A new collective is trying to solve the live audio monetization problem. A group of primarily tech-focused hosts are launching a shared podcast feed that’ll round up the many social audio chats they’ve started, with plans to run ads across the collected feed.
The group, which is being spearheaded by Techmeme Ride Home host Brian McCullough, will initially involve nine total contributors, including Alex Kantrowitz of the Big Technology newsletter and product designer Chris Messina. They’ll share a podcast feed where they can publish audio they’ve recorded live across various social audio platforms, like Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces, and that feed, which is already live but hasn’t been publicly announced, is called SpaceCasts. Anyone who participates can publish their live audio on the feed and profit from whatever ad sales are made. (The team says anyone can apply to participate and says people can get in touch through their website. They also say they’ll ask all live room participants to say they’re okay with being recorded.)
The big idea is that this solves two problems: one is that dedicating resources to putting together social audio rooms is hard to justify when there’s no major, native way to make money off a show that’ll disappear the moment it ends. The next is that launching an individual podcast is also difficult and requires marketing to grow. Sharing a podcast feed with others means everyone shares the goal of growing the feed and bringing listeners to it. Ad money, which the group hasn’t made yet, will be divvied up by downloads. So if one member contributes only one show in a given month, but accounts for 20 percent of the downloads, they’ll receive 20 percent of the revenue.
“What we’re saying is, ‘Look, take the stuff that’s actually good that you’ve recorded and that you think you know could be of interest to this broader audience, and we’ll collect an audience that is interested in kind of a potpourri or like a buffet of different topics from people who are experts but also have their own perspective on on this stuff,’” Messina says.
This all speaks to social audio’s focus on making it easier to get people in one place to record something — and its lack of focus on monetization or native recording. Twitter says it’s working on a native recording function, but that hasn’t launched yet, and Clubhouse has launched in-app tipping, which is helpful, but doesn’t monetize actual chats. Some creators have started partnering with brands on their Clubhouse rooms, and entire agencies have spun up to sell ads for them. But a podcast feed still remains the best way to widely distribute recorded audio that can live on forever.
The AirPods 3 will launch this year, but we won’t see the AirPods Pro 2 until 2022, a new report says.
According to Bloomberg, the new AirPods will sport a new design that mimics that of the AirPods Pro – namely a new case and shorter stems. This is in keeping with what we’ve heard previously.
The same article states the new AirPods Pro will have updated motion sensors for a greater focus on fitness tracking, which is again in line with previous rumours.
It’s fair to say both pairs of true wireless earbuds are due an update. The second-gen AirPods launched in March 2019, while the AirPods Pro followed in October of that year. Since then the competition has heated up, with budget pairs like the Earfun Air Pro offering similar features at a fraction of the price, and the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus besting Apple for battery life.
We’re also expecting the highly anticipated Sony WF-1000XM4 to launch any day now.
New AirPods aren’t the only audio products Apple has in the pipeline. The firm is said to be working on a new HomePod speaker with a built-in screen. Apple recently retired the original – keeping the HomePod Mini – but the fact it has recently gained some new features suggests Apple could be planning more HomePod devices in future.
Apple’s also announced an upgrade to Apple Music. Due to go live this month, Apple is adding support for hi-res audio, although the AirPods don’t actually support hi-res.
MORE:
Check out the best wireless headphones around
Try 30 Apple Music tips, tricks and features
Sony WF-1000XM4: release date, price and leaks for Sony’s next wireless earbuds
Dennis Villeneuve’s Dune isn’t the only film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel getting a 4K release this year. That’s because the original adaptation, made in 1984 by a young David Lynch, is getting a limited edition 4K Blu-ray release on August 30th. The film was both a critical and box office bomb that Lynch later disowned, but it’s also a fascinating historical artifact and sci-fi cult-classic.
Arrow Films, the distributor handling the release, says the 4K restoration is sourced from the film’s original camera negative, scanned at 4K 2160p and mastered in Dolby Vision HDR. It also includes uncompressed stereo audio and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound mix.
There are two versions of the 4K release available to pre-order: a standard edition containing the film along with a bonus disc of extra content, and a steelbook edition which adds a third non-4K Blu-ray disc containing the HD version of the film. Extra features include brand new audio commentaries (from film historian Paul M. Sammon and podcaster Mike White), a new feature-length documentary, and mix of new and old featurettes. It will be available to buy in the UK, US, and Canada when it releases next month.
