Bose QuietComfort 35 review – CNET
The Good The Bose QuietComfort 35 combines top-of-the-line active-noise canceling with wireless Bluetooth operation in an extra-comfortable, fold-up design. The sound is excellent for Bluetooth, and it doubles as a great headset for phone calls. Works in wired mode with included cord if battery dies.
The Bad Battery isn’t user-replaceable, and the headphone is heavier than the QuietComfort 25.
The Bottom Line Bluetooth meets best-in-class noise canceling: the Bose QuietComfort 35 is the ultimate noise canceling wireless headphone you can buy right now.
This is the Bose product a lot of people have been waiting for: the QuietComfort 35, an active noise-canceling headphone that’s also wireless.
At $350 (£290, AU$499), it costs more than the wired QuietComfort 25. But at least it’s only a $50 price bump, which puts this around what Beats’ competing Studio Wireless costs. (That 2014 headphone has been discounted in recent months, however, indicating Beats probably has something new coming.)
While the QC35 is very similar looking to the QC25 and is relatively lightweight, it is heavier than the QC25, weighing in at 10.9 ounces or 309 grams vs. 6.9 ounces or 196 grams. The one significant exterior design change Bose has made is to widen the headband, which makes for a little more stable fit with perhaps some added sturdiness.
The QuietComfort 35 has a wider headband than the QuietComfort 25 and weighs more.
Sarah Tew/CNET
With microphones inside and outside the earcups, Bose says the QC35 senses, measures and sends unwanted sounds to two proprietary digital electronic chips — one for each ear — that respond with a precise, equal and opposite signal in less than a fraction of a millisecond. According to Bose, the headphone is also equipped with a new digital equalizing system that balances the sound, whether you’re listening at lower or higher volumes.
Battery life is rated at 20 hours, which is quite good. However, Bose has moved to an integrated rechargeable battery from the the QC25’s AAA removable battery configuration. (Bose’s SoundLink Around-Ear Wireless Headphones II also uses an integrated rechargeable battery.) I personally don’t have a problem with the change — and don’t like having to buy new batteries — but some people prefer their powered headphones to use standard batteries so you can swap in a new one should the headphone die, say, mid-flight. Also, rechargeable batteries only have so many charges in them, and while the one in the QC35 should last several years, it’s not user-replaceable. (By comparison, the Parrot Zik has a removable, rechargeable battery.)
The good news is the headphone does work as a wired headphone if the battery runs out of juice (a 47.2-inch cord is included — it’s slimmer than the one that comes with the QC25 and has no integrated microphone). You just can’t use the noise-canceling or Bluetooth, of course, but at least you can get some sound out of it, and the tight seal of the ear cups does provide a fair amount of noise isolation. As a passive headphone, the QC35 sounds decent — just not $350 decent. When powered on, the digital processing and equalization features do smooth things out and improve the sound, so it’s best used it as a powered headphone.
The headphone is also available in a silver version.
Sarah Tew/CNET
It’s also worth noting that it’s important to have the corded option for airplane use. Some airlines will still restrict you from using Bluetooth headphones during portions of the flight, and a cord is necessary to plug into your seat’s in-flight entertainment system. Thats’ the one drawback of Bose’s upcoming QuietControl 30 in-ear Bluetooth headphone with variable noise-canceling: it can only be used as a wireless headphone and has no corded option.
As for other features, there’s an integrated remote on the right earcup with buttons for adjusting the volume, controlling playback and answering and ending calls. The QC35 also works with Bose’s free Connect app for iOS and Android devices, and I didn’t have any trouble pairing the headphone with an iPhone 6S, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and and MacBook Air (you can pair the headphone with two devices at the same time and jump back and forth between them).
Bose may add features to the Connect app in the future, but currently it’s pretty basic: It allows you to manage your pairing list, upgrade the firmware and change the auto power off settings (the headphone powers down if you don’t use it for a certain length of time, which is a good battery-saving feature). When you turn on the headphones, a female voice advises you of how much battery life is remaining and with which devices you’re paired. That information is also available in the app.
Bose QuietComfort 35 (pictures)
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Available in silver or black, the QC35 is designed to be used as an advanced wireless headset, and it muffles ambient sounds like wind and crowd noise so callers can hear you better — and vice versa. There’s also a side-tone feature that allows you to hear your own voice in the headphones as you speak so you don’t raise your voice while talking.
It works really well as a headset and is great for conference calls (I’m on one as I write this). It’s superior to the QC25 in this regard.
