Music streaming service Tidal is now available on the Apple Watch, allowing subscribers to stream music directly to Apple’s wearable or download it for offline listening. Instructions on how to get set up can be found on Tidal’s site. Spotify and Deezer both announced similar offline listening features for the Apple Watch last week. Subscription prices for Tidal start at $9.99 a month.
Tidal has historically sold itself on the quality of its audio streaming, offering features like lossless playback and even hi-res streaming before many of its bigger rivals. But this year, some of its biggest competitors are starting to catch up. Spotify’s lossless HiFi tier is set to launch later this year, and Apple Music will introduce support for lossless and hi-res streaming next month. Tidal’s high audio quality won’t translate to its Apple Watch app however. The music service has confirmed audio will be limited to 96Kbps on the wearable, like Spotify.
The service’s other major selling point is the amount it pays artists in royalties to stream their music. Analysis from Digital Music News puts Tidal’s rates ahead of Spotify, Apple, and Deezer, and it looks like this artist-supporting trend is set to continue after Jack Dorsey’s financial services company Square recently acquired a majority stake in the streaming service for $297 million. Dorsey specifically cited wanting to find “new ways for artists to support their work” as the reason for the acquisition.
“Square created ecosystems of tools for sellers & individuals and we’ll do the same for artists,” the CEO tweeted at the time, “We’ll work on entirely new listening experiences to bring fans closer together, simple integrations for merch sales, modern collaboration tools, and new complementary revenue streams.”
Tidal’s Apple Watch support requires a Series 3 model or later running watchOS 7.1.
Microsoft first let developers build third-party apps into Teams last year, but the company is going a step further at Build 2021 today. In a push to get more app developers building for Teams, Microsoft is opening up its crucial APIs, Teams Store, and tools to what it calls collaborative apps.
Developers will soon be able to build apps that plug into the Teams meeting canvas, ones that use in-app purchases or subscriptions, and even create separate apps that get access to Teams’ real-time video and audio streams. “If you can build web apps, you can build extensions into Teams chats, channels, and meetings,” explains Jeff Teper, head of Microsoft 365 collaboration, in an interview with The Verge. “You can build once, run, deploy anywhere.”
This means apps built for Teams will work across Windows, Mac, the web, iOS, Android, and even Linux. While we’ve seen some apps that plug into the meeting canvas previously, Microsoft is launching a preview that will allow devs to share apps like whiteboards and project boards and share apps more directly into the meetings area in Teams. Microsoft is also making it easier for devs to create these apps with greater integration into Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code.
Custom Together Mode scenes are on the way.Image: Microsoft
Microsoft’s Together Mode for Teams, which uses AI to segment your face and shoulders and place you and your co-workers together in a virtual space, is also being opened up. “We’re giving people a toolkit so they can design their own Together Modes scenes,” says Teper. “We’re pretty excited to see what people come up with.”
Later this summer, Microsoft will also allow third-party apps to access real-time audio and video streams from Teams. This will primarily allow for transcription or note-taking apps to process audio and video coming out of Teams, but it will also enable devs to create bespoke apps that access Teams.
Real-time access to Teams for transcription, note-taking, and more.Image: Microsoft
“Somebody could build a completely custom application that is different than the Teams UI and that app can interoperate with Teams via voice, video, or chat,” explains Teper. An example could be a hospital that wants to build a connection from their telehealth app into Teams to enable video calls.
Microsoft will also allow developers to sell their own subscriptions within their Teams apps. This opens up the Teams Store to in-app purchases. Microsoft hasn’t gone into detail on whether it takes a cut on sales here, but Teper is keen to point out Microsoft’s main focus is building an ecosystem of apps. “We may make some money in the marketplace, but our primary business model will be the Microsoft 365 licenses and the Azure and Power platform licenses that developers consume,” says Teper.
With 145 million daily active users of Microsoft Teams, there certainly could be an appetite for more apps that plug into and appear inside of Teams meetings. Microsoft has always positioned Teams as a hub for productivity, and these latest announcements are clearly designed to make Teams a little more developer-friendly.
SteelSeries has announced the new Prime lineup of high-performance gaming accessories designed alongside esports athletes. They’ve been “designed to win championships,” but they seem fine enough for average people who just take their gaming time seriously, too. There are four new devices, including the wired Arctis Prime headset and three different Prime mice, and they all seem reasonably priced. One thing they have in common is a rather simplistic design that puts ease of use ahead of bundling in so many features that you accidentally hit the wrong button when the moment really matters. Each of these accessories is available starting today.
The $99.99 Arctis Prime headset has just a mute button and a volume wheel. The left ear cup also houses a retractable boom microphone that’s easy to pull out and push in with one hand. In terms of other features, the Prime headset plugs in with its included proprietary USB cable that outputs to your source via 3.5mm. Next to that, there’s a 3.5mm port located so you can share audio with a teammate sitting nearby.
SteelSeries changed up its ear pads to be better at blocking out sound. They’re more plushy now than previous Arctis headsets, and the faux leather covering gives them a high-end look. The elastic ski band SteelSeries is known for using hasn’t gone anywhere, and as expected, the Arctis Prime is a comfortable headset that rests gently on the top of your head. Each ear cup has magnetic plates that can be removed, in case you want custom ones.