It’d probably be an understatement to say the original Dune got a mixed reception upon its release. Critic Robert Ebert called it “an incomprehensible, ugly, unstructured, pointless excursion into the murkier realms of one of the most confusing screenplays of all time.” But the story of how it came to be is fascinating, with Ridley Scott being attached to direct at one point before he dropped out and directed Blade Runner instead. Vulture has a good timeline of the struggles various filmmakers have been through over the years trying to adapt the novel.
Meanwhile, the 2021 Dune adaptation is currently due to release on October 1st, when it will be available simultaneously to watch in cinemas as well as HBO Max in 4K HDR.
When the soldering iron gets hot, makers have been known to cook up some sweet music on the Raspberry Pi. In some cases, we mean that literally, like today with Keith Bloemer’s NeuralPi project.
NeuralPi is a Raspberry Pi-based guitar pedal that uses machine learning to create custom effects. We’ve always insisted the best Raspberry Pi projects are the ones you can personalize—in this case, you can train the system with existing models or a new one of your own to get the sound you want.
Recreating this project will set you back just a little over $160. Bloemer used a Raspberry Pi 4 alongside a HiFiBerry ADC +DAC housed inside a HiFiBerry case. A male RCA to 1/4-inch female audio adapter is necessary for guitar pedal output, and he used a dual 1/4-inch female to a 1/8-inch male stereo adapter to connect the guitar to the HiFiBerry module.
NeuralPi is designed to work specifically with Elk Audio OS, an open-source OS catered to optimizing audio processing on embedded devices. You can find the NeuralPi source code on GitHub, along with a couple of Machine learning models you can use to get started right away.
If you’re interested in recreating this project, check out the full tutorial at Towards Data Science written by Bloemer himself. Be sure to follow him for more Pi projects and updates on this one.
In a world where the vast majority of all-in-one and small form-factor PCs rely on proprietary motherboards, the Thin Mini-ITX form-factor is not particularly widespread, making it difficult for PC shops and DIY enthusiasts to build AIO and SFF computers. However, Thin-Mini-ITX motherboards are not going the way of the dodo, and ASRock’s recently announced AM4 X300TM-ITX is a good example of continued interest in the platform.
The ASRock X300TM-ITX platform combines compatibility with AMD’s Ryzen APUs (up to Zen 2-based Ryzen 4000-series) with an expansive feature set, including a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C connector, a COM port, and an LVDS header, all of which are rather exotic for what are typically inexpensive Thin Mini-ITX motherboards.
Furthermore, the COM port and LVDS header make this platform useful for commercial systems that actually need these types of connectivity. ASRock doesn’t officially position the motherboard for business or commercial PCs, but it does support AMD Ryzen Pro APUs, so you can certainly use it to build a PC with Pro-class features.
As the name suggests, ASRock’s X300TM-ITX motherboard is based on a rather dated AMD X300 chipset that was originally designed for entry-level systems aimed at overlockers, but it still supports the vast majority of AMD’s APUs with an (up to) 65W TDP (except the upcoming Ryzen 5000-series processors). The board also supports up to 64GB of DDR4-3200 memory across two SO-DIMM memory modules, an M.2-2280 slot for SSDs with a PCIe 3.0x or a SATA interface, and one SATA connector.
(Image credit: ASRock)
ASRock aims the X300TM-ITX motherboard at thin entry-level systems that don’t typically use discrete graphics cards, so it doesn’t have a PCIe x16 slot for an add-in card. Instead, the platform uses AMD’s integrated Radeon Vega GPUs. Meanwhile, the LVDS header supports resolutions of up to 1920×1080 at 60Hz, whereas the HDMI 2.1 connector supports HDCP 2.3. There is no word about DisplayPort support over the USB Type-C connector, and you should be aware that HDMI-to-DisplayPort adapters may not work with all displays.
ASRock’s X300TM-ITX has an M.2-2230 slot for a Wi-Fi card along with a GbE port. It also has USB Type-A connectors as well as a 3.5-mm audio input and output.
The platform is already mentioned on the manufacturer’s website, so it should be available for purchase soon. Unfortunately, ASRock didn’t touch on pricing in its press release.
The Razer Kraken V3 X will keep you satisfied with an excellent microphone and solid rich audio reproduction.
For
+ Lightweight
+ Solid audio reproduction and thump
+ Great, microphone
+ Succulently soft ear cups
Against
– ll-plastic design
Designed to compete with the best gaming headsets, without breaking the bank, Razer’s Kraken V3 X combines a comfortable ear cup design with strong audio output, an excellent microphone and software that greatly enhances the experience. This $69 set of USB cans are thumpy thanks to Razer’s patented Triforce 40mm drivers while offering a dash of RGB style in-the-ear cups.
