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This rare Blue Yeti sale will help you kiss your crappy laptop mic goodbye
It's one of better USB mics you'll find for under $100
Few products have dominated their respective spaces like the Blue Yeti has USB microphones over the past decade. Whether you are an aspiring streamer or podcaster, a veteran musician, or you simply just want better audio in your video chat app, the Blue Yeti is an excellent choice. It offers fantastic sound quality for its price point, it sets up in seconds, and it's built to last for years. We like it at its normal price of $130, so recommending it on sale for $90 is a no-brainer.
Anyone who has stuck their SIM tool in a phone's mic hole needs to watch this new JRE video
Breathe a sigh of relief
It's time to fess up — most of us have mistakenly poked the microphone hole on our devices while trying to eject the SIM card tray at some point. Does that spell doom for the phone's waterproofing screen or microphone box? Well, Zack from JerryRigEverything has done the dirty work for you, inserting a SIM tool in the microphone holes of a couple of flagship devices from different OEMs just to find out how it actually affects the device.
Rode microphone roundup: The best upgrade to your smartphone videos is audio
Three different mics that work great for vlogging
Smartphones are incredibly common tools for creating videos to share on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and other video platforms; so it makes sense that we’re constantly comparing their cameras. However, we hardly ever judge microphone quality with the same ferocity, even though poor audio can drive away viewers faster than mediocre video. While it’s basically impossible to replace the camera on your phone, I’m checking out three mics that can be hooked right to a phone to get better audio quality for mobile filmmaking, podcasting, vlogging, or anything else that needs to sound great.
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WhatsApp's interface is starting to look dated, especially now that Google has announced the latest iteration of its design guidelines during its developer conference, Material You. But the messenger app is making small adjustments here and there to keep things fresh, like new wallpaper theming options. And as spotted by WABetaInfo, voice messages are in for a tweak next.
Chrome OS is working to help solve your Chromebook's audio problems
No microphone or audio? A diagnostics tool is in the works
It's frustrating to deal with broken audio on your Chromebook. With much of the world relying on video calls to communicate with family, friends, and work colleagues, issues with audio input and output can be a pain to troubleshoot and threaten disrupt an otherwise productive day. But with the help of a forthcoming Chrome OS update, you might just be able to find out why your speaker or microphone isn't performing as intended.
Chrome OS 85 comes with Wi-Fi password sync, redesigned settings search, and a mic volume slider
Little details make for an overall better experience
Google is working on a Phone Hub similar to Microsoft Your Phone that will make your handset interact better with your Chromebook, but the company isn't ready to bring the feature to stable just yet. In the latest release of Chrome OS, version 85, the company instead focuses on many little things that make for an overall better experience: Wi-Fi password sync, improved settings search, and a volume slider for your microphone.
Check yo' mail: Settlement checks for the 2016 Pixel microphone lawsuit are landing
You might have a $500 check waiting in the mailbox
If you filed a claim in the lawsuit against Google for the 2016 Pixel's microphone woes, then you might want to check the mail today. Settlement checks have started to arrive in quantities up to $500, depending on your claim.
Yesterday it was revealed that Google was planning on merging several of its corporate-facing products into yet another messaging service to take on the likes of Slack, and today one of those pieces is getting updated with a new feature. Hangouts Meet just picked up the ability to use different sources for audio and video.
Chrome OS may have supported Linux applications since 2018, but it debuted with quite a few limitations. Though GPU acceleration finally started to land for some Chromebooks in the middle of last year, the Linux container still hasn't been able to capture audio input for things like microphones. Or, at least, it couldn't until the feature silently landed with Chrome OS 79.
Blue Yeti X is one of the best consumer mics available for under $200
Everything good about the original has been updated for live streaming
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The default hardware kit for most podcasters and live streamers consists of two widely known products: A Logitech webcam and a Blue Yeti microphone. The Yeti has become one of the most popular all-around mics on the market because it delivers high quality, versatility, and a distinctive look without breaking the bank. Blue is now launching a new member in the lineup called the Yeti X, taking everything from the original, but adding great lighting and powerful audio processing capabilities that will appeal to podcasters and a rapidly growing market of game streamers.
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Back in 2017, some original Pixels and Pixel XLs started experiencing microphone failures — theorized to be due to a hairline crack in the mic's solder. Google RMA-ed these devices, but the problem persisted in some replacement phones too, and a class action lawsuit was filed the following year. We now have word that Google has agreed to settle this lawsuit for $7,250,000 pending final court approval.
The OnePlus 6T may have been our favorite phone of 2018, but it wasn't without its problems. Recently, we reported that OnePlus phones appear to be resetting battery optimization settings randomly, but it appears that OnePlus 6 and 6T may also have some good, old-fashioned microphone troubles, too: Many are experiencing issues with call and recording quality in third-party apps like Snapchat and WhatsApp.
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- Isaac was back on the forums today to let us know that external mics are indeed functional on all generations of Pixel phones running Google Camera version 6.1, which is available now on the Play Store.
The Pixel line is known for, above all else, its wicked cameras. But one problem a certain type of mobile photography enthusiast has run into with the phones is that they don't currently allow for the use of external microphones in the default camera app. That's set to change next week, though.
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Google's Pixels are known for their software quality, but they're also known for launching with random issues, like last year's Pixel 2 audio quality problems when recording video. The theme continues with this year's Pixel 3 phones, and the first problem reviewers have noticed with Google's latest flagships is — you guessed it — another microphone/audio issue.
Our phones being able to respond to voice commands is great: you can ask for a unit conversion in the kitchen without getting flour on your screen, or change your driving destination without taking your eyes off the road. What's less great is that to facilitate that convenience, phones have to be listening at all times, and stopping them from doing so is frustratingly convoluted. There are settings in multiple places that all seem like they should do the same thing, but don't. This guide will explain the menus you'll need to navigate to change these settings, the differences between all the similar-sounding options, and the drawbacks of each Ok Google-disabling method.
Moving the Google search box to the bottom of the Pixel launcher was a divisive change, although it makes complete sense to me. From the moment the first developer preview of Android P was released, Google began messing around with unimportant things like the transparency of the launcher dock, but one useful little addition was that of a microphone icon in the search widget that could be used to summon the Assistant. As of the latest (and final) developer preview, the mic has vanished.
If you've been following the WhatsApp rumors, you'd know that we've been promised a voice recording lock option for a while now and it's finally live in the beta channel on version 2.18.102 of the app. The lock won't show up immediately after you start recording a voice note, but after a few seconds it will appear with a little hint that sliding up will lock the microphone on.
Last month, a series of AOSP commits revealed that the next release of Android would block apps in the background from using the camera or microphone. It's a bit surprising that this feature didn't already exist, but recent privacy concerns (like the theory about Facebook listening to users) may have pushed Google to implement it.
Hot on the heels of the Project Fi news, it appears that Google is being sued for another problem. Last year we reported that many original Pixel and Pixel XLs were having microphone-related issues caused by a physical defect in the device. Now the same group of attorneys that put together the LG bootloop lawsuit is seeking a class action against Google for the OG Pixel's microphone defect.
Lately, some of you have been expressing your displeasure about the amount of Pixel 2-related issues we've been reporting on. These issues have been brought to our attention due to the sheer amount of enthusiasts who purchase and use these phones. But make no mistake about it - while the Pixel 2 and 2 XL have been having some issues that shouldn't be present on phones of this caliber, other phones have similar(ly hilarious) issues. Case in point: two of Samsung's newest flagship phones are having the same muted microphone issue that can also be solved with a Nintendo-style blow.