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In this bonus episode, Devindra and Engadget Contributing Reporter Kris Holt break down everything new (and not so new) in the iPhone 16 lineup. Is Apple Intelligence alone enough to entice iPhone owners to upgrade? Does anyone actually need the camera button? And why are we so intrigued by the Apple Watch Series 10 (which is undoubtedly the most interesting product Apple launched today)? Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News! Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Livestream Credits Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Kris HoltProducer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/engadget-podcast-the-apple-watch-series-10-was-the-star-of-the-iphone-16-launch-222416888.html?src=rss
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Kind Words 2 (lofi city pop), a game where you send real letters to real people and then wander around a cozy town, is due to hit Steam on October 7. Its the sequel to Kind Words (lo-fi chill beats to write to), an award-winning 2019 game from independent Boston studio Popcannibal. Players in the original game had a single bedroom where, backdropped by a sweet lo-fi soundtrack, they wrote and responded to letters from other players. There were small bits of room customization and sticker collection in the game, but it was truly just about connecting with strangers in a warm and nice way. This was a prescient idea: Just six months after Kind Words came out, the coronavirus pandemic locked down the globe. Connecting with people safely and from a distance suddenly became a top priority, and Kind Words carried this responsibility well. In the five years since launch, hundreds of thousands of players have sent more than 6 million messages in-game. Kind Words 2 imports your letters, room changes and stickers from the first game, and it allows you to leave the bedroom and explore a small town of shops, cafes and parks. On top of the standard letter-writing loop, you can customize your avatar with new clothes, scream (in written form) into the void, wish on a star, perform poetry and interact with other players in public spaces. The endlessly chill soundtrack comes from Slay the Spire and Kind Words composer Clark Aboud. It all looks and sounds incredibly adorable. In terms of game design, Popcannibal faces a unique and impossible-sounding challenge with the Kind Words series. Instead of having to build innovative environments or ultra-responsive controls, developers have to create a world that encourages anonymous online strangers to be nice to each other. The original game excelled in this regard, using visuals, mechanics, mood and music to foster friendly conversations among thousands of anonymous players worldwide. Kind Words 2 is bigger, but the vibe seems just as snuggly, and this time around Popcannibal has years of experience moderating and vibe-curating under its belt. If anyone can create a troll-free anonymous social network, its these folks. Kind Words 2 was announced in a Day of the Devs stream in December 2023, and it's available to wishlist on Steam right now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/kind-words-2-takes-cozy-letter-writing-to-the-city-on-october-7-215127953.html?src=rss
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Two models of AirPods were largely expected at today's iPhone 16 event, one of which would add active noise cancellation (ANC) to the "regular" AirPods for the first time. There are other upgrades for the $179 version, but after a brief demo of the ANC setup on the AirPods 4, I wager the noise-blocking tools will be the key selling point for most people. Apple is using this version of the AirPods 4 to bridge the gap between the AirPods and the AirPods Pro. As such, this model has some features that were previously exclusive to the company's priciest buds. Those include Siri interactions that allow you to accept or reject calls with a head nod, Adaptive Audio, Voice Isolation and more all thanks to the H2 chip that powers the Pro model. All of these will be welcome improvements for people who prefer the open fit of the AirPods 4, but the ANC is the most impressive addition in my book. I got a brief demo of the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation in the chaotic hands-on area at Apple Park. Honestly, it's a perfect place to test ANC. Once I had the AirPods 4 in my ears and I got some music going, I activated noise cancelling to silence the room. And it nearly did. I was blown away by how effective the ANC is on these earbuds that don't completely seal off your ears. Most open-type designs with ANC barely put a dent in ambient distractions, but do affect battery life. Here, I might as well have been in a room on my own, and I was only aware of the environmental noise when transparency mode jolted me back to reality. Billy Steele for Engadget Apple updated the design for the AirPods 4, calling them "the best-fitting AirPods ever." This refined shape, in addition to some software tricks and acoustic performance, helps boost passive noise isolation while keeping your ears open for that default audio mode. ANC is yet another place Apple is able to flex the muscle of the H2 chip, and the AirPods 4 performance in that regard is a testament to the component's abilities. I will note that transparency mode on the AirPods 4 didn't sound as natural as it does on the AirPods Pro. That's mostly due to the fact that I didn't feel like the earbuds were piping in as much of my own voice as that pricier model. In fact, I felt like it hardly did so at all. An Apple rep explained that the difference could be attributed to a number of factors, including the fact that my ears weren't completely closed off. Catch up on all the news from Apples iPhone 16 event!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/apple-airpods-4-hands-on-seriously-impressive-anc-performance-211526269.html?src=rss
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