Razer Kraken V3 X Specs
Driver Type
40mm neodymium magnet
Impedance
32 Ohms
Frequency Response
12 Hz – 28kHz
Microphone Type
Cardioid Hyperclear Unidirectional
Connectivity
USB Type-A (PC)
Weight
0.6 pounds (285g)
Cord Length
USB Type-A cable: 6 feet
Lighting
RGB on Earcups
Software
Razer Synapse and 7.1 Surround Sound
Design and Comfort of Razer Kraken V3 X
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Though it’s made from lightweight plastic, the Razer Kraken V3 X feels very sturdy. The unit’s Hybrid-Fabric memory foam ear cups are succulently soft and the headband is highly adjustable, fitting comfortably on my obnoxiously large head. When I plugged it in, the three-headed snake logo on each ear cup illuminated in RGB.
On the left earcup, you will find the flexible Razer Hyper Clear cardioid microphone, which is quite bendy, with a volume knob and a mute button. The Razer Kraken V3 X is fine to wear for long periods of time as they do not tend to get very hot or warm with long usage, unlike many other over-the-ear styled gaming headphones I have previously reviewed.
Audio Performance of Razer Kraken V3 X
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The headset uses a pair of 40mm Triforce drivers that are designed by Razer and they pump out thunderous distortion-free bass and sweet sound throughout the audio spectrum. From sweet, warm, throaty lows, to angelic highs, the rich sound on the Razer Kraken V3 X surprised me.
First, I went to Youtube to listen to Busta Rhymes’ “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” because the thick bold bassline would be an excellent test of the Kraken V3 X’s capabilities. The unit came through with flying colors as they pushed out clear, loud, thunderous bass that Thor Odinson would be proud of.
My favorite moment came while listening to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September.” At the beginning of the song, the Razer Kraken V3 X reproduced the softer tones of the finger snaps and guitar melody sweetly. When the horn section takes over with its powerful rhythm, the Krakens proved they were audio titans.
The Razer Kraken V3 X also has plenty of gaming prowess. While playing Borderlands 2, the 7.1 spatial surround sound helped me hear some creeps off to my right and I was able to turn around swiftly with my sniper’s rifle and blow a villain’s head off before he could roast me with a flamethrower. The sound of explosions was exquisite when I shot out a barrel filled with chemicals, taking out three enemies.
After I was done with Borderlands 2, I decided to knock some heads and so I launched Batman Arkham Knight and again the spatial sound software helped me as I heard footsteps to my left and I bataranged a would-be attacker. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the bone-crunching punches, and then my favorite sound, the thruster on the Batmobile firing, was bombastically reproduced, as it launched me across off a bridge and onto a rooftop.
To test the movie viewing experience, I watched Avengers Infinity War via Disney Plus. The audio captured the thunderous bass and every nuance so well that it sounded like it did when I watched this film in an IMAX theater.
During the scene where Starlord is feeling insecure about Thor’s presence and starts deepening his voice, I picked up the subtle difference in tone from the moment when Chris Pratt starts his impression. Every fight scene and explosion was so realistic. When Iron Man is battling Thanos and he roots his armor’s feet and then double punches Thanos and he slams against the debris, I literally could hear individual rocks fling off and land elsewhere.
Microphone on Razer Kraken V3 X
The Razer Kraken V3 X comes with Razer’s HyperClear cardioid microphone, which has a rated frequency response that ranges from 100Hz-10Hz with a sensitivity of -42dB. It’s very flexible and bendy and really does a nice job when recording audio.
I took part in an afternoon Google Meet, and everyone said that my voice came in loud and clear, my natural deep timbre was nicely picked up by the microphone and when I made an appearance on my friend’s baseball podcast, he commented that the mic had an excellent pickup and recorded very nicely.
Features and Software of Razer Kraken V3 X
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The Razer Kraken V3 X is a solid performer on its own but, I highly, recommend you download Razer’s Synapse software which will allow you to configure the RGB lighting effects, create lighting profiles, and adjust the volume.
The real winner here is Razer’s 7.1 Surround Sound download; it is the game changer and takes the sound quality up many notches. The normal audio performance as previously mentioned is solid. However, the truly thunderous, high-quality audio that makes these cans worth their weight, is when the unit is paired with the software. They go from sounding like $69 headphones to sounding like a pair of $200 headphones.
