Bragi Unveils Wireless ‘Headphone’ Earbuds Ahead of Apple Event
Wireless audio company Bragi has today announced a new pair of Bluetooth earbuds simply called the “Headphone”. Based on the firm’s original crowdfunded Dash earpieces, the Headphone buds boast the same overall design, but lose some features in favor of a more affordable price tag.
According to Bragi, the main physical difference is the Headphone’s three physical buttons, which replace the touch controls found on the Dash for controlling playback, audio transparency, volume, and taking calls.
The activity tracking features native to the $300 Dash buds are also missing in the new earpieces, but their removal shores up battery life on the Headphone, with Bragi promising up to six hours of operation on a single charge, rather than the three hours Dash users will be accustomed to. Bragi also claims the Headphone buds feature a stronger Bluetooth connection than the Dash.
The Bragi Headphone buds are poised to launch in November and will cost $150, with pre-orders starting today at the lower price of $119.
In addition to the new earpieces, Bragi today announced a firmware update to the original Dash buds which the company says improves the accuracy of the devices’ heart-rate tracking, while also bolstering the strength of the Bluetooth connection.
With Apple’s event just days away, Bragi is unlikely to be the last accessory firm to announce wireless products this week, as the industry shifts gears in anticipation of a new iPhone widely believed to lack a headphone jack.
Apple will provide a live stream of the September 7 keynote on the Apple TV and on iOS and Mac devices through its website. MacRumors will be providing live coverage of the event for those unable to watch, both on MacRumors.com and through the @MacRumorsLive account on Twitter.
Read: What to Expect From Apple’s September 7 Event
Tag: Bragi
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How to choose the right Chromebook
Knowing what to look for before you buy will make you happier and can save you money — which also makes you happier.
Whether you’re buying your first Chromebook or upgrading from an older model, you need to know what to look for before you part with your cash. Really, most purchases are this way — especially electronics of any sort. We can help you figure out which Chromebook features are right for you so you can be an informed buyer.
If you’re not yet sure that Chrome OS will work for you, go cheap.
Before you begin, you should set your budget. Thankfully, a fully capable and future ready (if not future proof) model can be had for well under $300 if you don’t want to go for the top-shelf. And realistically, you don’t. Chrome OS runs really well on hardware that might not have enough “oomph” for another operating system. In fact, there’s a good chance your phone will have more cores, be clocked higher and have more memory than a Chromebook that can do everything it’s intended to do. That’s not to say you won’t benefit from having a more premium model with better specs, but it’s certainly not necessary.
And that makes the first thing on our buyer’s checklist easy: if you’re not yet sure that Chrome OS will work for you, go cheap.
The top selling Chromebook on Amazon (with a 4.5-star rating, too!) is the Acer Chromebook CB-3. It sells new for $149.99 (as of September 2016). And while it’s not the nicest laptop you’ll ever see, it has a great IPS screen and runs the very latest version of Chrome OS. And runs it pretty well. You will see things get bogged down a little if you’re trying to do too much at one time, but a browser session with a handful of tabs open or a few Chrome apps or documents open won’t be a problem at all. It’s a perfect way to see how Chrome will handle doing the things you want it to do.
Amazon is also a great place to look for refurbished models that still carry a full warranty. I have seen Chromebooks for as little as $99 for Amazon Prime accounts, and any of them would be a good way to try a taste of Chrome OS so you know if you’re ready to spend a little more.
See at Amazon
If you’re already sure you want a little better hardware or are looking forward to Android apps, you still don’t have to spend a lot of money. But you do need to know what to look for.
Android apps will change how we use a Chromebook.
Android apps are going to change how we use a Chromebook. Adding almost 2,000,000 apps to one of the fastest and safest operating systems available will also make it one of the most capable for many of us. Don’t expect to run specialty programs like Adobe Photoshop or a CAD program, but for things like light video editing or 3-D drawing, you’ll find a handful of apps that can handle the task. Chromebooks weren’t designed for folks who need to use a high-end desktop or laptop. But most of us don’t need a high-end desktop or laptop and will be served well with a Chromebook. If Android apps are going to be important to you, here are a few things you need to look for.
