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EIZO FlexScan EV2795 Review

Introduction

Back in 2018, I reviewed the EIZO FlexScan EV2785, a 27-inch office monitor equipped with a high-quality 4K IPS panel and a nice set of productivity-oriented features. Judging by the model number, you’d expect the FlexScan EV2795 to be its direct successor, but this is a completely different beast in more ways than one.

While it shares some features with the EV2785, it’s still a productivity-oriented monitor with a 27-inch screen diagonal. The FlexScan EV2795 comes with a 2,560×1,440 (so-called “2K”) IPS panel, USB-C port, which transforms it into a capable docking station for modern USB-C laptops, an additional USB-C output for daisy-chaining, which is a great way to reduce cable clutter in dual-monitor setups, a three-port USB 3.1 hub, and various technologies aimed at reducing eye strain and lowering power consumption. It even has a built-in KVM switch together with an integrated Ethernet port, so it will happily connect to your work and home computers simultaneously with a single set of connected peripherals and switch between them seamlessly.

If you’re an avid gamer, the EIZO FlexScan EV2795 won’t interest you since it has no such aspirations. Even though it offers a reasonable 5 ms response time, it’s equipped with a 60 Hz panel and doesn’t use any kind of adaptive synchronization.

The FlexScan EV2795 is available in black (EV2795-BK) or white (EV2795-WT), with matching black or white cables.

Specifications

Eizo FlexScan EV2795
Screen Size	27″
Native Resolution	2,560×1,440 (16:9)
Panel Technology	IPS, 8-bit (10-bit LUT)
Refresh Rate	60 Hz
Brightness	350 nits
Contrast	1,000:1 (static)
Viewing Angles	178° (horizontal) / 178° (vertical)
Response Time	5 ms (GtG)
Adjustability	Tilt (-5° to 35°), height (176,6 mm), pivot (90°, both directions), swivel (344°)
Video Inputs	1x DisplayPort 1.3, 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 (DisplayPort Alt Mode, 70 W Power Delivery)
Video Outputs	1x USB-C (daisy chain)
USB Upstream Ports	1x USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 (DisplayPort Alt Mode, 70 W Power Delivery), 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-B
USB Downstream Ports	1x USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 (DisplayPort Alt Mode, 15 W Power Delivery), 3x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A
Other Ports	Ethernet (10/100/1000 Gbps), 3.5-mm audio output (headphones)
Audio	Built-in 1 W stereo speakers, 3.5-mm audio output
VESA Mounting	Supported (100×100 mm)
Extras	Auto EcoView ambient light sensor, EcoView Optimizer 2, KVM switch

Reddit Talk is a Clubhouse competitor for subreddits

Reddit unveiled its take on a Clubhouse-like social audio product on Monday, called Reddit Talk. The company is billing Monday’s announcement as a “sneak preview,” and if you want to try it out when it’s ready, you can put yourself on the waitlist.

Based on Reddit’s description and images shared by the company, Reddit Talk appears to look a lot like Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, and other social audio products. Talks will “live” within subreddits, according to Reddit.

Reddit’s new Talk feature.

Image: Reddit

During the initial tests, only subreddit moderators will be able to initiate a Talk, and Talk hosts will have the ability to invite, mute, and remove speakers. While only mods can kick off Talks in the beginning, anyone on iOS and Android can listen to one.

Reddit Talk mod tools.

Image: Reddit

The company says it is “testing ways” for hosts to customize how Talks look with emojis and different background colors, and users will be able to change their avatar, too.

Reddit joins Twitter, Slack, Discord, LinkedIn, and Spotify in announcing a social audio feature. Mashable first broke word that Reddit was working on a social audio feature on April 9th.

What Hi-Fi? Virtual Show Live Q&A: we answer your questions

(Image credit: Future)

The What Hi-Fi? Virtual Show takes place this Saturday 24th April and, alongside new product launches, interviews and advice, we will also be hosting a live Q&A on Saturday afternoon.

