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ByteDance is pushing further into hardware with its first set of earbuds. The TikTok owner's $170 Ola Friend buds will only be available in China for now. They link to the company's generative AI assistant, Doubao, which can be activated with a voice command. According to the South China Morning Post, wearers will be able to use the open-ear buds as a tour guide while traveling and to practice English (among other things) after they're paired with the Doubao mobile app. The publication notes that Doubao is currently the most popular GAI app in China, with more than 47 million monthly active users in September. The debut of Ola Friend follows ByteDance completing its purchase of Oladance, a maker of wearable audio devices, this year. ByteDance also owns VR headset maker Pico. The earbuds are available in four colors, purple, silver, black and white. Pre-orders are open today and Ola Friend will ship on October 17.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/tiktok-owner-bytedance-unveils-its-first-earbuds-in-china-143507603.html?src=rss
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Sonys line of LinkBuds products has served two key purposes. First, it gave the company a playground to introduce wildly different designs like the donut-shaped first-gen LinkBuds. It also allowed Sony to develop the LinkBuds S, a more traditional set that offered a taste of its flagship 1000X products for $100 less. That model was certainly more compelling than the companys basic models that go for $120 and below. Two years after the LinkBuds and LinkBuds S, Sony is back with an all-new model and a revamped version of the original. With the LinkBuds Fit ($200), the company has developed a full-featured, comfy set of earbuds with impressive sound. And on the LinkBuds Open ($200), Sony tweaked its unique open-wear formula by updating some tools. Then theres the third member of the 2024 LinkBuds trio, the LinkBuds Speaker ($180), which is designed to integrate seamlessly with the two new pairs of earbuds when you return home or to the office. Since Sony introduced these all together, Ive reviewed them that way, so buckle up because youre about to get three reviews for the price of one. LinkBuds Fit Sonys LinkBuds S were a low-key hit in 2022. They have some of the great features from the 1000X line, with a similar overall shape, too. Small and comfy, they offer significantly more in terms of sound and tools than most $200 earbuds. With this years LinkBuds Fit, Sony has debuted the next progression in its active noise canceling (ANC) LinkBuds. This is the option for people who prefer a closed design and a secure fit. Sony completely redesigned the LinkBuds Fit, aiming for the optimum shape for most people. To get there, the company made the main housing a lot smaller, as the whole thing tucks almost entirely into your ear. Theres a so-called Air Cushion silicon support wing thats hollow instead of solid. This allows more flexibility, and honestly its more comfortable since you can tuck it into the ridges of your ears however you need to. The combination of the smaller size and the Air Cushion make the LinkBuds Fit some of the most comfy in-ears Ive tested. Even though they plug your ears closed, they never become a burden, even after hours of constant use. One of the best things about the LinkBuds S was the impressive sound quality for the price. That continues on the LinkBuds Fit as Sony offers balanced tuning right out of the box. Theres crisp highs, ample mid range and snappy bass throughout most genres, even with more restrained, country-tinged rock like Jason Isbells Live from the Ryman, Vol. 2. Plus, the company's DSEE Extreme upscaling can help restore some audio quality lost over compression for Bluetooth streaming. Audio presets and a 5-band EQ are here for adjustments, but I didnt even think about using them. The sonic abilities of the LinkBuds Fit are on full display with BONES UKs Soft. The crunchy guitars, droning bass lines and punchy kick drum provide a full, deep soundstage for the textured vocals to float across. And for a bass-heavy experience, the synth-heavy tune Generator from Justices Hyperdrama is a loud, pulsing track with a big low-end thump while the keys still cut through on top. Interestingly, theres nuance to the bassy beats on the LinkBuds Fit, rather than just a one-note rhythm. All of these sound improvements are due in part to the earbuds inheriting the Dynamic Driver X and Integrated Processor V2 audio chip from the 1000X. Theres more enveloping sound on the WF-1000XM5, but not by much, as Sony has closed the gap between its flagship model and the LinkBuds line for now. Billy Steele for Engadget Features like Adaptive Sound Control, multipoint Bluetooth and Speak to Chat make their return on the LinkBuds Fit from the LinksBuds S. But Sony has