Bottom Line
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
For $69.99 you get an excellent pair of sounding headphones, especially if you remember to download Razer’s 7.1 surround sound software. Yes, they’re plastic, but they’re very stylish with the RGB lighting adding a little panache and flair. The Kraken V3 X is also super lightweight, the hybrid cloth and memory foam cups will cradle your ears in soft comfort.
With the excellent microphone performance, you will be able to bark orders out to your friends during games or even host a podcast with crystal clear audio. If you don’t mind spending a bit more money and want a headset with a 3.5mm jack, you should consider the HyperX Cloud Alpha, but if you want a high-quality, affordable USB gaming headset, the Razer Kraken V3 X is a great choice.
THX’s debut product is nicely made and well-featured, but it lets itself down in the sound department
For
Neat, versatile design
MQA support
Adds power, clarity and cleanliness
Against
Sonically basic
Outclassed by cheaper rivals
Next time you’re in a cinema, take a moment to appreciate THX. After all, the US firm will be in some way to thank for the audio presentation you’re experiencing.
THX was born out of George Lucas’s disappointment at the quality of audio systems in theatres showing his Star Wars movies. Members of his Lucasfilm team, including sound engineer Tomlinson Holman, were tasked with developing a certification program for audio standards, and the first film to meet those specifications was the 1983 release of Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi.
Almost 20 years after becoming a separate company, THX is celebrating another milestone, with its first crack at the consumer electronics market in the THX Onyx, a DAC/headphone amplifier. The company’s Achromatic Audio Amplifier (THX AAA) technology sits at the heart of the THX Onyx, a compact, portable device designed to enhance the sound between your source device and wired headphones.
Features
(Image credit: THX)
The THX Onyx is one of the most discreet portable DACs we’ve seen. It has a thin metal body, longer and narrower than the average USB stick, at the end of a short, thick USB-C cable.
THX Onyx tech specs
(Image credit: THX)
3.5mm output Yes
USB-C output Yes
USB-A adapter Yes
With that connection, and the USB-A adapter supplied in the box, the Onyx works with any Windows 10 PC, Mac or Android device via either of those output sockets. iPhone and iPads require the slim Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter (not supplied), although it’s worth noting that, in this case, your headphones’ in-line remote functionality won’t work.
Neither method requires specific drivers or installation – simply stick it into your chosen device, select it as your device’s sound output (if necessary) and plug your wired headphones into the 3.5mm socket at the other end of the DAC.
THX says the Onyx produces a power output comparable to that of entry-level desktop headphone amps, or five times more powerful than similar USB DACs. The claim is that its feed-back and feed-forward error correction method reduces distortion and noise levels up to 40dB lower than conventional power amps.
This amplification design works alongside an ESS ES9281PRO DAC chip, which can handle files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD128, as well as a Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) renderer for fully decoding and playing back MQA hard files and (MQA-encoded) Tidal Masters in their native quality – handy for Tidal HiFi subscribers who can access hi-res tracks in the Tidal catalogue.
Build
(Image credit: THX)
The Onyx’s metal casework doesn’t just house the amplifier, DAC chip and MQA renderer: it also has LED lights that indicate the file type and size being played. Blue denotes 44.1kHz or 48kHz PCM files and yellow signifies sample rates above that, while red and pink shine respectively when DSD and MQA signals are played. It’s a neat function, providing reassurance for those with hi-res music collections, and adding some visual interest to the design.
Apart from the LED lights and THX logo, the Onyx is as smart and discreet as the category demands, with both the casing and rubber cable feeling sturdy. THX has magnetised part of the casing and cable so that they can clasp together. It can be a balancing act when connected to the bottom of a phone, but a helpful method of cable management on a laptop or computer.
Sound
(Image credit: THX)
Whatever way you arrange the Onyx, it delivers sound much more powerfully than your source device – it’s cleaner and clearer, too. We use a range of earbuds and over-ear headphones, from reference models to more price-appropriate pairs, and various source devices, including Android phones and Apple MacBooks. Compared with the sound coming straight from the devices’ outputs, the THX amplifies the music, making it much bigger, more direct and more involving to listen to. A noisy and compressed sound, this is not.
There’s a hefty dose of clarity and degree of polish to the presentation that wasn’t there before as the THX certainly improves on the typically paltry output of such portable or desktop devices. However, we have concerns about its inability to enhance the source’s sound in every aspect – and as well as other similarly priced portable DACs can.
