. While I specifically stuck to the check-in feature, I like how convenient it is to be able to jot down quick thoughts throughout the day that you otherwise wouldn’t reflect on.

Aloe Bud is free to use but there’s in-app purchases to allow you to further customize your experience. Ranging between $2 and $5, you can add bundles that give you the ability to unlock more gentle reminders or write your own personalized reminder messages.

Setting the tone for self-care

While Discko set out to keep the aesthetic of Aloe Bud cute and enjoyable, they also stressed the importance of the language. Rather than being told to do an activity such as “drink water, or “take a break” the app uses specific language that feel less overbearing.

“I spent months developing that because I wanted to make sure the words that we use weren’t triggering to anyone, or made people feel irritated by them,” they eplained. “For example, ‘fuel’ before was obviously ‘food’ or ‘eat’ and those words [were] not the tone that we wanted.”

Aloe Bud also includes plenty of customization options in order to make the app feel as tailored to the user as possible. While using the app, I’m easily able to delete specific activities, edit the day and time I want to receive the notifications, and even snooze reminders right in the check-in screen. Discko stressed this type of personalization was key — especially on days when you feel like you’re really struggling with your mental health.

“I’ve lived with depression my entire life and I completely understand not wanting to be told to do something you know you’re supposed to do. And so … I made sure to include or to promote that these [activities] can be adjusted at any time” Discko said, “I’ve seen it in people’s posts saying that, ‘While it can be annoying, I’m still doing it and that’s important for me — to say that I’m actually doing one of the three things I have set.’”

While Aloe Bud can be used as a tool for mental health, it’s not a replacement — especially for those seeking serious help. Included within the app’s settings is a tab for mental health resources, which will bring you to Aloe Bud’s site where a page lists the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and tons of other help lines to refer to.

Discko explained that since talking about mental health is extremely important, they save the discussions for Aloe Bud’s social channels. Whether it’s on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, each account acts an extension to the app with positive and uplifting content, while still encouraging an open dialogue.

In the future, Discko plans on adding more features to Aloe Bud — starting with more options for reminders. Rather than having the reminder go off each day, she’d like to give users the ability to set it within intervals — like being able to set reminders to go off five times between 10 AM to 6 PM. Or, also having the option to set a reminder to go off once every two weeks. They also hope to have Aloe available in other languages as well, for those using the app outside of the U.S.

Currently, Aloe Bud is only available for iOS. But Discko is raising funds via Patreon to develop an Android version, which will be available for the platform sometime next year.

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Rule your home with custom voice commands for Alexa and Google Assistant

These days, it seems like everyone has a Google Home or Amazon Echo installed in their home. We rely on these devices to do just about everything for us, and, more often than not, they deliver. Alexa can teach you how to be a champagne connoisseur, among other things, and Google Assistant has its own bag of digital tricks, including the ability to preheat your oven. It’s even possible to create custom commands with the app IFTTT (If This, Than That).

Our how-to guide will have you barking at Alexa or Google Assistant in no time.

We’ve already created a crash course to IFTTT, but for our smart home device owners who are unaware of service, let’s just say that this app lets you create custom voice commands for your Home and Echo. Getting started is simple, too, and our how-to guide will have you barking at Alexa or Google Assistant in no time.

First, download the IFTTT app for either iOS or Android. You will then need to set up an account, though, you can do so using your Google or Facebook accounts, in addition to your email address.

After you’ve downloaded the app, connect either your Google Home or Echo. To do this, click the search icon in the upper-right corner of the screen and type in either “Google Assistant” or “Amazon Alexa.” Then, tap either assistant to sync your smart home device with IFTTT.

Once you’ve connected your device, you will see a host of “Applets,” which essentially function as triggers or packaged actions that are ready for you to use and install. To create your own, tap “My Applets” in the bottom-right corner.

Next, tap the addition sign in the upper-right corner and choose either Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa to create a “trigger,” a custom phrase that will prompt an action. It will then direct you to a screen where you can enter your voice command using lowercase letters. Tap the check mark in the upper-right corner when finished.

