A new update to popular podcast player Overcast includes a major overhaul of its Apple Watch app. The Apple Watch support is notable at a time when third-party app development for the platform is not necessarily in a great spot, though the Watch itself continues to grow in popularity.
Overcast’s update reorganizes the app UI from top to bottom, adding some features that otherwise were only able to be accessed through the phone version. The main screen has large buttons for settings and syncing above a scrolling list of your shows and access to the “now playing” screen.
That screen now includes a button on the bottom right that takes you to more detailed info on the podcast and lets you adjust its playback speed, as well as giving you the ability to skip directly through chapters on podcasts that have them.
Release notes for the new iOS version of Overcast, which is dubbed 2021.1, note a couple of extra changes without going into details. Other than the new Watch app, Overcast now has “improved Siri support” and “tons of under-the-hood improvements and bug fixes.”
Overcast is available for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and now M1-powered Macs because of their support for running iOS apps. The app is free but ad-supported, with an optional $9.99 subscription that can remove the ads.
Remember dioramas? They were the friggin’ best. I’d jump on any excuse to grab a shoebox, fire up the hot glue gun (okay, Dad handled that), and strategically place plastic tigers and shrubs in their tiny cardboard habitat. I might have learned something, too, but that was beside the point. I was a tiny god with a world of my own creation in my hands.
That’s not unlike the sense of wonder I felt just now watching a miniature prehistoric habitat spring to life on my dining room table. That little bit of magic happened courtesy of Museum Alive, an augmented reality iPhone app available today featuring narration by none other than Sir David Attenborough. It’s an extension of his Natural History Museum Alive film and includes three interactive AR exhibits.
Each exhibit features an extinct animal in a recreation of its particular habitat. The app directs you to find a flat surface and pinch to zoom the image to the right scale. Once that’s done, the habitat comes to life and a 3D animation begins with Attenborough’s narration. You can move your phone around for a different view as you watch a saber-toothed Smilodon track and maul its unsuspecting prey.
My only disappointment with the app is that there are only three of these AR exhibits. There’s promise of an upcoming fourth addition of a dodo, but it’s not really clear if the app, which costs $2.99, will get updates beyond that. I can see kids really liking the experience but probably losing interest soon after they’ve explored the three current exhibits. Maybe that’s the right time to bust out the shoeboxes and hot glue gun.
Lyft is admitting that some part of traditional taxi services are worth emulating today by letting people in select Florida cities book Lyft rides with just a phone call. The new “Call A Lyft” feature should be “perfect for seniors and folks without access to the Lyft app,” says Lyft.
Calling 631-201-LYFT (631-201-5938) between 8AM-8PM ET on Monday through Friday will let a potential rider book a ride. Lyft says that it will tell riders the full price before confirming and send texts to track the ride once it’s paid for and booked. It should be familiar to anyone who’s ever called a cab, though Lyft notes drivers are not expected to offer assistance getting into a car and wheelchair accessible rides aren’t available at launch. Call A Lyft also requires a phone with support for SMS messages.
Lyft isn’t the only ride-sharing company to fall back on phone calls. Uber experimented with a similar feature in 2020, allowing customers in Arizona to dial 1-833-USE-UBER to book a ride. Prior to both companies falling back on taxi service tactics, companies like GoGoGrandparent stepped in as an intermediary for ride-sharing and food delivery companies, allowing older folks to dial a phone number and have someone else handle the apps.
Lyft and Uber pushed out traditional taxi and cab services with a theoretically easy-to-use service and a large pool of drivers, but Call A Lyft illustrates that sometimes the old methods were that way for a reason — because they worked.
Call A Lyft is available now and Lyft has a full list of supported cities on its site.
The next Spider-Man movie starring Tom Holland will be titled Spider-Man: No Way Home. The movie will be out only in theaters on December 17th, 2021.
The announcement was revealed on Twitter on Wednesday.
Holland and co-stars Zendaya and Jacob Batalon teased fans on Tuesday by posting separate joke titles for the movie on Instagram: Holland’s: Spider-Man: Phone Home,Zendaya’s: Spider-Man: Home Slice,andBatalon’s: Spider-Man: Home-Wrecker. While the jokes may have been frustrating, the differing titles may also be hinting at the rumors that the movie will take place in some kind of Spider-Man live-action film multiverse.
There have even been reports that a few fan-favorite characters from past movies are coming back, lending further credence to the multiverse rumors. Alfred Molina will reprise his role as Doctor Octopus (from the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies), for example, and Jamie Foxx will be back Electro (from the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man movies). And Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the time-bending and multiverse-seeing superhero Doctor Strange, is set to appear in the movie as well.
In a recently published Esquire interview, Holland denied that Maguire and Garfield would be appearing in the new movie — but we just don’t know if that’s a clever ruse to hide what would be two mind-melting cameos.
Fry’s Electronics today announced that after nearly 36 years it’s going out of business “as a result of changes in the retail industry and the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.” The company has already closed its 31 brick-and-mortar stores and replaced its online store with a letter to customers explaining how it plans to move forward.
The letter said Fry’s was implementing “an orderly wind down process” in an effort to “reduce costs, avoid additional liabilities, minimize the impact on our customers, vendors, landlords and associates, and maximize the value of the Company’s assets for its creditors and other stakeholders.” That process officially started today.
Fry’s also said it’s “in the process of reaching out to its customers with repairs and consignment vendors to help them understand what this will mean for them and the proposed next steps.” Customers and consignment vendors were given two email addresses and a phone number to use if they need to contact Fry’s before then.
It’s not clear what Fry’s plans to do with its remaining inventory. Retailers often try to sell as much of their stock as possible before shutting down, but if that’s what the company is doing, it’s happening behind the scenes. It’s kinda hard to sell your stuff if closing all your stores was the first step in your “orderly wind down process.”