- Make sure it’s on the list. You’ll find a list of Chromebooks that will be able to run apps from Google Play when it’s launched later in 2016. Any existing model will be listed if it’s going to support them. For newly-announced models, ask someone about Android apps before you buy. You can ask us — if we don’t know, we’ll find out.
- More storage is better. This goes without saying, but we are saying it anyway. Chromebooks were designed as a cloud-centric device. Because of this, many don’t come with a lot of storage space. Android apps can change how much you’ll need. Consider some games for Android (which will play just fine on your Chromebook) are up to 2GB or more in size, and you’ll see why. You can store a lot of data or documents or photos on the SD card, but apps will go on the actual device storage. Ideally, you’ll want 32GB or more, but 16 can work if you’re not interested in any games.
- Know how you plan to use it. Some of us want a convertible model that we can use like a tablet. Others want a traditional clamshell-style. Spending a little more to get something you’ll find more useful is worth it. Screen size comes into play here, too. If you’re on the go a lot, you might want an 11-inch model. Or the 14-incher would be better for your desk. Think about how you’ll be using your Chromebook before you buy one.
- Get a model with a touch screen. Using a touch screen for “normal” computing kinda sucks. Editing something in Google Docs or writing a long email just isn’t designed for touch input no matter which platform. That’s why the people who make tablets also make keyboard covers. But that changes when you add in apps originally designed fro a phone. They are built for a great experience when poking and swiping with your finger, and that translates well from a 5-inch screen to a 13-inch screen. While you can use the trackpad for most any of it, it’s just not as good.
- How much memory do you need? That’s determined by what you plan to do. A model with 2GB will be enough to have a few tabs open in the browser as well as an app or two running, but if you’re the power-user type you’ll want to go with 4GB. The video experience benefits from more memory, too. A 1080p video on YouTube or Google Play Movies can get a little stuttery with 2GB, but 720p runs great.
- Buy one with the right CPU. For most of us, a Chromebook with an Intel Core i3 or Core i5 CPU is absolute overkill. They are also a good bit higher priced. Unless you plan to really tax the system or dual-boot with Linux, you don’t need one. A late-model Intel Celeron (if you’re not sure based on the spec sheet, just ask) or ARM CPU is more than enough for most of us.
- How premium do you want to go? Every other item on this list can be had in a sub-300 dollar Chromebook. You can also spend upwards of $600 for one that works. The $300 model will handle most anything you throw at it, but the $600 model just feels better. I won’t toss a silly car analogy in here, but only you know how much a nicer look and feel is worth. Of course, more expensive models tend to have nicer displays and smoother trackpads, too.
You’ll have to decide which Chromebook is best for you, but we can toss a couple recommendations out. I’ve been using an ASUS Chromebook Flip for a while now (I’m writing this blog post with one) and for anyone who wants a tablet-like experience, it’s marvelous. I have to try hard to get it to struggle and the screen, trackpad and keyboard are more than acceptable. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a smaller (11-inch) model.
See at Amazon
If you’re ready to go all-in with Chrome and don’t mind spending a little more, The Dell Chromebook 13 is what I consider the best Chromebook available today. It’s not the most expensive model — that award goes to the HP Chromebook 13 which lacks a touch screen — but it’s not exactly cheap either. For someone using a Chromebook for business or anyone who just wants the best (it’s OK to treat yourself once in a while), the Dell 13 is the one to buy.
See at Dell
Of course, new Chromebooks are coming out all the time and something coming up may be even better. You can keep up to date on our Best Chromebooks page, and keep an eye out for our reviews. And as always, the forums are a great place to learn more about anything Chrome.
Chromebooks
- The best Chromebooks
- Should you buy a Chromebook?