gone well beyond those with a host of new conveniences. The company took a page from Apples book and now allows you to answer or reject calls by nodding or shaking your head. Theres also a built-in voice control that doesnt require your phones assistant, something akin to what Bose offers on the new QuietComfort Earbuds. And because the earbuds are so small, there arent onboard touch controls. Instead, Sony employs the Wide Area Tap gestures from the original open-design LinkBuds. They work really well, but I will never be comfortable tapping my upper cheek to make adjustments. Perhaps the only area where the LinkBuds Fit fall well short of the WF-1000XM5 is ANC performance. Id call this active noise reduction more than cancellation. Youll get some relief from constant sources like white noise machines or a raucous fan, but these earbuds dont silence them. They also struggle mightily with human voices, so if you sit near a chatty coworker, youll have to crank up the volume to compensate. For calls, the LinkBuds Fit will give you better-than-average voice clarity, which means youll sound better than if youre on speakerphone. The earbuds also do a decent job of blocking background noise, although I noticed a slight delay in them picking up sounds that began during calls. Sony also boasts that this model has its best ambient sound, and while Im not ready to bestow that honor, the audio mode does have a natural quality that makes it pleasant to use. Plus, a new Auto Ambient Sound feature can automatically adjust the level of transparency when you encounter a noisy environment. With the LinkBuds Fit, Sony says you can expect up to five and a half hours with ANC on and 21 hours total when you factor in the case. There are a lot of advanced features at work here, and those have an impact on power consumption. With the volume at a comfortable 75-80 percent, I only managed around four hours and 45 minutes. Thats with noise-canceling active as well as Voice Control, Speak to Chat and DSEE Extreme all enabled. The good news is that Sony offers a tool called Auto Battery Save that will disable the latter three tools, as well as any EQ tweaks, to conserve power. This will extend things beyond the 5.5-hour mark, but not by a ton. The LinkBuds Fit are a massive advancement over the LinkBuds S. In fact, theyre some of the best earbuds Sony has ever made. But they arent without a few significant faults. My primary gripe is ANC performance, and though it's the only one, its a biggie. Like it usually does on the 1000X line, Sony has packed in a ton of features here, and for the most part they work as advertised. Its clear the company is taking notes from the competition with the Apple-esque head gestures and automatic sound adjustments, in addition to the Bose-like built-in assistant. But, somehow, Sony managed to innovate and keep the price tag exactly the same as the LinkBuds S. LinkBuds Open The original LinkBuds were wonderfully weird. After years of very normal-looking earbuds (besides the Xperia Ear Duo), Sony took a big swing in early 2022 with the donut-shaped, open design model that sought to provide all-day wear while keeping your earbuds unobstructed from your environment. They were different, but they were unique, with their own drizzle of Sonys special sauce. However, overall comfort was a big issue, and one the company sought to remedy on the follow-up with the LinkBuds Open. To start, Sony reduced the overall size of the IPX4-rated LinkBuds Open. Like the LinkBuds Fit, this model also has the Air Cushion silicon support thats more flexible. Thats a big improvement from the small hump meant to stabilize the first version that didnt offer much added support. Unfortunately though, the casing for the ring-shaped driver that sits in your ear is still hard plastic. After about 45 minutes, it became uncomfortable, and after several hours it was downright unbearable. On the bright side, the cheek-based Wide Area Tap controls are back and theyre reliable, if not slightly awkward. Sony made two key adjustments to improve the sound quality on the LinkBuds Open. First, it built a revamped ring-shaped driver and paired it with the Integrated Processor V2 chip from the 1000X line. These two changes make for louder sound and richer bass, according to Sony. And the claim holds up. Youll only need around 65-70 percent volume, unless you suffer from some degree of hearing loss. And there is more pronounced low-end tone, though youll have to coax it out with an EQ tweak. By default, the stock tuning is heavily reliant on treble, which means vocals tend to overpower most of the mix. However, Sonys EQ tools actually help balance things out, and adding more mids and bass makes the LinkBuds Opens sound profile more well-rounded. After this adjustment, the kick drum thumps under vocals and guitars, an improvement over the default sound profile