Now the “this” part is complete, you have to choose the “that,” meaning you need to pick which service you want to use this command for. For example, say you want to set up a trigger that will prompt your Philips Hue bulbs to pulse blue when you say the phrase, “party mode.” To do so, click That once you’ve completed the “this” component and search for “Philips Hue” using the entry field at the top. Then, set up your desired action and tap the check mark in the upper-right corner once again.

Note: You’ll have to log into each individual account for any services you have yet to set up.

The app will then show your active Applet, which you toggle on and off using the enlarged slider in the middle of your screen. You can also edit or delete your Applet from within the My Applet section located in the bottom-right corner of your screen. To set up another custom command, simply repeat the process!

David Cogen — a regular contributor here at Digital Trends — runs TheUnlockr, a popular tech blog that focuses on tech news, tips and tricks, and the latest tech. You can also find him on Twitter discussing the latest tech trends.

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Carbon fiber bikes may become a whole lot cheaper with 3D-printed frames

A company backed by the CIA that calls itself Arevo is hoping to lead a revolution in manufacturing that uses 3D printing to build products in a more efficient and cost-effective manner. The Silicon Valley, California startup recently picked up $12.5 million in funding to help pursue this goal and has revealed an impressive proof-of-concept product to help demonstrate its capabilities. That product is a carbon fiber bike frame that could give us a glimpse of the future for the cycling industry.

According to Arevo, its bike frame is the first to be 3D printed using carbon fiber. The company uses 3D printer technology, paired with a custom-built robotic arm and web-based software, to create products made from proprietary raw materials. The robot arm is able to print out shapes in a single pass using a thermoplastic material that is melted into strands of carbon fiber that helps bind everything together. The end result is a bike frame that costs about $300 to make, which is considerably less than what most bike manufacturers pay.

When most cycling companies set out to create a new carbon fiber frame for their latest bicycles, they must first create a mold of what the frame will look like. That mold typically costs between $60,000 and $100,000 depending on a number of variables. Once that mold is built, workers fill the mold with individual layers of carbon fiber, which are combined with resin, into it. The mold is then placed in an industrial oven to bake the resin into the carbon to bind everything together. The entire process takes a great deal of time and is fairly labor intensive, making a carbon fiber bike frame very lightweight, but expensive.

Arevo, which was initially funded by In-Q-Tel, a nonprofit venture capital firm backed by the CIA, says that it can scale up its manufacturing process for use in a number of different projects. While the carbon fiber bike frame is an indication of what the company’s hardware and software are capable of, it can also reportedly build products as large as the fuselage of an aircraft. It can also 3D print parts for space vehicles and other complex machines, too.

Editors’ Recommendations

• FuroSystems FX is a first-of-its-kind full-carbon folding ebike
• Lyft pledges to offset its carbon emissions, commits to carbon-neutral rides
• Urwahn’s Stadtfuchs smart bike is built for the modern urban commuter
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2018) review
• Zortrax M300 review

Best Speakers To Use With Your Amazon Echo Dot in 2018

• Best overall
• Best for simplicity
• Best for portability
• Best for sound quality

Best Overall

Sonos Play:1

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The Sonos Play:1 isn’t a Bluetooth speaker — it’s much more than that. As part of a whole-home sound system, the Sonos Play:1 is a small and powerful musical conduit that can fill rooms with lush sound. But that’s an investment.

On its own, connected via 3.5mm jack or over Bluetooth, the Sonos Play:1 connects to Alexa, allowing an Echo Dot, either in the same room or another, to send it music commands. The setup is easy thanks to work from both Amazon and Sonos — it just involves hooking the systems together using an Alexa Skill — and it works flawlessly. Plus, at $149, it’s cheaper than some Bluetooth speakers and sounds much, much better.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for the absolute best sound in a small form factor, connect the Sonos Play:1 to your Echo Dot.

One more thing: If you’d rather go Echo-free, the Sonos One has Alexa built right in.

Why the Sonos Play:1 is the best

Sonos makes great-sounding speakers. Always has, likely always will. The beauty of Sonos’s collaboration with Amazon is that a speaker like the Play:1, which may already be part of a dedicated Sonos system, can work independently with any Echo, including the tiny Echo Dot.

