 |
|
|
|||||
Amazons Fire HD 8 tablet is more than half off, bringing the cost down to just $55. The original asking price is a whopping $130, so this is quite a bargain. As a matter of fact, its just $5 shy of the Amazon Prime Day price. This is a decent tablet, even at the original sum. It boasts a hexa-core processor, 13 hours of battery life per charge, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a microSD slot for up to 1TB of additional storage. Its fairly thin and light, making it a budget-friendly option for a kick around the house tablet. Just plop it on the nightstand and use it for emergency Netflix sessions. We recommended the tablet in our official review, calling it a great communal device. Its not going to win any design awards, but it gets the job done. There are two caveats. First of all, this is an ad-supported model. There are ads on the lockscreen. I hate advertisements with the heat of 1,000 suns, but this never bothered me. The whole thing is fairly innocuous. The other potential downside involves the app store. This tablet can only access the Amazon Appstore and not Google Play. Youll be able to find all of the big apps and games, but the more niche titles may not be available. Amazon is also selling the slightly beefier Fire HD 10 tablet for $90, which is close to its Prime Day price. This one boasts a 10.1 FHD screen, an octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM. October Prime Day 2024 is around the corner, serving as Amazons (un)official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. If youre eager to snag some early holiday deals for those on your list (or yourself), heres what we know so far about the next Prime Day shopping event. When is October Prime Day 2024? Amazon has not announced the dates of fall Prime Day 2024 yet, but we do know it will be returning sometime in October. What is October Prime Day? October Prime Day is an extension of the regular Prime Day sale held annually in July. It features exclusive deals on Amazon for Prime members, although not quite on as big of a scale as the main summer Prime Day. How long is October Prime Day? In years past, October Prime Day has been two days long, just like Prime Day in July.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazons-fire-hd-8-tablet-is-more-than-half-off-and-close-to-its-prime-day-price-164258054.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
The headline feature of the AirPods 4 may be active noise cancellation (ANC), but Apple has done well to improve the overall audio quality in addition to blocking environmental sounds. For the first time on the "regular" AirPods ANC is on the spec sheet, at least for one model, and there are a few key components that allow the earbuds to effectively cancel noise. And that's despite the fact that your ears aren't completely sealed off with a flexible tip. There are also specific changes to the AirPods 4 that improve overall sound quality, a feat that's impressive in its own right for open design earbuds. When it comes to the ANC setup on AirPods 4, the combination of a refined earbud shape, the power of the H2 chip and upgraded microphones work in unison for useful noise cancellation. Apple isn't the first to offer ANC on open-type earbuds. I've reviewed dozens of sets of earbuds over the years, and after a few minutes with the AirPods 4, I would argue the company is the first to actually employ noise cancelling in a way that's actually helpful while not fully sealing off your ears. The ANC setup here obviously blocks noise, which isn't always the case with this type of buds. Apple has amassed a database of thousands of ear scans and 50 million data points, both of which contributed to the tapered design and reduced proportions of the AirPods 4. Those changes mean the earbuds fit better in more people's ears. A better fit means the ANC tech is less reliant on a complete seal to do its thing, but also it means that the earbuds should be more comfortable to wear. The updated microphones have both a lower noise floor and higher frequency bandwidth. This means that the system can detect a wider range of sounds that it may need to block out. Plus, there's advanced computational audio at work for the ANC here, powered by the H2 chip. This component also enables the features from AirPods Pro to be available on AirPods 4, from Voice Isolation to Siri Interactions and more. Billy Steele for Engadget The addition of ANC arrives alongside transparency mode on the regular AirPods for the first time. I want to note that while I did observe less than ideal performance in a brief trial in the busy hands-on area after the event, the sound quality here should be just as natural as what's on the AirPods Pro. There could be a number of reasons why I couldn't hear my voice come through as clearly on this new model, including the fact that the demo room was wall-to-wall with journalists all raucously vying for the same limited real estate. Apple also sought to drastically improve the overall sound quality on the AirPods 4, and a key way it did so is really quite simple. Rather than having the driver pointed towards the side of your ear, the company repositioned it so that the audio is pointed directly into your ear canal. That change also reduced the number of audio reflections inside the AirPods housing, which allowed the company to enhance performance at higher frequencies. The result is increased overall clarity. There's also new acoustic architecture, a new low-distortion 11 millimeter driver and a new high dynamic range amp. The result of all of those sonic changes on the AirPods 4 is an obvious boost in overall sound quality. After a brief listening session, I can vouch for the increased clarity the company described in its announcement, as well as a deeper, fuller effect on the audio. You'll notice a big difference between these and the third-gen AirPods, even if you don't spring for the ANC version. Catch up on all the news from Apples iPhone 16 event!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/the-key-updates-that-make-airpods-4-block-sound-better--and-just-sound-better-160744010.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
The second-generation AirPods Pro have had hearing health features for a while now. However, those tools are being expanded in iOS 18 with Hearing Test, Hearing Aid and Hearing Protection that will soon be available on the earbuds. Apple's three-prong approach to hearing health now covers awareness, assistance and prevention, but it all starts with the "clinically validated" hearing test you can take on your own. Apple has created its version of the hearing test we all probably took as kids. The one where you sit in a booth and raise your hand when you hear a sound. The company offers an alternative to the booth, bulky equipment and trip to the doctor with AirPods Pro and the iPhone. In any quiet environment, the earbuds and the phone can now offer a similar test to what you'd get in a physician's office. Here's how it works. From the Settings menu on your iPhone, you'll tap into the AirPods Pro settings to find the Hearing Health section. First, the software will check to make sure the fit of your AirPods provides a good seal for the test and that your location is quiet enough for the tech to offer reliable results. Once Hearing Test begins, active noise cancellation (ANC) will be enabled and you'll tap your iPhone screen when you hear tones on both the left and right sides. Apple employed 150,000 real-world audiograms and millions of simulations to develop a test that's quick and easy. But most importantly, the company says, it created one that's accurate. Once the test is completed, you'll get immediate results on your phone, telling you the level of hearing loss (if any) in each ear. If you have minimal hearing loss but could maybe benefit from help in certain frequencies, the software will recommend some tweaks in the Media Assist settings for entertainment audio and calls. If you have mild to moderate hearing loss, Hearing Test may suggest you use the AirPods Pro Hearing Aid feature to improve every day life. Apple I got a brief walkthrough of Hearing Test following the iPhone 16 event, and it seems to be as quick and easy as Apple describes. To be clear, I didn't actually take a real test, just a simulated version with fake results, but every step in the process was accounted for in my abbreviated session. All told, you should be able to complete Hearing Test in about five minutes. Hearing Test results will be stored in the Health app, allowing you to see changes over time. You can retake the test as often as you want, with access to hearing health articles and the ability to download results just a tap away. I should also note that Hearing Aid is designed for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. If Hearing Test determines that you have severe hearing loss, the software will recommend that you visit an audiologist for further guidance. Hearing Aid is a software-based solution that boosts certain frequencies so certain sounds are enhanced on AirPods Pro. It's a first of its kind submission to the FDA, and a tool that allows you to customize the amplification, balance and tone at any time in the settings. The feature should help people with mild to moderate hearing loss better hear conversations and environmental sounds, but also improve what they hear in music, videos and calls. Both Hearing Aid and Hearing Test should be available this fall, pending FDA approval, as part of an iOS 18 update. Catch up on all the news from Apples iPhone 16 event!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/how-apples-hearing-aid-and-hearing-test-will-work-on-airpods-pro-154814439.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||