Best noise-canceling, excellent sound for Bluetooth
The QC35 may not be the best-sounding Bluetooth headphone out there, but it’s certainly among them. I spent most of my time comparing it to the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless and the Beats Studio Wireless, both of which are Bluetooth headphones that feature active noise-canceling (the Parrot Zik 3 and Sony H.ear on Wireless NC do, too).
Xiaomi Mi Max review – CNET
The Good The Xiaomi Mi Max has a brilliant, massive 6.4-inch screen and ridiculously good battery life.
The Bad The phone’s enormous size makes it hard to use one-handed; it’s also heavy and sticks out uncomfortably in your pants pocket.
The Bottom Line The Xiaomi Mi Max’s premium build, amazing battery life and superlarge screen make this a good phone for watching videos and playing games but the size makes it hard to use with one hand.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
If the phrase “too big” never made it into your vocabulary, then the 6.4-inch Xiaomi Mi Max was made for people like you. The display is bright and the battery lasts for a good, long time, but the question for any phone this large will always come back to size: is it too much for you, or can you work with it?
I’m personally not a fan. Phones don’t need to be small, but they also shouldn’t be hard to use one-handed. And let’s be clear here, the Max is a strictly two-handed affair if you want to use it without difficulty (unless you have really large hands). I found it hard to reach apps, and it’s just a pain to keep adjusting my grip to reach stuff at the top of the phone. Still, I guess the Mi Max is really useful to shade your face on a sunny day, and I do really like how the metal chassis feels in my hands.
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The Xiaomi Mi Max is big enough to use as a shade if it’s sunny outside.
Aloysius Low/CNET
Of course, the real reason you’re buying this phone is to watch video and read — e-books, articles, Facebook, whatever — and the Mi Max is perfect for this. The large 6.4-inch full-HD (1,920×1,080 pixels) is sharp and vibrant, and Xiaomi’s Sunlight Display technology makes details like words and images clearer under bright sunlight. Gaming on the phone was great. Asphalt 8 ran smoothly on High settings, and I actually liked having a bigger screen here.
Ninebot by Segway miniPro Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
In the space of twelve months, hoverboards went from cool new gadgets to public (spaces) enemy number one. Between being a pedestrian hazard and potentially explosive, these motorized self-balancing skateboards are illegal to use outside of private property in New York City and the entirety of the United Kingdom (to name just a few locales), and many airlines ban their transport, too.
Into that challenging market comes Segway. That company’s original product, the self-balancing two-wheeled Personal Transporter scooter, was essentially the original hoverboard. In fact, Ninebot — the Chinese company that purchased Segway in 2015 — has successfully barred all rival hoverboards from the US market, saying they infringe on Segway’s patent for self-balancing two-wheeled devices.
And with its new miniPro, Segway’s pitch is now, “Why settle for those knockoffs when you can get the real thing?” Indeed, the Segway miniPro is essentially a downsized version of the old Personal Transporter. But the name brand status will cost you a pretty penny: $999, to be precise.
The Ninebot by Segway miniPro is a high-end hoverboard with unusual features including a steering column and Bluetooth remote.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The classic Segway handlebars have been shrunken down to a distinctive knee-high “steering bar” poking up from the main platform. It’s also better built than most hoverboards with chunky tires and a substantial-feeling platform to stand upon.
But while it may look like an old-school Segway, the miniPro’s weight limit is a lot more conservative — 185 pounds (84 kg) versus 260 pounds (118 kg). While most hoverboards are controlled by leaning with your feet, only the miniPro is supplemented by the steering bar which makes finer control possible. You grip the steering bar above your knee and lean left or right to turn. It’s easy to turn 360 degrees on the spot as a result.
Related Links
- Before you even think of buying a hoverboard, read this
- Segway bought by Chinese rival Ninebot
- Segway offers hoverboard competitor in US for $1,000
- Hoverboards banned again for infringing Segway patents
It pays to keep in mind that the steering bar is “live” when powered on, and should definitely not be used to steady yourself when getting on unless you want to be flung off. Instead you need to step on one of the pads, listen for the beep and then carefully lift your other foot onto it. It takes a little practice, but it’s not like balancing on a bike as the pads are unusually sensitive. You may end up scooting back and forward slightly when you stand still just to keep your balance.
Sarah Tew/CNET
While it’s locked to 4 MPH (6.4 km/h) for the first kilometer, it’s capable of a potential top speed of 10 MPH (16.1 km/h). But the device is designed to slow you down way before that and it does this by gently leaning backwards. The hoverboard beeps and notifies you when you’re going “too fast” which we found was around the 6 to 7 MPH mark (10 km/h).