- Google Play is coming to Chromebooks
- Acer Chromebook 14 review
- Join our Chromebook forums
IFA 2016: All things mobile
IFA isn’t as big of a mobile show it once was. Samsung and LG opted to have their big phone announcements elsewhere this year, and even Motorola had its own Lenovo-hosted soiree a few months ago. Still, we did see a few new handsets at the show, along with a cool new MotoMod attachment. Peruse our gallery below for all the mobile news to come out of IFA 2016.
We’re live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
‘Fallout 4’ immortalizes a player’s late brother
Games have paid tribute to late celebrities and fans in the past, but rarely like this. When Reddit user NoohjXLVII (aka Andy) posted about the tragic losses of his father and his brother, as well as using Fallout 4 as a coping mechanism, Bethesda responded by including his brother as a character in Fallout’s Nuka World add-on. Run into Evan at the southernmost part of Nuka World’s map and you’ll meet the recreation of a man who Andy says was just as generous in real-life as he is in-game — the virtual Evan will gladly give you whatever he can. He’s not a perfect physical match, but he captures the “essence” of the person.
This won’t make up for Evan’s passing, although you can contribute to a GoFundMe campaign to help ease his family’s burden. Even so, the character (and the care package sent to Andy) are tremendous gestures. They’ll help preserve the memory of a man who, by all accounts, was taken from the world too soon.
[Thanks, Kristy]
Via: Kotaku, Eurogamer
Source: Reddit, GoFundMe
IFA 2016 showed us how far wearables have come
The wearables world has come a long way in a very short time, and plenty of companies have had to learn their lessons out in public. The first devices they launched were often far, far too ugly to find mainstream acceptance, but now the fashion and wearables worlds are perfectly aligned. That’s why we’re taking a look at the devices that arrived at this year’s IFA, and comparing it with their more embarrassing predecessors. Think of it like #throwbackthursday, except nobody’s got one of those face-worn retainers you only see in ’80s movies.
ASUS’ Zenwatch
Like many other early Android Wear pioneers, ASUS thought that it was hip to be square. It made sense, since smartphones have square displays too, not to mention the (then) scarcity of truly-round displays. ASUS trimmed the price to make the Zenwatch cheaper than its rivals, and curved the glass over the face to offer an illusion of greater ergonomics. The end result is a watch that made square faces look reasonably stylish, even if it would only ever cater to a niche.
Two years down the road and ASUS has firmly grasped a copy of the fashion watch design playbook and is holding it firmly with both hands. The Zenwatch 3 is packing a rose-gold inlay, a chunky crown and double pushers, making it look less like an Android Wear device and more like a Longines. It’s the sort of watch that goes down well with business types who want to be seen wearing their money on their wrists.
Samsung Gear
When you look at the first Galaxy Gear you have to ask what Samsung was thinking, even back then. It may have been a refinement of the company’s S9110 telephone watch, but it wasn’t pretty, no sir. Admittedly, it’s a striking piece of gear, with a brutalist design, exposed screws and a humped, 1.9-megapixel camera that juts out of the band rather than the hardware. But when you look at Samsung’s earlier smartwatches, like the SPH-WP10, the Galaxy Gear looks like pure elegance.
Just three years stand between the OG Gear and the Gear S3, but they couldn’t be further apart in the looks department. The Gear S3 looks like a regular watch, the sort of ultra-masculine timepiece that you’d see advertised in an in-flight magazine. Like its immediate predecessor, the bezel acts as a control dial, but now it’s been geared so that it doesn’t even look like a watch from the future. In fact, the Gear S3 could convincingly pass for a Rolex diving watch made half a century ago.
Sony Headphones
Sony’s been there (or thereabouts) for plenty of milestones in personal audio, even if it might not want everyone to remember some of its own missteps. From 1968’s DR-4A, the company’s first noise-isolating stereo headphones, to the Xperia Ear, which will arrive in stores this November. Back in the day, a 5.5mm audio lead with a nice woven coating was what connected your headphones to the sound source of your choice. These days, of course, it’s all about Bluetooth, but the Ear lets you send commands to your phone as well as receive sounds back. Even if you wouldn’t necessarily call it a headphone, per-se.