The Arctis Prime has broad compatibility with PCs, consoles, and mobile devices with its 3.5mm jack. SteelSeries also includes a longer cable for PC players to use, which accepts the 3.5mm jack and splits it into dedicated headphone and microphone jacks. My time with this headset has been limited so far, but its sound performance seems to be on-par, if not slightly better, than SteelSeries’ other Arctis headsets in the $100-$150 price range.
Moving onto the three Prime mice, they look visually identical, though they each have some differences. At the top, the $129.99 Prime Wireless seems to be going after the same crowd who might be considering Logitech’s G Pro X Superlight. It’s similarly simple in design, though the Prime Wireless stands out with its especially high arch that caters to right-handed gamers compared to the Superlight’s ambidextrous build. This is an 80-gram mouse that has a USB-C charging port that supports fast charging, and SteelSeries claims its battery can last up to 100 hours. The company also claims that its magnetic optical switches are rated for up to to 100 million clicks. These switches have a pronounced click sound and feel — more so than mice I’ve tried recently.
The Prime Plus has a bottom-facing OLED screen and a secondary liftoff sensor.
If you only trust the low latency performance of a wired mouse while gaming, the $79.99 Prime Plus might be for you. It has a similar design to the Wireless, but it’s 11 grams lighter in weight, and it has a secondary liftoff sensor that SteelSeries says allows for the “world’s lowest and most accurate liftoff”. In other words, this should prevent the pointer from moving when you need to quickly lift and reposition the mouse. The Prime Plus also has a bottom-mounted OLED screen that lets you toggle through settings like sensitivity, liftoff distance, illumination of the scrollwheel’s RGB LED, the mouse’s polling rate and more. This way, you don’t necessarily need to use SteelSeries’ GG companion software on PC to toggle your most important settings.
Lastly, the $59.99 Prime has the same weight, sensor, and magnetic optical switches you’ll find in the Prime Plus, but it lacks the secondary liftoff sensor and the OLED screen. If you don’t need those features, this is an affordable option if you’re a right-handed gamer who doesn’t mind a high arch in the middle of the mouse.
We’ll be testing these accessories more thoroughly in the weeks to come to see if they can fight for a spot in our roundups of the best gaming headsets and best gaming mice.
Public, the trading and social networking app, is the next app to get into live audio. Like many apps before it, the company says it’s planning to roll out live audio features starting this week under the name Public Live. Unlike its competitors, like Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces, however, Public will initially program these chats with moderators it pays, meaning not just anyone can start a conversation. It’ll host about three events a week, and users will receive a push notification to join, along with a badge inside the app allowing them to hop into it. Topics might include coverage of an upcoming IPO, the day’s news, or analysis.
The first chat will be between Scott Galloway, who co-hosts the Pivot podcast and is an investor in the app, and Stephanie Ruhle, an NBC News senior business correspondent and MSNBC anchor. It’ll be live in the app this upcoming Wednesday and won’t be recorded for publish anywhere else. Other future hosts include Nora Ali, a former Cheddar News anchor, and Kinsey Grant, co-founder of Thinking is Cool and the former host of the Morning Brew Business Casual podcast.
An example of what a Public Live event badge will look like in the app.Image: Public
In a chat with The Verge, Public co-founder Leif Abraham says the team plans to eventually allow more people to host live audio rooms, but it’s taking its time with the feature and wants to see how things go before opening it up. Crucially, the first iteration also won’t allow people to get onstage live and ask questions. They’ll instead be limited to emoji reactions.
Abraham says the core reasoning behind limiting the release at first is to keep the quality of the content “high” and also to effectively moderate by actually employing the moderators and programming the chats, as opposed to leaving it to app users who haven’t been vetted. (Although the chats won’t be recorded for distribution, he says they will be recorded on the backend for moderation and regulation purposes.)
Interestingly, Public’s moderators come from media backgrounds; two out of three have hosted business TV programs. He says audio made more sense for the app than live video because it doesn’t require as much setup or production costs. Also, listeners can tune in while doing other things on their phones.
The decision to build live audio into another app speaks to the broader push to integrate live audio into existing platforms rather than building it as a separate product. Companies like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter see the feature as a way to augment their platforms, and Clubhouse, famously, is the main app that’s completely dedicated itself to live audio. For Public, Abraham says people are already using the app to chat about trading and stocks, so having conversations about finance just makes sense — despite other apps also often hosting similar chats.
“We are the place where they get their financial news,” he says. “We are the place where they learn about investing strategies, and therefore, we are the button that they think of when they want to dive into the stock market, or business strategy, or investing strategy, and so on.”
Clubhouse and other apps might host chats with randos who claim to understand the stock market and Bitcoin, but Abraham and his team are betting people are more interested in formal live programming that Public can guarantee will be well-moderated and from “trusted” sources.
(Pocket-lint) – Speak to any diehard music lover and you’ll always get the same answer: there’s nothing like vinyl. Forget about the new trends of getting the purest form of music, this is it.
These record players age are modern in approach but have a retro style. You’ll find a lot of retro-styled options out there complete with wooden finishes and maybe even a suitcase aesthetic.
But don’t be fooled. Many of these new record players not only play your parent’s vinyl, some of them even connect to your Bluetooth speaker so you can mix generations, too.
