2016 Ford Mustang GT review – Roadshow
The Good The Ford Mustang GT features a standard electronic line locker and, with the manual transmission, launch control. With 435 horsepower, this thing is a burnout and quarter-mile machine. Sync 3 is so much better than the last generation of Ford’s infotainment. The new rear suspension and convertible top make this very comfortable tourer.
The Bad The cabin materials feel more economy car than “GT Premium.” The convertible top has a pair of odd plastic bits to cover exposed hardware when retracted. Many of Ford’s driver aid features are missing from the Mustang’s option list.
The Bottom Line The Ford Mustang is an extremely flexible sports car. It’s a bargain at the base level; in GT trim it’s an exciting performer; and it transforms into an airy, comfortable grand tourer with a convertible top.
I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but summertime on the California coast means that you’re pretty much guaranteed to see dozens and dozens of rented ragtop Mustang convertibles packed with tourists making their way slowly down some of the best driving roads in the nation. I’m beginning to think that the Pacific Coast Highway and the Ford Mustang convertible were made for each other.
To put this hypothesis to the test, I hit the coastal highways south of San Francisco in a 2016 Ford Mustang GT California Special. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any more on the nose, my example arrived in a San Francisco Giants-esque bright orange-and-black color scheme. Alrighty then, let’s play tourist.
California Special edition
What’s so special about this “California Special” edition? Well, nothing performance-related, this is basically a visual and styling upgrade. The package adds California Special badging inside, outside and in the engine bay. It features a selection of black trim bits; we’ve got 19-inch black wheels, black stripes, spoiler and hood accents. Up front, there’s a unique grille and in the cabin there are suede inserts on the seats and door panels.
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Motorized convertible top
I was eager to hit the road, but this GT is a convertible so I first took some time to explore the motorized ragtop.
The Mustang’s top drops with the twist of a release at the top center of the windshield hoop and the touch of a button, lowering in about 13 seconds and rising back up in about 16. You can control the entire motorized operation from the driver’s seat and the Z-fold top mostly forms its own cover when retracted, but leaves some of its hardware exposed through two sizable gaps at the corners.
Ford has included a pair of plastic trim bits that you’re supposed to snap into place to clean up the look of the retracted top, but I’m not going to get out of the car to fiddle with them whenever I want to put the top down and again when it’s time to close up and, I’m guessing, you won’t either. I left them awkwardly flopping around in the trunk all week. You’ll probably want to toss them into a closet somewhere.
After a few days logged behind the wheel, I began to understand why I see so many rented Mustang convertibles clogging the Pacific Coast Highway every weekend. (Well, V-6s, not GTs.) With the top dropped, the front seats don’t experience a whole lot of buffeting from the wind, even at highway speeds. (I can’t speak for the rear seats, but with so little legroom back there, I’d wager the winds would be the least of your troubles.) The ‘Stang offers a pretty comfortable ride and an unobstructed view of the world around the car.
Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow
Coulda had a V-8…oh, wait. I do
Beneath the “Special” garnish and the Competition Orange paint — not my favorite hue, by the way — is the standard, but awesome, Mustang GT Premium trim level.
The GT is packing a 5.0-liter V-8 engine making 435 horsepower and a flat 400 pound-feet of torque. My example was even equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, a gearbox that feels pretty good whether you’re cruising, creeping through traffic or hammering it home. It’s not a perfect shifter, but does pretty well as a jack-of-all-trades.
Other available engines include the base 3.7-liter V-6 (300 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque) and a 2.3-liter EcoBoost I-4 option (stated at up to 310 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque). And, in addition to the standard manual transmission, all three engines can be mated to an optional six-speed SelectShift automatic gearbox with paddle shifters.
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For the GT, zero-to-60 mph happens in about 5 seconds, if you drive like I do and tend toward preserving the clutch. The officially quoted 0-60 time is 4.7 seconds, which is already down from the GT coupe’s 4.5. That motorized top and its extra weight dull the Mustang GT’s performance edge just a hair compared with the hardtop. You’re unlikely to notice such a small difference in straight-line performance.
If by some chance you are stressing about 10ths of a second, then you should probably be looking at the 526-horsepower, 429-pound-foot Shelby GT350R, not a grand tourer-cruiser like this.