It’s definitely fun to ride around and a few people including myself experienced a kind of Hello Panda moreishness. You want to keep riding as soon as you get off.
One thing we did notice is that the unit can be a little hyperactive when left to its own devices. It can slowly roll away when sitting by itself even when on a flat surface. This is surely a gyroscope issue but it shouldn’t move unless being controlled (either by a rider or by Bluetooth). While there is a balance control slider which is designed to prevent this happening it wasn’t very effective. The scooter slid backwards and forwards anyway.
Screenshot: Ty Pendlebury/CNET
And yes, the Segway is controllable by Bluetooth. The scooter comes with an app (iOS and Android) which is used for a bunch of different functions — and this includes annoyingly insistent and undefeatable safety instructions (even if you’ve sat through them before you need to wait 30 seconds or shut down the app to leave). The app also monitors speed and charge levels.
The remote control gives you a D-Pad type surface to control the miniPro but there’s no camera and it’s only over Bluetooth. This means line-of-sight with 50 feet (15m) or so. It’s a fun trick and great for scaring pets, but it’s even harder to control than when riding. Braking takes a lot longer, even when you pull right back, and it’s really easy to crash the unit. As a result it’s probably not something you’ll use a lot.
It’s worthwhile noting that there is a China-only version called the mini (as opposed to the miniPro) which is only $300. Segway says the differences between the two are in the feature set, and that the local version was subject to the UL 2272 certification which covers hoverboards specifically, unlike the mini.
Expensive, impractical — and incredibly fun
The Segway is like one of those cool mini Mercedes electric cars for kids — it looks like fun but its kind of out of the reach of most people. As a commuter device, though, the Ninebot by Segway miniPro is pretty limited because it’s not designed to go over significant humps like crosswalks. This is a toy primarily, and a pretty expensive one.
But we can’t deny that it’s also very fun. Everyone in the office was crowding around and demanding a ride. For a product in our office full of jaded tech journalists, that’s a rare feat these days.
Amazon’s Echo Dot is a great way to bring Alexa to more rooms
I haven’t been shy about my love for the Amazon Echo. I wake up with it, and aside from my phone, computers and TV, it’s one of the gadgets I rely most on most throughout the day. So when Amazon announced the $90 Echo Dot, which brings all of its larger sibling’s features to any speaker, I was onboard before you could say “Alexa, what’s the weather?” I couldn’t wait to bring Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant, which is the heart of soul of the Echo, into my bedroom (ahem) and office. It took a long while for the Echo Dot to finally reach me (Amazon, once again, refused to make it available early for reviewers), but after a week of living with it on my nightstand, I’m finding it just as useful as the original.
Let’s make this clear up front: You still can’t buy an Echo Dot on its own. The only way to order one is to ask Alexa on an Echo or Fire TV to order it for you and wait several weeks. Amazon is clearly positioning it as a secondary device, which makes sense for most people, but also seems like a bafflingly restrictive choice in this day and age. Perhaps the company just wanted to limit its first available units to Echo users, especially since it’s had trouble producing enough devices in the past.
The actual process of buying the Echo Dot was smooth and easy — almost worryingly so. It’s strange to just say a few words and then have a $90 gadget headed towards your home. You’ve been able to buy things via the Echo with voice commands for a while now, but that’s something I’ve never done before the Dot. At most, I would ask Alexa to add a few items to my shopping cart or wish list. It reminds me of when, in 2009, I bought my 50-inch plasma TV via Amazon’s iPhone app — a moment of ludicrously convenient big-ticket consumerism that I remember to this day. Now, you don’t even need to look at a screen before you fork over money to Amazon.
Setting up the Echo Dot is only slightly more involved than with its larger sibling, mainly because you have to plug in an auxiliary cable, in addition to a power cord. You’ll have to use Amazon’s Alexa iOS or Android app to get the Echo Dot connected to WiFi, which typically only takes a few minutes. The Alexa app is also where you can manage the Echo Dot’s settings, as well as its “skills,” or connections to third-party services. You can also go through voice training with the app to help your Echo Dot understand you better.
The Dot feels like a large hockey puck: It’s basically the top part of the original Echo sitting on its own. There are two buttons on top for disabling the microphone and enabling Bluetooth pairing. To control the volume, you just need to turn the top portion of the device, which also lights up with LEDs to show you the sound levels. While it has a small built-in speaker, the entire appeal of the Echo Dot is its ability to connect to a beefier system. Once it’s plugged in, it’ll turn anything, even a decades-old amplifier setup, into a smart speaker. It’s also a useful accessory if you’ve already invested in modern speaker systems like Sonos. The Echo Dot has the same beam-forming seven microphone array that sits atop the original Echo, so it’s just as accurate when it comes to hearing your commands, even in moderately noisy rooms.