Best retro record players to buy today
Crosley
Crosley Sterling Turntable
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It’s not very often that you come across a music player that makes so much of a statement as the Crosley Sterling Turntable.
Its bold, retro design makes it as much an ornamental piece in your house as a great way to listen to music. You have the option of removing the legs too if you have a nice table to put it on.
It plays 33 1/3 and 45 RPM records and houses dual stereo speakers. You can connect it up via RCA output or even Bluetooth if you fancy.
Not all record players are made alike, and the Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB-BK Direct-Drive Turntable is one that stands out among the crowds.
It has a classic look and is packed with features. It’ll play 33 1/3, 45, and 75 RPM records, and while it doesn’t come with speakers, it can be connected to your favourite speakers through RCA cables or USB.
If you’re a die-hard turntable enthusiast, then Audio-Technica’s fantastic reputation and the long list of features on this record player make it a worthy option.
Steepletone
Steepletone BT-SMC386r PRO
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For those who use every way imaginable to listen to music, there are few systems that will cater to them. There is the Steepletone BT-SMC386r PRO, however, an 8-in-1 music player.
It definitely has an air of old-school to it. The main body houses a record player on top, twin cassette tape players, an FM and AM radio, CD player, a place for a USB stick, SD card slot, and Bluetooth.
Then there are two classic-looking speakers on either side as well for a stereo sound.
If you’ve got a whole host of different ways to listen to music from pretty much every generation, then the Steepletone BT-SMC386r PRO is something to look at.
House of Marley
House of Marley Stir It Up Record Player
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The House of Marley Stir It Up Record Player brings the record player right up to modern standards. Its sleek bamboo cover will match right up in your stylish living room.
It connects to your Mac or PC via USB, so you can digitally record your vinyls if you like, in case you want to take that classic music with you in the car.
It’ll play both 35 and 45 RPM records powered by a preamp through speakers of your choice.
Udreamer
Udreamer Vinyl Record Player
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We love the fact that the Udreamer Vinyl Record Player delivers a retro look, but still maintains an ageless class. It wouldn’t be out of place in any living room.
It’s able to play in 33-1/3, 45, and 78 RPM, as well as 3 sizes of record: 7”, 10” and 12”. The spring and belt-driven design in combination with the wooden build help it absorb any vibrations and deliver a warm tone.
If you’re out of vinyls to play for the evening, then switch over to your phone with its Bluetooth functionality.
Victrola
Victrola Navigator 8-in-1 Classic Bluetooth Record Player
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Talk about bringing back the retro. The Victrola Navigator 8-in-1 Classic Bluetooth Record Player travels through time with its analog knobs and dials to deliver a distinguished style.
A lovely hinged door reveals the belt-driven turntable that can play 33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM records. That large radio dial is just awesome and dominates the front.
It’s not just a radio and record player, though. There’s a CD player and cassette, player, AUX jack, and even Bluetooth s you can stream from other devices. Looking at it, you’d never guess.
SeeYing
SeeYing Record Player with Speakers Bluetooth Turntable with FM Stereo Radio
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The SeeYing Record Player with Speakers is a bang-up-to-date turntable. It’s got speakers on its sides that you can even connect a Bluetooth device to when you run out of records.
No matter if you have 7, 10, or 12 inch vinyls, or need 33, 45, or 78 RPM playing speeds, this record player has you covered.
The sedate styling will make it work in most spaces too.
Victrola
Victrola Vintage 3-Speed Bluetooth Portable Suitcase Record Player
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The Victrola Vintage 3-Speed Bluetooth Portable Suitcase Record Player transports you back to a day when taking your music with you wasn’t quite as easy as it is today.
But there’s nothing like the sound of vinyl. Take this along with you to parties to give the music a bit of a taste of the classics.
Everything’s included in the Victrola Vintage, so you don’t need to connect it to any speakers. It also will play 33 1/3, 45, or 78 RPM playing speeds
WOCKODER
WOCKODER Record Player Turntable
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The WOCKODER Record Player Turntable brings back the 70s in style and does so in a compact package.
The belt driven player and spring on the turntable base make sure vibration is kept to a minimum, which is great for sound quality.
It’s simple to use with little fuss needed to get going. And it’s also got Bluetooth in case you’re keen on something not yet released on vinyl.
Kedok
Kedok Belt Driven Suitcase Vinyl Record Player
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Retro styling meets modern tech. The Kedok Belt Driven Suitcase Vinyl Record Player is a great looking turntable that allows you to listen to your records wherever you go.
It’s capable of playing three different-sized records in three speeds, and has built-in speakers so you don’t need anything more to play your classics.
Writing by Claudio Rebuzzi. Editing by Dan Grabham.
Smart device and audio specialist Oppo is today launching two new additions – the Enco Air true wireless earbuds and an Oppo 46mm wi-fi smartwatch.
The Chinese brand has expanded its wireless headphone offering to include the Oppo Enco Air earbuds, which promise to combine “lightning-fast Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity with an ergonomic and lightweight design” – a design that’s clearly aimed squarely at the best AirPods alternative market but with a clever translucent-lidded case (so you’ll always know they’re actually in there).