Burnout mode: Initiated (Electronic Line Lock)
All 2016 Mustangs feature a rear-wheel-drive power train configuration with available torque and traction balanced and optimized by a standard rear limited-slip differential and a new rear independent suspension.
The GT’s drive and traction control systems feature four modes that adapt the performance to the task at hand. There’s sport, normal, race and snow — yes, the more tame GT convertible features a potent race mode that makes it a potent-enough performance toy for enthusiast track days and casual autocrossing.
Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow
The GT models even feature a standard Electronic Line Lock feature, a sort of instant burnout mode aimed at warming up the rear tires for maximum grip in preparation for a quarter-mile launch in the most spectacularly smoky way possible. When activated via an in-dash menu, the system momentarily keeps the front brakes locked while leaving the rear wheels free to burn out the tires without burning out the rear brakes.
2016 Mazda Mazda3 i Grand Touring review – Roadshow
The Good The Mazda3 features an engaging ride, interior design above its class and an infotainment system with redundant touch and physical controls.
The Bad The infotainment system lacks the latest smartphone connectivity options, the gorgeous interior can be a bit drab in all black and its ride will not appeal to drivers of all flavors.
The Bottom Line With excellent on-road poise, bang-on aesthetics and an attractive price, the Mazda3 stands as a solid alternative to the segment’s stalwarts.
In a stomping ground long owned by two major players, the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, other small sedans seem like they’re just playing second fiddle. But the Mazda3 carves its own path, and it’s doing so in the only way that Mazda knows how — driving dynamics.
It would be tough to outclass the stalwarts in other ways. No economy car can truly be a technological runaway these days, not in the era of standard touchscreens and high-tech safety systems. The same goes for the interior — nearly every automaker realizes the days of the hard-plastic penalty box are behind us.
But when it comes to making a car that’s fun to drive without being a complete (and literal) pain in the tuchus for your average owner, boy howdy, that’s where the Mazda3 shines. Aside from the new-for-2016 Honda Civic, the Mazda3 has the whole segment by its neck in this regard.
Handsome without trying too hard
The Mazda3 has one of the strongest body lines I’ve seen. It could cut butter, albeit on a warm day.
Andrew Krok/Roadshow
The Mazda3 keeps to some pretty classic proportions. It doesn’t err on the side of gaudy, choosing thicker tire sidewalls even on higher trim levels. Although prominent, the character lines on the side refrain from giving the car a boy-racer aesthetic. It’s a pretty car that’s a little less futuristic than the new Civic, and it’s likely to age better as a result.
The real visual gem of this car lies inside. The 3’s interior is one of, if not the best in its class. Sure, there’s a bit of hard plastic here and there, but bear in mind this car starts below $20,000. Just like the exterior, the interior manages to avoid being boring without looking like it’s trying too hard.
The leather on the steering wheel and seats feels soft and pleasant to touch. The sensibly laid-out gauges include a perhaps-too-small digital tachometer to the left, and an information display to the right. The infotainment controls, including those mounted on the steering wheel, are easy to figure out and easy to use without distraction.
The biggest point of consternation is the standalone LCD display atop the dashboard. Not everyone likes the look, but I do. It’s certainly better than trying to build a dash bulky enough to swallow the whole screen, and it makes for good sight lines.
Sadly, the rear seat lacks much legroom. It’s smaller than both the Civic and Corolla, which is quite apparent with longer-legged front-seat occupants. Headroom can also be a bit cramped for passengers taller than 6 feet.
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Infotainment, two ways
The knob’s so good, you might even forget the screen is touch-capable.
Andrew Krok/Roadshow
Mazda caters to both early adopters and Luddites with its Mazda Connect system, which features both a touchscreen and redundant controls just aft of the shifter. In fact, I found the physical controls so easy to figure out, that I almost never touched the screen itself.
Mazda Connect is one of my favorite infotainment systems because it’s straightforward. Every page gets its own little dock of icons with descriptions. The navigation map is easy to use, even if not every street name pops up as I approach it. I can stream audio via Bluetooth while the phone is plugged in, which is not a possibility on every model, so my battery won’t die just because I want to listen to music not stored on my phone.