Fry’s would have celebrated its 36th anniversary on May 17. The company said it was meant to be a “one-stop-shop and online resource for high-tech professionals across nine states.” Now it’s likely to be another footnote left in the shift to online shopping that was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic forcing most people to stay home.
Samsung is extending the return period for its newest foldable phones to 100 days, the company announced on Tuesday. That means buyers of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G and Z Flip 5G can purchase either device, use it for more than three months, and return it for a full refund. Samsung is calling this new program “Buy and Try,” and it’s the first time the company has launched a return initiative as generous as this for its mobile phones. The prior return window was 15 days.
“This new initiative will help consumers try and see if a foldable device is right for them, as part of Samsung’s commitment to making foldable devices more accessible for everyone,” a Samsung spokesperson said in a statement. Samsung says the program is launching today for purchases of either device made through its website and will run until April 1st.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G is technically the fourth iteration of the company’s foldable line, and it released last fall as a vastly improved version of the original (and severely flawed) Galaxy Fold. It costs $1,999.99, though Samsung is currently selling the device on its website for $1,499.99 with an eligible trade-in.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5G is Samsung’s third take on a foldable phone. Following a discount, it now retails for $1,199.99, though Samsung says you can get one for as cheap as $649.99 with an eligible trade-in. Both store pages for the devices on Samsung’s website carry notices of the new 100-day return offer.
(Image credit: German Patent and Trademark Office)
Sonos is developing a pair of wireless, potentially noise-cancelling, over-ear headphones. The company hasn’t confirmed as much, but filed patents and subsequent rumours and reports all point in the same direction.
They could be officially unveiled as soon as next month – Sonos is hosting a product launch on 16th March for, as suggested by the event’s invite, a ‘portable’ product, although behind the curtain could just as likely be a smaller version of the Move Bluetooth speaker (also heavily rumoured). Alternatively, the Sonos headphones could arrive later in the year as the company’s second new product promised for 2021. Wherever they appear on our timeline, Sonos wireless headphones are almost certainly coming. The question is, does the world want them?
In short, we expect it does. The prospect of this inevitable Sonos expansion excites us, anyway. But in a wireless headphones market awash with excellent pairs, Sonos needs a unique selling point or two, not to mention competitive sound quality. Apple recently managed to separate its AirPods Max from Sony, Bose and Sennheiser rivals with Apple-centric features and a significantly higher price tag (which we found to be justified thanks to their superior sound quality).
Does Sonos have what it takes to carve out its own corner of the headphones market and garner mass appeal? Again, we believe so. And here’s how it could do it.
Sonos wireless headphones: release date, rumours, and all of the news
Sonos headphones ‘swap’
Sonos hasn’t become one of the world’s best and most popular audio brands by following the herd. It more or less spawned the multi-room speaker market nearly 20 years ago, and it continues to dominate, despite a wealth of competition. It’s maintained favour through consistent operational seamlessness, unique features and exemplar sound, and it is these strengths of the Sonos ecosystem that will need to translate into the Sonos headphones experience.
Sonos products are all about working together, so it’s impossible to imagine a beatnik Sonos outsider that sits on the edge rather than properly inside the ecosystem. Sonos users will undoubtedly want a Sonos-savvy pair of headphones – otherwise, what’s the point? – and Sonos appears to be on the same wavelength. At least in one aspect, anyway.
In the approved patent is mention of a ‘swap’ feature, which would let owners simply and easily pass the music playing on their Sonos headphones to one (or more) of their Sonos speakers. The patent reads: “For example, if a particular piece of content play is currently playing on the wireless headphone, a swap changes the playback to play that piece of content on one or more other playback devices on the local network.”
It sounds similar to how iPhones can ‘hand-off’ music to a HomePod or HomePod mini (and vice versa) by simply putting the devices close to one another, but this would mark the first implementation of this kind of feature in a pair of headphones. We imagine a similar process would work between a pair of Sonos headphones and Sonos speaker, but perhaps the headphones could even sport a button or touch gesture to initiate this.
Maybe the user could set the headphones to automatically send music to a particular Sonos ‘zone’ when they detect your home network when you step in the door. It would be a neat asset (albeit, alone, not a huge selling point) that would no doubt appeal to existing Sonos users.
Sonos: everything you need to know
Which Sonos speaker should you buy?
Sonos zones and app control
This Sonos system integration brings up the matter of a wi-fi network, which is how the Sonos system connects together. Now, Sonos is hardly going to launch a pair of wireless headphones without Bluetooth connectivity. This is almost essential to connect to your phone, tablet or portable music player while you’re out and about, but including wi-fi connectivity as well could open the gateway to further Sonos-centric functionality.
For one, it’d open up the possibility of including the headphones in a ‘zone’ in your Sonos system. They could be part of your ‘TV’ zone, for example, alongside your Sonos Beam or Arc, to be used simultaneously or as an alternative. Would they have support for surround sound decoding (including Dolby Atmos, as supported by the Arc) or perhaps a proprietary pseudo-surround sound feature comparable to Apple’s spatial audio?
The Sonos S2 app – the puppet-master of the Sonos system – could also step in as a useful means of headphones control. Many headphones come with dedicated apps that allow the owner to personalise their pair, alter EQ and see battery life, but the Sonos app could, if compatible with the headphones, offer wearers access to a slew of streaming services and sources – all aggregated in one place, rather than from a range of apps on their phone – offering a nifty means of control within the home environment.
Sonos S2 update: the lowdown on Sonos’ latest platform
Bluetooth *and* wi-fi: better sound quality?
There’s also the potential of wi-fi offering better sound quality, too. Bluetooth has come a long way to conveniently deliver high-quality, wireless audio, currently peaking with the aptX HD standard (which supports up to 24-bit/48kHz), but if owners could connect their headphones directly to a wi-fi home network, rather than only to a phone over Bluetooth, it could potentially mean longer range a more stable connection and high-resolution audio support.