We will be answering questions that have been posted by viewers during the event and you can also log your questions in advance. You can post a question below this article or head over to the thread on the What Hi-Fi? Facebook page.

The What Hi-Fi? Virtual Show will be a full day of sessions, across two virtual stages. We’ll be explaining how we review and the importance of our dedicated test rooms, giving advice on getting the best from your existing kit, whether that be your speakers or your TV, and dusting off our crystal ball to discuss the next big things in hi-fi and home cinema.

Visit the What Hi-Fi? Virtual Show page to register for this FREE event

We’ll also be building our own speaker and talking you through the DIY process, discussing our favourite products in the world right now – and choosing our all-time favourites.

For full details, head over to the What Hi-Fi? Virtual Show page. See you on Saturday.

Our Asus ROG Phone 5 video review is out

Asus is no stranger to the gaming phone sector and the ROG line, in particular, has solidified itself as the forerunner in the segment. After the success of last year’s ROG Phone 3, Asus decided to take the series up to 5 with the ROG Phone 5. With our ROG Phone 5 written review in the books, we now bring your attention to our video breakdown with Will guiding you through his impressions of the latest gaming flagship from Asus.

The focus here is on the vanilla ROG Phone 5 instead of the more feature-packed ROG Phone 5 Pro or Ultimate. Despite being the most affordable of the bunch, the vanilla ROG Phone 5 does not disappoint in any area. You get a dual glass design with Gorilla Glass Victus covering the display and Gorilla Glass 3 on the back.

Asus has always tried to differentiate the backs of its ROG Phones and this year brings a DOT matrix LEDs which form the ROG logo. The sides are made from aluminum and the 238-grams heft makes the ROG Phone 5 a two-hand device.

Being a gaming phone, Asus has once again brought its custom pressure-sensitive shoulder triggers giving you an upper hand in supported gaming titles. You also get a second USB-C and accessories port on the side to charge and connect up additional gaming peripherals.

The 6.78-inch AMOLED display with adaptive 144Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution is major selling point. Colors are vibrant and the panel is uninterrupted by cutouts as Asus tends to do. Touch latency has been improved thanks to the new 300Hz sampling rate. You also get an excellent pair of stereo speakers which achieved great loudness scores in our tests though not on the level of the outgoing ROG Phone 3.

Performance from the Snapdragon 888 is among the best we’ve seen to date thanks to Asus’ optimizations and advanced cooling system. Throttling has been kept to a minimum which is a major factor for prolonged gaming sessions.

The massive 6,000 mAh battery in the ROG Phone 5 delivered a respectable 110-hour endurance rating in our test, though we were expecting more. The bundled 65W charger was among the fastest we’ve tested managing a 0-70% top-up in just 30 minutes.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite review

Introduction

Today, we will be reviewing yet another Xiaomi mid-ranger – we are welcoming the 4G version of the Mi 11 Lite.

We are not sure how Xiaomi can keep uninterrupted production of so many phones with the ongoing global chip shortages. But we are glad things are working well for them so far.

The Mi 11 Lite 5G has already earned our recommendation, and we are hoping its cheaper version to be just as good. The lightweight Mi 11 Lite, just like the Mi 11 Lite 5G, is shaped after the Mi 11 flagship and focuses on similar features – an HRR OLED screen, enjoyable camera quality, long battery life, fast charging, and overall smooth UI experience.

We are glad to see Xiaomi has thoughtfully handpicked the features that matter the most. The 6.55-inch OLED is of great quality with 10-bit color support, HDR10 certification, and a 90Hz refresh rate. There is also 240Hz touch sampling, which is another requirement for a smooth experience.

The triple camera on the back is also reminiscent of the Mi 11’s and the same as on the Mi 11 Lite 5G – there is a high-res 64MP primary, an 8MP ultrawide snapper, and a 5MP telemacro cam. All sorts of shooting modes are supported, including Night Mode, Long Exposure, Pro mode for all cameras, and the Mi 11 series exclusive video modes such as Parallel World, Time Freeze, Night Mode Timelapse, among others.