(Image credit: Oppo)
The Oppo Enco Air earbuds come with a Vocal Enhancement mode as standard. Under the bonnet there’s a 12mm dynamic driver with dedicated bass duct in tow, thus promising deep bass and clear highs, plus a dynamic, real-time algorithm to adjust signal – which should allow those voices to stand out from the instrumental.
In terms of stamina, Oppo says the earbuds feature a battery with fast charging that allows up to four hours play from the buds on just a single, 10-minute charge – that is efficient – and 24 hours of total battery life.
Aside from the audio tech, the Enco Air earbuds have also been thoughtfully designed for comfort. The company says that the design (weighing in at only 4g per earpiece) has been user-tested on over 400 different ear shapes to ensure a perfect fit for all customers. This, combined with an IPX4 splash-resistance rating, makes them an interesting budget proposition on paper.
(Image credit: Oppo)
The Oppo 46mm Smart Watch, powered with Wear OS by Google, features a 1.9 inch AMOLED display plus the full suite of Google apps and services – including Google Pay and Google Maps. The AI watch-face design can synchronise to match any outfit thanks to the HeyTap Health app and, with a wide range of wrist strap colours available, it’s never been easier to switch styles. Regarding the frame, Oppo says the 46mm WiFi Watch has been sculpted in a 6,000 series aluminium alloy and is available in a Black finish.
Through Google FitTM1, the wearable enables access to reams of tracked exercises in addition to its key, wrist-based five-minute workouts with voice coaching. With a summer out of lockdown on the horizon, Oppo promises its 46mm WiFi Watch will take the sting out of training and help keep you fit on-the-move. For those out from morning until night, the Watch VOOC Flash Charging allows users to build up 16 hours of power from just one, 15-minute fast charge too.
Ready for prices? The Oppo Enco Air true wireless headphones are available now in a choice of white, black or light blue, for £69 (around $98 or AU$126, although those prices are unconfirmed) and the Oppo 46mm Smart Watch is also available from Oppo’s e-store or Amazon, for £279 (around $395 or AU$510).
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People like to argue that technology is value neutral; that it’s neither inherently good nor inherently bad, but can simply be put to different uses. As a rebuttal, I’d like to direct the court’s attention to exhibit a), a video of “digital humans” rapping using AI-synthesized voices, that is intrinsically awful.
Indeed, I’d argue that the video above not only disproves the whole value-neutral thing, but makes a decent case for shutting down this “technology” lark altogether and heading back to the trees before it’s too late. What I mean is: AI is posting cringe and I don’t like it.
Okay, so I’m being a little harsh here and the video is obviously a joke. It’s the work of Replica, an AI startup that does interesting things with synthetic speech. The company tells us that during a recent hackathon, one employee worked out how to capture live audio of himself rapping and transfer “the timing, cadence and energy of his delivery onto one of our AI voices.” Combined with a little 3D animation and rendering, this video is the result.
For fairness, here’s Replica’s mea culpa, sent to us via email:
“DISCLAIMER – we know this video is deep in the heart of the uncanny valley. That’s not because the tech is bad, it’s because we’re amateurs at using 3D real-time rendering software – that’s not our speciality. The only reason this video exists is because the team created this during an internal company hackathon for fun using a new feature that’s under development, not yet open to the public.”
That feature in question is an upcoming integration due to be announced at GDC in July between Replica’s speech synthesis tools and Unreal Engine’s MetaHumans software, which generates realistic CGI humans. By combining the two tools, says Replica, anyone will be able to “create lip sync dialogue for games and movies, and even rap.”
As a reminder, though, you can also not do that. Just a thought.
Following the recent announcement of its second-generation 14 and 15 Series amplifiers, Rotel has now taken two of its preamplifiers into their next generation.
The new RC-1590MKII (pictured top) and RC-1572MKII (below) replace the original, 2015- and 2017-released models, elevating the designs with performance upgrades that include “over 75 critical” component changes (between them) and an enhanced acoustic circuit that borrows technologies engineered for the high-end Michi series.
Rotel has chosen to use new coupling capacitors directly in the audio signal path for improved frequency response in the DAC circuits, while resistor and capacitor upgrades have blessed the DAC power supply, volume circuit and XLR balanced circuits.
To that end, there are balanced XLR inputs and outputs, a PC-USB input that supports MQA, a moving magnet phono, plus more analogue and digital connections, the latter of which are fed by a 32-bit/384kHz Texas Instruments DAC. There’s aptX and AAC Bluetooth onboard too and both machines are certified Roon Tested.
(Image credit: Rotel)
The RC-1590MKII is the reference model, its design built around a power supply that features dual in-house manufactured toroidal transformers that are physically and electrically isolated and promise to provide current to the circuits with low distortion and a quiet noise floor. Dual RCA and XLR outputs can accommodate bi-amplification, and a subwoofer output is also on the menu.
Beneath it is the RC-1572MKII, which has a design built around one of Rotel’s in-house manufactured toroidal transformers.
Orders can now be placed for the Rotel RC-1590MKII and RC-1572MKII, which are priced £1695 ($2100) and £1150 ($1400) respectively. Shipping begins in July in the United States and Canada, with the rest of the world to follow shortly thereafter.
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Still waiting for the Sonos wireless headphones to appear? They’re expected by the end of 2021, but it seems the Californian tech giant might have another surprise up its sleeve.
