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Its been a disastrous few months for Sonos after the company botched a major overhaul of its mobile app. In an effort to win back users trust, the company has laid out a plan that includes several new commitments. Our priority since its release has been and continues to be fixing the app. There were missteps, and we first went deep to understand how we got here, and then moved to convert those learnings into action, Sonos CEO Patrick Spence said in a statement. We are committed to making changes to get us back to being the brand people love by offering the best audio system for the home and beyond. There are two pillars that Sonos latest plan is based on: tackling the core causes of the apps problems (it wasnt fully ready and lacked critical features) and winning back users trust. In the first instance, Sonos is promising an "unwavering focus on the customer experience." That nebulous commitment involves deciding on "ambitious quality benchmarks" at the beginning of a product development cycle and not releasing products before those standards are met. The company will appoint a quality ombudsperson, who will be a point of contact for employees who have quality and customer experience concerns. Sonos leadership will consult this person during the development process and before any product rollouts. The ombudsperson will deliver a semi-annual report to the executives and employees as well. Next, Sonos is planning to make its testing processes more stringent, such as by opening up its beta testing program to more types of users and different kinds of setups. Testing periods will be longer too. As such, Sonos thinks this will help it to address user concerns faster. In addition, Sonos has pledged to roll out major changes to its app gradually. That way, users can provide feedback and let the company make tweaks before a significant update becomes the default for everyone. As for smaller-scoped features, there will be an opt-in toggle in the app for those who want to try them out on an experimental basis. When it comes to earning consumers trust again, Sonos is making a trio of pledges. First, as a goodwill gesture, Sonos is extending the manufacturer warranty for all home speaker products (home theater gear and plug-in speakers) that are still under warranty. The company has promised to keep rolling out app updates between every two and four weeks in order to "optimize and enhance the software experience." Last but not least, Sonos will set up a customer advisory board. This will provide the company with "feedback and insights from a customer perspective to help shape and improve our software and products before they are launched." The company plans to implement all of these changes by the end of the year, though some of them are already in place. Sonos also notes that, unless it's able to rebuild trust with users and improve "the quality of the app experience," none of its executive leadership team members will receive an annual bonus for the fiscal year that commenced today. However, the company didn't spell out the parameters for meeting those goals. The company debuted its new app in May in preparation for the debut of the Sonos Ace, its first set of headphones. However, to its detriment, Sonos rushed the rollout of the redesigned app. It was buggy and lacked several important and fundamental features, such as the ability to adjust alarms (it was possible, but inconvenient, to do that on the desktop app). The company has spent several months trying to fix the issues, which it says will end up costing between $20 million and $30 million to resolve. The problems prompted Sonos to delay the release of two new products. It also laid off 100 workers in August. Sonos says that it has brought back over 80 percent of the app's missing features and it expects to have restored almost 100 percent in the coming weeks. It claims that "the reliability and speed of the app has improved with each release."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/heres-how-sonos-hopes-to-win-back-your-trust-after-its-app-debacle-144236940.html?src=rss
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The weather is, unfortunately, getting colder and that means it's about time to cozy up on your couch with a blanket and some good reading material. If you're an e-reader lover or have finally run out of bookshelf space then you might want to look at the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Essentials bundle. The bundle is on sale for $203, down from $256 ahead of October Prime Day. The 21 percent discount gives you cheaper access to a 32GB Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, fabric cover and wireless charging dock. The Kindle Paperweight Signature Edition launched in 2021 and we called it "The best e-reader. Period." While other e-readers have come into the picture, it's still a great option especially for Prime members. We gave it a 97 in our review thanks to features like a larger, more responsive screen and smaller bezels. The combination of the two gives this device an extra lux feel compared to alternatives. This edition also includes 17 individual LEDs, up from the five in its predecessor. The lights let you adjust the warm hue, similar to Apple's Night Shift. It also has some logistical benefits like USB-C charging and wireless charging with the e-reader lasting up to ten weeks on just one charge. The addition of the fabric case and wireless charging dock make it easy to keep your Kindle juiced up and damage free for only $13 more than buying the Paperwhite Signature Edition on its own. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice in the lead up to October Prime Day 2024.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-kindle-paperwhite-signature-essentials-bundle-drops-to-its-lowest-price-of-the-year-ahead-of-prime-day-141717270.html?src=rss
