This week, Mophie announced four new wireless charging products. These include the Charge Stream Vent Mount, the Charge Stream Desk Stand, the Charge Stream Powerstation Wireless and the Charge Stream Powerstation Wireless XL, which function as both…
Skullcandy has always been an odd brand. Aimed at a younger, hipper audience, the headphones always featured wacky graphics and a lower price point. Now, facing competition from multiple players, they’ve decided to step up their game in terms of quality and style.
Their two new models, the noise-cancelling Venue and the bass-heavy Crusher 360, are designed to hit the Bose/B&O/Sony quality point while still maintaining a bit of Beats styling. The Venue are the most interesting of the pair. They are true over-ear noise-cancelling headphones that cost a mere $179 — more than $100 less than Bose’s best offerings.
The Venue’s noise cancellation was excellent, as was the sound quality. The headphones were solidly built and last for two five-hour flights, a first for me when it comes to wireless or wired noise-cancelling headphones. Usually in almost every model I’ve tested I’ve had to charge or change the battery after about eight hours. This is a vast improvement.
As for audio quality, I was quite impressed. Having heard earlier Skullcandy models, I went in expecting tinny sound and muddy bass. I got neither. What I got was a true sound without much modification and very nice noise cancelling. In short, it did exactly what it says on the tin.
One peeve is the size of the headphones and the case. Most headphones can fold up to a smaller package that is unobtrusive when it hangs off your back or sits in your lap. These headphones come in a massive, flat case that is not imminently portable. If you’re used to smaller, thinner cases, this might be a deal breaker. That said, the price and sound are excellent and the Venue is a real step up.
Then we have the Crusher 360. These are also well-made headphones that collapse into a slightly smaller package than the Venue. They also offer what Skullcandy calls Sensory Bass and 360-degree audio. What that means, in practice, is that these things sound like a bass-lover’s very effusive home theater system on your head.
The Crusher, like the Venue, is wireless and lasts about 30 hours on one charge. They don’t have noise cancelling, but what they do have is a set of haptics inside the ear cups that essentially turn bass events into wildly impressive explosions of sound. You can turn this feature up and down using a capacitive touch control on the side of the headphones and, if you’re like me, you probably will be using that feature multiple times.
How do they work? Well, the bass these things pump out is almost comical. While I don’t want to completely disparage these things — different ears will find them pleasant if not downright cool – the Crushers turn almost everything — from a drama to a bit of dubstep — into a bass-heavy party. I used these on another flight and heard every single bang, boom and bop in the movies I watched and, oddly, I found the added bass response quite nice in regular music. If you like bass you’ll like these. If you don’t, then you’d best stay away.
The headphones cost $299.
Skullcandy isn’t the audiophile’s choice in headphones. That said, their efforts to improve the brand, product and quality are laudable. I avoided the company for years after a few bad experiences and I’m glad to see them coming back with a new and improved set of cans that truly offer great sound and a nice price. While the Crushers are definitely an acquired taste I could honestly recommend the Venue over any similarly priced noise-cancelling headphones on the market, including Bose’s businessperson specials. These headphones aren’t perfect, but they’re also not bad.
Mobile devices with rollable displays are just around the corner, but one team is taking some fairly old-school inspiration for how a tablet could use the screen technology. The MagicScroll is the handiwork of Queen’s University’s Human Media Lab, combining a cutting-edge 7.5-inch flexible display with the form factor more akin to an ancient scroll. Although several companies are known … Continue reading
Apple has experienced its first autonomous car crash in California, state DMV records reveal. The incident happened on August 24 and, based on the publicly available report, was the result of a different vehicle that struck the rear of the autonomous car. The incident is reported to have happened during daylight hours and didn’t result in injuries. Details about the … Continue reading
Most of us would know that drones fly and take some rather great looking shots, if you are skilled enough, that is. Then again, there is this thing known as underwater drones which work great in capturing images and videos while you are busy diving or snorkeling, so what happens when you bring two and two together? The answer hails from the team at SwellProUSA and Urban Drones in the form of the Spry. The Spry is touted to be the first ever waterproof drone that is able to submerge like a submarine (albeit briefly), float like a boat, and more importantly, fly in the air at speeds in excess of 43mph.
You will find that the Spry is no slouch in terms of performance, where it comes with a self-contained 4K camera which is able to capture video at 30 frames per second, still images at 12 megapixels, and all the while transmitting the video signal to a monitor that has been embedded in its waterproof remote control. The waterproof remote control itself is also another first-ever accomplishment where the drone industry is concerned.
Such a unique ability to be amphibious in nature makes the Spry one of the most versatile drones to have ever rolled out, something which remained in the realm of science fiction all this while. Owners of the Spry can activate the Spry’s GPS from the remote control in order to access its advanced flight features such as Hold Position, Auto Follow, Object Orbit and Return to Pilot’s Position.
Bringing together the strengths of a fast racing quadcopter and a photography/videography drone, merged into the form of a compact yet durable design, the Spry will let you capture precious memories from unique angles without compromising on speed and agility. You can even turn off the GPS to pilot the Spry completely freestyle, and view what the Spry sees via the live video feed on the remote control’s 4.3-inch monitor. Available for pre-order now at a discounted price of $749, the Spry is definitely something that is worth checking out.
Press Release
[ Spry is a drone that flies and swims copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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