Connectivity options are limited, though. The car lacks both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, or an onboard data connection for destination searches. I found its Aha integration a convenient way to find new points of interest while also expanding my listening options, even though it requires downloading and signing up for Aha’s service.
Frigidaire FPID2497RF review – CNET
The Good The Frigidaire Professional FPID2497RF dishwasher is well-designed and easy to use with handy features like jets that spray deep into your water bottle. The main jets do a good job of scraping dirt off of your dishes and not missing many spots.
The Bad The jets do get a lot of the dirt off initially, but the filter can’t keep up, so if you don’t scrape or rinse your dishes before loading them, you’ll notice small bits of food sprinkled throughout. For $1,100, I wish this dishwasher had a third rack and a couple of unique extras.
The Bottom Line If you’re willing to rinse your dishes, the FPID2497RF is a fine machine, but it needs to be more than that to be worth the premium $1,100 price.
I almost feel sorry for the Frigidaire Professional FPID2497RF dishwasher. It does a great job covering every inch of every dish with water and scraping off coffee, cheese and chili, even egg and wine stains. And we’re pretty tough on our dishwashers when we test them, tasking them with cleaning 13 different types of food that’s been sitting on our plates, bowls, glasses and silverware for 24 hours.
The Frigidaire gets almost all of the food we slather onto the dishes to come off, but the filter lets down the otherwise good design, so bulky foods mix into the water used to clean your dishes and end up spreading across the load.
Like I said, I almost feel sorry for the dishwasher because it does such a good job initially, and because the design of everything but the filter is appealing and effective. But the lofty $1,100 price erases any sympathy points I might have awarded this model. It’s a competent machine with a nice design and a passable number of features and cycles, but I don’t recommend it at its premium price.
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Polished looks
Typical of Frigidaire’s Professional line, the FPID2497RF features straight lines and an attractive stainless-steel finish that does well to resist smudges.
You can purchase the FPID2497RF from Lowe’s, and Frigidaire’s site will direct you to other retailers in your area. As with most large appliances, you can find it cheaper than the listed retail price. Currently, you can buy the FPID2497RF from Lowe’s for $700.
Pull the handle and the display on the right side of the hidden control panel atop the dishwasher’s door lights up.
Pick your cycle and options, and the display will estimate the time it’ll take.
Chris Monroe/CNET
On the left side of the panel, you can switch between the six main cycle options at a touch, then select from five options on the right to add extra dry time or increase the wash temperature. You can also save the cycle and options you use the most to the “My Favorite” button.
The cycles include standards such as a heavy, normal, and express wash, though Frigidaire calls the first one “Powerplus.” The express cycle is aptly named “30-minute wash” and it does do a satisfactory job on more lightly soiled dishes in the shorter time span.
The cycle options.
Chris Monroe/CNET
This Frigidaire doesn’t have any unique cycles or extra options that we’ve found on other high end dishwashers. Both the GE PDT750SSFSS and the LG LDT9965BD distinguished between the normal cycle and an auto-sensing cycle. GE’s dishwasher lets you run a cycle just on the upper or lower rack, and LG’s similarly lets you run a half load and specify if you want an extra rinse.
Inside, the Frigidaire FPID2497RF again isn’t missing anything egregious. The upper rack raises and lowers a couple of inches for added loading flexibility. The back two rows of tines on the bottom rack fold down so you can fit larger dishes. A couple of tines on the upper rack do the same.
This Frigidaire’s stem holders are well designed.
Chris Monroe/CNET
The FPID2497RF even has a couple of nice extras like well-designed wine glass stem holders that firmly clip your fragile glasses into place, and jets specifically meant to spray into tall bottles. The blue of those bottle jets and main jets at the bottom of the tub stand out in an appealing way from the otherwise understated gray of the inside of the tub and the racks.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Apparently, six is overrated. Rumors swirling around the next Samsung Galaxy Note — Samsung’s annual large-screen device with a stylus for navigation and drawing — say its name is jumping from 2015’s Note 5 straight to the Note 7, skipping the Note 6 model entirely.
Another Note will join this rogue’s gallery.