Currently, I have a large Echo set up in my living room and the Echo Dot about 30 feet away in my bedroom. When standing between them, they’re equally as fast at determining my voice commands and bringing back responses. (It’s truly weird occasionally hearing a symphony of Alexa responses in my apartment.) Since they’re plugged into power continuously, the Echo devices are better about listening for potential voice commands than phone virtual assistants like Siri and Google Now. Alexa doesn’t have to worry about conserving battery life, after all.
With the Echo Dot connected to an older Logitech speaker on my nightstand, it worked like a charm. Audio quality was solid, and being able to shout Alexa commands from under the comfort of my duvet felt downright luxurious. The only potential issue? Your speakers, naturally, need to be turned on for the Echo Dot to work. In the interest of energy conservation, that’s not something I’m willing to do 24/7. So I’ve taken to disconnecting the Echo Dot from my bedroom speaker most of the day, and instead relying on its embedded speaker for simple commands. When I want to listen to music or online radio, I just plug the speaker in. It would be nice if future versions of the Echo Dot gave you an easy way to automatically switch between its speaker options (or better yet, do it automatically).
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
The Echo Dot sounded great when connected to my elaborate home theater setup, which consists of a Denon S910W receiver and Pioneer Elite tower front and center speakers (I don’t use my rear speakers for music). Just like with the original, you can ask the Echo Dot to play your playlists from Amazon Music, as well as other services including Pandora and Spotify (after connecting to them with the Alexa app). While actual music performance will depend on the service you’re listening to, I didn’t hear many hints of compression with Pandora streams, which is among the lower-quality options. True audiophiles will still prefer using something like the new Chromecast Audio on big speaker setups, though, since that gives you the option of using an optical cable to let your amplifier handle audio processing. Your only option with the Echo Dot is a standard 3.5mm cable.
If you live in a smaller apartment, there’s a good chance you don’t actually need two separate Alexa devices. If I shout loudly enough from my bedroom, the Echo in my kitchen usually hears me. Still, it’s nice being able to have a closer device for voice commands, especially if you’re trying to set an alarm late at night. If you’re looking for a secondary Echo device and don’t have any extra speakers, Amazon’s $130 Tap speaker might be a better option for you. And if you just want to jump into Amazon’s ecosystem, the original Echo is still a great product at $180.
The Echo Dot is the very definition of a niche device. It’s meant to be connected to expensive gear that many people don’t have, and the future of voice-powered digital assistants is still uncertain. But for Alexa addicts who have decent sound systems, it’s the perfect virtual companion.
SanDisk Clip Jam review – CNET
The Good The SanDisk Clip Jam has a lightweight design with a built-in clip. You can easily copy music from a PC or Mac and the microSD slot provides an extra storage option in a pinch. Unlike the iPod Shuffle, it has a screen.
The Bad There’s no Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It’s not compatible with any streaming music services.
The Bottom Line If you hate iTunes, the SanDisk Clip Jam is the best bargain music player you can buy.
MP3 players have slowly been replaced by smartphones, but if you find yourself in the rare situation of needing one, lucky for you, their near-extinct status means lower prices. The simple SanDisk Clip Jam is compellingly cheap enough to justify buying it just for the gym. For just $40, £30 (converts to AU$54) this super lightweight music player boasts a built-in clip, has a no-frills digital screen for easy browsing and it works with both PCs and Macs.
The Clip Jam lacks the Bluetooth found in the Apple iPod Nano — so don’t expect to use your wireless headphones or speakers. And though it’s small, it’s not as sleek as the tiny iPod Shuffle — but it is cheaper than both Apple music players. Additionally, the SanDisk MP3 player has one feature no Apple iPod has ever had: a microSD card expansion slot. Using this, you can increase its built-in 8GB storage with an extra 64GB. It’s no infinite cloud of streaming music, but it’s a lot more space than the Shuffle (2GB) and Nano (16GB) offer.
Best of all, you don’t have to use iTunes to transfer your music — just drag and drop your music files. (The Clip Jam shows up as an external drive when connected to your Mac or Windows PC.). It’s compatible with WMA, WAV and AAC files, such as the ones you purchase from iTunes or Amazon. But it won’t work with any subscription music services, nor will it work with the old copy-protected iTunes purchases made before 2007.