The five-star Audioquest DragonFly Red (£169, $200, AU$280) – the class-leading portable DAC at this price – provides a much wider window into a song, bringing musical details and instrumental textures to the surface that the THX overlooks.
The THX is second best when it comes to communicating the dynamics and timing, and therefore the rhythm and musicality of a track. Even the five-star Astell & Kern AK USB-C Dual DAC Cable and Audioquest DragonFly Black v1.5, both around half the Onyx’s price, fare better on these fronts.
We play Destroyer’s Savage Night At The Opera and, while the Onyx delivers Dan Bejar’s vocals with clarity and solidity, the DragonFly Red gets under his deadpan delivery more convincingly, while revealing more insight into, and tighter interplay between, the starry haze instrumentation. It’s a more mature presentation that makes the Onyx sound rather crude. And it’s this lack of transparency that makes its laudable efforts to support hi-res formats and MQA seem pretty futile.
Verdict
The THX Onyx has a logical design to serve a logical purpose, but the sonic execution lets down what is an otherwise well-considered product. It clears the first hurdle in amplifying device sound and bringing more clarity and cleanliness, but fails the all-important second by not delivering the level of detail or rhythmic quality required at this price. Suffice to say, you can do better.
With SpaceX’s Starlink being made available in my area, I became curious about just how many satellites were overhead at any given time. Fortunately, the US Space Command tracks and makes available data for tracking the live positions of objects in orbit. We can download this data, and use a Raspberry Pi and some speakers to announce when a particular satellite is making an overhead pass. You can also get an SMS message sent to your phone in addition to the audio.
What You’ll Need For This Project
Raspberry Pi 4 or Raspberry Pi 3 with power adapter
8 GB (or larger) microSD card with Raspberry Pi OS. See our list of best microSD cards for Raspberry Pi.
Desktop speakers with a 3.5mm audio input
How to make a Raspberry Pi Satellite Tracker
Before you get started, make sure that you have your Raspberry Pi OS set up. If you haven’t done this before, see our article on how to set up a Raspberry Pi for the first time or how to do a headless Raspberry Pi install (without the keyboard and screen).
1. Install git, which will allow us to clone the code from github.com
2. Clone the repository and descend into the directory created.
git clone https://github.com/rydercalmdown/pi_satellite_announcer.git
cd pi_satellite_announcer
3. Run the installation command. It will take care of installing a virtual environment, any necessary low level dependencies, and the python requirements.
make install
4. Visit space-track.org and create a new account. This will let us download two-line element (TLE) data tracked by the US Space Command. The code will update data from this website once per day, and store it locally to minimize stress on their servers.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
5. Once registered, return to your raspberry pi and edit your environment.sh file – replace the template values with your space-track username and password.
6. Retrieve your home latitude and longitude values from Google maps by right clicking on the map and selecting the first option.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
7. Copy your latitude and longitude values into environment.sh, and set your desired radius in kilometers. For example, a radius of 20 kilometers would only report satellites overhead if their position on the ground is less than 20 kilometers away from you – they could be at any altitude.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
8. Plug in speakers to the 3.5mm audio port on your raspberry pi, and test that you can hear them with the following command. I’m using a megaphone, but any speakers with a 3.5mm audio input will work. You may need to increase the volume with the alsamixer command. If you run into trouble, try configuring your audio in the raspi-config menu.
# Test speakers
espeak -a 200 "this is a test" --stdout | aplay
# Adjust volume
alsamixer
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
9. Set up a twilio account. We’ll use this to send a text message when a satellite appears overhead. If you don’t wish to use twilio, you can edit app.py and set the ‘use_twilio’ variable to False.
10. Follow the setup instructions for a twilio account. Detailed instructions can be found on Twilio’s site here. You will need to create a phone number, and get your account credentials to perform the send actions.
11. Once you have your credentials and phone number, Add them to the environment.sh file.
nano environment.sh
# Twilio credentials
export TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID=your_account_id
export TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN=your_account_token
# the number you purchased with twilio
export TWILIO_NUMBER_FROM=+10000000000
# your phone number
export TWILIO_NUMBER_TO=10000000000
12. Run the code with the following command. It will connect to space-track, download the latest TLE data, and immediately start reporting satellites over the latitude, longitude, and radius provided in the environment.sh file.
make run
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
13. Play around with the code. Right now it only announces satellites that are not considered debris, but this can be adjusted easily. You can also filter down by constellation, or only announce satellites with names that are interesting to you, like the international space station (ZARYA).