A recent US patent filing (spotted by zatznotfunny) appears to depict Sonos’ first ever pair of wireless earbuds. The drawings are rudimentary but appear to show a couple of different designs, including a wedge-shaped pair that slot into either end of a USB-C charging case.
Interestingly, it looks like Sonos is also planning to extend the play time of its buds using tiny, detachable battery plates (Sonos calls them “charging adaptors”). The plates look to be roughly the size of a thumbnail and attach (possibly magnetically?) to the outer body of each bud. The drawings even reveal how the plates would be powered up using the charging case. Ingenious, but is it realistic?
The filing doesn’t give too much else away, other than to confirm the purported Sonos buds would feature voice control, media playback, and the ability to sync with “Multiple Network Devices” (Sonos’ increasingly broad range of wireless multi-room audio products, we presume).
Major tech firms file hundreds of patents every year and many come to naught, so today’s development is no guarantee that Sonos will launch a pair of true wireless earbuds. That said, somebody at Sonos has clearly spent a lot of time thinking about developing an Apple AirPods (2019) rival.
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Get the lowdown: which Sonos speaker should you buy?
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Apple is releasing its latest iOS 14.6 update today, and it’s largely focused on audio improvements. This new OS update will allow Apple Music subscribers to enable lossless audio or Dolby Atmos once it’s available next month, and it also debuts Apple Podcasts subscriptions.
Podcasts users can now subscribe to content in the app for extra perks like ad-free and bonus content, as well as early access. Apple is also improving the Podcasts app with the ability to mark all episodes as played, recover old episodes, and remove downloads.
iOS 14.6 includes a number of other quality-of-life improvements. If you’re an AirTag owner, iOS 14.6 includes the option to add an email address as a contact method for when the item tracker is in lost mode. There’s also Apple Card Family sharing, with support for up to five people to share an Apple Card for purchases.
As always, this latest version of iOS also includes some fixes and security improvements. Apple has fixed an issue with the Apple Watch not unlocking an iPhone correctly, problems with reminders as blank lines, call blocking extensions not appearing in settings, reduced iPhone performance during startup, and Bluetooth issues during calls.
Lenovo’s Tab P11 Pro is the company’s top-tier Android tablet. With an 11-inch OLED screen, quad speakers, and snap-on keyboard, it’s meant to go head to head with Samsung’s Tab S7 and Apple’s iPad Air. But while the Tab P11 Pro is excellent for watching movies — that OLED screen and the Dolby Atmos speakers are quite nice — it’s considerably less impressive when you attempt to use it for productivity.
Pricing for the Tab P11 Pro is aggressive, particularly when you add up everything you get. The list price for a base model with 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM is $499.99, but thanks to Lenovo’s frequent discounts, you can buy one for $375 right now. The model I’ve been testing has 6GB of RAM and comes with a detachable keyboard and active stylus pen in the box. That one’s list price is $599.99, but it’s currently discounted to $460 on Lenovo’s site.
Considering the similarly sized iPad Air starts at $599 before you add a pen or keyboard to it, the Lenovo has a lot of value on its side. No matter which model you opt for, you get the same 11-inch 2560 x 1600 OLED screen; Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor; quad JBL speakers with Dolby Atmos tuning; 128GB of storage with the ability to expand it with a microSD card; and premium aluminum unibody design.
The screen and speakers are really the stars of the show here. The OLED panel is not as bright as you can get on an iPad, so it isn’t as good in direct sunlight. But in almost every other scenario, including outdoors in the shade, it looks fantastic. Colors are rich, blacks are deep and inky, and the resolution is sharp. It provides a great experience for watching movies or any video, really.
The P11 Pro’s OLED screen looks great, and the quad speakers sound fantastic.
Similarly, the quad speakers are loud, punchy, and immersive. The Tab P11 Pro’s speakers outclass the iPad Air’s dual speakers and easily hang with the excellent sound system on Apple’s higher-end iPad Pro. Unfortunately, Lenovo is taking the same route as Apple and omitting a headphone jack, so you have the option of using a USB-C dongle (not included) or wireless headphones for personal audio.
Combined, the OLED screen and quad speakers provide the best movie-watching experience on a tablet anywhere near this price. To get something better, you’re going to have to pay a lot more money.
But Lenovo isn’t pitching this as just a couch potato tablet — it’s following Apple and Samsung’s lead in presenting the P11 Pro as a tablet that you can also get work done on. And that’s where the P11 Pro falls on its face.
Starting with the keyboard and pen accessories that are included with the top-end bundle, there’s as much to dislike as there is to like. The snap-on keyboard has a nice fabric cover and comes in two pieces: a back cover with a built-in kickstand that attaches via magnets and the keyboard itself that communicates with the tablet through pogo pins on the bottom edge of the P11 Pro. It’s a similar design to what Samsung uses on the Tab S7 line, and I like the flexibility it affords. I can use just the back cover to prop the tablet up for movie watching without having to have the keyboard in the way all the time. It’s great to have this flexibility when you’re using the tablet on a cramped airplane tray table.
Unfortunately, the typing experience on the keyboard itself leaves a bit to be desired. The layout is as cramped as expected with an 11-inch tablet, and there’s no backlighting available. The trackpad is small and has palm rejection issues — even just using the keyboard to write this relatively short draft was an exercise in patience, as my cursor would randomly jump around any time my left hand brushed against the trackpad as I typed. There’s also very little software support; I can’t adjust the scrolling direction on the trackpad as I can do with a laptop or other tablets.