The built-in clip that sturdily keeps it in place while on a run makes it comparable to the iPod Shuffle, which has a similar design. However, aside from looks, they don’t have much in common. The Shuffle has no screen to choose what you want to listen to. The SanDisk Clip Jam, on the other hand, has a low-res screen that lets you peruse all of your music, podcasts and Audible audiobooks and the aforementioned microSD card expansion slot.
Unfortunately, without Wi-Fi or streaming music integration, the SanDisk Clip Jam is a victim of the times. More and more people are switching to streaming music services, like Spotify or Apple Music, instead of downloading singles or albums. Without this function, the SanDisk MP3 player feels antiquated.If that’s of no concern, or you just want to load a few of your already-downloaded favorite songs for the perfect running playlist, the SanDisk Clip Jam is an affordable, user-friendly alternative to the iPod Shuffle.
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II review – CNET
The Good The Canon PowerShot G7 X II is nicely designed with good photo quality for its class, and improves noticeably over the earlier model.
The Bad Still lags behind the competition with respect to features and some aspects of performance.
The Bottom Line Performance improvements raise the G7 X Mark II’s grade to excellent, as long as you’re not looking for a lot of frills.
I like the Canon G7 X, one of the company’s 1-inch sensor enthusiast compacts — the one without the viewfinder — but that model just can’t keep up when it comes to speed. Given that its successor, the G7 X Mark II, is fundamentally the same camera (albeit with some important enhancements), it’s not surprising that I like the Mark II as well. But while the $700 (£570, AU$950) camera improves on the earlier model in some respects, the admittedly better performance still lags in places.
Good where it counts
The Mark II’s photo quality is a definite improvement over the original, and it does have improved noise at higher ISO sensitivities. Since raw images don’t have noise reduction applied, they aren’t affected, but I think the JPEG processing is generally better in the newer model. The video looks good too, with less jumping in the continuous autofocus.
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II full-resolution…
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JPEGs shot with the Auto Picture Style look pretty clean through ISO 800, though you can see the sharpness drop slightly at ISO 400.
Lori Grunin/CNET
Details in JPEGs start to smear noticeably at ISO 1600.
Lori Grunin/CNET
The new Fine Detail Picture Style doesn’t improve JPEG results significantly at all sensitivity levels, but it makes a difference at ISO 800, and helps preserve sharpness a little at higher ISO sensitivities.
Lori Grunin/CNET
Though the white balance is a little better in the G7 X, you can see the quality improvement from the G7 X Mark II at ISO 1600.
Lori Grunin/CNET
Canon’s Auto setting produces pleasing colors, but does shift some hues, most notably reds, by boosting saturation.
Lori Grunin/CNET
You can bring out quite a bit of shadow detail by shooting raw (as well as get rid of fringing), but as with similar cameras, blown-out highlights are pretty much gone.
Lori Grunin/CNET
A processor update brings with it faster startup and an increased continuous shooting speed we clocked at 5.6 frames per second with autofocus and autoexposure. And it’s also faster to focus in low-contrast conditions, as Canon claims. Its biggest holdup is when it needs to process images, such as taking a couple of consecutive nonburst shots or doing HDR. However it does start up a little faster than big-name competitors. And it’s fast enough for slowish action, such as the occasional kid, pet or jumpshot.
Astro A50 Wireless Gaming Headset (2016) Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The popular Astro A50 gaming headset, first released in 2012, is getting an upgrade, with the company bringing the customisation from the A40 to the flagship headphones.
The originals were extremely comfortable but at the time I called out the slightly flimsy stand, and the revamped version does away with it entirely, replacing it with a base station that handles charging, transmitting and pairing. It’s got Dolby 7.1 and three EQ presets that can be personally customised via the Astro proprietary software. And of course they’re still light, and in the short time I played with them they felt very comfortable. The A50s use the 5GHz spectrum and have a range of 30 feet.
The other big difference is the removable earcups and headband, similar to the Astro A40 TR. This lets you customise the headset for comfort and colour. Unlike the A40’s however, the speaker backs can’t be swapped — Astro says it’s because of the wireless technology not playing well with the magnets used to snap the customisable bits in play.
Nic Healey/CNET
Other key features:
Battery life: The A50s promise a 15-hour battery life and have a standby mode for additional lifespan. An accelerometer can tell when the headset is lying flat and will hit standby mode to save battery life. There’s also a Micro-USB charging option allowing you to charge and play if you need.
Console and PC: There are two main models of A50, one for PS4 and one for Xbox One. Both play well with PC, but the Xbox One version does specify “for Xbox and Windows 10” on the box.
New mic technology: The boom mic has enhanced noise-canceling tech and an auto mute when you flip it up. It can’t be removed or replaced, however.
