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The Sonos Arc is a smart soundbar with Dolby Atmos support

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Sonos Arc

Sonos

Plenty of soundbars support Atmos at this point, but Sonos is doing something interesting with how the Arc responds to different audio formats. For example: if you’re watching a movie that doesn’t support Atmos, the Arc will adapt and use the upwards-firing speakers to improve bass performance. Similarly, if you’re running the Arc with the Sonos Sub, it’ll adjust accordingly and use its speakers to focus more on the mids and highs. If you’re using a pair of Sonos One speakers as your dedicated rear surround channels, the Arc’s surround drivers will be reassigned, as well. 

This, of course, all happens without the user really knowing about it. Sonos built the Arc to optimize whatever input source you’re playing, regardless of what format it is in or how many speakers are in a particular set-up. Similarly, Sonos says that Arc doesn’t “throw out” extra audio information that it gets from a single. For example, it only has speakers for five-channel surround sound rather than seven — but the extra details in a seven-channel mix are mixed down to work in five channels rather than being left out completely. 

While Sonos says that it isn’t doing any virtualization, it’s clear the company is making major audio adjustments to fit whatever space the Arc is placed in. That’s not unusual, though — the company has offered its TruePlay tool for optimizing audio quality based on where a speaker is placed for years now, and the Arc works with TruePlay as well. Another example of the Arc’s smarts is that it recognizes when it’s mounted to the wall with its dedicated magnetic bracket and automatically compensates for increased bass reverberations.

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Scientists find the closest known black hole to date

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Don’t worry about being so close to an all-consuming beast. Unlike some black holes, such as the supermassive one believed to be at the heart of our galaxy, this one is both small and doesn’t “violently” interact with its surroundings or broadcast its presence with X-rays. It’s one of the first discovered stellar-mass holes that’s truly black, making it comparatively peaceful.

The findings could prove valuable on a number of fronts. Confirmed black holes are rare to start with, let alone examples like this, and this will help scientists both understand star evolution and what to look for in their searches, including another system (LB-1) that may also have a hole. They could also help understand star collisions in trinary systems, and even shed more light on gravitational waves. This work by itself won’t fill in many gaps in humanity’s understanding of the universe, but it’s an important start.

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Facebook’s oversight board includes journalists, lawyers and activists

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Some of the selections, particularly the more conservative members, have raised eyebrows, a response Facebook seems to have anticipated. “We also expect that the board’s membership itself will face criticism,” the company said. “But its long-term success depends on it having members who bring different perspectives and expertise to bear.”

At the moment, the board includes people who have lived in more than 27 countries and speak some 29 different languages. Notably, none of the members have worked for any social media company in the past. Once the body has its full 40 members, Facebook won’t be involved in any part of its selection process moving forward. Moreover, each appointee can only serve a maximum of three years.

As outlined in the charter Facebook published last year, the company’s users will be able to appeal to the body directly, bypassing Facebook’s usual moderation channels. The organization will also have the power to overrule CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “We know the board will play an increasingly important role in setting precedent and direction for content policy at Facebook,” the social media giant said. “And in the long term, we hope its impact extends well beyond Facebook, and serves as a springboard for similar approaches to content governance in the online sphere.” 

On its website, the oversight board says it’s still on track to start hearing cases later this year despite the coronavirus pandemic.  



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Spotify is testing video podcasts

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According to The Verge, in the upcoming test, listeners will only know if an episode has video after they tap it. The footage will appear at the bottom of the screen. It will keep playing even if the user locks their phone. Ads will still run, but the video will freeze, and Spotify will not translate videos into other languages.

Demand for content is huge right now with everyone staying home, and podcast-listening habits are changing. So, it will be interesting to see if adding video increases demand and how adding video might impact the app’s performance. 

Spotify gave Engadget its standard response: “At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve our user experience. Some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning. We don’t have any further news to share at this time.”

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EU says websites can’t hide content behind ‘cookie walls’

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Are you frustrated with websites trying to dodge around the EU’s cookie consent laws by forcing you accept cookies just to view anything? So is the EU. The European Data Protection Board has published (via TechCrunch) new guidelines saying that “cookie walls” violate EU data protection law. Consent has to be “freely given,” the board said, and an all-or-nothing choice isn’t really a choice at all.

The refreshed guidelines also bar sites from treating the mere act of scrolling or swiping as consent. Deliberate gestures count (such as drawing a figure eight), but only so long as it’s clear that performing them amounts to an agreement.