for Better Lovers thunderous, crunching single A White Horse Covered In Blood. Billy Steele for Engadget Like it did with the LinkBuds Fit, Sony brought over a lot of the handy tools from the 1000X earbuds to the Open. Those include multipoint Bluetooth and Speak to Chat, but Adaptive Sound Control automation isnt here. Sony did add its voice assistant, Adaptive Volume Control and head-gesture recognition for answering calls. The company also offers a fit check via your phones camera, something it's done for other products to check your positioning for 360 Reality Audio. Most of these work well, though in my experience Speak to Chat is still tripped up when I coughed or cleared my throat. And it seemed to be even more sensitive on the LinkBuds Open than other models Ive tested. Thanks to the design, the LinkBuds Open are nice to wear during calls since, well, you can hear yourself. However, the quality of your voice on the other end isnt as clear as what I encountered on the LinkBuds Fit. It will get the job done, but I did sound slightly muffled. And background noise, while subdued, is noticeable at times when Im talking. Sony says you should be able to eke out eight hours of use on the LinkBuds Open, a significant improvement over the five and a half hours on the first LinkBuds. Indeed, I had no trouble hitting that number during my tests with DSEE Auto and other power-taxing tools enabled. If you find yourself in a pinch, Sony devised a faster quick charge solution that gives you an hour of use in three minutes. Whats more, Auto Battery Save from the LinkBuds Fit is in play here, automatically disabling advanced features when you hit 20 percent battery to extend listening time. The LinkBuds Open offer some improvements over the first-gen model, but Sony hasnt addressed an inherent issue with the design. Simply put, they arent comfortable to wear for longer than a few minutes and that will be a problem for a lot of people. I understand the outer shell around the ring driver has to be robust enough to protect it, but there needs to be even the slightest bit of cushioning to relieve the pressure. If Sony fixes that, it will have a more complling product rather than a novelty. LinkBuds Speaker The LinkBuds Speaker is an unexpected part of the new LinkBuds lineup. Its a small Bluetooth speaker thats designed to be your go-to device when youre stationary, and is equipped with several features that sync with the LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open in a bid to make your life easier at least in terms of listening to music or podcasts. The LinkBuds Speaker wont win any design awards, but thats par for the course with small Bluetooth speakers. Up top are volume and playback controls which you can also use to start music from select streaming services with one tap (Amazon Music, Spotify and Endel). Theres also a microphone for calls, if youre okay with a no-frills speakerphone option. Around back, the power button sits at the bottom just above a USB-C charging port. Theres also an attached loop here so you can hang the LinkBuds Speaker on a hook or carabiner. That USB-C port is technically the backup charging method though, since the IPX4-rated speaker comes with a charging cradle that connects via metal contacts on the bottom. Inside, Sony paired one of its X-balanced woofers with a single tweeter and a passive radiator. The company says this combo provides well-balanced and pleasant and clear sound thats tuned so it isnt exhausting to listen to for long periods of time. In the end, the LinkBuds Speaker suffers a similar fate to comparable Bluetooth devices with a lack of overall fidelity. While its true the treble is bright, clean and punchy, the bass is restrained and the mid-range is lacking right out of the box. There are no audio presets to assist you there, but Sony does offer a full 5-band EQ for adjustments, along with a separate Clear Bass slider. You can save changes as custom settings for future use, if you hit on something you like. After I made the necessary tweaks to address the sonic shortcomings, the speaker sounded slightly better, but there was still a lack of crisp detail some of the competition offers (like the Beats Pill). The only place youll notice decent clarity is in the vocals and top end of the EQ. And for outdoor use, you'll be glad the high end is more pronounced so you can better understand the lyrics in the open air. Billy Steele for Engadget The LinkBuds Speaker works with Sonys new Sound Connect app for access to various settings. Theres one key feature Ill discuss since its unique to this device. First, the app allows you to set up routines so that your music starts at specific times during the day. Theres also an automatic switching element to this that works with the LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open, along with additional support for the