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Should you buy the 2020 iPhone SE?
By: William Khou
Tags: Tech, Consumer Electronics, Apple, Iphone Se

Apple finally released the long-awaited iPhone SE refresh. This new iPhone is not entirely new, as it has some old components and newer components too. It features the iPhone 8 design, with only a few subtle changes on the outside. It comes with a black front now on every color model. Unlike before on the iPhone where it had a white front on the gold and silver color models.

iPhone SE(right) and iPhone 8(left) side by side(image credit:Apple)

They both feature the same 13 hours of battery life and 1 meter of water resistance. Both have the same display. Compared to the iPhone SE 1st gen the 2nd gen has a 4.7-inch display. Today the iPhone 8 display is considered small, and if it were an android it would be classified as “compact”.

The iPhone SE rocks a single wide camera with portrait mode. Face id is something you will not find on the iPhone SE since it has an older design with a true depth camera. You get an A13 chip with up to 256 gigs of storage and a third-generation neural engine.

The iPhone SE does look dated with a fore head and chin. (Image credit:cnet.com)

You don’t get earpods with the iPhone SE anymore. However, with all of these trade-offs, the phone only costs 400$.

Overall the iPhone SE is a solid option for those looking to purchase this phone for an older parent, or someone that just doesn’t care about modern technology. Honestly, I give this phone an 8/10 rating. My reason for that is that honestly, for the extra 100 dollars you can get an iPhone XR. The iPhone XR comes with a modern design, better battery life, face id, and is just one step ahead in the long run.
LG’s New Cordless Vacuum Empties Itself
Tags: Consumer Electronics, Vacuum Cleaner, LG, Gadgets, Smart Home

No more removing and emptying the dustbin manually—this vacuum does it automatically while recharging.

By Matthew Humphries

The shift to cordless vacuum cleaners removed one of the two big annoyances of using the devices: being tethered to a power outlet. Now LG has removed the other one: emptying the dustbin.

The LG CordZeroThinQ A9 Kompressor+ will be on display at LG’s virtual CES 2021 exhibition booth and ticks all the boxes for what you’d expect from a new vacuum cleaner. It’s cordless, handles all types of flooring, and includes a set of six accessories and nozzles (2-in-1 Combination Tool, Crevice Tool, and Pet Nozzle). But it’s the charging stand where the new innovation happened.

When the A9 is docked in its stand to recharge, the “fully-automated dust removal system” comes into play. The contents of the vacuum’s dustbin will be sucked out and stored in a dust bag attached to the stand. It means you shouldn’t have to stop cleaning to empty the dustbin yourself as it will always be empty after a recharge. Even if the dustbin becomes full halfway through a more intense cleaning, you can dock it back in the stand and manually trigger the dust removal system to suck it clean before continuing.

“The CordZeroThinQ A9 Kompressor+ and groundbreaking charging station take cleanliness and convenience to new heights,” said Lyu Jae-cheol, president of LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company. “This impressive cleaning solution is a part of LG’s ongoing mission to protect consumers and their families by making the home more hygienic.”

There’s no word on pricing or availability, but hopefully LG reveals both during CES next week. I’d also like to know just how big the dust bag is in the stand, because you’re still going to need to empty it, but hopefully only need to do so after 10+ dustbin empties.
In Conversation with Alexander Atkins of Master & Dynamic
By: Dash Hudson
Tags: Instagram, Electronics, Consumer Electronics, Marketing, Marketing Strategies

From Product to Page: Infusing Brand DNA at Every Touchpoint

All great ideas start somewhere. For Master & Dynamic, it was a WWII-era set of aviation headphones that sparked their journey into audio gear. With a focus on quality, longevity, and clean, crisp design, the brand’s product ethos had to seamlessly translate into engaging cross-channel content — and that’s where social media manager Alexander Atkins is leading the charge. How does he do it? Details, design, and data.

Sleek flat lays and product close-ups are a great visual foundation but, for Atkins, it’s the character of his audience that inspires creative direction. Who is the Master & Dynamic customer, what do they care about, and where do they take their headphones? The brand’s #EscapeToExplore hashtag, fueled by an obsession with travel, helped populate its feed with beautiful destinations that reinforce a core message: your headphones are a part of your journey.

Of course, experimenting is always a risk in the business world. So, when it’s time to project the brand story forward on social and make decisions about what comes next, Atkins turns to data. Dash Hudson provides the powerful insight he needs into how Master & Dynamic’s target audiences interact with content, from posts to Stories to UGC — and at a granular level he can customize.