While we’re only too aware of Sonos’ neglect of the latter to date, the increase in audio bandwidth that comes with Sonos S2 app has left us hopeful for future support of hi-res FLAC and maybe even MQA music.
Again, such network reliance would surely make this feature a home-only experience, but it would perhaps make the Sonos wireless headphones the most convincing best-of-both-worlds solution out there.
Sonos Trueplay for headphones
Sonos Trueplay is an auto-calibration technology that tunes Sonos speakers for the room they live in to deliver the best sound possible. The question here is could Trueplay be adapted to customise your Sonos headphones experience?
Instead of working to ensure a speaker sounds great tucked away in a corner or sandwiched between a stack of books, could Trueplay for headphones automatically adapt their sound to your surroundings in real-time, as ‘adaptive noise-cancellation’ does? Trueplay for headphones could also go down the route of helping create a customised sound profile to match the headphones’ sonics specifically to someone’s hearing system, as headphones like nuraphones do.
Generally, with Sonos speakers, Trueplay works by using the microphones in your iPhone. The exception to this is the Sonos Move, which uses internal mics of its own. As wireless headphones tend to have mics, we think the implementation of such a feature could be a real possibility.
Why I will never own a pair of noise-cancelling headphones
Nailing everything else – including price
Naturally, while the Sonos wireless headphones have plenty of potential to stand out from the crowd, they’ll also want to stand in line with their rivals when it comes to popular features and competitive specs. That includes active noise-cancellation, a 20-to-30-hour battery life with USB-C charging (including fast-charging), and increasingly common functions like auto-pause and ‘transparent hearing’ mode.
And then there’s the price. The Sonos wireless headphones have been tipped by Bloomberg sources to launch at about £220 ($300, AU$400), which would keep them well clear of the Apple AirPods Max; undercut Sony’s range-topping class-leaders, the WH-1000XM4, plus the current crop from Bose and Sennheiser; and put them more or less in the firing line of still-popular, last-generation models like the Sony WH-1000XM3.
Really, Sonos’ experience with driver hardware and audio processing, its near-faultless history of aesthetic and usability design, and of course its nailed-on mass appeal puts it in a great position to not only enter but usefully expand the headphones world. Let’s hope Sonos makes the most of it.
MORE:
Check out the best wireless headphones 2021 you can buy
AirPods Max teardown shows the inner workings of Apple’s headphones
Sonos is working on a compact, portable Bluetooth speaker
Haptic feedback on Android phones running the Snapdragon 888 chipset might get noticeably better starting in the second half of 2021. Qualcomm recently announced (via 9to5Google) that it’s working independently with a company called Lofelt to enhance haptics through software, not hardware.
That initially read as a puzzling decision, since hardware — not software — seems to play the bigger role in the quality of the vibration. But this actually sounds very clever, definitely more clever than Lofelt’s Basslet vibrating wearable that it launched on Kickstarter in 2016.
Outside of some high-end LG phones, most Android phones deliver muddy or rattling vibrations that don’t feel that great. Even the best ones can’t compete with Apple’s Taptic Engine it builds in-house and builds into iPhones and Apple Watch wearables. Tactile, punchy vibration probably isn’t high up on the list of many people in terms of must-have features, but it can go a surprisingly long way in making you feel like you’re using a quality product.
Image: Qualcomm
Lofelt has developed a framework and an open API for phone manufacturers (as well as in game controllers “and beyond” says the press release) that can convert universal haptic data into signals that are finely tuned and improved for that device’s specific hardware.
So, instead of incorporating a standard haptic actuator on the chipset that companies are required to adopt, it developed a more scalable software solution that can work on any phone running the required Snapdragon hardware. Manufacturers can keep making phones the way they want, and Lofelt’s API can help to create a more uniform haptic experience across the vast Android ecosystem.
Lofelt CEO and co-founder Daniel Büttner spoke at length on Medium in a post called “The Keys to Delivering Better Haptics on Android,” and it covers everything you’d want to know about why the gap between haptics on Android and Apple devices has been so wide in the past few years. It comes down to fragmentation, of course.
Apple could set a standard for haptics on both a hardware and software level by which its small batch of phones abide. Android, on the other hand, is the Wild West in terms of haptics, as it is in most other areas. The post illustrates that pretty much the only way forward to improve haptics in Android is through software. Hey, if you can’t reverse fragmentation at this point, you might as well lean into it.
Google is expanding its Password Checker feature to older devices, the company announced today. Now, phones and tablets running Android 9 or newer will have access to the feature, which is part of Google’s autofilling password manager and which checks password strength or if any logins have been compromised in a data breach.
It’s part of a new batch of updates Google is rolling out on Android, a list that also includes the ability to schedule text messages to send later on, a new version of TalkBack (Google’s screen reader for Android), and better support for Google Assistant to accomplish tasks even when your phone is locked.
Messages’ new scheduled send feature.Image: Google
Scheduled text messages are exactly what they sound like: once you’ve updated Google’s Messages app, you’ll be able to tap and hold on the send button for a message to select the date and time that you’d like to send your text. The company envisions the feature as being useful for messaging friends and family members in other time zones. It’ll be available on devices running Android 7 or newer.
A more substantial update, though, is coming to Google’s TalkBack screen reader, which allows blind and low vision users to more easily interact with their phones. In the latest update, Google is adding what is says were some of the most requested features: “more intuitive gestures, a unified menu, a new reading control menu and more.”
The new card UI for using Google Assistant on a locked phone.Image: Google
Lastly, Google is enhancing Assistant by adding new cards to glance at when you’re interacting with the voice assistant while your phone is locked. The goal is to make it easier to use Assistant to do things like setting alarms, sending texts, or playing a song, even when your phone isn’t in your hand.
With two-way charging, the Ioniq 5 could supply power for a full range of electrical devices
Hyundai unveiled the all-new Ioniq 5, an electric midsize SUV with nearly 300 miles of range and a two-way charging feature that is sure to make this a popular EV for outdoor activities.