Soon after my quick look at the Philips PH805 headphones was published, news came of the company releasing a successor to the wildly successful Fidelio X2/X2HR in the form of the new Fidelio X3. My local contact sought to make sure I covered the product here, and we all know what happened next. Months of limbo later, yours truly is settled in again for reviews, and it just so happened that the UK arm of Philips had the same idea. So here we are with our first full review of a Philips product on TechPowerUp, and thanks again to the company for loaning a review unit to TechPowerUp!
The Fidelio X2HR is one of my go-to headphones, so much so that I have actively been using it for listening to audio and quick changeovers to online meetings with an Antlion ModMic USB, which works so well with the magnetic mesh lining on the headphones that you don’t need any sticky pads for permanent installation. It is one of the most comfortable and neutral-sounding headphones I have in my possession currently, and there is added warmth with some bass boost that I was not expecting either. It is not the most accurate set of cans, however, and when Philips mentioned that the Fidelio X3 was designed with accuracy in mind foremost my interest was piqued. Let’s see how these sound as we begin the review with a look at the product specifications in the table below.
Specifications
Philips Fidelio X3 Headphones
Distortion:
Diaphragm:
LMC
Speaker Diameter:
50 mm
Sensitivity:
100 dB @ 1mW
Maximum Power Input:
500 mW
Impedance:
32 Ω
Frequency Response:
5–40,000 Hz
Magnet Type:
Neodymium
Acoustic System:
Open
Type:
Dynamic
Dimensions:
11 (L) x 19 (W) x 23 (H) mm
Weight:
380 g / 0.84 lbs.
Cables:
Split 3.5 mm (L/R) to 3.5 mm TRS, split 3.5 mm (L/R) to balanced 2.5 mm TRRS, and 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm adapter plug
The lawyers of Elizabeth Holmes, ex-CEO of disgraced blood testing startup Theranos, have 112 questions for prospective jurors at Holmes’ fraud trial — including how often they check social media and whether they subscribe to Netflix.
As The Wall Street Journal reported, Holmes’ attorneys have just filed a proposed jury questionnaire for her upcoming fraud trial. The extremely detailed 45-page document outlines every possible way Holmes fears a jury could be biased, and part of that apparently involves gauging exactly how online each juror is. Among other questions, jurors are asked:
“Do you have an account on any social media platforms? If yes, please identify the platform(s).”
“How frequently do you use the platform(s) listed above?” (Answers range from “multiple times per day” to “almost never.”)
“How do you use social media? (for example, communicate with friends; express opinions; follow current events; etc.)”
“Do you belong to any groups on social media (ex. Facebook or WhatsApp groups)?”
“Have you ever posted messages, comments, or opinions on websites/social media, or blogged? If yes, please describe the websites or social media platforms that you have used; the types of things you have posted or blogged; and how often you have done it.”
The questionnaire underscores the sheer breadth of media coverage around Theranos, with numerous questions gauging how (and how much) jurors engage with media. On the more general side, that includes:
“Have you ever written a letter to the editor or called into a radio show?”
“How much in the news media do you believe is fair and accurate?”
Then it asks whether potential jurors read, watch, or listen to any of 46 text news outlets, 15 individual media figures, and 19 video or audio outlets — mostly news stations, but also Hulu, Netflix, and HBO. (The Verge is not named on the questionnaire, although fellow Vox Media outlets Vox and New York Magazine are.) That’s on top of questions about whether the jurors have consumed media about Holmes and Theranos.
By contrast, US prosecutors — who filed their own 51-question proposal yesterday — asked participants to list their “main sources of news” and if they follow “financial news” specifically.
Prosecutors called Holmes’ form “far too long, deeply intrusive in unnecessary ways, argumentative, and repetitive” in a court filing. Beyond the social media questions, the form asks jurors to specify things like whether any family members or close acquaintances have experience with 26 different professional fields and government agencies. But Holmes’ lawyers claimed the entrepreneur was “routinely referred to in derisive and inflammatory terms,” making the questions pertinent.
That’s not an unfair description of Holmes’ media portrayal, although getting rich off a medical device that doesn’t work is arguably worthy of derision. It’s also a little ironic, because news outlets were once criticized for hyping Theranos without sufficient fact-checking. As Holmes’ filing notes, however, Theranos’ fall is now chronicled in a well-known book (Bad Blood by John Carreyrou), documentary (HBO’s The Inventor), and multiple podcasts (Tyler Shultz’s Thicker Than Water and Rebecca Jarvis’ The Dropout), plus an upcoming Hulu miniseries starring Amanda Seyfried.