Watch the full interview here and follow @masterdynamic for all things premium audio gear.
Consumer electronics wholesale apple, iPhone distributors companies USA
Tags: Consumer, Consumer Electronics, Consumer Electronics List, Electronics Market, Apple

consumer electronics

Consumer electronics wholesale apple, iPhone distributors companies USA

iPhone Wholesale, iPhone Bulk, Samsung Wholesale, Samsung wholesale in USA, Buy IPhone wholesale, Wholesale Channels, consumer electronics, iPhone Wholesale, Asset Recovery, Mobile Solutions, Liquidation Solution

Consumer electronics wholesale apple, iPhone distributors companies USA

Whenever it comes to sell or buy anything online the Apple devices, then every iPhone distributing companies in the USA try to be authenticated. Sometimes, it becomes hard to trust who you will trust and to whom you can buy or sell your apple devices. GlobalGeeks is one of the best iPhone distributing company which gives you the best wholesale rates of the apple devices.

They have some strategy that may give you the advantage and benefits of the wholesale price. It might become cheap to buy products from them at wholesale prices. Each wholesaler needs to maintain the brand by ensuring the authentication of the products. These kinds of companies need to maintain their expansion of the online product selection and varieties for customers so that they could easily buy products from them.

The wholesaler needs to maintain every business needs to fulfill the online selling or buying agreements (if any exist). When it comes to set any kind of rules related to the Apple product, and then they need to maintain everything of good quality. As we all know that Apple is a huge company, as well as many users, trust only the brand name. Therefore, they have been misguided by some of the fake wholesalers or sellers who use people’s trust and make money by selling them fake products or low-quality products.

There are many companies, which work online and sell duplicate products online. GlobalGeeks provides you with reliable services and beneficial services, so anyone could take the benefits of low prices.

There are many companies, which sell Apple products, especially iPhone devices, but GlobalGeeks is one of the best and renowned companies where you can exchange, buy or sell your apple devices. The trustworthiness shown by this company is incredible as well as it has made the amazing place in the heart of their clients if you come and buy any Apple product from them, then definitely for sure you won’t go anywhere else later.

Every facility provided by this company is to make it more winnable in the market of the USA. So, if you want to buy genuine and authenticate Apple devices at a wholesale price, visit the site of GlobalGeeks and make the hassle-free transaction. Hurry up, to get your deals.
Being a bit cheeky here, but may I add a sixth?
Tags: Consumer Electronics, Music, Apple, Gadgets, Technology

Being a bit cheeky here, but may I add a sixth?

It isn’t a phone.

Since recently joining the twenty-first century’s second decade and keeping all my music on my iPhone, I’ve been surprised with how many times having my primary audio playing device doubling as my primary telephone causes problems.

I’m listening to something and my phone rings, so the music or podcast stops. What if I don’t want it to stop?

Yes, I know there are various settings for that, and I may have almost figured out how to configure them (I’m still not 100% sure though). Here’s the thing; once configured, they’re on forever. Even when I’ve stopped listening to music, the settings still operate. I want my phone to ring, I just don’t want it to stop the audio.

This is not to mention that passive-aggressive sensation of the audio volume of my current track/podcast being temporarily lowered just to let me know an message or other notification has arrived. Generally that happens just when I’m at the critical part of a podcast when a vital section of monologue/dialogue occurs, of course.

Rewind, repeat. Except I’m driving… (Maybe it’s time I enabled Siri after all. But the unintended consequences of that are something I’m not willing to countenance — yet.)

Again, yes there are settings for that. But is it the software “Do Not Disturb” control or the hardware “Ring/Silent” control? I forget… And even if I do remember one day how these controls work and interact exactly, I’m sure I will keep forgetting to enable them and then I’ll miss that vital podcast snippet or have that great song interrupted at just the wrong moment. It’s inevitable.

So yes, I absolutely see a reason to buy a separate portable music player. The question is, should it be an iPod Touch or something a bit more economical? Hmmm…
Smartphone
By: Note Tech
Tags: Hack, Consumer Electronics

hack

Denial of service (DOS) attack , a type of attack on a network that is designed to bring the network to its knees by flooding it with useless traffic. Many DoS smartphone attacks, such as the Ping of Death and Teardrop attacks, exploit limitations in the TCP/IP protocols.

Teardrop attack is type of attack where fragmented packets are forged to overlap each other when the receiving host tries to reassemble them.

Ping of death type of DoS attack in which the attacker sends a ping request that is larger than 65,536 bytes, which is the maximum size that IP allows. While a ping larger than 65,536 bytes is too large to fit in one packet that can be transmitted, TCP/IP allows a packet to be fragmented, essentially splitting the packet into smaller segments that are eventually reassembled. Attacks took advantage of this flaw by fragmenting packets that when received would total more than the allowed number of bytes and would effectively cause a buffer overload on the operating system at the receiving end, crashing the system. Ping of death attacks are rare today as most operating systems have been fixed to prevent this type of attack from occurring.