The Ioniq 5, which will go on sale in the first half of 2021, is the first vehicle to be built on Hyundai’s new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) that the automaker says will serve as the basis for an entire family of planned EVs. Hyundai and its sister company aim to sell 1 million EVs in 2025 in a bid to capture 10 percent of the global EV market.
The Ioniq 5 looks like a promising start to that effort. The sharp-edged crossover SUV takes some of its design cues from the automaker’s 45 concept vehicle first unveiled in 2019, which was an homage to the 1974 Pony Coupe, Hyundai’s first mass-produced car and first export.
In lieu of a traditional grille, the front of the car features Hyundai’s first clamshell hood and a front bumper with a distinctive V-shape that incorporates a set of unique daytime running lights. These small, pixel-like clusters also appear at the rear of the vehicle.
But Hyundai packed the interior with a number of really interesting surprises. The center console can slide back as much as 140 millimeters, allowing either driver or passenger to enter and exit through whichever door they choose. This “universal island,” as Hyundai is branding it, could prove useful in especially tight parking situations. The movable console also provides access to the vehicle’s integrated 15-watt wireless phone charger, in addition to tons of extra storage space.
Most of the Ioniq 5’s interior touch points — seats, headliner, door trim, floor, and armrest — use eco-friendly materials, such as recycled PET bottles, plant-based yarns, and natural wool yarns, eco-processed leather with plant-based extracts, and bio paint with plant extracts. But unlike other EVs like the Polestar 2, Hyundai doesn’t go so far as to claim that its interior is 100 percent vegan.
That said, it may be comfortable enough to take a nap (but not while driving, obviously). The driver and passenger seats recline enough to offer a “weightless” feeling, Hyundai claims. The design theme is “living space,” which is meant to emphasize the roomy interior where you can kick up your feet and relax.
The Ioniq 5 comes in standard and long-range configurations, with either 58 kilowatt-hours or 77.4 kilowatt-hours of respective battery capacity. Hyundai estimates that the driving range will fall between 470-480 kilometers, or just under 300 miles, based on the European Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). Hyundai has yet to certify its range estimates, but it’s helpful to remember that WLTP estimates are typically more optimistic than the EPA, so expect that number to be less when the Ioniq 5 reaches the states.
Still, this represents a serious improvement over Hyundai’s previous EV offerings. The Ioniq 5’s range is up nearly 20 percent from the Kona EV, for example, which previously had the longest range among Hyundai’s EV lineup.
EV ownership is often defined by how much time you need to spend charging the battery, and by that measure the Ioniq 5 sounds like it could be a winner. Hyundai says the EV supports up to 350kW DC fast charging and is capable of getting up to 80 percent in as little as 18 minutes.
The Ioniq 5 supports both 400-volt and 800-volt charging. In fact, Hyundai’s E-GMP platform offers 800V charging as standard, along with 400V charging, without the need for additional adapters. Hyundai says this multi-charging system is a “world’s first patented technology that operates the motor and inverter to boost 400 V to 800 V for stable charging compatibility.”
But that charging capability flows both ways — literally. The Ioniq 5 boasts a two-way charging feature that Hyundai calls “vehicle-to-load,” which can supply up to 3.6kW of power. There are two charging ports, one located under the second-row seats and the other at the charging port on the exterior. Using a converter, customers can charge a range of electrical devices, including electric bicycles, scooters, or camping equipment. The outside port provides power even when the vehicle is turned off.
(A commercial for the EV features actors using the Ioniq 5 to power a convection oven, treadmill, and half a dozen speakers, all while camping.)
This two-way charging feature is not unique to Hyundai, but it is rare for a passenger vehicle. The Ford F-150 Powerboost, a hybrid version of its full-size truck, can provide as much as 7.2kW of power through a built-in generator. But 3.6kW is a decent amount of output. To be sure, the Ioniq 5 doesn’t generate its own energy, so any power drawn from its battery will ultimately come off the vehicle’s range.
If you’re wondering how the Ioniq 5’s price compares to other electric crossover SUVs, like the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Volkswagen ID 4, or Tesla Model Y… well, so are we. Hyundai didn’t release any price information for the EV, unfortunately, though we expect it to be in the $30,000-$40,000 range, before tax incentives.
Unlike Tesla or General Motors, Hyundai is still eligible for the full $7,500 federal EV tax credit, which should help the automaker move a lot of units. Customers will also be looking for a range certification from the EPA and more details about partnerships with EV charging station operators before making their decision.
For the first time in, well, forever, customers will have a range of options when it comes to shopping for midsize electric SUVs. And the Ioniq 5 is already looking like it will be a strong contender.
Rode has released a sequel to its Wireless Go mobile microphone system, the Wireless Go II, which is meant to offer an easy way for video creators to record audio from two people at once.
Like its predecessor, the Go II is a compact wireless microphone pack designed for the creator who wants a lighter gear bag in the field (or is on a budget), while still being able to use a dedicated off-camera audio system. With this next generation, the Go II now offers dual channel recording for two sources, an extended wireless range for a more stable transmission, and on-board recording capabilities as a failsafe alternative.
For dual channel recording, Rode includes two separate clip-on transmitters in the box — both with an on-board omnidirectional condenser microphone or a 3.5mm TRS input for plugging in a separate lavalier microphone — which transmits to a single receiver. That receiver can record both microphone packs in stereo and output the audio via USB-C to a phone or computer, or via 3.5mm analog TRS to a separate recorder or camera input.
Rode Wireless Go II: two transmitters, one receiver.Image: Rode
Since an external lavalier is not included, the built-in microphones on the top of the transmitter are what most users will be relying on. In most practices this is hard to cover up on camera, unless you don’t mind an almost two-inch black square or a one-inch thick clip with a fuzzy windshield on the talent’s lapel.
