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B&O updates its true wireless earbuds with better battery life

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The E8s were first launched back in 2017, and they got an upgrade with a wireless charging case last year. The second generation of the buds even made our holiday gift guide last year, despite the steep price.

Updates to the third generation of the buds include better battery life, with significant improvement of up to 35 hours of total playtime compared to 16 hours in previous generations. That breaks down as seven hours of continuous playback for the buds and four full charges within the case. Charging should be fairly speedy as well, requiring two hours for a full recharge.

The buds also weigh 17 percent less, coming in at 5.8 grams each, and the size has been reduced. Bang & Olufsen says it has used 3D modelling to make the new E8 fit a wider variety of ear shapes, and that the design makes them more comfortable to wear.

Finally, the number of microphones in the headphones has doubled from two to four, in order to achieve what the company describes as “beamforming technology directed toward the mouth.” This should help speech sound clearer with lower ambient noise when talking on the phone.

The new E8s do come with a leather wireless charging case, but they’ll cost you a hefty £300 ($390) from the Bang & Olufsen website.

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Sony’s PlayStation wrap-up reveals your top games of 2019

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PlayStation

The wrap-up will also reveal your top genre, as well as the number of games and trophies you’ve earned in that genre. Finally, it’ll show you the total number of trophies you’ve gotten last year, which seems especially satisfying if you play to collect them. You’ll receive the report through email, so long as you have a PSN account and have played on a PS4 for at least 10 hours between January 1st and December 10th, 2019. In case it doesn’t arrive anytime soon, you can also just check your stats on the official wrap-up page.

via Gfycat

In addition to the report itself, you’re also getting a free dynamic theme and seven different avatars that can show the type of game you enjoy the most. The one for sports game fans is a sneaker with wings, for instance, while the one for strategy game fans is a chess knight piece.

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Logitech’s K860 split ergonomic keyboard is heaven for your wrists

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You’ll notice plenty of similarities between the K860 and the Surface Ergonomic. They both feature a prominent empty space (shaped like an upside-down V) between their two sets of keys, and they have pillowy soft wrist pads. The K860 includes three layers of material to cushion your wrists: a dense foam core, memory foam that contours to your wrists, and smooth fabric that’s easy to clean. Logitech’s keyboard is also slightly curved, like Microsoft’s, which makes the keys easier to reach without much effort.

Logitech K860 Split Ergonomic Keyboard

It’s not as if Logitech completely copied Microsoft, though. The Ergo K860’s keys are a bit lighter to the touch, thanks to the same mechanism used in its MX Keys and Craft keyboards. There’s less travel when compared to the Surface Ergonomic, but the typing experience is still very responsive and enjoyable. Logitech’s layout also works with Macs, thanks to shared labeling across the start and alt keys, and you can pair the keyboard with three separate devices. So you could, for example, easily hop between a laptop, tablet and even phone.

There are also two pairs of palm lifts below the wristpad, which can angle the keyboard up by two levels. That helps the Ergo K860 match your posture no matter how you sit or stand to type. And yes, there’s a number pad too, as you’d expect on a full-sized keyboard. As for connectivity, the Ergo K860 works wirelessly over Bluetooth, or with Logitech’s bundled Unifying Receiver (which can also pair with the company’s other accessories).

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Spotify’s latest curated playlist is tailored to your pet

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With Pet Playlists, Spotify’s algorithm compiles a selection of 30 songs based on your answers to a few questions about your pet. Of course, your own listening habits are factored in too. If your cat is high-energy, you should get more energetic and upbeat tunes. If your dog sleeps all the time like my cocker spaniel, you’ll likely get music that’s a little more mellow. You begin by selecting your type of pet and then use a series of sliders to dial in specifics about their personality. Upload a photo and add their name before the magic begins behind the scenes.

The company says it worked with musicologist David Teie, a cellist who plays with American’s National Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded two albums worth of music for cats along with other species-specific music. Teie lent his expertise on the preferences for each animal — bird, cat, dog, hamster and iguana. Dogs, for example, don’t like “music in the lower register” as it could be heard as a threat. Spotify says Teie’s knowledge was used to program the algorithm, but each playlist is still generated without a human touch.

The results are… interesting. They’re also exactly what you might expect: a mix of your recent activity. My dog is relaxed, shy and apathetic, but the generated playlist still had upbeat tunes like M83’s “Midnight City” and Denzel Curry’s “ZUU.” I got better results each time I tried the feature, so it’s possible I got a hold of it while Spotify was still working out the kinks. Even if Pet Playlists don’t really give you anything novel in terms of how they make a playlist for you, at least they’ll provide a welcome distraction during the work day.