DDOS Attack: A distributed denial of service attack (DDoS) occurs when multiple systems flood the bandwidth or resources of a targeted system, usually one or more web servers phone. This is the result of multiple compromised systems (for example a botnet) flooding the targeted system(s) with traffic. When a server is overloaded with connections, new connections can no longer be accepted.
A Remote Control Versus a Truly Connected Product: Which One is Yours?
By: Zvi Frank
Tags: Internet of Things, Consumer Electronics, Customer Experience, IoT, Smart Home

Adding mobile, web and voice apps to a consumer electronics product can provide users with an effective digital interface if implemented correctly, but if it stops there, all you get is a digital remote control to your physical product. A truly connected product allows manufacturers to take ownership of their user base and strike a relationship that can improve customer experience as well as drive revenue. It enables manufacturers to move from a one-time transaction model to Lifetime Value and create new revenue streams.

There are many consumer electronics products in the market today that claim to be “smart” because their manufacturers simply added a digital remote control to their devices. But these companies failed to take the next step, because they aren’t taking advantage of the real value a truly connected product represents; there’s a huge opportunity for these manufacturers. The good news in this case is that the heavy lifting, i.e developing a digital interface (mobile, web or voice apps), including the hardware and firmware elements required, is already done. What is left to do in order to make the product a truly connected device is to add the cloud elements constituting the ability to gather and analyze data and communicate to the end users on an individual basis.

Gathering data from devices only, as we typically see in industrial IoT implementations, doesn’t really suffice. In Consumer Electronics, only the complete data set, including device data as well as user data, must be built and then acted upon in the form of individually customized communications. The data must flow from the device and the various digital interfaces employed. Only then can a complete picture be constructed with useful insights that can be translated to effective communications.

A very simple litmus test revealing the nature of a digital interface is email. If through the onboarding process an email address is not being requested, then the device has a remote control and is not truly connected. If the user is asked to open an account, most likely this data will be used to try and communicate with him effectively through the lifecycle of his experiences with this particular device.

For a manufacturer to fully realize the value of Consumer IoT, a connected device must have a digital interface of some sort as well as a complete backend cloud infrastructure designed to collect analyze and communicate. Full realization entails taking ownership of the user base to drive business growth while improving customer experience.
Health is moving to the home
By: Pat Collins
Tags: Internet of Things, Consumer Electronics, Aging In Place, Aging Well, Health Technology

The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the number of people in the United States aged 65 or older will grow to 95 million by the year 2060 and comprise nearly a quarter of the population. And as the population ages, so does the demand on the current healthcare system. According to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS.gov) National health spending will climb to 19.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2027, reaching $6 trillion. This is not sustainable and we need to make solutions that address our aging population a priority.

While we have seen many amazing innovations in Consumer Technology in the recent past, innovation in Consumer Health Tech is just getting started. The ways in which we communicate, travel, shop, interact socially have all fundamentally changed. Super smart algorithms predict what we’ll need in the coming hours, make sure it’s available and the price is optimal, so we want to buy it, and with one click my order is placed and delivered by a drone to my home in an hour. Oh, and pretty soon we might never need to drive a car any more.

But understanding even the most basic information about our own health still requires a trip to the Doctor’s office — which usually happens either when we are sick or once a year when we go in for a routine check up. And because our health is “checked” so infrequently, underlying health issues often go unnoticed and progress to where treatment is significantly more costly and the outcome less favorable.

Consumer health tech must take a larger role in addressing the challenges of an aging population and our skyrocketing health spending. We need more innovation and we need more meaningful and useful products delivered to the market much faster.
Ambient, preventive health for every home
By: Alexandre Winter
Tags: AI, Consumer Electronics, Healthcare, Computer Vision, Technology

Healthcare is changing, deeply and for good. Several years after the big flop of the “quantified self”, personal health data is back under the spotlight, sometimes in a controversial way, often in a more serious and reliable way. Personal health devices are back as well — thank you apple watch for opening the field, thank you Google for giving fitbit a new life.

We are at the dawn of a new era where sensors, data and software will monitor our health continuously, detect slight changes in our patterns early, that are signs of the onset of diseases. Doctors can then treat them before they have damaging effects on our bodies and our lives, or even before they occur. We will live longer, healthier lived, in our homes, at a much lower health care cost, thanks to predictive, ambient heath care.

To make this happen, it is essential that vital signs are gathered on a regular basis. Wearable devices do the job well, but not everyone wants to or can wear them all day. And not everyone can afford an apple watch. Also, none of these wearables can function 24/7 without being taken off to be recharged.

Today, only a happy few of the most dedicated, the luckiest or the wealthiest of us have access to this. A small but active niche population of quantified self geeks will wear several fitbits and spire devices to monitor their vital signs continuously and try to analyze the data to detect changes, good or bad, in their health. Wealthy or very tech savvy elderly people can instrument their apartments or homes at a high price point and complexity to detect and prevent domestic issues like falls. But the vast majority of the population does not have medical sensors available.