Holmes was indicted for fraud in 2018 alongside former Theranos president and COO Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani. Her trial is scheduled to begin in August.
Apple’s AirPods Pro cleverly solve one of the trickiest parts of earbud design with a unique button — even if it’s not technically a button at all.
Officially referred to as the “force sensor” (a title that makes the button sound far more interesting than it actually is), it’s technically nothing more than an indented portion of the AirPods Pro’s stems, with some fancy hardware that measures not just capacitive touch but also pressure. But the faux-buttons solve one of the most annoying things about earbuds: how to control them.
The issue of controlling truly wireless earbuds is a relatively new one. Older in-ear headphones often included a row of buttons on their wires, which allowed for volume and playback controls to be placed in a spot that’s easy to reach and find. But in-ear wireless earbuds don’t leave a lot of space for buttons, joysticks, or control wheels to manipulate playback, forcing manufacturers to come up with alternate solutions.
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
Touch controls, employed by headphones like the Galaxy Buds or the regular AirPods, have emerged as the most common answer. Tap, double tap, or triple tap your earbuds, and you’ll be able to play, pause, and skip around your tracks.
The problem, though, is that in-ear headphones — as the name suggests — are already nestled pretty firmly into your ear. And tap controls mean that you’re either shoving those earbuds further into your ear (painfully so, sometimes) or dislodging them entirely, at which point you’re risking loss or damage when your expensive buds plummet to the ground.
Apple avoids both of those problems with the force sensor. Instead of putting pressure on your ear, Apple has users squeeze the stem of the AirPod. It’s a far gentler movement that doesn’t move the earbud as much, reducing both the risk of discomfort and dislodging.
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
Its controls are pretty similar to the other methods of headphone control: one squeeze to toggle play / pause, two to skip forward a track, and three to skip back. There’s also a fourth long press, which toggles the various noise cancellation modes.
The whole design guides you through how to use them, too. The indented pad makes it clear where to press to activate the “button,” while the requirement for some slight force makes it hard to trigger unintentionally.
And while there’s no physical haptic feedback from the force sensor, Apple does some masterful work in tricking your brain that there is, through clever clicking sound effects relayed through the earbuds to make it feel like you’re pressing a button.
The controls might not be long for this world — Apple is rumored to be testing a new version of the AirPods Pro that would remove the stem (and the force sensor) entirely. It’d be a disappointing change, given that the force sensor isn’t just a great control method; the AirPod stems are one of the more recognizable parts of the product, so much so that it’s the main thing copycat designs tend to replicate.
Is it a lot of engineering work for a relatively simple function? Undoubtedly. But it makes a crucial part of operating the AirPods a seamless, aesthetically pleasing, and comfortable process. And what more can you ask than that?
It seems the new Apple TV 4K box could have few gremlins in its system. Some users have reported that the 2021 device is incorrectly labelling their favourite 4K movies and TV shows as ‘HD’, according to 9to5Mac.
The glitch seems to affect third-party apps such as Netflix, Disney Plus, and HBO Max, but it’s also been spotted in the standalone iTunes Movies and TV Shows apps. Apple TV+ seems to be unaffected.
The initial thought was that the glitch could be the result of faulty HDMI cables but several users have switched out Apple’s supplied HDMI cable and the issue has remained.
If you’re experiencing the bug, you might be wondering whether the content on your screen is appearing in HD or 4K. There’s some confusion around this point, but it seems that this is simply a labelling bug within Apple’s user interface.
According to Reddit users, the glitch is present in both in the public tvOS 14.6 release and in the tvOS 14.7 beta which was released on 19th May. Apple has yet to comment but 9to5Mac claims the tech giant is “aware of the issue”.
In the interests of fairness, we fired up our Apple TV 4K (2020) unit (keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming review) and found that the 4K content was correctly labelled.
The latest Apple TV 4K (2nd Gen) supports 4K at up to 60fps, meaning it should offer the highest video quality of any Apple TV box. It has plenty of other tricks up its sleeve, mind, including the ability to stream audio from your TV to your HomePod.
MORE:
Should you upgrade: New Apple TV 4K vs old Apple TV 4K
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Here’s something you don’t see every day: a brand-new Sony product launching first on Indiegogo. Motion Sonic is, in the words of Sony’s campaign, “effects gear to control sound in sync with your motion for playing music.”