A side effect of the design of these small earpieces, of course, is that wearing them are significantly less conspicuous. In an era where people wear enormous Beats-branded cans as a matter of course, in-ear earpieces are, by comparison, invisible. While the first-generation Xperia Ear stands out, other devices of its kind — like Bragi’s Dash — aren’t meant to be visible. Although, we’re getting to the point where it’s not necessarily right to call these gadgets wearables, since they’re not really worn so much as inserted. Then again, nobody wants to walk into an electronics store and ask for the insertables section.
Withings
Withings has built its ecosystem of health products piece by piece, but its first device with heart rate monitoring wasn’t one for the record books. The Withings Pulse was a square rubber brick that was intended to be worn on a belt clip like a pedometer. After your workout, you could pull out the device, press it against your finger and be told how well your heart was doing at that particular moment. But aside from its blocky design, it had some great features, including automatic activity detection and a long-life battery. Unfortunately, the act of removing it from the clip wore the rubber out pretty quickly, and it was easy to forget when you changed pants.
Now, the company has seen the error of its ways and baked in the optical heart rate monitor into its Swiss-inspired watch. The Steel HR masks its more technological components between an analog dial and sub-dial — the latter of which tells you how much activity you’ve undertaken that day. The only gadgety component of the watch is the digital sub-dial which offers your heart rate, as well as smartphone notifications for calls, emails and texts. By burying the nuts and bolts behind a well-designed and subtle timepiece, Withings is pushing us towards a world where we’re not even aware of the tech we’re wearing.
E-Ink Watches
Sony’s first E Ink watch, FES, arrived in 2014, and cleverly added the technology to both the face and wristband. That’s led to some interesting options for customization and promised to radically alter the way watches were worn. But it was by no means the first E Ink timepiece on the market, and an early proponent was Phosphor, which launched the Ana-Digi timepiece back in 2012. The display itself was static, and users could use a side-mounted pusher to toggle between time and date views on the face.
But adding E Ink to a watch clearly hasn’t provided the necessary surge in sales that Sony was hoping for. For the second-generation of its groundbreaking timepiece, it’s added more traditionally-watch like design cues. That includes a prominent bezel and sapphire glass across the crystal, making it slightly less exciting. Then again, it perhaps shows that the tried-and-tested formula for watches hasn’t changed much in the last century, and these companies have learned that if you can’t beat ’em, you might as well join ’em.
We’re live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
Bragi’s new wireless headphones are cheaper, but not as smart
It took nearly two years and a Kickstarter campaign for Bragi to deliver its completely wireless smart earbuds that handle music, activity tracking and phone calls. Now the company is back with its second product: The Headphone. At first glance, Bragi’s Headphone looks a lot like its elder sibling, but upon close inspection it’s quite a bit different. The main way to tell the two apart visually is the physical buttons and lack of multi-colored lights on the outside of this new model. Dash features touch controls for volume, skipping tracks, taking calls and more while Headphone has three buttons you’ll need to press to complete those tasks.
The Headphone also doesn’t have the activity tracking sensors that the Dash employs. Yes, this means you won’t be able to turn your head to answer calls or log a workout like you can with Dash. Without the extra tech on board, this new model touts nearly double the battery life at six hours. Balanced armature speakers provide the sound from your phone via Bluetooth and Bragi’s Audio Transparency feature is a click away. The tool allows for outside noise to come in so you can hear a car horn while on a run or what your coworker is saying in the next cubicle. Bragi’s feature-packed Dash is priced at $300, but the new Headphone will only set you back $150 when it ships in November.