The Mi 11 Lite relies on the Snapdragon 732G chip – the same one we experienced as part of the Redmi Note 10 Pro. That’s the only notable difference with the Mi 11 Lite 5G – the 5G model uses a more powerful Snapdragon 780G 5G SoC.

The Mi 11 Lite may have undergone an obvious cost-cutting process, but it still gets to enjoy stereo speakers, NFC connectivity, a microSD slot, and even an IR port. And, by looking at its specs sheet, it does seem like a Lite version done right.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite specs at a glance:
Body: 160.5×75.7×6.8mm, 157g; Gorilla Glass 5 front, glass back, plastic frame.
Display: 6.55″ AMOLED, 1B colors, HDR10, 90Hz, 240Hz touch sampling, 500 nits (typ), 800 nits, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 402ppi.
Chipset: Qualcomm SM7150 Snapdragon 732G (8 nm): Octa-core (2×2.3 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver); Adreno 618.
Memory: 64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.
Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.97″, 0.7µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 119˚, 1/4.0″, 1.12µm; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4, AF.
Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.5, 25mm (wide), 1/3.06″ 1.0µm.
Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps; gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps.
Battery: 4250mAh; Fast charging 33W.
Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Infrared port.The most notable omission is splash resistance, obviously. While the similarly priced Poco X3 Pro is IP53-rated, and Samsung is putting an even bigger effort with its most recent IP67-rated Galaxy A phones, Xiaomi isn’t keen on providing any sort of ingress protection for the Mi 11 Lite phones. It’s not a major issue, of course, but it’s already a popular must-have for the competition.

Unboxing the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite

The Mi 11 Lite bundle is a match to what most of the Redmi and Poco phones recently offered – a 33W power adapter, a 3A-rated USB-C cable, there is also a USB-C-to-3.5mm adapter.

There is also a transparent silicone case inside the retail box – a much-appreciated addition across all Xiaomi phones. Xiaomi is also giving away a thin screen protector, but it’s one of those cheap films that turn your screen into a smudge magnet, and we just couldn’t bear all this smear, sorry.

Acer planning a 49-inch Mini LED monitor to rival Samsung Odyssey G9

João Silva
5 hours ago
Featured Tech News, Monitors

It looks like the Samsung Odyssey G9 already has some competition. A new curved gaming monitor from Acer has been listed at a Chinese retailer, and as per the product description, it will have specs to match Samsung’s improved Odyssey G9 display.

According to a Taobao listing (via TFT Central), the Acer EI491CRG9 is a 49-inch monitor with a 1000R curvature, 240Hz refresh rate, 1ms G2G response time, and 5120×1440 resolution. This 32:9 curved VA panel features a 4000:1 contrast ratio and 2000nits of peak brightness, allowing the monitor to cover 95% of the DCI-P3 spectrum. The panel is listed with 1.07b colours, which usually means it has a 10-bit colour depth, but the listing shows 12-bit. It is unclear if this is a typo or if there’s something going on in the LUT that we are unaware of.

Like the Samsung Odyssey G9, the Acer EI491CRG9 is Nvidia G-Sync Compatible and supports AMD FreeSync. It’s also certified by VESA as DisplayHDR 2000 capable and uses Mini LED technology, featuring 2048 local dimming zones.

The back of the monitor has 2x HDMI ports, 2x DisplayPorts, and a pair of 3W speakers. There’s also a 3.5mm jack to connect a headset and 2x USB-A 3.0 ports for devices. The ergonomic capabilities of the included stand seem to be limited to height adjustment, but there’s support for VESA 75x75mm monitor arms. The monitor is listed at ¥14,999 (£1662) with an expected release date in mid-June.