The Wireless Go II’s on-board recording system can save up to 24 hours of audio internally without the need of an SD card (though the batteries will only last up to seven hours), while keeping the multitrack recording separate for post-production. The new model offers an extended wireless range of up to 200m (656 feet).
With these added features, Rode’s Wireless Go II should help to ease the stress of audio issues that plague the average sound operator — making sure microphones are picking up multiple sources, avoiding any RF interference from uncontrollable environments, and having a backup for any audio data lost.
Pokémon is a phenomenon, one that’s lasted a steady 25 years built on a foundation of approachable roleplaying games. On the DS, Nintendo’s bestselling piece of hardware, three of the top 10 bestselling titles are mainline Pokémon games. It’s a franchise that perpetually serves as a system seller despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that it evolves at a glacial pace. But that’s only true of the core Pokémon experience. While those RPGs have been infamously resistant to change, the many, many Pokémon spinoffs are a different story. In fact, many of Pokémon’s biggest success stories, from the blockbuster film Detective Pikachu to the staggering success of Pokémon Go, were a result of this experimental attitude.
Without these offshoots, Pokémon wouldn’t be what it is today — and they’re still helping push the series into the future.
It didn’t take long for Nintendo to start testing the waters. Just a few years after the breakout success of Red and Blue on the Game Boy in 1996, the company released Pokémon Stadium on the Nintendo 64. It retained the same core idea of cute monsters battling against each other, but simplified the action while adding 3D graphics, a big step up from the monochrome 8-bit visuals of the originals. It was a change but still pretty familiar territory for fans, whether they came from the Game Boy games or the animated series.
New Pokémon Snap.
Soon, though, the spinoffs would explore new territory. One of the most beloved Pokémon games is Snap, essentially a wildlife photography simulator, where players go on a safari to capture images of their favorite monsters. It tapped into something the main games didn’t, with a less competitive kind of experience that was welcoming to new players. Subsequent spinoffs went in a similar direction.
Games like Pokémon Pinball, Puzzle Challenge, and Hey You, Pikachu! all took the familiar world and characters but transported them into completely new genres (and in the case of the latter, adding then-rare voice controls). Much like the still-running Pokémon animated series, these games created new entry points for potential fans, easing them into the fictional universe. It’s a strategy that’s now commonplace, used by everyone from Disney to Riot Games. But in the late ‘90s, it was a novel approach.
This strategy continued over the ensuing decades. There were fighting games (Pokkén Tournament), narrative adventure games (Detective Pikachu), strategy games (Pokémon Conquest), and puzzle crossovers (Pokémon Picross), to name a few. At times, these games could seem almost bizarre — try playing a Tekken-style fighter with Pikachu dressed up in a wrestling costume, or one where the electric rat can’t stop drinking coffee — but they pushed the boundaries of what a Pokémon game could be. (Detective Pikachu would go on to spawn the top-grossing video game movie of all time.) They also allowed the series to hit lots of different platforms. Initially, that was limited to Nintendo consoles and handhelds, but as soon as the franchise debuted on mobile, it changed dramatically.
Things started out rather inauspiciously, with the debut of Pokémon Shuffle in 2015, essentially a Pikachu-themed Candy Crush clone. But it helped lay the groundwork for the franchise on smartphones. And just one year later, things would explode. Niantic Labs, then a relatively small studio known for a sci-fi location-based game called Ingress, launched a take on Pokémon that was perhaps the most successful marriage of game type and fictional universe. It allowed players to go out in the real world to find and capture pocket monsters on their phone.
Pokkén Tournament DX.
We all know what happened next: Pokémon Go became a global phenomenon, setting app store records and becoming the rare game that could make millions of players leave the house and exercise, all for the chance of catching virtual creatures. It would be years before any true competitors launched, and none have been anywhere near as successful. Today, Pokémon Go is still one of the biggest mobile games in the world. In many ways it reinvigorated the franchise, boosting the sales of older titles and influencing the design of subsequent ones.
Since then, releases have become arguably even more surprising, with everything from a café management game to a mobile app to help players brush their teeth. And soon the franchise will aim for new territory yet again with Pokémon Unite, a competitive multiplayer game that looks like League of Legends, except with Charmander and Squirtle. It gives Pokémon an opportunity to tap into the burgeoning world of competitive gaming and, once again, potentially reach a whole new audience that has never touched a mainline Pokémon RPG before.
And after that? Well, Pokémon will attempt to breach the one space games have yet to venture: sleep.
Chip maker Qualcomm has introduced a new reference design for augmented reality glasses: an AR “smart viewer” you can tether to a phone or PC via USB-C. Called the XR1 Smart Viewer, the system is meant to be lightweight and look (sort of) like sunglasses, while also enabling features like hand tracking and spatial awareness. The first glasses based on its design are set for release in mid-2021.
The XR1 is designed as a consumer-focused “must-have accessory” for phones and computers, rather than a self-contained product. It uses two 1920 x 1080 OLED displays with a 90Hz refresh rate, plus an array of cameras, to add a virtual overlay to the real world. The camera array can also support hand tracking as a control scheme, and it can detect planes in the environment, so you can do things like pin a virtual window to a wall for multiple PC displays — or place a virtual object on a table and interact with it through gesture controls. Like most AR glasses, however, they have a relatively limited field of view of 45 degrees, which is roughly similar to the Microsoft HoloLens 2.
Qualcomm
Lenovo already announced a product based on the XR1 Smart Viewer reference design: the ThinkReality A3 glasses, which it unveiled at CES earlier this year. ThinkReality A3 glasses are set for release in mid-2021 at a currently unlisted price, following up on Lenovo’s A6 business-focused headset from 2019.
The XR1 Smart Viewer is distinct from the Snapdragon XR1 or XR2 platforms — a pair of chipsets that are optimized for virtual and augmented reality glasses, including last year’s XR2-based Oculus Quest 2. It’s designed to perform some tasks using built-in electronics, but it offloads other tasks to an external computing device, allowing for a more lightweight design.