Josh Miller/CNET
But even more important than fretting over the Note’s new name is piecing together its identity: what kind of phone will the Note 7/6 be? Will it simply iterate off of the Note 5 and S7 that came before, or will it wow us with unforetold (or hinted at and unconfirmed) hardware goodies that shake us from the eyelid-drooping expectations of smartphones today?
The most reliable rumors suggest that the Note keeps its 5.7-inch screen, but adds a USB-C port (they’re all the rage) and an iris scanner for unlocking the phone with your eyes. Let’s take stock of the most telling rumors. (P.S. remember, they’re unsubstantiated, so anything could happen!)
Note 7’s the name
Chronology be damned! The internet agrees, the next Note will be the Galaxy Note 7 and not the Galaxy Note 6, even though 2015’s model was called the Note 5 and 2016’s version should logically be the Note 6. But who cares about logic when there’s branding at stake?
However, this would make for a mini-trend in phones named “7.” Samsung already has the Galaxy S7, and ZTE’s Axon lunged from the Axon to the Axon 7, and now this Note 7 rumor. Why? It could be a desire for Samsung to keep the Galaxy S and Note series in line, or perhaps phone makers have no wish to be left behind the gold standard Apple’s already established when and if Apple releases its iPhone 7 this fall as we approach 2017.
And yet, when you count up Notes 1-5 and add in the little-remembered Galaxy Note Edge, this next Note would make the line’s legitimate seventh addition. So there’s that math for ya.
We won’t know for sure until Samsung spills the beans, but the company remains tight-lipped for now.
Launch date: Early August instead of late August
Samsung’s Note line has been a mainstay at the IFA conference held in Berlin, Germany in late August, but whispers suggest an early August arrival. Either way, the phone would come ahead of Apple’s yearly iPhone launch in early September, which usually falls in the first two weeks of the month. Twitter tipster Evan Blass, who has built a reputation of accurate leaks, suggests that the phone will start selling around August 15.
Totally new software interface
New software, new name. The TouchWiz interface that Samsung has used for years to differentiate its phones from other Android-makers could see a major overhaul down to its name. We might kiss TouchWiz goodbye and open our arms to Grace, a more paired-down yet interactive take on the phone software, shown in an allegedly leaked video (below) from Italian site HD.Blog.IT. It’s suggestive even if you don’t understand a lick of Italiano.
The video goes pretty deep on widgets, and transparent folder effects, but one cool reveal is that you can swipe up on an icon to see a window that opens more cool stuff. Likewise, pressing and holding on a quick-access toggle in the notifications shade may snap open extra options for you to act on, like on the flashlight and Wi-Fi settings. For instance, the video shows that you can lower the flashlight brightness and change your Wi-Fi network without having to exit the notifications pull-down.
In essence, this could make the home screen and notifications shade even more of an activities hub than they are now.
The photo gallery could expand and condense with a pinch and zoom of your fingertips.
Updated Note software, too
Samsung usually previews its freshest take on its TouchWiz (or maybe Grace) software on the year’s Note release, but the changes go down to the pen level, too. This time, according to the HDBlog.It video above, we could see a lightly refreshed style with different icons, but much the same functionality to handwrite, scribble and navigate with a touch of the S Pen to the screen.
Pressure-sensitive screen? Not too likely
From what I can see in the Italian video above (which cites the build-of-unknown-origin as “Note5”), then the Note 7 doesn’t look like it borrows Apple’s pressure-sensitive display, which lets you press and hold until the screen gently jostles to pull up more granular data. Still, this is a persistent rumor, and one we also heard about the Galaxy S7 (it didn’t happen).
Iris scanner for real this time
We’ve also heard tell of an iris scanner that can unlock your phone by staring you in the eye. The iris scanner loomed large in Galaxy S4 rumors, too, but turned out to be a different feature that kept the screen from locking when you looked at it often enough. Now that Microsoft’s iris-scanning “Windows Hello” feature in the Lumia 950 has made the security option a reality, it’s much more likely that Samsung will include a real iris scanner this time around.
Other suspected specs
- 5.7-inch screen
- 12-megapixel camera
- 5-megapixel front-facing camera
- IP68 certified against water and dust
- 64GB of space expandable through a microSD card
- USB Type-C port; Quick Charge 3.0
- 4,200mAh battery
- Black, silver, blue colors
What about Android N?