It’s all arriving in late August for $299 or AU$479, with UK pricing yet to be announced.
Beoplay A1 Review: This Bluetooth Speaker Sounds Even Better Than It Looks
Last month, B&O PLAY announced the Beoplay A1, the latest portable Bluetooth speaker in its family of luxury home audio products. B&O PLAY is a brand subsidiary of Danish high-end audio and video manufacturer Bang & Olufsen, known for its principled attention to design (which some say inspired Apple).
We decided to take a look at the A1 ultraportable speaker to see if the device justifies its $249 price tag, which places it at the premium end of the Bluetooth speaker market.
Design
Taking the A1 out of the box, the first thing that strikes you is the compactness of the unit relative to its weight. At about 1.3 pounds (600 grams), it’s not the lightest ultraportable speaker by any means, but its beautifully minimalist ‘hockey puck’ design feels disarmingly slight, partly thanks to designer Cecilie Manz’s decision to embed the power, volume, play/pause, and pairing controls around the rim, with the attached leather strap adding a touch of surfer appeal.
The polymer base has a suede-like finish that ensures the 2-inch (51 mm) tall A1 sits happily on most surfaces, and its 5-inch (133 mm) diameter means it’s possible to grasp the grilled dome from above and pick up with one hand. The unit sits snugly in the larger pockets of a raincoat, but trying to fit it in a light jacket pocket may present more of a challenge.
A tiny pinhole on the rim of the A1 designates the speaker’s microphone, used for conference calling when the device is connected to a cellphone. There’s also a 3.5 mm mini jack port and a USB Type-C charging port, with a Type-C to Type-A charging cable included in the box.
The A1’s solid aluminum casing certainly feels like it could take a few knocks, but its smooth finish is bound to attract scuffing and dents if you bash it about or throw it in a backpack with other hard objects.
“Every scratch tells a story”, reads the B&O PLAY website, in a valiant attempt to market inevitable imperfection as a product feature. But many customers will take pride in looking after premium gear they’ve paid top dollar for, so the lack of a protective pouch at this price point is a disappointing omission.
Powering on the unit and holding the pair button saw it show up instantly in both iOS and OS X Bluetooth screens. The connection was made without a hitch, and didn’t drop out as long as the speaker remained within a reasonable range. There’s also a convenient button on the unit indicated by a circle icon that reconnects the speaker to the last paired device.
The Beoplay iOS app is a free download that works with all of the company’s speakers and can be used to upgrade their firmware. You can also use it to pair two A1 speakers with each other and enjoy true stereo separation, but there’s no facility to connect the units to a larger multi-room setup.
In addition, the app lets you play with a handful of ‘Tonetouch’ EQ presets designed for the A1, or you can manually adjust the EQ using a graphical pad divided into concentric quadrants, titled ‘Warm’, ‘Bright’, ‘Excited’, and ‘Relaxed’. They do make an audible difference, but in the end I left the EQ in the neutral position, preferring the A1’s default sound signature.
Sound Quality
Placed on a desk or even on the floor, the A1 disperses sound in all directions with surprising confidence and ease. Its wide angle of projection is actually slightly disorienting at first, and had more than one person entering the room wondering where the speaker was hidden even though it was sat in plain view.
The A1’s 3.5-inch aluminum driver and 0.75-inch tweeter (powered by two 30-watt class D amps) effortlessly reproduced Jim Morrison’s baritone wail and Krieger’s expansive freeway riffs throughout The Doors’ L.A. Woman, while a few tracks from Django Django’s eponymous album soon had the coffee table rattling with a clarity and detail I’ve not heard before in a speaker of this size.
Switching to some dub techno and dialing up the internal amp to peak power (2×140 watts) using the A1’s onboard controls, easily overrode the source device’s maximum output, but it was almost impossible to induce distortion at high volume, thanks to the responsiveness of B&O’s proprietary digital signal processing.
That inevitably puts a limit on the output of the A1, and it’s not the loudest Bluetooth speaker on the block, but it can easily exceed comfortable listening levels in a medium-sized living room, and it does sound consistently lovely, especially in the midrange.
Achieving decent audio separation at this scale is no easy feat, but the A1 dealt with jazz and classical genres with considerable aplomb, with only a handful of deep double bass notes going missing in instrumental tracks from time to time, which is totally forgivable for a unit of this size and frequency response (60-24,000Hz).
I took the A1 out to the garden during a family barbecue and its detailed sound remained just as confident, carrying especially well when hung from a nearby wall via its leather strap, giving it great projection across the lawn.
