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Wyze jumps on the gaming headset bandwagon with promises of ultra-low latency
The Wyze Wireless Gaming Headset is available today for $60, offering 50mm drivers and a 20-hour battery life
Wyze is pretty well known at this point for it smart home tech, especially its cameras, but did you know the company also sells audio headsets? Not only does it already sell over ear and in-ear devices, but today marks the launch of the new Wyze Wireless Gaming Headset, which just so happens to promise ultra-low latency over bluetooth 5.2 or an included 2.4 GHz dongle, packing 50mm drivers for high-fidelity sound. Best of all, this headset retails for $60, making them one of Wyze's most affordable audio devices, ensuring gamers won't break the bank by picking up a pair.
Oculus discontinues the Gear VR-based Go headset
The headset could run software designed for Samsung's Gear VR
Virtual reality company Oculus used to have a tight partnership with Samsung, to the point where both company's devices shared the same software ecosystem. The Oculus Go was released in 2018 as a self-contained VR headset, with a Snapdragon 821 processor and full compatibility with games built for Samsung's Gear VR. Sadly, it's now time to say goodbye to the headset.
If you want a virtual reality headset to kill some time with, but don't want to burden yourself with wires or a high price tag, the Oculus Go might be calling your name. It's currently available at its lowest price for both of its storage options at Amazon and Best Buy.The headset uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 and 3GB of RAM to feed content onto a 2560x1440 LCD — which should be able to produce an equivalent viewing experience of a 180" projection display — at up to 72 frames per second. It comes with a motion-tracked controller with three degrees of movement, good enough for messing about with Oculus apps and games in your personal space. It weighs just over a pound, comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 2,600mAh battery that should last at least a couple hours.
Before Shazam or SoundHound existed, I remember searching for a year or even more before I found the name of a few songs I heard a couple of times on the radio. Now it's as easy as tapping a button and getting the result. And Shazam is bringing more handy improvements that make song recognition easier while using other apps or if you have headphones plugged in.
Sony's follow-up to 2016's Xperia Ear, the Xperia Ear Duo, is available to pre-order right now on Amazon, and will be on sale there and at b8ta on May 25. Introduced in February, Xperia Ear Duo is a fully wireless headset with a unique under-ear design.The Duo supports actions you'd expect of any Bluetooth headset, like controlling media and answering incoming calls, plus accessing Google Assistant. Like other fully wireless headsets, the set comes with a charging case that provides up to three full charges, each charge powering up to four hours of usage or 22 hours of standby time. They're designed to allow ambient sound in, sort of like open-back headphones—which is good for safety, but not so good for shutting out a noisy environment.Sony Xperia Ear Duo shown with charging case, USB cable, and multiple sizes of tips.
With every new flagship, the headphone jack's future becomes more uncertain. And whether or not that's a good thing, Bluetooth headphones do have their conveniences. The lack of an awkward, tangling tether attached to your phone is useful whether you're hitting the gym or the city streets. And with Spigen's new Legato Arc, you get an uncompromising Bluetooth headphone experience.
Facebook-owned Oculus is one of the two giants in VR right now, alongside HTC with its Vive headset. While Oculus is still working on the much-anticipated cordless PC headset, it announced another product today - the standalone Oculus Go.
With these two new Pixels announced, it would appear that we need a new Daydream View to go with them. It's the same Daydream View we've known and loved for the last year — with the same name, even — but including a small number of improvements. The all-new Daydream View has better lenses, new materials, and three new colors. And, it's even got a new (higher) price. The new headset will set you back a slightly-increased $99.
Yesterday it was reported that Google could be planning to release a standalone VR headset at I/O this week, and now we may have further evidence in the form of a trademark filing at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Google has registered the term "WORLDSENSE," which we presume will be styled as either WorldSense or Worldsense. The filing, from 9th May 2017, states that it relates to computer hardware, computer software, and virtual reality headsets.