KitGuru says: It looks like we’re going to see a small wave of DisplayHDR 2000 monitors in the coming months. Are any of you planning on upgrading your monitor soon? Will you be waiting for the Samsung Odyssey G9 or Acer’s equivalent before upgrading?

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How to celebrate Earth Day 2021

Let’s face it, it’s been a long and hard year for the denizens of our planet since Earth Day’s 50th anniversary in 2020. However, it’s possible that things are looking up somewhat. Although the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging in many parts of the world, we do have vaccines that may eventually get us past this. And in the meantime, the Biden administration in DC is putting environmental programs in place that may get the US back on track. So perhaps it’s worth doing a little partying (and educating) on behalf of this year’s annual celebration of the environmental movement, which is set for April 22nd.

Once again, most Earth Day celebrations will be virtual. What follows is a sampling of some that you can attend. For a more complete list, or to find Earth Day celebrations in your area, you can use Earthday.org’s online tool for both online and on-site events.

Earth Day Live: Restore Our Earth

Earth Day Live: Restore Our Earth

Image: Earthday.org

Earthday.org’s second annual “Earth Day Live: Restore Our Earth” online live stream event will be broadcast on April 22nd beginning at noon, parallel to the Biden administration’s global climate summit (see below). It will feature a variety of celebrities, politicians, and activists from many fields. It will be preceded by two events: on April 20th, there will be a global youth summit, and on April 21st, a global education summit. To take part, visit Earthday.org on the day of the event.

Leaders Summit on Climate

Leaders Summit on Climate

Image: US Dept. of State

President Biden has invited 40 world leaders to a Leaders Summit on Climate which will take place April 22nd and 23rd. On the agenda are weighty questions, including how to reduce emissions, achieve net-zero (offsetting or reducing carbon dioxide emissions), and protect populations from climate change. You’ll be able to watch via a live stream link which will be available closer to the date of the event.

American Climate Leadership Summit (ACLS 2021)

American Climate Leadership Summit

Image: ACLS

Another alternative to the Leaders Summit on Climate is the American Climate Leadership Summit, an online gathering of environmental activists happening April 27th – 29th. Sessions will offer information on the current status of climate change, strategies for activism, and other topics. It costs $25 to attend a single forum, $50 to attend the main session and a single forum, and $75 for access to the entire program.

Join a virtual march and rally

SC1.5NCE NOT SILENCE

Image: EDI / March for Science NYC / Fridays for Future

Two organizations, Earth Day Initiative (EDI) and March for Science NYC, are collaborating to offer a series of online events culminating in a virtual march and rally using an online gaming platform. On Sunday, April 18th, from noon to 8PM ET, there will be an online event with speakers and presentations from politicians, artists, and activists such as Elizabeth Warren, Kyra Sedgwick, Rosdely Ciprian, and Marc Yaggi, exploring a variety of environmental issues.

On Monday, April 19th, the virtual march and rally, called “SC1.5NCE NOT SILENCE,” will take place in a 1990s-like virtual reality space created by Future Meets Present and Gather. Through an avatar, you will be able to visit booths, speak to exhibitors and other attendees, and, at 3PM ET, take part in a march and rally organized by March for Science NYC and Fridays for Future (the movement co-founded by Greta Thunberg).

You can attend by sending an RSVP via the EDI site.

Virtual 5K race

Virtual 5K race

Image: WE ACT for Environmental Justice

If you’re a runner or a walker, WE ACT for Environmental Justice is holding a virtual 5K race, where participants will be encouraged to walk or run 5K during the week of Earth Day, April 17th through April 25th. So even if your normal exercise regime is a half-mile stroll, you can still take part. You can use the race to raise money for WE ACT — or not — but all registered participants are asked to donate either a set amount or an amount of their own choosing.