The bundled stylus is nice to have, but it, too, falls behind the competition. It has many levels of pressure sensitivity, and it writes smoothly enough for my basic note-taking needs. But it doesn’t charge on the back or side of the tablet like Apple or Samsung’s pens (you instead need to plug it in via a USB-C port on its end), and there’s nowhere to safely store it on the tablet. Lenovo includes a rubbery holster for the pen that you’re supposed to stick to the back of the P11’s case with adhesive. But the adhesive is weak, and the pen holder falls off very easily. It all just feels like an afterthought.
Similarly, the software support for the pen is weak. Lenovo includes the Squid notes app (the basic free version, not the full version) for jotting down notes, and you can download many other options from the Play Store. But the pen doesn’t integrate into the system like it does on Apple or Samsung tablets. You can’t use the pen to take quick notes from the lock screen or easily capture screenshots and mark them up like you can on the iPad Air or Tab S7.
The P11 Pro’s “productivity mode” leaves a lot to be desired.
When you attach the keyboard to the tablet, Lenovo’s custom productivity mode launches. This is designed to provide a desktop-like interface, similar to Samsung’s DeX feature. But it’s a mess: few apps can be launched full-screen with it, and every app opens in a tiny, windowed box that you have to resize each time. I was able to successfully create a split-screen between a Google Doc and another window, such as Slack or the browser. But in general, the productivity mode feels like a tacked-on afterthought, just like the pen, and really isn’t a great experience.
Elsewhere, the software is standard Android (version 10; there’s no update to Android 11 as of the date of this review, though the P11 Pro does have the latest security patch available), which works best when you’re watching a full-screen video or playing a game, and doesn’t have as many tablet-oriented apps as iPadOS. The Snapdragon 730 processor isn’t as powerful as you get in Apple or Samsung’s tablets, but it’s not really a bottleneck here. You’ll be limited by the lack of tablet-optimized apps way before you hit the performance ceiling of the chip.
In all, the Tab P11 Pro is the tablet to get if you are looking for an excellent movie watching experience and don’t want to spend more than $400. You won’t find a better display or speakers for this price. I’d personally skip the pen and keyboard bundle entirely (even though that does mean you give up the handy back cover and its kickstand) and just use this tablet for what it does best: entertainment.
Qualcomm has a new Arm processor ready for Windows and Chrome. Today, it announced the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2, aimed at laptops starting at $349, which means you probably won’t see it powering the
best Ultrabrooks and premium laptops
.
The company claims that this will bring premium features to budget machines, including long battery life (Qualcomm will tell you it’s “all-day” depending on usage), quick wake from sleep, and a chassis that’s less than 15mm thick.
(Image credit: Qualcomm)
The 7c Gen 2 SoC boasts a Qualcomm Kryo 468 octa-core CPU up to 2.55 GHz, a Qualcomm Adreno GPU, a Qualcomm Spectra 255 image signal processor for 14-bit processing, a Snapdragon X15 LTE modem and up to Wi-Fi 5 (ac).
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(Image credit: Qualcomm)
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(Image credit: Qualcomm)
Notably, for both Windows and Chrome, Qualcomm hasn’t provided specific test scores, nor compared it to the original Snapdragon 7c. Instead, it has normalized performance versus Intel’s Celeron N4020 and N5030 and, on the Chrome side, the Mediatek MT8183. Unsurprisingly, the newer processor wins out. On Windows, Qualcomm claims to be up to 60% more efficient than Intel’s Celerons by dividing the PCMark 10 performance score by PCMark 10 battery life consumption. In other tests, the N5030 was more powerful.
Qualcomm is also promising other benefits, including better webcam quality thanks to its Spectra 255 image signal processor and clearer audio with Qualcomm Aqstic.
Today, Qualcomm also announced a Snapdragon development kit running Windows 10 on Arm so that developers can port apps to ARM64. That will ship this summer.
The latest iPad Air gets more than just a makeover – it’s a brilliant all-rounder and all the tablet most people could ever need
For
Great picture and sound
Attractive design
Excellent user experience
Against
Imperfect front-facing camera
Touch ID button is awkward
Not the cheapest tablet around
It’s not every day an Apple product gets what you could call a major revamp. On many occasions in the past, there has been a slight change here and a minor tweak there, leaving the tech world slightly underwhelmed. However, by Apple’s standards, it has positively gone to town on the iPad Air (2020).
Not only does the fourth generation iPad Air boast a brand new design, complete with a new Touch ID sensor and speaker layout, there’s also a bigger screen, more powerful processor and improved main camera. Everything is set up for the iPad Air (2020) to make quite the splash, but where does it rank when it comes to the best iPads you can buy?
Pricing
The fourth-generation iPad Air slots between the entry-level iPad and the flagship iPad Pro (2021). It’s available with either 64GB or 256GB of storage and prices start at £579 ($599, AU$899) for the entry-level 64GB Wi-Fi-only model and £729 ($749, AU$1129) for the Wi-Fi/Cellular model.
That makes the latest generation iPad Air around £100 ($100, AU$120) more expensive than the previous model. If Apple had just touched up the design and kept the status quo, you’d probably consider that a big jump in price. But the new model is a clear improvement on iPad Airs of old.