I used the A1 at average volume each afternoon over the course of a week, testing it in a variety of scenarios – in the kitchen (it’s dust and splash resistant), in the park, placed on a desk in a meeting room – with the unit drawing admirers on several occasions.
On the fifth day of use the unit’s LED light flashed to indicate the battery was approaching its last 10 percent of power. It still lasted the rest of the afternoon though, and when I charged it via the supplied cable, the A1’s 2,200mAh battery reached full capacity in under 100 minutes. Given what I’d put it through, the advertised “up to 24 hours” charge didn’t seem all that far fetched.
Bottom Line
Overall, the A1 is an extremely impressive-sounding Bluetooth speaker with looks to match. Its thoughtful, stylish design easily places it above speakers like the cheaper UE Boom 2, but its audio output is equally attention-grabbing, and beats its most likely premium rival, Bose’s popular SoundLink Mini II.
Achieving bass-rich clarity and sonic detail from such a small unit is a remarkable achievement, and coupled with its balanced dispersion and decent battery life, the Beoplay A1 really does live up to the tired old adage that you get what you pay for.
Pros
- Compact and stylish premium-grade design
- Rich, balanced sound and excellent dispersion
- Impressive battery life at medium volumes
- Fast charging time
Cons
- Not the loudest Bluetooth speaker
- Splash-proof, not waterproof
- No carry pouch supplied in the box
- Pretty expensive for an ultraportable
How to Buy
The Beoplay A1 costs $249, is available in mossy green or silver (‘natural’), and can be ordered on the B&O PLAY website.
Note: B&O PLAY provided the A1 speaker to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received.
Tags: review, Bang & Olufsen
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GE CFE28USHSS review – CNET
The Good The Cafe Series refrigerator’s coffee-making feature is smart, practical and unique among high-end French-door models. The fridge’s cooling performance is sound, too.
The Bad The build is the same as previous years’ models, and it doesn’t look as distinctive as competing fridges with more modern designs.
The Bottom Line This is a reasonably priced high-end fridge that’s worth considering, especially if you think you’d put that Keurig coffeemaker to good use.
GE’s Cafe Series French-door refrigerators have always been capable of dispensing hot water for your coffee, tea or soup, but recent models, including the $3,300 CFE28USHSS, take things a step further by featuring a built-in Keurig coffeemaker that’ll go ahead and brew you a cup.
It makes plenty of sense when you think about it. The fridge has its own dedicated source of filtered water, so you won’t need to worry about keeping a reservoir filled up. It’s a smart fridge, too — pull up GE’s app on your phone and you’ll be able to heat the water remotely, or schedule it to heat up at a specific time. And hey, having a coffeemaker built into your refrigerator door helps you save counter space.
It also helps that the Cafe Series refrigerator is a very decent fridge in its own right, with solid cooling performance and plenty of space for your groceries. It’s not as flashy as other smart fridges we’ve seen, like the Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator, which costs as much as $6,000, but at roughly half the price, I’d say there’s a lot to like here.
GE’s Cafe Series smart fridge is a wannabe…
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To make a cup of coffee, you pop a K-Cup into the Keurig brewing accessory and snap it into place. Once the water heats up, you turn a knob to start brewing.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Design and features
The team at GE didn’t update the look of the Cafe Series this year like they did with the Profile Series models. As such, the CFE28USHSS is basically the same build as existing Cafe Series fridges, with the same 27.8 cubic-foot capacity (or 22.2 cubic feet if you’re going with a counter-depth model). That also means that it isn’t available in a slate finish like the new Profile Series fridges are — with the Cafe Series, it’s stainless steel or nothing.
What’s new with the CFE28USHSS is that Keurig attachment. Its only real purpose is to hold your K-Cup in place as hot water passes through, so it’s a lot smaller than you might expect. You’ll pop a K-Cup in and slide it into position on the right side of the water dispenser, where GE plumbed a second line specifically for hot water.
Other smart-fridge options
- Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator
- Whirlpool Smart French Door Refrigerator
- LG Signature Refrigerator
Once you do, the LCD touchscreen will automatically jump to the hot-water menu, where you’ll tell it how many ounces you want. The water will then take a few minutes to heat up (this is where preheating via the app really comes in handy). Once the water is ready, you’ll turn a knob to start the flow of java into your waiting mug below. It’s about as easy to use as any other single-serve coffeemaker, and the coffee tastes just as good (which really isn’t saying a whole lot, given that this is single-serve coffee we’re talking about).