The Motion Sonic device itself is a small capsule that can slot into differently shaped rubber wristbands, sort of like a Fitbit. There’s a band that attaches to your wrist for use cases like playing guitar, and another wraps around the back of your hand and is better suited to playing keys.
What it actually does is allow you to link hand motions to specific musical effects. For example, you could set it to add a delay effect when you move fingers from left to right, or to bend pitch as you roll your wrist. These effects are all created and saved on an iOS app, then you need to connect your iPhone to your instrument with an audio interface. (It’s not compatible with Android.)
Here are some demonstrations:
Sony has actually had this project kicking around for quite a while — we tried out an early version at SXSW in 2017. Shortly after, Sony posted this interview with a designer and art director on the project, who attributed the initial idea to an engineer called Heesoon Kim. The Motion Sonic Indiegogo campaign now lists Kim as project lead, quoting him as saying “I believe we can create new entertainment never seen before with Motion Sonic and I’m so excited to create a new culture with you!”
Sony isn’t new to crowdfunding, but most of its projects to date — like the Reon Pocket wearable air conditioner — have been limited to its own First Flight site in Japan. Now that Motion Sonic is on Indiegogo, Sony will ship it to the US as well as its home market. The first 400 units will sell for 23,900 yen or $218, and the retail price is 27,200 yen or $248. The product is scheduled to ship in March next year.
The DualSense controller for PS5 has great haptic feedback for games like Returnal and Demon’s Souls. But today I found out that it’s also good at humming along to tunes on Spotify when plugged into a PC.
While browsing Reddit, I stumbled across an ancient thread from six months ago where a user explained that, by plugging in a DualSense and tweaking a few settings, the device’s built-in haptics motors will do their best to play your music from the Spotify app on Windows 10. If you press your ear to the controller, it’s like listening into the world’s smallest rave ever, perhaps with a few Astro Bots in attendance.
I assume you just ran to go get your controller to try this out — because that’s the same reaction that I had. Okay, but first lower your expectations before you get started. The haptics likely won’t blow you away, as they aren’t tuned for this particular use case — this is just for fun!
Plug your controller into your PC via a USB-C cable and wait for Windows to automatically install the driver.
Once it’s installed, tap the speaker icon near the bottom-right corner of your display where the time is shown. Set “Speakers (Wireless Controller)” as your audio output.
Open the Control Panel and click “Sound.” From there, click on your current audio output and select the “Properties” button just below that.
Click “Enhancements,” the third tab from the left on the pop-up window. Check the box next to “Speaker Fill,” then hit “Apply.”
You’ll need to restart the Spotify app for the haptic playback to begin. Once you start the app up again, you should be able to feel your music. You might even be able to hear the haptics motors doing their best at playing the music if you press the DualSense to your ear.
If you actually want to listen to your music, in addition to feeling it in haptics form, just plug a set of headphones into the DualSense’s 3.5mm jack and the audio will be passed through. Your audio setup will look a little silly this way, but who cares?
Here’s a track that I feel shows off the effect well. Click the Spotify logo in the top right of the embed to have the track open within the PC app:
We heard earlier this month that Sony may be planning to launch its next noise-canceling true wireless earbuds, the WF-1000XM4s, as early as June, and thanks to new leaks published by WinFuture, we might now know almost all of the specs for the upcoming buds.
Like the very good previous-gen WF-1000XM3s, the new WF-1000XM4s will offer active noise cancelation (ANC), but thanks to a new “Sony V1” processor, ANC performance will be improved, WinFuture reports. The headphones will also support Sony’s LDAC codec, which lets you listen to high-quality audio over Bluetooth, WinFuture says.
And it sounds like the new 1000XM4s will have a very good battery life, like the 1000XM3s. WinFuture says you’ll be able to get eight hours of battery on a single charge with ANC on and 12 hours with ANC off.
Additionally, the 1000XM4s have an IPX4-rating for water and sweat resistance, according to WinFuture. That would be a nice improvement over the WF-1000XM3s, which weren’t certified for water resistance at all.
WinFuture also shared many official-looking renders of the 1000XM4s, which look to match previously shared images of an all-new design. I’ve collected a few of the renders in the gallery below, but you should check out WinFuture’s article to see a lot more.
WinFuture says the 1000XM4s will go on sale in Europe soon for €279.90, but it didn’t give a US price. The 1000XM3s launched in the US at $229.99.
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