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The first public Android 11 beta will be available on June 3rd

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Google I/O isn’t taking place this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so you might be wondering what’s next for Android, which Google typically spotlights at the event. It’s releasing the Android 11 beta a bit later than usual this year, with a virtual launch event on June 3rd at 11AM ET.

Dave Burke, the vice president of engineering for Android, and senior director of product management Stephanie Cuthbertson will lay out the future of the mobile OS in an hour-long keynote. You can expect news and announcements on safety, security, accessibility, productivity, emoji and more. After the keynote, there’ll be a live Q&A and developer-focused talks throughout the day on topics including Jetpack Compose, Android Studio and Google Play.

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Twitch revamps channel pages to help streamers express themselves

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When you visit the channel of a Twitch streamer who’s offline, you’re greeted with a pretty sparse page — some recent broadcasts and a few top clips. The company is changing that, though. Over the next few weeks, all users will be able to customize their channels with custom branding, curated video shelves, and more. The changes are similar to YouTube’s approach, which emphasizes channel art, a trailer and video shelves, a bio and social media links. Twitch says that the redesign will make it easier for streamers to express their personality and interests, even when they’re offline, as well as help viewers discover new content.

Twitch Channel Page

Twitch

Twitch streamers will be able to customize the look of their channels with bigger banners, more prominent avatars and color schemes. A bio, social media links and a channel trailer will help new visitors quickly learn more about the channel, and videos can be organized into shelves so viewers can easily find the content they’re looking for. Streamers may be able to communicate better with fans by sharing schedules with viewers. Twitch says that these changes are the result of a year’s worth of user feedback, so hopefully both creators and viewers will have a better experience on the streaming platform.

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Sony WF-XB700 wireless earbuds review: Extra bass, extra sacrifice

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The first thing I noticed about the WF-XB700 was its unique design. Instead of the common oval shape with a tip jutting off the bottom that goes into your ear, Sony opted for a “Tri-hold” design. The earbuds rest on your ears in three different spots, which the company says creates a more ergonomic fit and increases comfort. The more chiseled and contoured shape does indeed rest on your ear in three places, but the earbuds themselves are huge and stick out from your head quite far. This isn’t a new problem for Sony: The flagship WF-1000XM3s also look like small antennas. True wireless earbuds are trending smaller, especially the more affordable models, but Sony isn’t slimming down just yet. 

Due to the larger size, the WF-XB700 aren’t as comfortable as Sony would have you believe. That Tri-hold design may live up to its name, but the shape doesn’t really make these more comfy. When it comes to earbuds, smaller and lighter is better, so when bigger buds stick out your ear like these do, it doesn’t feel that great — especially when you try to wear them for long periods of time. Because there’s significant weight on the outside of your ear, these wiggle loose during runs or cardio workouts. Even though the WF-XB700 is IPX4 rated for water splashes, which is enough for sweat resistance, the size and weight distribution of the earbuds make them awkward for physical activity. 

Sony WF-XB700 review

Billy Steele/Engadget

Instead of touch controls on the outside of the earbuds or physical ones along the top, Sony chose to put a single, tiny button on the bottom edge on both sides. Despite only having a single button, you still have a full range of controls. On the left, you press once to increase the volume and press-and-hold to turn it down. On the right, press once to play/pause, press twice to skip tracks forward and press three times to skip tracks backward. A press-and-hold on the right earbud will summon the voice assistant of your choice. And lastly that button on the right side is used to answer and end calls. The WF-XB700 doesn’t have ANC or an ambient sound mode, so these controls cover everything that’s available without reaching for your phone. They’re not only simple, but they’re also reliable. I didn’t have any trouble getting those tricky double and triple clicks to register accurately.

The pill-shaped charging case is noticeably smaller than the one that comes with the WF-1000XM3. It also doesn’t have the soft-touch coating or metallic-colored lid that gives the case for those pricier buds a more refined look. It’s simple hard plastic with a USB-C port around back. One nice thing is that the case has a flat bottom, so it stands up on your desk. What’s more, the earbuds are situated at an angle inside, so they’re easy to grab with one hand. You don’t need to hold the case with your other hand to pull out an earbud. A lot of companies overlook this seemingly minor detail, but as someone who has reviewed several dozen true wireless models, a case that sits up on its own when it’s open is a nice touch. To me, it just makes life slightly easier. 