Health in the home should not be like that…

There is a bootstrapping issue with the predictive and preventive algorithms too, where predictive medicine can make progress only if enough data is available, i.e. if enough patients use it. The more users, the more data, the more powerful algorithms and predictions will be.

We need more affordable, more seamless and more scalable devices to bootstrap this revolution. We need devices that do not need to be worn, and require no effort from their users. We need ambient, contactless health monitoring.

We, at Norbert Health, have a mission to build just that. We will radically accelerate this preventive healthcare revolution by bringing it to the masses, packaged in a very seamless, affordable and easy device.

Health in the home could be more like this!

We are building the first ambient medical pod for the home, that will monitor the health of your loved ones without requiring any effort from anyone. Just plug it in, turn it on and it will do the job.

Our first mission is to help our rapidly growing elderly population age in their homes.

Stay tuned by signing up for our newsletter. Contact us if you want to help us build this.
First impressions of the Flux Beamo
By: Al Steffen
Tags: Laser Cutting, Consumer Electronics, Flux, Laser Engraving, Beamo

In mid-October, I got the pleasant surprise of winning one of Flux’s new Beamo laser engravers/cutters. At this time, I was actually considering jumping in on the Kickstarter campaign to get one. I have been curious to see what I could do with such a machine.

I am no expert when it comes to laser engraving, but not my first experience with Flux’s products. I had previously backed one of their first campaigns for the original Delta 3D printer. At the time, it was one of my first forays into 3D printing. There was an interesting eco-system promised for the device, including swap out heads. One of those heads being a laser engraver.

I never did get the additional head for the printer, but that was likely for the best. There are definitely drawbacks to such an open-air style of laser engraving. First of all, there can be a lot of smoke involved. This laser is just burning away materials. Add to that, this process will produce a lot of nano-particles of the material being cut/engraved. One would likely not want to be breathing in these particles, so a well ventilated work area is a must.

Don’t let those concerns worry you too much, as this focused design looks to address that issue. So enough with the preposition and let’s talk about the machine.

In the box

The Beamo is compact for what it is. Traditionally these style machines would consume an entire corner of a room. This form factor reduces that to just take up a chunk of a table. It is minimalistic in design with clean lines and a matte black finish on the metal housing. The top just contains a clear plexiglass lid, touch screen, and power button.

When I opened the box, all the needed parts and accessories were neatly packed away inside the machine’s internal cavity. There was nothing dig around inside the box to find. It was all there in front of me.
Essentials of an IoT Cloud platform
Tags: Cloud Services, Internet of Things, Consumer Electronics, IoT, Cloud Computing

With expansion of Internet of Things (IoT), a vast amount of data is being generated, which in turn is putting a huge strain on enterprise infrastructure. To reduce this load, Cloud Computing has entered the mainstream providing an on-demand delivery of computing power, database storage, applications and IT resources. Cloud computing has enabled organizations to consume a compute resource, like a virtual machine rather than building a computing infrastructure on the premise.

To put it together, IoT generates lots of data while cloud computing provides an easier way to manage and capture this data.

Essentials of an IoT Cloud platform:

Increased Scalability: IoT devices need a lot of storage to share information for valuable purposes. IoT cloud platform must resolve the storage and compute needs of customers. This is to ensure easy and quick scalability. Interoperability: The IoT devices need to interact and connect with each other. IoT cloud platform should provide the connectivity which is necessary to share information between the devices, to give enhanced consumer experience. Pay-as-you-use: Users need not worry of buying greater or less resources. With Cloud platform, they can easily scale the storage and compute power required as the data generated increases and pay for the amount of resources they consume. Encryption: Cloud platforms must have provisions for data security. Data needs to be encrypted during transit between different endpoints as well as during storage. Authentication and Authorization: IoT Cloud platform must provide proper authentication and authorization for users to manage their devices safely and securely via identity management solution. Device Provisioning and Tracking: IoT cloud platform should have features for easy provision of the device during production and must also provide tracking of the device lifecycle from creation to installation. Firmware and Software Update Procedures: Cloud providers must have tools and processes that allow for easy setup of Firmware Over-The-Air (OTA) and software updates. Also, these updates can be signed with digital certificates to let the users know that they are secure and legitimate.

To sum up, IoT Cloud platform must facilitate every process with its automated tools, maintaining device updates in a continuous way, alongside being fast, affordable and flexible.
Magnetic Sensor Market Size Worth $3.2 Billion By 2025
By: Gaurav Shah
Tags: Magnetic, Consumer Electronics, Sensors, Automotive, Market

The global magnetic sensor market size is expected to reach USD 3.2 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., exhibiting a 6.8% CAGR over the forecast period. Growing emphasis on automobile safety, coupled with steadily declining prices of sensors, has supported product demand. Integration of sophisticated technology in consumer electronics is also expected to drive the magnetic sensor market.

