Pioneer’s E8 wireless earbuds are big on features, short on battery
Pioneer is clearly all-in with fully wireless earbuds. Last year the company launched its debut C8 wireless earbuds, and now just in time for CES 2019, it's debuting its new E8 model designed for those who want to get a little more active while they listen to their music.
Nuheara’s IQbuds MAX cancel outside noise so you can hear more clearly
With an improved ability to cancel unwanted outside noises, and five times more processing power than the IQbuds Boost, Nuheara's IQbuds Max look to take the top spot amid the fast-growing hearables market segment. With a larger driver, the Max should be able to deliver better music and voices.
B&O’s Beoplay E8 earbuds eliminate the need for any wires
Fully wireless earbuds are all the rage and rightfully so. They're super convenient thanks to zero cables. And later this year, thanks to B&O's Beoplay E8 2.0 earbuds, even the charging case will be wireless ... for a price. An optional charging mat will free you from the last vestiges of cable-capture.
Roku’s app ditches the hardware, becomes a one-stop streaming shop
No longer content to simply make dumb TVs smart and smart TVs smarter, Roku has added its Roku Channel streaming content to its iOS and Android apps. With thousands of totally free, ad-supported shows, movies, news, and sports titles, we could be looking at Roku's future.
Is LG creating a multi-ratio TV with sliding speakers?
Widescreen TVs have always had trouble displaying non-16:9 content, giving us black bars on the top and bottom, or the sides. But if LG's sliding speaker TV patent becomes a real product, we could see an entirely new approach to the problem. It's not a shape-changing TV, but it might be the next best thing.
Apple Music could be headed to third-party Alexa devices ‘soon’
Fans of both Apple Music and Alexa were treated to a new integration this week that brings the music service to Echo devices. But Apple Music could be making an appearance on all other third-party Alexa smart speakers, as revealed by an Amazon representative. Could this be the beginning of streaming music nirvana?
Samsung revs up the picture quality of its high-fashion TVs for 2019
Highly prized for their ability to display more than just a black screen when turned off, Samsung's lifestyle TVs are getting updated for 2019, and we have all of the details ahead of the official launch which is slated to take place at CES.
2019 could be the year LG finally rolls out its OLED TV
After years of being shown demos of amazingly flexible OLED TV displays, LG might just be ready to bring a roll-up OLED TV to market, if recent rumours are to be believed. If true, it would mark the first time you'll be able to buy a TV that can disappear from view, yet not require a custom install.
Google Assistant gets the Marshall treatment with two new smart speakers
Marshall's Voice-series were already some of the most stylish smart speakers on the market, but now they're available as Google Assistant-compatible editions. This makes Marshall one of the few companies to support both Alexa and Google, albeit in separate models.
Canada’s winters inspired a startup to warm homes with cryptomining heat waste
Consuming massive amounts of electricity and generating tons of waste heat has become the price we’re paying to use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. It’s a problem that gets worse at scale. But Quebec-based Heatmine thinks there may be a way to replace existing hot water heating systems with mining rigs, solving two problems at once.
Phiaton’s active lifestyle headphones do noise canceling on a budget
Looking for a set of active noise cancelling earbuds that can keep up with your active lifestyle, without breaking the bank? Phiaton's Curve BT 120 NC could be just the ticket. At $79, they're no more expensive than good quality Bluetooth headphones, but they do a much better job of blocking noise.
Google Chromecast returns to Amazon just in time for the holiday shopping crunch
It's been a chilly few years between Google and Amazon, with each company taking increasingly nasty shots at the other. But things may be improving. Just in time for the holiday shopping crunch, you can now buy two versions of Google's Chromecast on Amazon, something that hasn't be possible since 2015.
Vizio is still rocking the Black Friday spirit with these TV and soundbar deals
If you missed out on all the great TV deals this past Black Friday and Cyber Monday, don't worry, Vizio has you covered. The company has some great discounts on its most popular 4K TVs and sounbar systems. But don't delay -- some of these deals only last one day.
Get ready to ditch your amplifier: New LG TVs add a powerful way to go wireless
There hasn't been much love for WiSA, a wireless technology designed specifically for high-end home theater applications, but that might be about to change. LG's top-tier 2019 TVs will all be WiSA certified, and that could mean a new wireless future for premium surround sound.
Boy dies after being electrocuted through his headphones
A 16-year-old Malaysian boy appears to be the latest victim in a growing list of people who have been electrocuted by their smartphones via their earphones. It's believed that a faulty charging cable is the culprit, but the final cause is still unknown.
Senic Nuimo Click review
It can mount to any surface, and power itself: Senic’s Nuimo Click is the remote control your smart device should have come with. Well designed, it’s ideal for your smart home. But you’ll have to keep your expectations in check and your pocket wide open, as the Click’s features are limited.