Artivism for Earth

Artivism for Earth

Image: University of Utah

The University of Utah is planning to present a series of online performance events on April 22nd, most taking place at the campus’ Natural History Museum of Utah. The schedule will include a video mosaic, “four immersive performances, arranged under the classical elements: earth, air, water and fire,” a feature-length film exploring nature and humanity, a panel discussion, and a final program that features several different multimedia presentations.

The Year Earth Changed

The Year Earth Changed

Image: Apple TV Plus

If you’re a David Attenborough fan, you may want to catch his latest narrated special, The Year Earth Changed, a documentary about how the global human lockdown affected the non-human inhabitants of Earth — often in a positive way. The film will debut on Apple TV Plus today, April 16th; you can watch the trailer here.

National Geographic’s Earth Day Eve

National Geographic’s Earth Day Eve 2021

Art: Cachetejack

If you want to head into Earth Day with a party, join National Geographic on April 21st at 8:30PM ET for its Earth Day Eve 2021 virtual celebration, with performances by artists such as Angélique Kidjo, Willie Nelson, Yo-Yo Ma, and Ziggy Marley, and appearances by a number of environmental activists such as Dr. Jane Goodall. You can join at the NatGeo website or at its YouTube channel — and afterward, continue with the music of Jayda G on the organization’s TikTok channel.

It’s official! The first Sonos in-car sound system will feature in the Audi Q4 e-tron

(Image credit: Audi)

Audi has taken the wraps off its latest all-electric vehicle and the big news is it’s going to be powered by Sonos. Of course, being an EV it’s actually going to be powered by a battery, but the car’s sound system will be the first to be tuned by the multi-room audio maestros.

This brand new partnership will not only see Sonos feature in the Q4 e-tron, but it will also tune the systems for future A1, Q2 and Q3 models.

The Sonos set-up in the Audi Q4 e-tron is being billed as a “premium sound system” according to Audi’s press release. It’s going to be fitted as standard to Vorsprung versions and will be available in other variants of the car as part of the optional Comfort and Sound pack.

It uses the Sonoamic Panorama algorithm, developed by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, to process audio and distribute it to 10 speakers inside the cabin. The algorithm claims to “use stereo recordings to generate a three-dimensional surround sound, where it places the individual sound sources on a virtual U-shaped sound stage. This gives the listener the impression they are sitting in the middle of the orchestra or band”.

(Image credit: Audi)

The way the Sonos system is configured is as follows: four tweeters and a centre speaker are driven by a dedicated amplifier built into Audi’s MIB 3 digital architecture, while a separate eight-channel “booster” amp handles the four bass speakers and the subwoofer in the luggage compartment. With both amps combined, total power for the Sonos system weighs in at 580 watts. At this stage, there’s no news on whether we’ll be seeing any extra Sonos features or sound modes provided by the system, but presumably, you’ll see Sonos logos dotted around the cabin to mark its presence in your shiny new Q4 e-tron.

One question this new Sonos/Audi partnership does raise, is what does this mean for Audi’s current arrangement with Bang & Olufsen? In-car systems tuned by the Danish manufacturer already feature heavily as options throughout Audi’s current range of vehicles. Does this mean there’ll be a new direction for Audi’s sound, (pardon the pun)? Hopefully, we’ll be able to take a Q4 e-tron for a spin to find out…

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Bang & Olufsen’s Beosound Emerge is a wireless speaker that looks like a book

(Image credit: B&O)

This is Bang & Olufsen’s latest wireless speaker. The B&O Beosound Emerge is wedge-shaped, making it resemble a slightly open book. Or a doorstop, if you were being uncharitable.

Here’s a video showing it in more detail.

Like the firm’s 2020-released Beosound Balance, the Emerge was created in collaboration with Benjamin Hubert from London-based design agency Layer. Its similarity to a book was intended; it’s meant to sit alongside books and other objects in the home, blending into the living space rather than standing out as a piece of hi-fi kit.

The side panels wrap around the speaker like a book’s cover sleeve, while the front of the speaker features the B&O logo where the author’s name would be. Very literary indeed.