In addition to smartphones, magnetic sensors are being increasingly integrated into wearables such as fitness bands and smartwatches. The trend of embedding these components with giant magnetoresistance (GMR) films has gained a lot of importance. This procedure aids in detecting and reading data from microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), such as MRAMs, temporary memory processing units, and hard drives.

Sensors are being increasingly incorporated in automobiles to achieve fuel efficiency and ensure the safety and convenience of the occupants. Governments in several European countries are encouraging customers to adopt electric vehicles (EVs) to address the issue of air pollution. This, in turn, is driving demand for magnetic sensors, since they are integrated into EVs’ power systems for monitoring supplementary motor inverters.

The Hall Effect technology is quite mature as compared to other sensing technologies. However, in spite of this, its application base continues to witness a steady increase, which can be attributed to continuous developments that still make it a preferred choice in several industry verticals.

Click the link below:

https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/magnetic-sensors-market

Further key findings from the report suggest:
Sony TVs boast faster, smarter processing and improved audio, but there are no major technology changes
Tags: Consumer Electronics, Chromecast, Mobile, Home Theater

Sony TVs boast faster, smarter processing and improved audio, but there are no major technology changes Kay Jan 16·2 min read

Sony made no mention of major new technologies, such as mini LED backlighting, for the 2021 TV lineup, but the company has announced plenty of other improvements. Most noticeably, the new Cognitive Processor XR processing unit marries higher speed with more granular and processing algorithms. It will be available on Sony’s high-end XR series of smart TVs.



The end result of XR manipulation, which places great emphasis on the viewer’s focal point of an image, should be better overall images with increased detail, fewer artifacts, a higher contrast ratio, according to the company. Sony says its 4K and 8K UHD models will also deliver distinctly improved upscaling of lower-resolution content.



[ Further reading: TV tech terms demystified ]Sony audioSony already has the world’s best-sounding TVs, and the company says its 2021 models will be even bertter. Re-designed planar drivers that directly vibrate the display panel and bezel are said to produce more oomph, and—thanks to more of them and refined placement—they’ll even successfully reproduce 5.1.2 surround sound. If you’re never heard a high-end Sony TV, especially an OLED, take a listen next time you’re in a store—they sound better than many soundbars.



Sony Sony’s X95J LED will also get the benefit of XR processing. Sony already boasted arguably the best LED/LCD processing on the market.



Beyond improved image processing and audio, Google TV will make its way to Sony’s XR series, and as you may have noticed, the monikers are losing a digit. What was once a model 950 will be a model 95, and so on. Sony skipped a letter and will go directly from H to J. We’re not sure why, though it’s likely a visual thing. “I” can be confused with 1 in some fonts.



The new XR LED models range from the 8K Z9J to the X90J (called the X92J at 100-inches) at the low-end. The new OLEDs are the A80J and A90J. As usual, higher numbers are used for higher-end models.



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Sennheiser debuts two new headphones for the U.S. market: The IE 300 IEH in-ear and the HD 250BT over-ear
Tags: Consumer Electronics, Deals, Consumer, Mobile

Sennheiser debuts two new headphones for the U.S. market: The IE 300 IEH in-ear and the HD 250BT over-ear Jason Jan 16·2 min read

World-renowned headphone maker Sennheiser has announced two new models for CES 2021. First, let’s take a look at the IE 300, a new in-ear headphone (IEH), featuring a refined version of the company’s 7mm Extra Wide Band (XWB) transducer, with an optimized membrane foil that minimizes natural resonances and total harmonic distortion, which is specified to be less than 0.08% at 1 kHz/94 dB.



[ Further reading: The best headphones you can buy ]In addition, the space behind the transducer is designed to minimize reflections within the housing, and a resonator chamber in front of the transducer removes masking resonances in the ear canal. The end result is a promised frequency response from 6Hz to 20kHz (no tolerance given). According to Sennheiser, the IE 300 “delivers clear high frequencies with a subtle and warm musicality that brings greater intimacy to vocals.”



Of course, durability and comfort have not been overlooked. The IE 300 comes with several sizes of silicone and memory-foam eartips, because using the right size for your ears is crucial for getting the best sound out of any IEH as well as maximizing noise isolation. Each earpiece features an individually adjustable ear hook for stability, and the included cable is reinforced with para-aramid that can withstand thousands of bend cycles.



The cable is detachable from each earpiece thanks to its gold-plated Fidelity+ MMCX connector that’s seated in a recessed socket for additional strain relief. In addition, you can use an alternate cable, including balanced cables with 2.5- or 4.4mm connectors that are available as optional accessories.