Sonos Amp review
With its new Sonos Amp, Sonos reinvents its first product with a view toward making it more appealing to custom AV installers and consumers alike. With more power and more features, it mostly succeeds, but comes at a steeper price.
V-Moda’s SpeakEasy lightning cable promises better sound — for a price
While not for everyone, a third-party lightning headphone cable can improve the sound quality of your existing cans, without forcing you to carry around Apple's tiny, but annoying, lightning dongle. Is the V-Moda SpeakEasy lightning cable's $101 price tag worth it? It certainly has the specs.
YouTube Premium on the rocks? Original series will be ad-supported in 2020
In what will be seen by many as an acknowledgment that it can't compete with Netflix and Amazon Video, YouTube announced that its original programming will soon be available as ad-supported streaming for all of its 2 billion users. Could this be the end for YouTube's Premium subscription service?
Cable TV without the cable bill? Silicon Dust’s All-In-One plan is calling
You can't have it all, right? You either pay a high monthly cable bill and get all the channels you want, or you pay no monthly bill, and only get what is freely transmitted over the air. Silicon Dust is offering a third option now, with its All-in-One plan: Full DVR and 45 cable channels, for one price.
LG slashes the price of its Xboom speakers for Black Friday
If terrific portable audio at a terrific price sounds good to you, now is the best time of the year to pick up an LG XBoom portable Bluetooth speaker. The company has slashed prices for its speaker line by as much as 50 percent, making the entry-level PK3 a superb deal at only $50.
This fully autonomous $400 drone folds like a book, follows you like a paparrazzo
Until recently, having a drone that could follow you everywhere, while taking high-quality photos and videos without crashing into trees or other obstacles, was a flight of fantasy. Now, with ZeroZero's Hover 2, not only can you have a fully autonomous selfie drone, you can have it for $400.
TiVo Bolt OTA for antenna hands-on review
Free over-the-air programming isn’t available in 4K, so why would you want a 4K OTA DVR? We’ll discuss what makes the new TiVo Bolt OTA a viable choice for cord-cutters with 4K UHD TVs who want to get ahead of the game. With a cheaper starting price than its previous OTA DVR, and a much faster interface, this could be the best OTA receiver on the market.
Wishplay’s virtual Halloween delivers a treat to terminally ill children
Being stuck in a hospital can be a miserable experience even if it's just for a few days. If it's longer term, or involves palliative, end-of-life care, it can be very tough. But a new Canadian non-profit called Wishplay hopes to change all that by offering patients free, customized VR experiences.
Death from above? How we’re preparing for a future filled with weaponized drones
Drones are everywhere. Shooting videos, finding quake survivors, delivering medicine, and performing safety inspections. They’re also causing mayhem and death. We’re going to need a new set of detection and defense technologies to keep our infrastructure, our institutions, and our children safe. This is how we do it.
TiVo’s Bolt OTA gives cord-cutters the 4K set-top box they’ve been waiting for
There's no question -- the OTA market is heating up. Amazon just released its OTA DVR, the Fire TV Recast, and now TiVo has updated its own OTA offering, the $249 Bolt OTA. With 4K compatibility and a much faster processor, it could be the OTA receiver cord-cutters have been holding out for.
Arbor Video Doorbell Review
The video doorbell industry is exploding, even though it remains dominated by smart home giants Ring and Nest. Can a new startup called Arbor, with its first crowdfunded product, even hope to compete? The answer is yes, thanks to free video recording and a fully wireless install.
Tell Alexa to skip the commercial and your TiVo will make it happen
Shouting at your TV just became a whole lot more rewarding thanks to a new Alexa skill that lets you issue voice commands to control your TiVo DVR.
Bang & Olufsen’s BeoPlay P6 packs portable power, access to your assistants
Clad in an all-aluminum shell, the P6 delivers plenty of power, an all-day battery life, and one-touch access to personal assistants like Siri and Google Assistant. But only time will tell if a Bluetooth-only speaker really command a $400 price point, even if it does carry the Bang & Olufsen brand.
Sonos vs. Bluesound: A Hi-fi, Wi-Fi Speaker System Shootout
Canadian whole home audio brand Bluesound shoots for Sonos’s crown with high-end NAD and PSB components and high-res support. Is it the new king? We find out.
Tivoli Audio ART Model One Digital review
Our Tivoli Model One Digital review reveals that despite great sound, problems with Wi-Fi and limited streaming support stops us short from falling totally in love.
Sony’s promised Dolby Vision update doesn’t speak HDMI
Sony customers aren't going to be happy that their long-awaited Dolby Vision update only works with streaming services at the moment.