Speaking of the Dash, the company also announced an update for the software that runs those wireless headphones. Bragi OS 2.1 improves Bluetooth performance, an issue we noted during our review, and adds language support for Chinese, French, German and Spanish. All of those fitness stats can now be shared with Google Fit and Apple HealthKit along with syncing on the Apple Watch. Bragi also added a Touch Lock that ensures you don’t use gestures when you don’t mean to, a shuffle feature for the internal music player and on-demand heart rate tracking that can be turned off should the need arise. The best part? It’s available right now.
While Bragi got a jump on the completely wireless in-ear headphone game, other companies have followed in its wake. Samsung’s Gear IconX does a lot of what the Dash offers for $100 less, including fitness tracking and internal storage. Just this week, Jabra revealed its version of wireless earbuds that track your hear rate and exercise like the other two options for $250, but the Elite Sport won’t house a a portion of your music library for phone-free access.
Amazon, Apple and Google back Microsoft fight over US gag orders
Microsoft isn’t going it alone in its lawsuit fighting gag orders for data requests. Amazon, Apple, Google and Mozilla have contributed to a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Microsoft’s case against the US government over the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which lets officials bar companies from telling customers when officials want their info. In theory, the brief could sway the court’s decision and have it deem the ECPA a violation of the constitutional right to be informed about searches and seizures.
It’s not just tech industry giants contributing, either. Supporters range from oil giant BP through to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Fox News. Even five former Department of Justice and FBI officials are supporting Microsoft.
There’s no guarantee this will work. The Justice Department insists that Microsoft has no grounds for its lawsuit, that there are steps to protect rights and that there’s a “compelling” interest in keeping criminal investigations secretive. However, as with tech companies supporting Apple in its battle against the FBI, the brief is a reminder that any ruling will have an effect on the rights of many people, not just Microsoft’s users.
Via: Ars Technica
Source: Reuters, Mozilla Blog
Apple Decorates Bill Graham Civic Auditorium Ahead of Wednesday’s Event
Over the weekend, Apple began decorating the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, which is where its “See You on the 7th” keynote will be held on Wednesday. Crews have put up window decorations and flags with Apple logos, plus other black-with-colored-dots themed banners and signage.
At the event, Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, second-generation Apple Watch, and refreshed Beats products. Apple should also provide final release dates for iOS 10, macOS Sierra, tvOS 10, and watchOS 3, and it may have other product and service updates to announce.
Apple will provide a live stream of the September 7 keynote on the Apple TV and on iOS and Mac devices through its website. MacRumors will also provide live coverage of the event for those unable to watch, both on MacRumors.com and through our @MacRumorsLive account on Twitter.
Read: What to Expect From Apple’s September 7 Event
(Thanks, Edward!)
Tags: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, September 2016 event
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Android Central 304: IFA 2016 crossover special!
A very special crossover episode with the Windows Central team live from IFA 2016 in Berlin.
Dive into all the news from the week, including big announcements from Samsung, Huawei, Sony, Motorola, Lenovo, Acer, Asus and more! This one is a doozy, folks, so dig in, grab a beverage (or two) and enjoy.
A quick warning: There is some swearing in this live episode. Sorry again, Jeff!
Thanks to this week’s sponsor:
- Harrys: Use promo code AC to save $5 off your first purchase — start shaving smarter.
Podcast MP3 URL: http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/ac304-128.mp3
Save 30% or more on these awesome Anker accessories today!
Anker is running a one-day sale at Amazon and is offering at least 30% off its great accessories. Whether you need some new cables, an external battery or even a computer mouse, you won’t want to miss out on this sale! Anker makes some great accessories for all types of smartphones and other electronics, so if you are looking to save some money and grab some fantastic accessories, today is your chance.
Some of the deals include:
- Anker 10400mAh power bank – $17
- Anker 10 port USB desktop charger – $30
- Anker Powerline+ USB-C cable – $10.50
- Anker Dual USB car charger – $15
- Anker Wireless Mouse – $12.50
There are a bunch of other accessories available in this one-day sale as well. Remember, it is only good for today, September 5, so don’t wait too long to place your order.
See at Amazon