The IE 300 will be available by the end of January for an MSRP of $299.95.



Sennheiser’s latest addition to its wireless-headphone stable is the entry-level HD 250BT, which has been available in Europe since last year but is now coming to the U.S. market. Touted as offering “club sound for everyday life,” the HD 250BT offers 25-hour battery life and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connectivity with support for high-quality codecs such as AAC and aptX. In addition, you can tailor the sound to your individual tastes with an intuitive equalizer offered by Sennheiser’s Smart Control app.



Sennheiser says this This over-the ear, closed-back headphone offers rugged construction, soft earpads that provide surprisingly effective noise isolation, and intuitive onboard controls. Even better, it’s highly affordable with an MSRP of only $69.95. Like the IE 300, it will be available in the US at the end of January.



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The Owl Wired could be the ultimate smoke detector
Tags: Consumer Electronics, Streaming

The Owl Wired could be the ultimate smoke detector Alisha Jan 16·2 min read

There hasn’t been much activity on the smart smoke detector front lately. We still consider the Google Nest Protect to be best in class, but it could soon face a challenger: The Owl Wired.



Mentioned in this article Nest Labs Nest Protect Read TechHive's reviewMSRP $119.00Learn moreon Google Store Designed to replace not just an ordinary smoke detector, this home safety device can also be used for general home security. In addition to detecting the presence of smoke with its photo-electric sensor, the Owl Wired can also sniff out carbon monoxide using an electromechanical sensor, track temperature and humidity levels in your home, detect motion with a microwave radar sensor, and it has an onboard microphone that can analyze noise levels.



[ Further reading:The best smart smoke detectors ]The motion detector can send you an alert if motion is detected when you think your everyone in your home should be at rest, and you can program its microphone to send you an alert when noises exceed a defined threshold.



Owl Home The Owl Wired can report on a host of conditions inside your home.



The Owl Wired is outfitted with a Bluetooth radio, so you can set it up with your smartphone, and there’s a Wi-Fi 4 wireless adapter onboard, so that it can send alerts to your smartphone. Multiple Owl sensors connect with each other over Wi-Fi, so that if one detects an emergency condition, the multi-color light rings and sirens in all of them will sound off at once.



The Owl Wired depends on AC power to operate, although it has an onboard backup battery that can keep it running for up to three months in the event of a power outage. An Owl Wireless model that runs solely on battery power is in the works. The company says its smoke detectors will be HomeKit compatible and that they will also work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT.



The manufacturer is taking preorders now at discounted prices: $139 for the white model and $149 for the black model. Regular prices will be $169 and $179 respectively. The Owl Wired is expected to ship in October.



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There’s a new player in the OLED TV market: Skyworth will offer OLED and LCD smart TVs in the U.S. in 2021
Tags: Consumer Electronics, Deals, Music, Chargers

There’s a new player in the OLED TV market: Skyworth will offer OLED and LCD smart TVs in the U.S. in 2021 Robert Jan 16·2 min read

Skyworth had a big CES footprint in 2020, but the global pandemic interfered with its plans to ship its smart TVs in the U.S. market. The company plans to make that happen in 2021, and its lineup will include an OLED smart TV using a panel manufactured in the fab it co-owns with LG.



Skyworth won’t rely on OLED alone to raise brand awareness. It will also ship a wide range of LED-backlit LCD TVs, ranging from the super-budget 1080p TC6200 series (32-inch and 43-inch); to the mid-range 4K UHD UC6200 series (50-inch to 75-inch) and UC7500 series (43-inch through 65-inch); and the high-end UC8500 series (55- and 65-inch) with variable refresh rate (up to 120Hz) for gaming. The company did not provide pricing information.



[ Further reading: TechHive’s top picks in smart TVs ] Skyworth Skyworth’s low-end UC6200 sereies still features 4K UHD resolution.



All U.S. Skyworth TVs will run Android TV 10. The UC7500 series and above feature Bluetooth 5.0. The 55- and 65-inch XC9300 OLED series and the UC8500-series LCD series will sport high-end goodies such as HDR, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. These sets will also be equipped with far-field microphones for voice control.



Skyworth Skyworth’s high-end UC8500-series of LCD smart TV feature quantum-dot technology and support Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos



Skyworth is new to the U.S. market, but they’re no babe in the woods. The privately owned Chinese manufacturer is 33 years old and has been player in the worldwide consumer electronics market for more than 20 years. We have yet to test any of the company’s TVs, but if they’re fab partners with LG, we expect good things.



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JBL’s Bar 5.0 MultiBeam soundbar delivers virtual Dolby Atmos on a budget
Tags: Audio, Consumer Electronics, Gear, Electronics

JBL’s Bar 5.0 MultiBeam soundbar delivers virtual Dolby Atmos on a budget Jennie Jan 16·2 min read

After wowing us last year with a high-end 5.1.4-channel soundbar with detachable, battery-powered wireless surround speakers, JBL’s latest budget-minded soundbar dials it down a notch with an all-in-one design, multi-room audio support, and virtualized Dolby Atmos.



