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Audio-Technica’s $99 true wireless earbuds sound amazing

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I immediately noticed the small size of the ATH-CK3TW buds themselves. These things are pretty tiny, which means the included charging case is also quite compact. Even with the smaller size, Audio-Technica didn’t leave out on-board controls. There are touch options on each side that allow you control volume, skip tracks and take calls. This model also gives you hands-free access to Google Assistant and Siri should you need to summon them. The ATH-CK3TW leverages Qualcomm’s True Wireless Stereo Plus for low latency to help improve the stability of that all-important Bluetooth connection.

Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW

Despite the tiny earbuds and the low price, Audio-Technica still offers six hours of battery life on a charge with 24 more hours in the case itself. That’s a lot of listening time for a manageable investment. And the best part of all of it is these things sound amazing. The ATH-CK3TW offered crisp and clear audio through a range of genres as I hopped around Spotify on my phone. There’s plenty of bass, but not too much, and instruments are able to all come through individually. I was also impressed with how quickly the ATH-CK3TW paired with my phone in the chaos of the IFA show floor and its millions of wireless devices.

The only downside is you’ll have to wait until November to get your hands on these. But when you can, the $99 ATH-CK3TW may be one of the best options under $100 you can buy. I’m certainly looking forward to finding out for sure when I’m able to do a full review.

Audio-Technica ATH-CKS5TW

I was also able to briefly test Audio-Technica’s other new model, the ATH-CKS5TW. At $149, these are another solid option for someone on a budget with sound quality that’s better than a lot of more expensive true wireless earbuds. The company has a knack for fine-tuning headphones that gives lows, mids and highs their proper attention, and Audio-Technica’s headphones have always had great clarity to me. That’s all true of the ATH-CKS5TW.

I did notice about halfway through my demo that the device I was connected to was playing FLAC files, so I’m not quite ready to give any concrete impressions just yet. That lossless file format isn’t what a lot of people will listen to on a daily basis, so I’ll wait for the review unit before any lasting judgement. However, I will say that the ATH-CKS5TW made a nice first impression sound-wise. Audio-Technica says these will support aptX, SBC and AAC “for the best-possible wireless audio quality.” So if higher resolution and lossless is your thing, the ATH-CKS5TW should be able to handle them.

Battery life is also very good at 15 hours. And with the charging case, you’ll get 30 more hours before you’ll need to search for a plug. There are physical buttons on the ATH-CKS5TW for controlling music, adjusting volume and taking calls. The company has also built the Audio-Technica Connect mobile app that will help you adjust settings and, perhaps more importantly, located a lost earbud. The ATH-CKS5TW is set to go on sale this month, so if you can’t wait for the $99 model, at least you’ll have an option from the same company.

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Homeland Security details social media collection from immigrants

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The AP said in June that Homeland Security was planning to expand its social media collection, but there haven’t been details until now.

There have been numerous objections to Homeland Security’s practices, particularly since the visa requirements took effect in May. It’s not clear just how investigators conduct searches, or what they’re specifically looking for. There have also been multiple instances of questionable decisions, such as a Harvard student who was denied a visa based on his friends’ posts, not his own (he’s since been cleared). There are concerns that authorities might either make bad judgment calls or abuse the requirements to reject people based on thin pretexts.

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Apple lands ‘Dads’ documentary from Bryce Dallas Howard

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Apple isn’t wasting time with its Ron Howard documentary deal. Variety has learned through sources that Apple used its first-look deal to acquire Dads, a documentary film from Ron’s daughter and fellow director Bryce Dallas Howard. The Apple TV+ production will look at modern fatherhood around the world, with celebrities like Jimmy Fallon, Neil Patrick Harris and Will Smith weighing in. There’s no firm premiere date, but a run in theaters is “on the table,” according to one of the sources.