Build
(Image credit: Apple)
Nowhere are the changes more obvious and apparent than with the new iPad Air’s exterior. It has been redesigned to mirror the iPhone 12, and if you like the look and feel of that smartphone, you’re going to love the iPad Air 4.
Apple iPad Air (2020) tech specs
(Image credit: Apple)
Screen size 10.9in
Resolution 2360×1640 pixels
Storage 64GB/256GB
Finishes x5
Battery life 10 hours
Cameras 12MP rear / 7MP front
Dimensions (hwd) 24.8 x 17.9 x 0.6cm
Weight 458g
Those flat sides and crisp edges give the tablet a more purposeful appearance from the off. It makes for quite the contrast switching from the smooth, curved edges of the previous version, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable, and those flat sides make it easier to grip when you’re watching in portrait or landscape.
It’s similar in look and feel to its big brother, the iPad Air Pro, although the Air is the first iPad to be made available in a range of optional colours. There are Rose Gold, Green and Sky Blue variants to choose from, in addition to the more traditional Silver and Space Grey. We find the Green finish of our review sample particularly easy on the eye.
Run your eyes around those flat edges and you’ll also spot a couple of new additions. The first is the presence of speaker grilles on the top and bottom of the tablet. Instead of offering speakers along just the bottom, the iPad Air 4 now offers landscape stereo speakers. That’s right, no longer does audio sound lopsided.
The iPad Air is now fitted with a USB-C port instead of Lightning, which makes one wonder why Apple is persisting with Lightning on the iPhone. Perhaps we’ll see the socket on the iPhone 13 when it makes an appearance later in the year?
The iPad Air’s volume buttons remain in the same location, as does the power button, although it’s slightly larger and longer, likely because it now handles Touch ID duties. We find that this takes some time to get used to and is at times a little more awkward to operate than the dedicated face-mounted Touch ID button of before. We can’t help but think a fingerprint sensor built under the screen, which is already used by smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S21 range, might work better.
Features
(Image credit: Apple)
The big news on the screen front is that the new iPad Air is bigger than ever. At 10.9in, it’s marginally larger than the previous model (10.5in), but you only notice the difference when viewing the two tablets together. The effect is emphasised by the slimmer bezels at the top and bottom, which have been achieved by ditching the fingerprint scanner/home button. It all makes for a streamlined viewing experience.
Resolution is 2360 x 1640 (vs 2224 x 1668 on the iPad Air 3) with a pixel density of 264ppi and a maximum brightness of 500 nits.
It’s still a wide colour display with True Tone, so the iPad Air can adjust the balance of its screen based on ambient lighting conditions. The only thing it doesn’t have compared to its more expensive Pro sibling is a 120Hz refresh rate, which would be nice, but not vital.
The new iPad Air (2020) has the brains to match its beauty too. It is powered by Apple’s A14 Bionic chip, the same silicone that drives the entire iPhone 12 line.
In terms of CPU performance, Apple claims the iPad Air 2020 is 40 per cent faster than the previous generation A12 Bionic chip, while its GPU performance is supposedly up 30 per cent, too, for faster graphics processing.
Although it can’t match the specs of the iPad Pro 2021, both in terms of processing power and storage, Apple still claims the Air is more than powerful enough to be able to edit 4K video on and it’s fully compatible with the Apple Pencil 2, which will come in handy for creative types.
So how do Apple’s claimed performance percentage increases translate into real life? The iPad reacts extremely well to multiple apps being open and even the rigours of gaming. In fact, the iPad Air arguably turns the iPad Pro into even more of a niche product. For most people, the iPad Air 2020 will be a powerful enough tool.
Apps such as Netflix and Amazon Music boot up without hesitation, and even if you have more than a handful of apps running in the background, the iPad Air won’t struggle to cope. Navigating between apps via a series of simple swipes is quick and hassle-free, and once again, Apple’s intuitive iOS operating system delivers a smooth and class-leading user experience.
As far as cameras are concerned, the iPad Air 2020 sports a 12MP snapper on the rear (up from 8MP on the previous version) while it sticks with the old 7MP FaceTime HD camera on the front. The Air can record in 4K resolution at 24, 25, 30 or 60fps and capture slow-mo video in 1080p at 120fps or 240fps.
Apple has stripped down the accessories included in the box for the iPhone, but you still get a 20W charger to go alongside the USB-C charging cable. With a full battery, the iPad Air 2020 should be good for up to 10 hours of battery life under average use. As an occasional web browser and viewing device for the odd episode of The Crown, you should be more than covered.
Sound
(Image credit: Apple)
One of the more exciting changes to the iPad Air’s design from an AV perspective relates to its speakers. On the previous iPad Air, they were positioned on one side, on the edge beneath the Touch ID sensor. Here, the speakers have been repositioned to fire out from either end of the tablet, so you can be treated to proper stereo audio with both sides of your iPad contributing equally.
Not having the audio offset to one side makes a big difference. It’s a better fit for watching programmes in landscape mode, especially while bingeing episodes of your favourite series on Netflix. The most obvious improvement is a wider spread of sound, which helps give it a more cinematic and immersive feel. It’s not exactly surround sound, but it is better than it was previously.