Mentioned in this article JBL Bar 9.1 Read TechHive's review$999.95See iton JBL Announced less than a week before CES kicks off, the JBL Bar 5.0 comes equipped with a quartet of passive radiators in the place of a wireless subwoofer, while JBL’s MultiRoom audio technology (which previously appeared on the JBL Bar 5.1 soundbar) is designed to deliver an “immersive listening experience” (read: virtual surround effects) without the need for separate surround speakers.



Speaking of virtualized immersive audio, the Bar 5.0 MultiBeam also comes with virtual Dolby Audio, Dolby’s method of teasing height cues from a soundbar that lacks upfiring drivers.



[ Further reading: The best soundbars ]We’ve seen (and heard) plenty of affordable soundbars that employ virtual 3D audio, either from Dolby or via DTS’s Virtual:X mode. What sets the Bar 5.0 MultiBeam apart from its budget-priced competitors is support for a trio of multi-room audio platforms: AirPlay 2, Chromecast, and Alexa, which means you’ll be able to add the speaker to AirPlay, Chromecast, and Alexa speaker groups. That’s pretty impressive given that budget soundbars with virtual 3D modes generally relegate you to just one wireless multi-room audio platform, if they support any at all. You can also connect an iOS on Android device to the Bar 5.0 MultiBeam via Bluetooth.



JBL hasn’t detailed exactly how many drivers are housed within the Bar 5.0 MultiBeam, nor do we know whether the soundbar supports eARC, an “enhanced” version of ARC that allows for lossless audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. (We’re guessing “no,” since we’re talking a budget soundbar here.)



In any case, we do know how much the Bar 5.0 MultiBeam will cost: $400, a reasonable price given the soundbar’s feature set.



Look for the JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam to ship this spring, and keep your eyes peeled for a full review once we spend some time with a sample unit.



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Google adds a privacy-oriented Guest Mode to its Home and Nest smart speakers and displays
Tags: Consumer Electronics, Chromecast, Consumer, Mobile

Google adds a privacy-oriented Guest Mode to its Home and Nest smart speakers and displays Gabriel Jan 16·2 min read

It’s easy to ask Google Assistant to forget the last thing you said to your Nest or Home smart speaker or display (“Hey Google, that wasn’t for you”), but now there’s a way to temporarily keep Google Assistant from remembering what you said in the first place.



Related product Google Nest Hub Max Read TechHive's review$229.00MSRP $229.00See iton Google Google’s newly launched Guest Mode acts like an incognito tab in Chrome. While Chrome’s incognito mode won’t remember your browsing history, Google Assistant’s Guest Mode lets you chat with the Assistant on your Google smart speaker without your interactions being recorded.



Just say “Hey Google, turn on Guest Mode” to activate the new privacy mode. When you do, you’ll hear a special tone on your Google smart speaker, while a banner will appear on a Google display.



[ Further reading: The best smart speakers and digital assistants ]With Guest Mode enabled (which shouldn’t be confused with the old Guest Mode, which allowed visitors to cast media to your Google devices without connecting to your Wi-Fi network), you can ask Google to play music, check the weather, or read headlines, without any of your requests being saved in your Assistant history.



Guest Mode could also come in handy if a visiting friend (yes, we’ll have friends over again—eventually) wants to use your Google smart speaker without getting results that are personalized for you.



When you’re done with Guest Mode, you can simply say “Hey Google, turn Guest Mode off,” or you can check if the speaker is still in Guest Mode by asking the Assistant. On a Google smart display, the Guest Mode icon will remain on the screen until you turn the mode off.



Of course, if you chat with Google Assistant on your smart speaker without turning Guest Mode on, you can always erase your interactions after the fact. Just say “Hey Google, delete my last conversation,” or “Hey Google, delete today’s (or this week’s) activity.” You can also set Google Assistant to delete your voice history automatically, on a regular basis.



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This 3 pack of TP-Link Kasa smart switches is under $30
Tags: Home Tech, Consumer Electronics, Music, Electronics

This 3 pack of TP-Link Kasa smart switches is under $30 Brandon Jan 16·2 min read

Smarten up three light switches at an excellent price today. Amazon is selling a three-pack of TP-Link single pole Kasa smart light switches for $29.59, down from the current all-time low of $37. To get the sale price you have to click the 20 percent off coupon under the price on the product page.



[ Want more great deals? Check out TechConnect, our home for the best tech deals, all hand-picked by the PCWorld, Macworld and TechHive editors. ]



The great thing about Kasa TP-Link smart switches is that they connect directly to your home network instead of going through a hub. It all happens via the Kasa smartphone app, where you can also set schedules, control smart devices remotely, and so on. Kasa gear can also integrate with Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa.