LinkBuds S, WF-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM5. All of this is managed in the Auto Play section of the app. Once you sync a set of earbuds or headphones with the LinkBuds Speaker, Sonys app walks you through the process of setting up morning and bedtime routines. Right now though, those are the only two options, which is frustrating since I need to adjust things throughout the day too. You can set them to any time you want, but theyll still be labeled Get Ready and Bedtime. Oddly enough, Apple Music is listed on Auto Play, but Amazon Music isnt which is different from the one-tap play setup. Here, you can have the speaker pick up where you left off from your chosen music service or you can have a specific playlist or album set for those two times. After a routine is set, any music will automatically swap from the speaker to earbuds or headphones when you put them on, and vice versa when you take them off. It works really well, quickly making the change and gradually increasing the volume on the speaker so youre not blasted from the start. In the mornings, the speaker will even announce the date, time and weather if you want it to (and grant it exact location access). You can also have the device tell you the time on the hour. Lastly, the speaker stays in low-power mode when its not in use, which is what allows you to swap the audio when youre in range. Sony promises up to 25 hours of battery life on the LinkBuds Speaker, if you have the volume set to level 23. Since thats 23 out of 100, thats not really a viable scenario. For comfortable, casual listening, youll want something around 60 percent or level 60 in Sony-speak, I guess. At maximum volume, which is deafening, the speaker supposed to last up to six hours. I wouldnt recommend anything above about 80 percent though, because the pronounced treble starts to cancel out everything else in the mix from that point upwards. I can see avid users of Sonys earbuds and headphones enjoying the LinkBuds Speaker's routines and automatic switching. However, theres much better audio quality from the competition, and in a few cases its available for less than the $180 Sony is asking for. Id like to see Sony incorporate this type of hand-off feature in a speaker designed for your living room or office. With something thats bigger and offers better sound performance, the company would have a more compelling package for a LinkBuds sidekick. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/sony-linkbuds-fit-and-linkbuds-open-review-two-designs-one-clear-champ-134529932.html?src=rss
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One of our favorite workout apps for yoga and pilates, Alo Moves, is coming to VR on the Meta Quest 3. Priced at $69 a year, Alo Moves XR is set to be the first wellness app on the platform to feature volumetric 3D-capture classes that allow for extra immersion. The app uses a volumetric 3D technique to capture classes from all angles, so "users can interact with their 3D instructors, repositioning them and viewing every angle for a full 360-degree perspective, helping perfect form and movement techniques," the company wrote. At the same time, you can choose from various picturesque locations including Spain, Norway and Thailand. On a more practical note, the app uses room mapping and object detection of your own physical space to make sure you don't bump into anything. Alo Moves Alo Moves XR is launching with 32 classes across yoga, pilates and mindfulness with some of its popular instructors including yoga teacher Ashley Galvin and pilates specialist Bianca Wise. The app promises a structured release schedule with four to five new mixed-reality yoga and pilates classes added monthly, along with weekly meditation and sound bath sessions. It also offers things like class history tracking, post-class feedback and milestone badges. Later this year, Alo Moves will introduce new instructors and expand offerings with 20+ minute yoga sessions, quick toning/sculpting classes, yoga fundamentals, evening reset stretching, breathwork and more. The company promises an experience "that feels as close to in-person as possible," according to its press release. It looks like a smart way to use virtual reality (or extended reality as Meta would rather you call it), particularly as it lets you study an instructor's technique from all angles. That would make it a cut above other Meta fitness apps like Oh Shape and Les Mills Bodycombat. Alo Moves XR will cost $10 per month or $69 a year, but purchasers of the Alo Moves x Meta Quest bundle can grab it for $49 per year. If you already have an Alo Moves subscription, you'll be able to add Alo Moves XR for $20 annually. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/workout-app-alo-moves-is-now-in-vr-on-meta-quest-3-130050184.html?src=rss
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