The sound coming out of the speakers is more solid and defined too. There’s extra weight to dialogue and although the vibrations through the iPad’s chassis can be pretty disturbing at higher volumes, it never seems to muddy the clarity of what you’re hearing. Stick to normal volume levels and you’ll be just fine.
You still need to be a little careful about hand placement if you’re holding the iPad in landscape mode, although it is much improved on the older model.
Switch to playing tracks through a pair of wireless headphones and Apple’s trademark musicality is there to enjoy. The iPad makes quick work of Radiohead’s 15 Steps and its attempts to trip the tablet over, displays an excellent sense of rhythm and there’s a real snap to the claps that help keep the track on course. There’s plenty of precision to the percussion including a solid, weighty kick drum.
Screen
(Image credit: Apple)
Apple’s tablets have a reputation for delivering excellent images when watching video and the iPad Air 2020 doesn’t let the side down. It’s punchy and bright, but also throws in a great level of subtlety when the scene demands. Compared with the previous model, the latest iPad Air appears a bit sharper, slightly better detailed and capable of great subtlety in dark scenes.
Playing the second episode of Jupiter’s Legacy on Netflix, as everyone lines up at the funeral of their fallen comrades, the detail and definition in each character’s suit really captures the eye. Blacks are deep and rich, but there’s subtlety around creases and where light casts a shadow on certain areas. There’s a great general sense of depth to the scene too.
The iPad peers into the nooks and crannies and paints different gradations of black and grey with great care and attention. It also picks out subtle differences in the intensity of the white shirts worn by some of the characters. Skin tones also appear natural. As Sheldon, Walter, Grace and Brandon sit down for dinner, the bulbs in the chandelier bulbs emit a welcoming, warm glow and there’s a great sense of depth.
Verdict
If you want the ultimate iPad experience, Apple would probably point you in the direction of its Pro range. But the iPad Air 4 (2020) is all the iPad most people will ever need. It’s such a solid and capable all-rounder, that very few will feel the need to spend the extra for the iPad Pro.
The design is superb, the user experience is tough to beat and both sound and picture quality are on point. It’s an excellent tablet, and even with a slight price increase, we still feel it’s worth every penny.
SCORES
Picture 5
Sound 5
Features 5
MORE:
Read our guide to the best tablets
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Everything you need to know about the new Apple iPad Pro
Last week, Apple announced that lossless audio was coming to Apple Music, but it was also revealed that not all Apple devices would be compatible. We now know that the HomePod and HomePod Mini will in fact support these higher-quality music streams. We just don’t know when.
All Apple has revealed on its new lossless audio support page is that “Support for lossless is coming in a future software update”.
The page also reiterates that the new Apple TV 4K 2021 doesn’t currently support the Hi-Res Lossless format, although the use of the word “currently” could suggest it might change in the future.
Apple’s page also runs down how to listen on other devices, and repeats what we told you last week, that Apple’s AirPods, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max don’t support lossless. That’s no great surprise for the true wireless earbuds, but more of a blow for the AirPods Max, as some had assumed their wired connection would enable lossless.
Apple’s iPhones and iPads support Apple Music’s two lower tiers of lossless, namely CD quality (16-bit/44.1kHz) and Apple Music Lossless (24-bit/48kHz). If you want to listen to Apple Music tracks above 24-bit/48kHz on your iPhone/iPad, you’ll need to connect an external DAC and use a wired pair of headphones. Check out our guide for how to listen to hi-res audio on an iPhone.
There’s better news for Apple fans looking to enjoy the Spatial Audio feature also coming to Apple Music next month. It’s much more widely supported on Apple devices including AirPods headphones and HomePod speakers.
MORE:
Check our full guide: Apple Music lossless: which devices will (and won’t) play lossless and Spatial Audio
The new music streaming state of play: With Apple and Amazon offering lossless streaming for no extra charge, what now for their rivals?
Try 30 Apple Music tips, tricks and features
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Recognising the convenience of Bluetooth and the fact that not every hi-fi system – especially those of the vintage variety – has it integrated, McIntosh has launched a device that brings it onboard any home audio set-up.
The MB20 Bluetooth transceiver is a two-way device that can both receive and transmit audio wirelessly. In receiver mode, the MB20 can accept audio from a phone or any other Bluetooth source for playback through the system it’s connected to. In transmitter mode, the transceiver can send music playing on a system, including from vinyl and CDs, to a pair of Bluetooth headphones or speakers. A back-panel switch changes the device to the required function.
The MB20 supports the latest Bluetooth 5 codec, as well as aptX HD, aptX Low Latency and AAC for higher quality transmission between compatible devices. It can connect to systems via a range of outputs and inputs, which include RCA, XLR, optical and coaxial connections.
(Image credit: McIntosh)
As a receiver, it utilises a 32-bit/192kHz DAC (if used with an external DAC, its output is fixed at 96kHz). And when in transmitter mode, it uses an ADC with a 110dB signal-to-noise ratio.
The Class 1-supporting MB20 can transmit audio within a 150-foot (45.7m) range – 10x greater than a typical Class 2 Bluetooth device – and features an external antenna designed to maximise its range.
The McIntosh MB20 is available to order now, priced £649 ($500), with shipping expected this month for the United States and Canada, and in June for the UK.
MORE:
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