Qualcomm has spent the last couple of years pushing for AR glasses adoption, which it thinks could stimulate the nascent 5G cellular market by popularizing high-bandwidth mixed-reality apps. It’s previously partnered with Chinese company Nreal on the Nreal Light, one of the only consumer-focused AR viewers — which plugs into a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855- or 865-powered phone. The Nreal Light launched late last year in Korea and Japan, and yesterday, Nreal announced that it will arrive in the European Union and the US later this year.
So far, AR glasses have struggled to reach the mainstream. However, the ThinkReality A3 and any other XR1 Smart Viewer-based products may end up competing with a couple of major companies. Facebook announced its impending entry into AR hardware last year, and it’s planning to release a set of Ray-Ban smart glasses with limited AR-like features later in 2021. Apple is also rumored to be making a high-end AR / VR headset aimed at building a developer ecosystem.
(Pocket-lint) – The Inspire 2 is the cheapest member of the Fitbit family – and effectively replaces the Inspire HR that launched in 2019 – aimed at those wanting to keep to the tracking basics.
The Inspire 2 sticks largely to the same formula as the Inspire HR, making welcome improvements to the design, bolstering battery life to make it last longer than any other Fitbit device, and giving you a tracking experience that just feels very easy to get to grips with.
With the likes of Samsung, Huawei, Amazfit and Xiaomi also making the budget tracker space a more competitive place, does the Fitbit Inspire 2 do enough to pull away from its more affordable rivals?
Design
Large and small wristband options
Water resistant to 50 metres (5ATM)
Finishes: Black, Lunar White, Desert Rose
With the Inspire 2, Fitbit isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. Put one side-by-side with an Inspire HR and you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between the two. The colour silicone bands can be removed and come in small and large size options.
Best Fitbit fitness tracker 2021: Which Fitbit is right for you?
By Britta O’Boyle
·
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The greyscale touchscreen display – which has a slightly curvier edged look – is now 20 per cent brighter than the previous Inspire, which is definitely a positive move. There’s now a dim mode when you don’t need that extra hit of brightness, which can be disabled when you do. It certainly offers an improvement for visibility out in bright outdoor light, but it feels like it might be time to ditch the greyscale OLED screen and go colour like a lot its competitors have done – Xiaomi, Amazfit and Samsung each offer great colour display options for less money.
To give the Inspire 2 a much cleaner look than its predecessor, it’s also removed the physical button for a setup where you can squeeze the sides of the device to do things like turn on the display or get into the band’s settings. Overall, it works well and that button isn’t hugely missed.
Around the back is where you’ll find the PurePulse heart rate sensor, which means you have the ability to continuously monitor heart rate, exercise in personalised heart rate zones, and unlock new features like Active Zone Minutes.
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The big appeal of wearing the Inspire 2 is that it’s a slim, light and comfortable band to wear all the time. As it’s water resistant up to 50 metres, it’s safe to swim and shower with.
Features
24/7 tracking
Connected GPS
Guided breathing
20+ exercise modes
Additional health insights in Fitbit Premium
Fitness tracking is what Fitbit does best – so it’s no surprise that’s where the Inspire 2’s key features lie.
The sensors making that happen haven’t changed from the last Inspire models. There’s an accelerometer to track steps and enable automatic sleep monitoring. You also have that optical heart rate monitor, which unlocks a range of features and is still best suited to daily monitoring as opposed to putting it to work during exercise. You still don’t get an altimeter to track elevation like floor climbs, which you also get on the Fitbit’s flagship Charge 4.
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For daily tracking, you can monitor daily steps, distance covered, calories burned, and get reminders to keep moving during the day. Fitbit has also added additional reminders to wash your hands, get your heart pumping, or to stay hydrated.
When it’s time to go to bed, you’ll be able to capture the duration of sleep and get a breakdown of sleep stages. That includes the all-important REM sleep, which is a window into the type of sleep tied to memory and learning. You’ll also get a Sleep Score to give you a clear idea if you’ve had a good night’s sleep.
When you switch to exercise tracking, there are over 20 goal-based modes with core exercises like walking, running and pool swimming. There’s also Fitbit’s SmartTrack tech to automatically recognise when you start moving and working out.
There’s connected GPS support, which means you can lean on your phone’s GPS signal to more accurately track outdoor activities. That GPS support is also useful for the Workout Intensity Maps feature, which along with monitoring your heart rate can show you where you worked hardest during a session.
With that onboard heart rate monitor you’re getting to continuously monitor and capture resting heart rate – day and night. It’s also going to let you train in heart rate zones and generate a Cardio Fitness Score to give you a better sense of your current state of fitness based on your VO2 Max (blood oxygen). Fitbit is also introducing its new Active Zone Minutes feature, which will buzz you when you hit your personalised target heart rate zones. It’s a move to get users to think more about regularly raising heart rate as well as nailing those big daily step counts.
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For that time outside of getting sweaty, the Inspire 2 will perform some useful more smartwatch-like duties. There’s notification support for both Google Android and Apple iOS devices, letting you see native and third-party app notifications. There’s a dedicated notifications menu where you can find your latest incoming messages. In addition to notifications, there’s also a collection of different watch faces to choose from.
Beyond the basics, there’s also guided breathing exercises, menstrual health tracking, and app-based features like manually tracking your food intake. You also have access to Premium, Fitbit’s subscription service, which you’ll get a year to trial before deciding whether to continue at your own cost.
What is Fitbit Premium, what does it offer and how much does it cost?
Performance and battery life
Continuous heart rate monitoring
Up to 10 days battery life
Sleep tracking
Those core fitness tracking features is what the Inspire 2 does best. Step counts are largely in line with the fitness tracking features on a Garmin Fenix 6 Pro, also offering similar distance covered and calories data. While those inactivity alerts aren’t groundbreaking, it’s a small way to make sure you keep moving during the day.