It also continue’s the company’s current trend for longevity. Its modular design means you can swap out parts if they wear out or need to be upgraded. As with the Beosound Level, you’ll find the replaceable connectivity module inside. This has been front-loaded with enough processing power and connectivity technology to receive new performance updates and features for years to come. And should the connectivity and streaming technology ever become outdated, you can swap out the module for one with the latest technology updates. In other words, it’s future-proofed up the wazoo.

Inside is a 4in woofer driver, 1.45in mid-range driver and 0.6in tweeter, which B&O says can cover a frequency range of 45Hz – 22,000Hz. Google Assistant is onboard for voice control, while Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast headline its wireless, multi-room streaming spoils. There’s Bluetooth onboard too.

The Beosound Emerge is available now in select European markets, and globally from the autumn. It comes in gold tone or black anthracite finishes, with the former costing £669 ($899) and the latter priced at £539 ($699).

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Bang and Olufsen’s latest speaker disappears into your bookshelf

Bang and Olufsen’s latest connected speaker is the Emerge. Its thin form-factor should blend right in to most bookshelves, and that’s no accident. In a press release announcing the speaker, the company says its design was “inspired by the compact form factor of a book” with side panels that wrap around like a cover, and a logo on the front that’s meant to evoke a title printed on the spine.

It’s a nice contrast from some of Bang and Olufsen’s previous speakers, which have had huge, hulking form-factors that are hard to imagine in any normal home. Instead, the Emerge takes a similar approach to Ikea’s Symfonisk speakers, which have pulled double duty as lamps or shelving to help them blend in with the rest of your furniture.

Get it? Like a title on a book spine?

Image: Bang & Olufsen

B&O says the Emerge speaker’s small form-factor shouldn’t make it a slouch in the sound quality department, however. “The vision for Beosound Emerge was to create the slimmest speaker possible that could still deliver full range, ultra-wide sound despite its size through its revolutionary driver configuration,” says the company’s head of product management Christoffer Poulsen. Internally there’s a triple-driver configuration consisting of a 4-inch woofer, a 1.45-inch mid-range, and a 0.6-inch tweeter.

In terms of connectivity, the Emerge supports all the standards you’d expect out of a modern connected speaker. There’s Spotify Connect support, Bluetooth 5.0, Airplay 2, and Chromecast streaming, as well as a built-in microphone with Google Assistant support. Physical connections include a line-in/optical jack, Ethernet, and a USB-C port for power. And yes, you can pair two Emerge’s together to create a stereo pair.

B&O says the speaker uses the same replaceable connectivity module that appeared in its recent Beosound Level, which will allow it to receive “new performance updates and features for years to come.” Eventually this module can be replaced if it gets outdated, B&O says.

The Bang and Olufsen Emerge is available in select European markets starting today, and will release globally this autumn. Pricing starts at £539 / €599 9around $717) for the black model, while the gold model which has an oak wood cover costs slightly more at £669 / €749 (around $879).

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launches New Shepard again, with first crewed flight ‘soon’

Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin carried out another suborbital launch of its New Shepard rocket on Wednesday, testing its reusable booster and capsule system, which is designed to carry humans to the edge of space and back. Like the last 14 launches, no humans were aboard this time. But with an extensive pre-launch exercise with “stand-in astronauts” on Wednesday, the company indicated its first crewed flight may be around the corner.

The five-story-tall New Shepard lifted off from Blue Origin’s test launch facilities in Van Horn, Texas, at 12:49PM ET on Wednesday. It soared roughly 65 miles above the ground before jettisoning its crew capsule, which sat atop the rocket booster carrying the company’s test dummy named “Mannequin Skywalker.”

New Shepard lifts off

Blue Origin

“A beautiful launch and landing for both the crew capsule and the booster,” said Ariane Cornell, Blue Origin’s director of astronaut strategy and host for the mission’s live stream.