That means you can hide the Dot somewhere in a room and have it always listening for commands. “Alexa, play The Beatles,” takes just a second to say, but with a Sonos Play:1 in the room, the two gadgets become more than the sum of their parts. The beauty is that you aren’t connecting the Sonos to the Echo via Bluetooth, so sound coming out of the Play:1 sounds just as good as if you were using the dedicated Sonos app (which you can still do if you want).

Best for simplicity

Bose SoundLink Color II

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While it’s designed to be a Bluetooth speaker to connect your phone, the design and audio quality from the Bose SoundLink Color II speaker makes it perfect for filling most rooms with sound.

You can connect your Amazon Echo Dot to this speaker and leave it forever as a better Amazon Echo, or you can take the $130 Bose Soundlink Color II with you when leaving the house thanks to its internal battery. It’s a great flexible option for just about every occasion and looks nice enough that it can sit in a room without standing out or taking up too much space.

Bottom line: This speaker will turn your Amazon Echo Dot into something better than an Amazon Echo, and does a whole lot more.

One more thing: You can pick up the Bose SoundLink II in either black or white to match your Echo Dot.

Best for portability

VAUX speaker for Echo Dot

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Why bother with buying multiple Amazon Echo Dots when you can buy a speaker that powers your single Echo Dot so it can come with you wherever you are in the house? VAUX is one of several speaker designers clever enough to make the body of the speaker something that can actually hold the Echo Dot while in use, so it not only powers the brains of the operation but makes the whole system a single portable unit.

This $40 speaker promises six hours of portable runtime, and the dual 52mm drivers will certainly make this little Echo Dot fill a room with sound. Best of all, you don’t need a different power cord to charge this combined unit. The charger you used to power the Echo Dot is also capable of charging this speaker.

Bottom line: If portability is your goal, this is a great place to start.

Best Audio Quality

B&O Play Beoplay A6

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The speaker on a taller Amazon Echo is fine, but in larger rooms, it frequently feels a little flat. If your goal is high audio quality so you can stream across an entire house and really rattle the windows, you either want a complete standalone stereo system or you want a Beoplay A6.

Bang & Olufsen is the champion of high-quality audio in portable form, but you pay for the privilege. These speakers are not cheap, but the audio difference couldn’t be more clear when compared to other standalone speakers. While the Beoplay series does come in other, smaller formats that do a good job filling a room with sound, the $799 Beoplay A6 speakers are built for style and room-filling audio. It’s a strange looking speaker for sure, but one of those experiences where you don’t know you can listen to anything else after listening to this.

One more thing: These speakers are available in a bunch of different color fabric options, but tracking something down outside of the standard off-white or textured grey (sorry, Light Gray and Oxidized Brass) isn’t easy.

Conclusion

There are a lot of great options for speakers to add to an Amazon Echo Dot. The Sonos Play:1 is the best of all worlds, since it can exist as a dedicated Echo Dot speaker or as part of a larger Sonos system. The Bose SoundLink Color II is simple — it’s a fantastic Bluetooth speaker that has a 3.5mm input. If your goal is portability over all else, the VAUX is your speaker. And if audio quality is the most important thing to you, grab a B&O Play Beoplay A6 and have a blast.

Best Overall

Sonos Play:1

See at Amazon

The Sonos Play:1 isn’t a Bluetooth speaker — it’s much more than that. As part of a whole-home sound system, the Sonos Play:1 is a small and powerful musical conduit that can fill rooms with lush sound. But that’s an investment.

On its own, connected via 3.5mm jack or over Bluetooth, the Sonos Play:1 connects to Alexa, allowing an Echo Dot, either in the same room or another, to send it music commands. The setup is easy thanks to work from both Amazon and Sonos — it just involves hooking the systems together using an Alexa Skill — and it works flawlessly. Plus, at $149, it’s cheaper than some Bluetooth speakers and sounds much, much better.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for the absolute best sound in a small form factor, connect the Sonos Play:1 to your Echo Dot.

One more thing: If you’d rather go Echo-free, the Sonos One has Alexa built right in.

Update, May 2018: The Sonos Play:1 is our new pick for the best speaker for your Echo Dot, and we’ve replaced the Bose SoundLink II with the cheaper, more portable Bose SoundLink Color II. Happy listening!