Notably missing from the seething rumor mill is an indication of the Note 7’s operating system. Google’s Android N isn’t out yet and won’t be until fall, so don’t expect the new Note to come with the heretofore unnamed software to debut on this Note. Instead, expect Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, with an upgrade later on, at least a few months after Google’s Nexus phones get a chance to show off all that N can do.
Price and availability
As a rule of thumb, Samsung’s prices hover on the higher end of the scale, and a stylus-packing handset like the Note goes for more than a smaller, more mainstream model like the S7. If prices hold from 2015, expect the 64GB version of the Note 7 to sashay out for roughly $800, which converts to roughly £600 and AU$1,080. Prices will vary further by region, carrier, storage capacity and promotional deals.
Samsung responded to a request for comment by saying “we don’t comment on rumors or speculation.”
Updated at 11:54 a.m. PT with Samsung comment.
Huawei Matebook review – CNET
The Good The Huawei Matebook fits a full Windows 10 PC into an iPad-sized tablet chassis. The fingerprint sensor is fast. Its screen and speakers are excellent.
The Bad You’ll get periodic pauses when launching applications or loading web pages, and battery life is merely OK. Huawei charges extra for the keyboard, stylus and dock you’ll need to use the Matebook like a PC.
The Bottom Line If you like what the Matebook offers, pick the Samsung Galaxy TabPro S instead. The TabPro S has an even better screen, better battery life and throws the keyboard in for free.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
What is Huawei? Just a Chinese company that could become the No. 1 phone maker in the world. Did you know the Google Nexus 6P is a Huawei? You do now. But the company’s latest device isn’t a phone — it’s a 12-inch Windows tablet that’s as slim as an iPad Pro. It’s just a shame Huawei couldn’t match it by every other metric.
Why to buy
Starting at $899 in the US (roughly £680 or AU$1,225, though UK and Australian availability is TBD), the Huawei Matebook is one of the first full Windows 10 computers to fit inside an iPad-sized chassis. (Not the 9.7-inch iPad, mind you — it’s closer to the size of a 12.9-inch iPad Pro.) The secret sauce is Intel’s new Core M processors, which don’t require any noisy fans or other ornate, girthy mechanisms to keep cool.
Left: The iPad Pro. Right: The Huawei Matebook.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Yes, it’s sleek — and like an iPad Pro (or Microsoft’s bulkier Surface Pro), you can attach a wrap-around keyboard folio to turn this tablet into a far more productive machine. I’m typing this entire review on the Matebook’s leather-bound backlit keyboard right now, and while I wouldn’t want to type a novel on these fairly stiff keys, they get the job done. The built-in touchpad is impressive too, with an extremely fine surface that makes for accurate mousing.
Meanwhile, the Matebook’s ridiculously fast fingerprint sensor logs me into Windows with a snap — seriously, watch our video above. And the Matebook’s screen and speakers are among the best compared to other tablets on the market. I actually enjoy listening to music on these speakers, which CNET tablet expert and resident audiophile Xiomara Blanco assures me is a mighty fine compliment. Just don’t expect any bass.
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These key components don’t come in the Matebook package.
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Why to avoid
Now that I’ve made the Huawei Matebook sound like a dream computer, it’s time to bring that dream crashing down.
Caveat No. 1: Intel Core M-powered computers aren’t all the same. A Core M in a thin tablet like this one is notably weaker than one in a laptop-sized chassis. I was able to get all my work done on the Matebook, but sometimes it would bog down. There’d be a huge pause before applications would launch or web pages would load. Thicker Core M machines haven’t given us as much trouble.
Caveat No. 2: The Matebook doesn’t actually come with the keyboard. $899 buys you a bare slate, with no way to control it except the touchscreen. That’s right: The Matebook isn’t even a “book” unless you pay an extra $129. The stylus pen costs $59, and the docking station you’ll need in order to add a monitor, pair of USB ports and an Ethernet jack is $89.
Here One Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Would you wear your earbuds in all the time if they worked well enough?