Still, the point is that it’s convenient. With this fridge in your kitchen, you can ditch your old single-serve coffeemaker to make room for some other kitchen gadget. And, unlike that countertop coffeemaker, the fridge has its own dedicated water connection, which means you’ll never have to worry about filling up a reservoir. You can even use the app to create a schedule for the water heater, guaranteeing that the fridge will be ready to brew each morning when you wake up.
GE’s high-end French door fridges
| Yes | No | Internal | $3,000 |
| Yes | Yes | In-door, with hands-free Autofill | $3,000 |
| Yes | No | In-door, with hot water presets, LCD touchscreen, and Precise Fill | $3,100 |
| Yes | Yes | In-door, with Keurig brewer | $3,200 |
| Yes | No | In-door, with hot water presets, LCD touchscreen, Precise Fill, and Keurig brewer | $3,300 |
The Precise Fill feature will dispense the exact amount of water you ask for.
Chris Monroe/CNET
In addition to the coffeemaker and the hot-water presets, you’ll find a dedicated button for GE’s Precise Fill feature. With Precise Fill, you get to use the touchscreen to tell the water dispenser exactly how much water you want it to dispense. You’ll still need to hold the button down as it dispenses, though — you can’t just set your pot down, press a button, and come back to four cups of water for your macaroni supper.
GE GFDS260EFWW dryer review – CNET
The Good The GE GFDS260EFWW dryer pulls moisture from clothes quickly. The appliance also has a large 8-cubic-foot capacity to dry big laundry loads. It’s also equipped with 12 cycles to handle specific garment and fabric types.
The Bad The dryer’s control panel is an outdated eyesore, and its display is difficult to read at any angle other than directly head-on.
The Bottom Line The GE GFDS260EFWW dryer’s cluttered controls and an often unreadable screen make the more thoughtfully designed Electrolux EFME617S Perfect Steam the wiser choice for the same price.
The best home appliances combine impressive performance, high style, and enjoyable operation into a single seductive device. The $1,100 GE GFDS260EFWW dryer unfortunately doesn’t achieve this elusive mix. It’s true, the machine removes water from wet clothes with relative swiftness and features a roomy 8-cubic-foot capacity to accommodate hefty loads. The dryer also ships with many useful cycles and settings tailored to match particular fabrics and clothing.
The shortcomings of this GE dryer, though, reside in how you operate the machine. Equipped with a dated electronic display that’s a challenge to read from just about any angle, as well as a confusing control panel, the GE GFDS260EFWW is very frustrating to use. This fact is especially clear when compared with sleek, modern dryers featuring superior controls such as the $1,099 Electrolux EFME617S Perfect Steam dryer. While not flawless, the Perfect Steam is much easier to interact with and offers comparable clothes drying performance, making it the smarter choice for the same price.
This GE Dryer has lots of room and speed,…
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Design
The GE GFDS260EFWW measures 39.66 inches high by 28 inches wide by 34.75 inches deep, and is equipped with a large 8-cubic-foot capacity drum. Understandably, it’s a hair bigger than the smaller capacity LG DLEX 5000 (7.2 cu. ft.) but essentially the same size as the Electrolux EFME617S Perfect Steam which also has an 8-cubic-foot capacity.
Besides its larger-than-average girth, this GE dryer has conventional laundry appliance looks. Essentially a bland white cube, the machine’s only flashy design element is a silver band of trim above its drum door. Also on the front face of the appliance is its confusing control panel. Text labels for the dryer’s various cycles, modes and functions are too tightly packed together for quick comprehension.
The control panel is very busy and confusing.
Chris Monroe/CNET
The circular knob, used for selecting your desired dryer cycle, is simple enough to operate. Unfortunately each tiny, orange light indicating which cycle you’ve landed on (by turning the knob) is faint. Worse, the light practically disappears when viewed at an angle.
Likewise, the digital screen showing the estimated time left in the current cycle suffers from the same problem. The display is illegible looking down on it from above or if your point of view is too far to the left or right. Even the machine’s lights, which underline the status of temperature and dryness settings, lack any real brightness. Frankly, I prefer the GE GTD86ESPJMC’s controls — though they’re also saddled with a poor digital display, they’re far less jumbled, plus they use a knob with brightly lit LED indicators.
The lights and display are hard to see from the side.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Features
Just like the Electrolux EFME617S Perfect Steam, the GE GFDS260EFWW dryer is not one of the elite vanguard of large home appliances equipped with an app connection and state-of-the-art smart abilities. For that, you’ll have to spend a few hundred dollars more on a luxury clothes drying system such as the LG DLEX 5000 or GE’s dedicated smart laundry unit, the GTD86ESPJMC.
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