As these are single-pole switches you can’t use them on three- or four-way switches where you control a single light from multiple spots. These are solely for single location switches, and they require a neutral wire for installation.



Controlling three switches via your smartphone or smart speaker is a fantastic deal for less than $30. The one downside of Kasa gear is that if there’s ever a power outage then you’ll likely have to reconnect them to your network, but that should be a minor concern for most people.



[Today’s deal: TP-Link Kasa smart switches 3-pack for $29.59 with coupon on Amazon.]



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Sennheiser debuts two new headphones for the U.S. market: The IE 300 IEH in-ear and the HD 250BT over-ear
Tags: Cutting, Consumer Electronics, Deals, Surveillance

Sennheiser debuts two new headphones for the U.S. market: The IE 300 IEH in-ear and the HD 250BT over-ear Kyle Jan 16·2 min read

World-renowned headphone maker Sennheiser has announced two new models for CES 2021. First, let’s take a look at the IE 300, a new in-ear headphone (IEH), featuring a refined version of the company’s 7mm Extra Wide Band (XWB) transducer, with an optimized membrane foil that minimizes natural resonances and total harmonic distortion, which is specified to be less than 0.08% at 1 kHz/94 dB.



[ Further reading: The best headphones you can buy ]In addition, the space behind the transducer is designed to minimize reflections within the housing, and a resonator chamber in front of the transducer removes masking resonances in the ear canal. The end result is a promised frequency response from 6Hz to 20kHz (no tolerance given). According to Sennheiser, the IE 300 “delivers clear high frequencies with a subtle and warm musicality that brings greater intimacy to vocals.”



Of course, durability and comfort have not been overlooked. The IE 300 comes with several sizes of silicone and memory-foam eartips, because using the right size for your ears is crucial for getting the best sound out of any IEH as well as maximizing noise isolation. Each earpiece features an individually adjustable ear hook for stability, and the included cable is reinforced with para-aramid that can withstand thousands of bend cycles.



The cable is detachable from each earpiece thanks to its gold-plated Fidelity+ MMCX connector that’s seated in a recessed socket for additional strain relief. In addition, you can use an alternate cable, including balanced cables with 2.5- or 4.4mm connectors that are available as optional accessories.



The IE 300 will be available by the end of January for an MSRP of $299.95.



Sennheiser’s latest addition to its wireless-headphone stable is the entry-level HD 250BT, which has been available in Europe since last year but is now coming to the U.S. market. Touted as offering “club sound for everyday life,” the HD 250BT offers 25-hour battery life and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connectivity with support for high-quality codecs such as AAC and aptX. In addition, you can tailor the sound to your individual tastes with an intuitive equalizer offered by Sennheiser’s Smart Control app.



Sennheiser says this This over-the ear, closed-back headphone offers rugged construction, soft earpads that provide surprisingly effective noise isolation, and intuitive onboard controls. Even better, it’s highly affordable with an MSRP of only $69.95. Like the IE 300, it will be available in the US at the end of January.



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The Arris Surfboard Max is a Wi-Fi 6 mesh router
Tags: Cutting, Connected Home, Consumer Electronics, Electronics

The Arris Surfboard Max is a Wi-Fi 6 mesh router Dana Jan 16·2 min read

CommScope’s Arris brand will be familiar to many people with cable internet service. The company expanded with Wi-Fi 6 mesh networking models—the Surfboard Max Plus and Surfboard Max Pro—a little more than a year ago. It’s now positioning the Surfboard Max as a more affordable entry point.



[ Further reading: A smart home guide for beginners ]The Surfboard Max is a so-called tri-band router that operates independent networks on the 2.4- and 5GHz frequency bands, bifurcating the 5GHz band to operate a third network dedicated to wireless data backhaul. On a busy network, having channels dedicated to communication between the router and its mesh network nodes frees up bandwidth for other clients.



CommScore The Arris Surfboard Max Express node has a zero footprint because it plugs directly into a wall outlet.



The Surfboard Max will be priced at $250, or you can buy a two-pack for $400 and get a second mesh node if you need additional coverage for a larger home. CommScope says a two-pack should be sufficient to cover 5,500 square feet.



CommScope also announced the Surfboard Max Express, a plug-in Wi-Fi 6 node that will be sold in a bundle with a single Surfboard Max. Apart from not having ethernet ports, the Max Express offers the same features and performance as the Surfboard Max itself, including the dedicated data backhaul feature. The Surfboard Max Express is expected to be available some time in the first quarter, but pricing for this kit was not announced.



Corrected shortly after publication to report that the Arris Surfboard Max is a router, not a cable modem/router combo.



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