Parting with the capsule, the New Shepard booster fell back toward land and reignited its single BE-3 engine to touch down on a slab of concrete about two miles from its launchpad. Meanwhile, the crew capsule basked in roughly three minutes of weightlessness at the edge of space before making its own return roughly 10 minutes after liftoff. The capsule’s descent was soft, slowed by a set of three parachutes before hitting ground in Van Horn.

This NS-15 mission, Blue Origin said, was “a verification step for the vehicle and operations prior to flying astronauts.” A team of four company executives — or “stand-in astronauts” — rehearsed a number of pre-launch procedures on the launchpad before liftoff. That included walking up the New Shepard launch tower, boarding the capsule, closing its hatch, and testing communications with CAPCOM, or the Capsule Communicator who’d be in contact with the crew before and during flight.

The employees left the capsule and departed the launchpad about 15 minutes before liftoff. The rehearsal team included Blue Origin’s vice president of sales Clay Mowry, VP of legal and compliance Audrey Powers, the “architect of New Shepard” Gary Lai, and Blue Origin CFO Susan Knapp.

With these New Shepard launches, Blue Origin has been gradually testing new hardware tailored for flying humans. The last mission, NS-14 in January, included little screens and push-to-talk buttons for each of the capsule’s six passenger seats. That capsule also had upgraded “acoustics and temperature regulation” as well as microphones and speakers to “test a number of astronaut communication and safety alert systems.”

Blue Origin hasn’t said when exactly it’ll fly humans for the first time, and during the broadcast today, the company’s spokespeople only said that the first crewed flight would happen “soon.” The company, founded in 2000, hoped to launch humans for the first time before the end of 2020, but its launches last year were delayed. Blue Origin doesn’t appear to be in any rush, though. The company’s motto is “Gradatim Ferociter,” which is Latin for “step by step, ferociously.”

Developing…

Amazon announces new Echo Buds with more powerful ANC and better comfort

Amazon is today introducing its second-generation pair of Echo Buds. The new true wireless earbuds improve on the originals with a more comfortable design — they’re now 20 percent smaller — and enhanced active noise cancellation. But Amazon is staying aggressive on price: the 2021 Echo Buds are priced at $119.99 for the earbuds and a USB-C charging case or $139.99 for an upgraded case with wireless charging. For a limited time, both are being discounted. The regular set drops under $100 to $99.99, with the wireless charging pair costing $119.99. The new Echo Buds will be released on May 13th.

Aside from shrinking them down, Amazon has also made comfort-focused design changes to the Echo Buds. They now have a vented design (like the AirPods Pro, Pixel Buds, etc.) to reduce unwanted ear pressure. The company has shortened the nozzle so that the Echo Buds don’t sit as deep in your ear canal, and the external depth has been reduced for a more flush fit. The ear tips — four sizes come included — are now oval-shaped, and you also get two sizes of optional wing tips in the box.

Instead of a glossy touch surface like on the original Echo Buds, the outside-facing exterior is now all matte. But Amazon has slapped its logo onto the earbuds this time around, which I could’ve done without. They now come in white in addition to black.

Four sizes of ear tips and two wing tips come included.

Image: Amazon

With the first Echo Buds, Amazon borrowed some of Bose’s noise-reduction technology. But this time, it’s doing everything itself. The company says that the second-gen earbuds “cancel twice as much noise” as before. When in passthrough mode, you can adjust the amount of ambient noise you want to come through. Sound quality has also seen some improvements, according to Amazon’s press release:

Echo Buds deliver crisp, balanced sound with extended dynamic range — so you get the most out of your music, regardless of genre. The premium speakers are optimized for increased fidelity in bass and treble, which reduces distortion during media playback, delivering vibrant melodies and clear spoken word.

The second-gen Echo Buds are rated IPX4 for water and sweat, which Amazon says should cover any exercise and “light rain.” And Amazon says the microphones on these earbuds — three on each bud — are improved, too; they’re “optimized to capture lower frequencies compared to the prior generation,” which apparently results in better quality for voice calls. Either bud can be used standalone in mono mode.