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Xbox One Elite Series 2 controller gets $20 cheaper with Amazon Prime

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Late last year Microsoft unveiled a second generation of its upgraded Elite Series gaming pad. It features a sealed-in rechargeable battery, USB-C port, Bluetooth connectivity, programmable profiles, new interchangeable thumbstick and paddle shapes and probably a few other things we forgot about (the new paddles are smaller, it can charge inside its carrying case, and the Profiles button on its face can switch you back to default settings with a long press). Just like other Xbox accessories, it’s also going to be compatible with Xbox Series X when that’s released, as long as you can live without a dedicated screenshot/share button.

The only problem is that all of those tweaks and upgrades bring the price to $180. However, Amazon is currently selling the gamepad for $160 if you’re a Prime member, so anyone looking for one last upgrade after the holiday season may have just found it. Of course, PlayStation gamers can add buttons to the back of their existing controller for a bit less. Otherwise,a standard DualShock 4 controller is cheaper at $47, a similarly-upgraded SCUF Vantage 2 for PS4 costs about $200, or you can grab a standard Xbox controller for $46.

Buy Elite Series 2 Controller on Amazon – $159

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Sony made a wireless camera grip for vloggers

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However, it should be stressed that this isn’t a gimbal stabilizer. That might not be a problem if you’re a YouTuber (many prefer that more ‘natural’ camera motion), but you’ll want to look elsewhere if you want silky-smooth camera movement.

The grip ships to North America later in January at a price of $140 US ($180 CAD) and works with most modern Sony mirrorless cameras and high-end point-and-shoots, including the Alpha 9 series, Alpha 7 III series, Alpha 6000 series (6100 through 6600), the RX100 VII and RX0 II. That’s not an exorbitant price if you’re shooting video on a regular basis, but it might be overkill if you’re just trying to document your next vacation.

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Facebook will now send you notifications for third-party logins

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The notification, which you’ll get via email and the Facebook app, shows you what kind of details Facebook shared with the third-party application or website. If sharing your email address and photo with a random app you logged into doesn’t sit well with you, you can click on the Edit Settings button in the email to remove the app’s permission to access your details.

Facebook

You’ll get a notification the first time you use your login with an app and when you reuse it after that app’s access to your information has expired. Take note that you can also see which apps currently have access to your log in (and revoke their access if you want to) by going through the social network’s privacy checkup.

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Galaxy S20+ leaks show 8K video, 120Hz display

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You might get to shoot 4K, stabilized 60FPS video as well. There’s no sign of the 108-megapixel camera on this model, although that’s believed to be reserved for the S20 Ultra. A look at the hardware indicates it’s the first S flagship without a headphone jack, and that it apparently uses an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner.

Some of the biggest additions might reside in the software. The leak appears to show “Single Take,” a mode that asks you to pan the phone around while it automatically captures and recommends photos and videos. A “Smart Selfie Angle” feature, meanwhile, would automatically invoke a wide-angle mode if it tells you’re trying to cram multiple people into the shot. A rumored Director’s View mode to record multiple simultaneous videos appears to be a no-show at present, but there would be a “Pro Video” mode that translates the existing pro photo modes to moving pictures.

Samsung is expected to premiere the Galaxy S20 family at its Unpacked event on February 11th. Assuming it does, you’ll likely hear a lot about these camera additions then. It’s just a matter of whether the company can stay competitive with rivals that stepped up their game in 2019.

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Samsung’s Galaxy Buds+ will reportedly lack active noise cancellation

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When we reviewed the Galaxy Buds last March, one of our complaints was the average audio quality. The new earbuds promise improved sound, but we don’t know yet how they’ll deliver that. The Galaxy Buds lost points, too, for poor microphone quality. SamMobile says the Galaxy Buds+ will have four microphones — two more than the originals — which should help improve calls. Still, given the lack of ANC, Samsung will likely lose some potential customers to the AirPods Pro and others wireless earbuds with the increasingly common feature.

Samsung will reportedly reveal the Galaxy Buds+ at its Unpacked event on February 11th. We wouldn’t be surprised to see the earbuds arrive with the next Samsung phones. The first model will be a year old at that point, and the Galaxy Buds+ could address a few key pain points.

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