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When you switch to sleep, the slim, light design of the Inspire 2 makes it a comfortable tracker to take to bed first and foremost. Fitbit offers some of the best sleep tracking features in the business. Compared to the Fitbit Sense and the Withings Sleep Analyzer, we were pretty satisfied with the kind of data Fitbit gave us.
For exercise tracking – as long as you’re not hoping to run for miles on a regular basis and up the intensity in general – the Inspire 2 should just about cut it. The heart rate monitor is better suited to continuous monitoring than it is for strenuous workout time based on our experience. For running, and cardio blasting HIIT sessions on the Fiit home workout app, average readings could be as much as 10bpm out (compared to a Garmin HRM Pro chest strap monitor).
The connected GPS support is also better suited to shorter runs, which brings useful features like those Workout Intensity Maps into the mix.
As for battery life, the Inspire 2 offers the best battery numbers Fitbit has ever offered. It’s promising up to 10 days, which is double that of the Inspire HR. It lives up to that claim, too, as long as you’re not going too bright with that screen and not tracking exercise every day with it. The good news is that things like all-day heart rate monitoring don’t seem to have a tremendous drain, which isn’t the case on all fitness trackers.
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When you do need to charge there’s one of Fitbit’s proprietary charging cables, which clips into the charging points on the back and the top and bottom of the rear case. That ensures it stays put and doesn’t budge when you stick the Inspire 2 onto charge.
Software
Fitbit’s companion app, which is available for Android, iOS and Windows 10 devices, remains one of its key strengths – and a strong reason you’d grab one of its trackers over cheaper alternatives.
It’s easy to use and if you want some added motivation to keep you on top of your goals, that’s available too. The main Today screen will give you a snapshot of your daily data and can be edited to show the data you actually care about.
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Discover is where you’ll find guided programmes, challenges, virtual adventures and workouts to accompany daily and nightly tracking. If you’ve signed up to Fitbit Premium, you’ll have a dedicated tab for that too. You still have all your device settings hidden away whether you need to adjust step goals, heart rate zones or how you keep closer tabs on your nutrition and weight management.
The Inspire 2 experience is similar to owning a Fitbit Versa 3, a Charge 4, or a Sense. Which is key: that consistent feeling across all devices makes it a good place if you know other Fitbit-owning people. You can delve deeper into data if you want to, but for most, what’s there when you first download it and login will be more than enough to get a sense of your progress.
Best Fitbit fitness tracker: Which Fitbit is right for you?
Verdict
The Fitbit Inspire 2 sticks to a known formula, covering tracking basics, while wrapping it up in a design that’s comfortable to wear all of the time.
The screen changes for this model are welcomed – extra brightness, yay – and if you care about steps, sleep and monitoring heart rate during the day and night, it will serve you well.
All that’s supported by an app that’s one of the most user-friendly if you’re starting to think about monitoring your health and fitness for the first time.
The level of smartwatch features are dictated by the slenderness of the device and while you can get more in the way of these features elsewhere for less money, what the Inspire 2 offers should be good enough for most. It’s still not quite the ready-made sportswatch replacement though.
Cheaper fitness trackers are now offering more features, arguably better displays and battery life. But if you’re looking for a fitness tracker that puts your health and tracking front and centre, then Fitbit is still one of the best.
Also consider
Pocket-lint
Fitbit Inspire HR
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If you can live without that brighter display and some of the software extras, the Inspire HR will still offer a solid tracking experience for less cash.
Read our review
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Huawei Band 3 Pro
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Huawei’s fitness band offers one big feature you won’t find on the Inspire 2: built-in GPS. If you like the idea of a tracker a bit better built for sports, this is one worth looking at.
Whichever connectivity hub you choose, the Oberon 1 C package promises sonic satisfaction in spades
For
Detailed, musical sound
Superb midrange clarity
Two Sound Hub options
Against
Not the last word in authority
Slight lack of bass depth
The shared pursuit of love and happiness aside, not everyone is after the same thing – as Dali acknowledges in the design of its latest stereo speaker system, the Oberon 1 C. Audio systems, whether they are modest all-in-one micros or more ambitious active speaker types, often adopt a one-size-fits-all model – it’s part of their convenient, fuss-free selling point, after all. However, the Oberon 1 C have been designed to appeal to more than one kind of buyer and set-up.
Features
(Image credit: Dali)
This standmounter package belongs to a three-strong active speaker system series, which also incorporates the 7 C floorstanders and On-Wall C wall-mounted speaker and is based on the Danish company’s Oberon passive speaker range. As Dali’s most affordable active range, they sit beneath the Rubicon C and Callisto C series, which are themselves based on passive speaker ranges.
However, the Oberon C models are a slightly different proposition to their active system siblings, largely due to their more accessible nature. While the brains of the Rubicon C and Callisto C speakers lie in a separate wireless network preamplifier called the Sound Hub, the Oberon C package introduces a smaller, modified version of this box, the Sound Hub Compact.
Dali Oberon 1 C tech specs
(Image credit: Dali)
Bluetooth aptX HD
Power 4x 50W Class D amps
Finishes x4
Dimensions (hwd) 27 x 16 x 23cm
Weight 4.4kg
This box is packaged with the Oberon 1 C, but you can choose to have the original Sound Hub instead for a £250 premium. Going down the hub route, rather than packing all the connectivity inside the speaker cabinets, allows Dali to offer upgradeable boxes in the future. From an aesthetic point of view, it also gives owners the option to keep cables from connected sources away from speakers. But why two hubs? Dali feels that this price point makes the Oberon 1 C (and 7 C) an alternative to a soundbar, for those after a higher-performing TV-based system with a more convincing stereo soundstage than offered by a single bar.
The Sound Hub Compact’s connectivity certainly reflects those ambitions. There’s an HDMI ARC socket providing one means of connecting to a TV, allowing the TV remote to control the Oberon 1 C’s volume adjustments and, as the hub also supports auto input switching, largely negating the need for the system’s provided remote.