Amazon has made comfort a big priority with the second-gen Echo Buds.

Image: Amazon

Battery life is estimated at five hours of listening with noise cancellation enabled, with two additional full charges in the case for a total of 15 hours. (The case now has status LEDs for each individual earbud, which is a handy addition.) If the battery runs low, charging over USB-C for 15 minutes should get you around two hours of playback.

To see just how aggressive Amazon is on pricing, let’s compare the Echo Buds against the wider market of popular true wireless earbuds. Most of these have noise cancellation, though some (like the Pixel Buds) don’t:

$279 Bose QuietComfort Earbuds

$249.95 Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

$249 Apple AirPods Pro

$229.99 Jabra Elite 85t

$229.99 Sony 1000XM3 earbuds

$199.99 Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro

$179.99 Google Pixel Buds

$179.99 Jabra Elite 75t

$139.99 Amazon Echo Buds with wireless charging ($119.99 for a limited time)

$129.99 Anker Liberty Air 2 Pro

$119.99 Amazon Echo Buds with USB-C ($99.99 for a limited time)

Just like the first model, Amazon hopes a big part of the appeal with the Echo Buds will be the ability to use Alexa everywhere you go. You can ask for a specific artist or song, of course, but Amazon also added the option late last year to ask for music by activity type. You can control your smart home, play an Audible audiobook, ask for transit directions, or even use Alexa’s local search powers to find the nearest COVID-19 testing site.

You can also ask any nearby Alexa device to find your buds, and they’ll play an audible chime to help make them easier to locate. Amazon says “later this year,” it will add the VIP Filter feature that debuted on its Echo Frames, which allows you to choose the notifications you want to hear and avoid the rest.

If the noise cancellation improvements are as significant as Amazon claims, the second-generation Echo Buds could prove quite compelling — especially at their low price versus the competition. Stay tuned for a full review in the next few weeks.

Sony’s immersive 360 Reality Audio format could be coming to Android

(Image credit: Future)

It’s been two years since Sony launched 360 Reality Audio, a format that uses Sony’s object-based spatial audio technology to deliver 360-degree sound. In that time, 360 Realit Audio has become available on Deezer, Tidal, Amazon Music HD and nugs.net, with subscribers to those services able to listen to them in all their immersive glory.

Compatible products include Sony’s dedicated SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 wireless speakers, Amazon’s Echo Studio smart speaker and certain Sony headphones (such as the WH-1000XM4) via the firm’s dedicated Headphone Connect app.

Now, however, it seems as though Sony has plans to widen compatibility for the format to more Android devices. In the Android Open Source Project, code reviews and comments from both Sony and Google have directly mentioned Sony 360 Reality Audio, as spotted by XDA Developers. The report highlights a comment by Sony software engineer Kei Murayama: “This is one of the patches mentioned in the meeting ‘Android OS 360RA support’ between Google and Sony.”

That suggests a collaboration is in the works to bring Sony’s custom decoder for the format (which is built on the open MPEG-H 3D Audio standard) to the wider Android world, presumably allowing app providers to easily offer 3D audio playback.

While 360 Reality Audio can support up to 64 channels of audio, the code mentions support for a 13-channel audio layout “which uses surround 5 channels, top 5 channels and bottom 3 channels”. It also states that a “Virtualizer can place individual sounds in a 360 spherical sound field from these channels on any headphones” – so it looks like the technology may be able to work in a psuedo capacity with any set of headphones or, indeed, speakers.

With that Sony and Google joint venture in mind, plus the fact Sony recently announced video streaming capabilities for 360 Reality Audio and 360 Reality Audio Creative Suite content creation software, we could well be seeing – and hearing – more of Sony’s immersive audio efforts in the near future. Look out, Dolby Atmos Music.

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