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Tesla hopes to unveil its electric pickup truck in November

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The truck mostly remains a mystery. Tesla has hinted at a “cyberpunk” design (you’re looking at a teaser above) that will purportedly offer the carrying ability of a Ford F-150 and the performance of a base Porsche 911, but not much more than that. The EV maker has strong incentives to show more, at least. Challengers like Rivian are working on electric pickups of their own, and Ford’s electric F-150 prototype is undoubtedly a shot across Tesla’s bow. The sooner Tesla can unveil its fabled pickup, the sooner it can steal the thunder from its rivals.

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Firefox will encrypt web domain name requests by default

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Not every request will use HTTPS. Mozilla is relying on a “fallback” method that will revert to your operating system’s default DNS if there’s either a specific need for them (such as some parental controls and enterprise configurations) or an outright lookup failure. This should respect the choices of users and IT managers who need the feature turned off, Mozilla said. The team is watching out for potential abuses, though, and will “revisit” its approach if attackers use a canary domain to disable the technology.

It could take some time before DNS over HTTPS is widely available. Mozilla will be watching for hiccups before expanding availability. If all goes smoothly, Firefox may become a go-to option for anyone who insists on securing as much of their web traffic as possible.

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Google Assistant will help you find Tile trackers

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Tile hasn’t gone into great detail about how the Assistant command will work. You can expect it to be available sometime later in 2019, though. This won’t be novel for Alexa fans, who’ve had the option for a while, but it’s good to have choices — particularly when Assistant is already baked into legions of Android devices.

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Twitch finally releases Apple TV app as public beta

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It’s been easy to find official Twitch apps for consoles, mobile devices and a handful of media hubs, but Apple TV owners haven’t had any such luck — you’ve had to turn to third-party apps that don’t quite match the experience you find elsewhere. There’s a native app at last, though. Twitch has released a public beta version of its Apple TV app through Apple’s TestFlight program, letting you tune into your favorite livestreamers from tvOS-based devices. The layout will be familiar if you’ve used any of Twitch’s other recent apps, but that’s not a bad thing — you’ll have the same live channel previews, on-screen chat, your followed channels and suggestions for popular games and broadcasters.

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Lego movie and game bundles are coming to PS4 and Xbox One

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It’s pairing The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part and The Lego Ninjago Movie with their accompanying games, and The Lego Batman Movie with Lego DC Super-Villains. These Lego Double Packs will be available in the UK October 18th for £29.99 each. The movies will be available on Blu-ray, and the packs will come in PS4 and Xbox One versions.

Perhaps we’ll see other publishers and studios adopt a similar approach. For instance, a bundle of last year’s terrific Spider-Man PS4 game from Sony-owned Insomniac with Spider-Man: Far From Home would probably do gangbusters — assuming, of course, Sony would be able to do so after its messy Spider-Man divorce from Marvel.

The bundle news comes in the same week Warner Bros. announced Lego Star Wars Battles, an upcoming mobile multiplayer battler. It’ll debut on Android and iOS next year.

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Google acknowledges DOJ scrutiny as part of competition review

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This doesn’t mean the DOJ expects to find wrongdoing. The review is largely intended to reexamine tech companies’ dominance in light of evolving market conditions. It comes just days after a reported plan for a multi-state antitrust investigation, though, and it may not be so fortunate on that front.

There’s simultaneously little doubt that Google is anxious about potential regulatory action. It opened its response to the DOJ inquiry by claiming that Google services “create more choice,” support “thousands” of jobs and businesses and pouring money into research projects that “spur innovation.” Google knows that officials could demand drastic changes (such as undoing acquisitions and splitting up the company), and it wants to dissuade those attempts by portraying itself as an essential part of American society.

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BBC, tech giants will fight fake news with an ‘early warning system’

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The plan also involves a joint media education campaign, shared learning (with a focus on elections) and voting information. More details are coming “at a later date,” the BBC said.

The timing of the collaboration likely isn’t a coincidence. Internet giants know that the 2020 US presidential election is fast approaching, and they’re already working with intelligence agencies to tackle disinformation and security risks. The companies don’t want any risk of repeating the missteps from 2016, and that means forging pacts with anyone that can further their goals. While the BBC clearly isn’t based in the US, its work could be useful for fighting election meddling in the country on top of any help it can offer abroad.

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