Optical inputs provide another, with one geared towards TV connectivity so that the Sound Hub can automatically power up when the TV is turned on. There’s also aptX HD Bluetooth – handy for wirelessly playing music from a phone or other Bluetooth-toting audio source – plus a pair of RCA inputs, a subwoofer output and a USB service port.
What is missing, compared with the full Sound Hub, is the BluOS streaming module, which offers DLNA playback, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and built-in access to other streaming services, such as Amazon Music, Qobuz and Deezer. The Sound Hub Compact’s lack of BluOS support and general network access means that both multi-room functionality with other BluOS devices and MQA file support aren’t available – and for some this will be an issue. The Sound Hub also features a coaxial input and preamp output, which the compact version doesn’t.
But for those who wish to keep their set-up simple, or who don’t rely upon music streaming services, the Sound Hub Compact may be all they need. Those after an active stereo system but have a bigger budget or more ambitious performance requirements should be aware that the Sound Hub Compact is also compatible with Dali’s Rubicon C and Callisto C active speakers, too.
Build
(Image credit: Dali)
Dali has reduced the size of the hub, mostly in terms of its height, so that it can more easily be tucked away on a rack. Whereas the Sound Hub’s size is comparable to a set-top box, the Sound Hub Compact is more akin to a wi-fi router, with a simple half-circle arrangement of LED lights that denote input selection.
We test both hubs with the Oberon 1 C, but whichever you choose, one of their design’s biggest blessings is their wireless transmission to speakers. The hub sends music to the Oberon 1 C over a proprietary 30-bit wireless protocol, with transmission latency from input to speaker claimed to be less than 15mS.
Upon receipt of the signal from the hub, the wireless receiver modules in the speakers detect which channel data (left or right) to play, depending on the channel assigned to each speaker during set-up. The correct channel data is passed at 24-bit/96kHz resolution to the DSP-based equalisation and crossover filter electronics. During our testing, we don’t experience any connection or latency issues and the experience is solid.
The speakers are largely unchanged from the passive Oberon 1, which in our review we said were “solid and nicely made” and “compact enough to fit unobtrusively into most rooms”. There are still four finish options – black ash, matte white, dark walnut and light oak – but, as with the Oberon 1, the biggest aesthetic statement here is provided by the mahogany coloured 13cm wood fibre mid/bass cone, which is used in conjunction with Dali’s Soft Magnet Compound (SMC) technology and sits below the 29mm soft dome tweeter in the familiar Dali arrangement. Each unit, this time though, is fed by a dedicated 50W Class D amplifier.
The Oberon 1 C’s compact dimensions mean they should be easy to house, whether flanking a TV on a rack or pair of stands (such as Dali’s own Connect Stand E-600) or alternatively wall-mounted via the speakers’ rear-panel keyhole slots. The Dalis sound pretty balanced up against a wall, despite the use of a rear reflex port, but we find they perform best when placed around 20cm to 30cm away from one, facing straight ahead. This way, the Oberon 1 C display familiar sonic behaviour – clear, articulate, fast and notably superb with vocals.
Sound
(Image credit: Dali)
We connect the Oberon 1 C to the full Sound Hub – a pairing costing £1449 – and stream Tom Odell’s Heal over Tidal Connect. The vocal-led track comes through the speakers with tangible clarity and the kind of levels of insight you can feel. Odell’s delivery is full of tenderness and the Dali is sympathetic to that, while also keeping a firm hand on the accompanying keys. This midrange insight was one of the passive Oberon 1’s highlights, and something the addition of wireless active operation hasn’t changed.
There is depth and obvious layering to what is generally an open and precise soundstage – and that still rings true with denser compositions. We play The Theory Of Everything by Jóhann Jóhannsson and the Dalis display a tight organisation in their presentation of the piano, string and percussion instrumental, while also proving astute in capturing the dynamic surges of the string ensemble.
We move to the Love Theme From The Godfather by Nino Rota and the Dalis not only have plenty of insight – the mandolin is unmistakable, the accordion textured – but they also communicate the dense and crude nature of the production. It grasps what scale there is to the strings and keeps things tidy as the piece reaches its climax.
This organisation, combined with dynamic aptitude and agility, makes for a rhythmically engaging listen. The Oberon 1 C work musically, capturing the experimentalism at the core of Oneohtrix Point Never’s Long Road Home; all the musical strands are held together well, without ever sounding messy.
(Image credit: Dali)
The Dalis have a good go at rip-roaring through pg.lost’s Suffering – there’s more than a hint of drive and weight behind the crashing electric guitars and walloping drums. However, as with the Oberon 1, you don’t get the authority or bass volume and depth you would from a physically larger pair of speakers – something that those who need to fill a big room should be aware of.
We replace the Sound Hub with the Compact version and, connecting it to the Naim ND 555/555 PS DR music streamer via RCA, are presented with the same admirable strengths and more, which is hardly surprising considering the Naim’s high-end calibre and the wired connection.
Streaming from our Samsung Galaxy S21 phone to the Sound Hub Compact over Bluetooth (in aptX form) offers less clarity, openness and refinement than that delivered by the Sound Hub’s BluOS streaming – and certainly by the Sound Hub Compact and Naim streamer pairing, as is to be expected. But, though comparatively cruder, the Dali’s detailed, organised and musical presentation is still prevalent.
Verdict
Active streaming systems are becoming increasingly common in this convenience-craving world, and the Dali Oberon 1 C are among the best examples we’ve seen at this level.
Whether you stick with the bundled TV-friendly Sound Hub Compact or upgrade to the full streaming-savvy Sound Hub, this package will make the most of the features on offer with an easy-to-use operation and a musical, clear sound. As affordable stereo speaker systems go, this one’s satisfyingly complete.
SCORES
Sound 5
Features 5
Build 5
MORE:
Read our guide to the best active speakers
Read our Dali Oberon 1 review
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