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Now that we're a few years into Microsoft's obsession with AI and its Copilot assistant, it's clearer than ever that Windows 11's role is to show off the company's artificial intelligence prowess. At least, that's the message I took away from today's announcement that the Windows 11 2024 (version 24H2) update is now beginning to roll out. While the OS itself is getting a few new features, like long overdue File Explorer tweaks, Microsoft is far more eager to hype up new Copilot+ AI PC capabilities. There's "Click to Do," which triggers Copilot to assist you with whatever is on your screen, like removing an object in the Photos app, or summarizing a long article. It's seemingly easy to use just hold the Windows button down and click your target and Microsoft says it'll offer contextually relevant tips. As with so many of the companys AI features, you can think of Click to Do as an on-demand super-powered version of Clippy, its infamous software helper from years past. But since Click to Do appears at your whim, and there are actually some potentially useful AI features, it should hopefully be far less annoying than that damn paperclip. Click to Do in Windows 11. Microsoft You'll also be able to upscale pictures in the Photos app by up to eight times their resolution. A slider will let you adjust precisely how much you'd like to increase the quality. This isn't particularly newAdobe has its own AI-powered Super Resolution capability, as does the popular Mac photo editing app Pixelmator. But at least it's helpful to have it built directly into your OS. Generative AI-based fill and erase options are also coming to Paint, allowing you to remove objects or easily create new ones. Microsoft has hinted at some AI-powered search improvements in the past, and it looks like those are finally arriving with the Windows 11 2024 update. Now you can find files using your own words, without worrying about esoteric search syntax. If you want to find pictures of your dog by the beach, you can just type that. And of course, there's Recall, the company's debut Copilot+ feature for retrieving anything that happens on your computer. It was immediately criticized for being surprisingly insecure researchers discovered that hackers could access the Recall screenshot database without administrator privilege. Microsoft immediately delayed Recall to revamp its security model: It's now making the feature completely opt-in, instead of flipping it on by default. Windows Hello biometric authentication is required to use Recall, and it's also encrypting the screenshot database and other interactions. Recall timeline in Windows 11. Microsoft Last week, the company detailed more of its security methods, including using VBS Enclaves to further isolate Recall from hackers. David Weston, Microsoft's VP of OS and enterprise security, noted in a blog post that "you are always in control" of the Recall experience. That reassurance may not be enough for users turned off by Microsoft's initial security flubs, though. If anything, Recall's rollout was a clear example of how the company was cutting corners to move quickly and be seen as an AI industry leader. "Copilot will be there for you, in your corner, by your side, and always strongly aligned with your interests.," Mustafa Suleyman, the company's head of AI, wrote in anoverly enthusiastic blog post. "It understands the context of your life while safeguarding your privacy, data and security, remembering the details that are most helpful in any situation." Security will undoubtedly be a major concern for Copilot users moving forward, and according to Microsoft's Windows head, Pavan Davuluri, the company has learned from its troubled Recall launch. "Ultimately, users want to have confidence with anything happening with sensitive data caches," he said in a briefing with press, adding that he believes the company has "gone above and beyond" to create that confidence. He also acknowledged that AI features enable "new attacks and defenses." For example, Windows has traditionally allowed administrator accounts to have total access to everything on a machine, but now users may want to see "additional rings of protection" with AI features. The Surface Pro Copilot+ AI PC. Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget Davuluri stressed that community feedback helped Microsoft make Recall more secure for users, and the company will continue listening as it carefully rolls out more AI-infused capabilities. That's also why all of the above Copilot+ features won't be rolling out to everyone immediately they'll be available to Windows Insiders first, and then arrive via a phased rollout to "select devices and markets" in November. The Windows 11 2024 update will also have a staggered rollout starting today. If you're eager to snag it, make sure you've enabled "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" in Windows Update. And what about features from this Windows 11 update that don't require Copilot+ PCs? They appear at the tail-end of Davuluri's blog post today, almost as an afterthought: There's Wi-Fi 7 support, HDR backgrounds, Energy Saver improvements to prolong battery life and better hearing aid support using Bluetooth LE. They sound like the Windows upgrades we used to see before Microsoft became completely AI-pilled, but they're certainly not as exciting as something like Click to Do. Of course, that's all intentional. If you want to join the Copilot+ AI PC party, you'll probably have to get a new computer. And that's precisely what Microsoft and PC makers want.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/microsoft-delivers-new-copilot-ai-pc-features-with-windows-11s-2024-update-140048807.html?src=rss
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