One of the best features of the higher-end WF-1000XM3 is the ability to adjust everything from noise cancellation to the EQ inside Sony’s Headphones app. This isn’t unique to Sony earbuds as several companies offer companion apps with similar functionality. Unfortunately, the WF-XB700 don’t work with the app. It’s not just that some features aren’t available either. These earbuds won’t even connect with the software. That means any customization is out the window. The WF-XB700 also doesn’t automatically pause when you take them out of your ear, which is a slightly bigger nuisance than some of the other omissions. It’s not surprising that these $130 earbuds don’t have ANC or fancier touch controls, but it would be nice to be able to apply a sound preset or tweak the EQ as needed. Or at least have them pause your music when you remove one bud to have a quick conversation. 

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Moto G Stylus review | Engadget

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Aside from the assembly of cameras on the back, there’s also a fingerprint reader masked by the Motorola logo. This worked as well as you’d expect. Only a few ports and buttons live on the edges of the device: the right side has the power button and volume rocker, the left side has the combination SIM card and microSD card slot and the bottom has the USB-C charging port and a headphone jack (#blessed). However, a disappointing yet unsurprising thing left out of the Moto G Stylus is support for wireless charging.

The 6.4-inch, 19:9 LCD screen running at HD+ (2300 x 1080p) ups the ante on the Moto G Stylus. It gets quite bright, produces vibrant colors and is generally lovely to use for watching videos and reading long articles on Pocket or Kindle. It’s not marred by a top-notch either, as the front-facing, 16MP selfie camera is a simple cutout at the top-left corner of the handset. The Dolby-tuned speakers inside the Moto G Stylus get sufficiently loud, but sound quality suffers a bit when you crank it up to 100-percent volume. I wouldn’t use this smartphone to play music at a party, but it’ll be just for fine tiny desk concerts and while watching music videos on YouTube.

Software

The Moto G Stylus runs a mostly clean version of Android 10, just like Motorola’s flagship Edge Plus. Those looking for the purest version of Android (outside of a Pixel) need look no further. I’ve never been a fan of the skins that some manufacturers like Samsung add to their handsets, and I’ve never met someone who likes bloatware. Motorola skips all of those faux pas and instead leans on a handful of software quirks tied to the phone’s hardware to make its mark.

We’ve talked about the stylus’ unique features and we’ll get to the cameras soon. Moto Actions is really the only other collection of Moto-specific things on this handset. Twist the phone in your hand twice to launch the camera app, karate-chop twice to quickly turn on or off the flashlight — you get the idea. There’s a dedicated Actions menu in Settings that you can view at any time, too, just in case you forget which gestures are available.

But Motorola did leave out a few other features that will disappoint some — 5G and NFC. The lack of the former isn’t surprising on a midrange phone. However, the lack of NFC is much more disappointing. Contactless payments have become ubiquitous and many consumers may assume that every smartphone has it. But, they’ll be frustrated if they go to set up Google Pay on the G Stylus only to find that it’s not an option. 

Cameras

The camera array on the back of the Moto G Stylus is pretty capable, especially for a $300 smartphone. It has a 48MP f/1.7 main camera that uses pixel binning to let more light in, a 16MP f/2.2 ultrawide lens and 2MP f/2.2 macro lens. The first shooter is fairly standard and produced lovely images, even if those with the most natural light appeared slightly overexposed.

That’s the biggest difference I noticed between the G Stylus’ camera and those on the Pixel 3a and the new iPhone SE — the more natural light available, the more likely it was that the shot would come out slightly overexposed. Nevertheless, the camera was at its best when more light was available (graininess quickly crept in when light disappeared) and the pixel binning came in handy when taking indoor shots on overcast days or when lit only by sparse light bulbs. The best shots had colors that were similar to colors in Pixel 3a photos, but colors in the overexposed shots often appeared oversaturated.

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Save $200 on a 2019 MacBook Pro with 256GB of storage from Amazon

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Besides 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, the model that’s on sale features an 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor clocked at 1.4GHz, as well as two USB-C ports and a Touch Bar with Touch ID. If you don’t mind buying a computer that someone returned, the same model is also available for $1,059 through Apple’s Refurbished store.   

Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham gave the Touch Bar MacBook Pro an 86 when he reviewed the then-new model last year. He liked the addition of Apple’s True Tone technology to the computer’s already excellent Retina display. The fact Apple added Touch ID to the base model another highlight. The questionable reliability of the butterfly keyboard and limited utility of the Touch Bar were negatives for him. It’s also worth keeping in mind the entry-level model only includes two USB-C ports, not four like its more expensive sibling.

Whether it makes sense to take advantage of this deal will mostly depend on how you feel about Apple’s butterfly keyboard. By this point, almost everyone knows about the keyboard’s reliability issues. That said, Apple includes the 2019 model in its free keyboard replacement program, so if you do need to get it serviced down the line, there’s at least that safety net.

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