Doppler Labs
When it comes to noise-canceling headphones, Bose is the agreed-upon industry standard. That’s why the company’s new QuietComfort 35 and QuietControl 30 — which combine active noise cancellation and Bluetooth wireless for the first time — have been so eagerly awaited by headphone junkies.
But active noise-cancellation technology — which “cancels out” external ambient noise with mirror opposite sound waves — isn’t perfect. It generally does a good job with constant droning sounds like airline engines, the whoosh of a train or beach surf, but it can’t magically blot out random uneven noises such as crying babies and police sirens.
Unless, of course, it’s the Here One from Doppler Labs. The new wireless earbuds — one for each ear — offer what the company calls “active-filtering smart listening.” And when they ship in November for $299 (equivalent to £226 or AU$408), the Here One headphones aim to deliver a potent combo of next-gen noise-canceling and Bluetooth music streaming that’s primed and ready to work with your digital assistant of choice.
The Here One charges in its own case, like several other fully wireless sets of earbuds.
Doppler Labs
Second-generation smart ‘buds
The Here One headphones look similar to their predecessors, the Here Active Listening headphones. Doppler Labs calls them “in-ear computers” because they have multiple processors that help identify background noise and create an ambient filter on the fly, using directional microphone arrays in each of the two independent earpieces.
Here One is made to be worn all the time, so that voice assistants — Siri, Cortana and the like — could potentially be talking all day long via a phone would be filtered to sound normal in everyday settings, creating what Doppler calls layered audio, or “mixed reality for your ears.”
CNET got to try the first version of Here Active Listening earlier this year. That version raised eyebrows because it never included normal earphone functions for music playback: they were just really smart noise filters. Here One adds the set of EQ settings and noise/frequency filters from Here Active, but adds another layer of “adaptive” filters, which Doppler Labs promises will filter out — or, enhance — sounds around you: a siren, nearby conversation, or a crying baby.
Here One’s phone app and smart filters.
Doppler Labs
Of course, Here’s lofty goals raises a long list of practical questions. First and foremost is battery life. The independently wireless earbuds last about 3 to 5 hours on a charge, and charge up twice more in the included battery-pack case. That isn’t enough for truly always-on and always-in ear-wear. Meanwhile, toggling between “passthrough” and “quiet” modes — flipping between a conversation with the barista and solo music listening — seems like it could be a challenge. And — with respect to anyone who wears a hearing aid — is it going to be socially acceptable to have your headphones in 24-7?
The sci-fi fan in me could see the Here One as an audio alternative to virtual reality/augmented reality/mixed reality tech for the eyes, focusing only on being a better set of earbuds. But the two ideas could dovetail, in theory, with the right apps and tech. (And now I include my requisite reference to “Her.”)
More realistically, though, if Here One manages to mix music, voice feedback and everyday noise into something better than everyday active noise-canceling headphones, they could be onto something.
We’ll know more when we get to try a pair later this year.
Inside review – CNET
The Good Inside is a beautifully designed puzzle platforming game from Playdead, the studio that made Limbo. Its controls are seamless and it tells a wonderfully strange story.
The Bad You’ll just want more of Inside when it’s all said and done.
The Bottom Line Inside is a brilliant work of atmosphere that tells a twisted and engaging story. It’s smart, bizarre and one the finest gaming experiences of the year.
Available on Xbox Store:$19.99
Inside is the type of game I love showing people who aren’t aware that games can actually make you feel things.
That’s the brilliance of Inside, the sophomore effort from Danish developer Playdead, the team that brought us 2010’s Limbo. It’s a remarkably emotional trip through a quietly horrific world that is as fresh as it is unique.
If you in subscribe to the notion that videogames aren’t just about killing zombies and shooting soldiers, it’s your responsibility to give Inside a shot.
It’s been six years since Limbo creeped me out to the point where I couldn’t play it alone (or with the lights off) and Inside hits every single mark I hoped it would — and then some.
Playdead
Inside is a natural evolution of the themes and platforming of Limbo. The most satisfying part is seeing all of its predecessor’s nuances fleshed out and better realized. There’s a maturity in every element of Inside, from its wicked puzzle design to its brooding score.
It’s worth noting this isn’t a game for everyone. It’s dark, occasionally upsetting and downright macabre throughout. For me that’s part of its charm, but I can’t deny how brutal it can be.