I am not an on-ear headphones person so it's difficult for me to review them objectively without saying how much I dislike the idea and pressure they exert on my ears. Oddly, that's not the case with the BackBeat 500, the newest release from Plantronics. I don't hate them and I can manage wearing them for a couple of hours without wanting to rip them off my head. That's a good start.I've reviewed many of the brand's headphones over the years including the in-ear BackBeat GO 3 and the big over-ear BackBeat Pro+ and Pro 2, and I've spent some time with the on-ear BackBeat Sense, so I do know what to expect: better value for the money than most brands, good sound quality, and nice design and build. The BackBeat 500 fit right in with that trend so let's take a more in-depth look at them.
Google first revealed that Pixel pre-orderers would receive Daydream Views free of charge at last month's Pixel unveiling, and now, there's finally some movement; promo codes for the VR headsets are being sent out via email to customers who pre-ordered via the Google Store.
When HTC unveiled its Vive virtual reality headset a little more than a year ago, it seemed like a shot in the dark - the Taiwanese manufacturer had never made any gaming hardware, and it was squaring up to compete with Oculus, a relatively seasoned company with a fresh cash infusion from Facebook. Fast forward to the present, and entering the ready-to-explode consumer VR market (not to mention partnering with PC gaming and distribution giant Valve) seems like the best decision HTC has made in a long time.
Last year the buzzword at Mobile World Congress was "wearable." The fervor from that market trend still hasn't died down, but hot on its heels is "virtual reality." Despite a less than fantastic position in the smartphone space, HTC seems intent on expanding into virtual reality to compete with the likes of Microsoft, Google, Oculus Rift (and by extension, Facebook), and Samsung. Say hello to the HTC Vive... or possibly the Re Vive, depending on which HTC promo you go by.
A couple of weeks ago, I shared with you a selection of lesser known music players for locally stored media that had some special powers and functions. However, playback and streaming aren't the only functions a music aficionado looks for, especially when your favorite app sometimes lacks a certain functionality. So how do you fill this void, or how do you improve on your basic listening experience? Here are 10 utilities that can be used in conjunction with your preferred music apps to complement them.
Ah, the good old days, when every phone, MP3 player, Walkman, and toaster included a pair of pack-in earbuds. These days you're lucky if you get a damn power adapter (just ask the folks over at Nintendo). If you're still using the ancient headphones that came as a freebie in you Nexus One or a long-forgotten iPod, then take a gander at this Sennheiser set over on Amazon. The MM30G, complete with in-line music controls and a mic, is off of the retail price for a cool .99.
Google's developers took a couple of weeks off for the holidays – or from my perspective, they gave me a couple of weeks to rest – but now they're back and it's time for the app updates to resume. Naturally, it's time to breathe life back into the teardowns, and we're back with a big one. Google Search v4.1 began rolling out to users yesterday, and we've already seen quite a few little adjustments and improvements. After plenty of digging, a stack of additional changes have surfaced, including one that is already live, and several more just waiting for some finishing touches.
As expected, Samsung has taken the lid off the Gear VR headset at this year's IFA in Berlin. The concept behind the company's attempt at virtual reality consists of pairing a Galaxy Note 4 with a bulky head unit, using the handset to supply both the display and the power. The product comes from Samsung, but its software has been created by Oculus. An early-access beta version is set to become available for eager techies and developers later this year.
This is a story you've heard before - Samsung has announced another smartwatch. Not content with its current bevy of smartwatch offerings, the South Korean manufacturer has introduced the Gear S, a new Tizen-powered watch with a curved display that Samsung says "enhances the smart wearable experience."
Rumors are flying about Samsung's plans for the virtual reality headset market. Just a week after Engadget's last unconfirmed report on Samsung's VR device, there's a new post that sheds quite a lot more light on the subject. First of all, Samsung and Oculus VR (makers of the Oculus Rift and recently acquired by Facebook) are sharing technology to improve each other's products. And secondly, Samsung's device uses a dock for your phone, which then becomes the primary display for the device.
I get the feeling that Samsung often makes hardware just to be sure they've got something ready, on the slim but possibly lucrative chance that an upcoming hardware market explodes. The Galaxy Note, the Galaxy Gear, the Gear Fit, the Galaxy Beam - all of them slightly crazy niche products following a trend. If Engadget is to be believed, you can add a virtual reality headset to the mix. A Samsung VR headset, similar to the Oculus Rift but intended for use with Samsung phones and tablets, is rumored for production later this year.