Similar to that first reaction I felt to dying in Limbo, the first time you die in Inside might force you to let out a genuine gasp before the screen fades to black.
Your character, a faceless boy, follows a single line through a world that’s somewhere between two- and three-dimensional. He can’t interact with the fore and backgrounds, so he’s essentially stuck on a plane all the way through the game.
Playdead
Where Limbo felt like the whole thing was being shown through a dirty projector on the wall of an abandoned asylum, Inside has a cleaner look, opting for the striking visuals of a decrepit flooded industrial wasteland. Instead of black and white, Inside opts for shades of desaturated colors, but most of its bleak palette is made up of a variety of grays.
The camera follows the boy on a left to right adventure through a world that is isolating, oddly tranquil and cold. You’re not sure how you got there, but you quickly learn there are people in this place who don’t want you out and about, discovering their dark secrets of experimentation and control.
Devialet Gold Phantom Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Bombs and Rockets. If French audio company Devialet was an ’80s synth band this would be the title of its sophomore album. For while the company gleefully compared the amount of pressure inside the Silver Phantom to a type of bomb, it says the new Gold Phantom has the same power as a rocket launch. Lesson in short: don’t drop these things from a great height.
In terms of price alone, the Devialet is winning the arms race when it comes to high-end wireless speakers at $3,000 or £1,690 (about AU$3,050). Below it sits models such as the Raumfeld Stereo L, the Naim mu-so and two other Devialet Phantoms.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The Gold model is $600 more than the Silver and the company says the changes have not only been about extending frequency response but also providing a smoother response in the mids and treble. One of the improvements is the move from an aluminum tweeter to a stiffer titanium one, which Devialet says allows for a more extended treble.
The frequency response is now listed as 14Hz to 27kHz, which is way beyond both human hearing and the limits of a CD. Some of the improvements are as a result of the company tuning the digital signal processing (DSP) in the unit and Devialet representatives say this means users of the other Phantoms in the range will also see an improvement to their units with future firmware.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The other improvement is that the power has been boosted yet again from a ridiculous 3,000 watts to an absolutely ludicrous 4,500W. This has enabled the designers to wring an extra couple of decibels out of the machine to top out at a rock concert-worthy 108 decibels.
As you’d expect from a “gold” product the new Devialet actually includes the precious metal in the finish. The “gills” on each side are covered in 22-carat rose gold but it isn’t as gaudy in the flesh as it might sound.
The Phantom is a Wi-Fi-centric speaker and is controlled by the Phantom Spark app (for Android, iOS and Mac), which plays music from your phone as well as Tidal and Spotify Connect, plus Deezer and Qobuz in applicable markets. Other streaming services are yet to be confirmed.
If you don’t want to connect via Wi-Fi though, you have the option of Bluetooth or even optical. Finally, as with the other two Phantoms you can pair them together for stereo listening, but at $6,000 for a pair they’re in pretty heady territory.
The Devialet Gold Phantom is a high-end wireless speaker with 4,500W of power.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Ears-on tests
If there’s one thing I noted about the performance of the Silver Phantom is that it tended on the bright side of neutral. Based on a short listening test the sound I heard lacked the brightness of the previous model and instead sounded open and nuanced. Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand” had the three-dimensionality I’d heard in “proper” stereo systems and managed to untangle the knotty mass of deep vocals and bass line.
Dead Can Dance’s “Yulunga (Spirit Dance)” exhibited plenty of air during the 2-minute opening and then when the shaker egg appeared it sounded incredibly present. It was as if someone was shaking it in the room with us. The drums that accompany the shakers weren’t as bombastic as I’ve heard previously, but I couldn’t say without further testing of the Phantom with bassy material whether this was a good or bad thing.
Conclusion
The Devialet Gold Phantom will be available for pre-order on France’s national holiday, Bastille Day, July 14. This is obviously not your typical Bluetooth speaker. It is the Lamborghini Gallardo of wireless speakers: beautiful to look at and (potentially) performs well too. As nice as it is, however, unless you have a palatial room to fill, the “entry-level” 750W Phantom at $1,990 or £1,390 (about AU$2,510) will probably do almost as good a job.
AIVAnet 