Jan 04
Safari, by default, blocks most cookies when browsing the internet — which isn’t inherently a bad thing. However, some sites need cookies to function properly.
Jan 04
The European Union has found Facebook parent Meta to be in violation of its wide-ranging privacy law, the GDPR. Their business model is now in question.
Jan 04
Apple TV+ had no easy task in adapting Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi epic Foundation, so while critical reactions to season one were mixed, the fact that it became a hit for the streamer is impressive. Season two arrives this summer, but today there’s a first look at what’s to come—including some Lee Pace eye candy, for those…
Jan 04
As allure for NFTs has seemingly crashed in recent months, NFT marketplace Magic Eden is navigating a different issue—porn. After users alerted the marketplace that it had been flashing thumbnails of porn instead of NFTs, Magic Eden found that something had gone wrong.
Jan 04
Huge portions of the East Coast narrowly avoided a grid catastrophe over Christmas like the one that hit Texas less than two years ago. Even so, hundreds of thousands of customers in North and South Carolina experienced hours-long holiday blackouts with little heads up during freezing temperatures—blackouts that,…
Jan 04
Linda Codega is a tabletop roleplayer, writer, and critic. They have been covering TTRPGs for nearly five years and playing TTRPGs for nearly two decades. They curate the biweekly Gaming Shelf for io9, and you can keep up with their reporting here. Send tips, recommendations, and new games to lcodega@io9.com.
Jan 04
Roland's Concept Piano Uses Flying Surround Sound Drone Speakers—Because We All Know How Quiet Those Are
Posted in: Today's Chili
CES isn’t just a chance for companies to debut all the gadgets and devices they’ll be insisting consumers buy throughout the coming year, it’s also a chance to debut concept designs providing a sneak peek at technologies arriving in the decades to come. For Roland, that’s apparently a digital piano that surrounds…
Jan 04
A team of scientists are looking to turn cancer into its own worst enemy. Their experimental vaccine candidate uses tumor cells modified to deliver a toxic payload to the rest of the cancer, while also making it easier for the immune system to target and remember the cancer in the future. In new research, the vaccine…
Jan 04
JBL is showing off several models of true wireless earbuds at CES, but perhaps the most interesting is the Tour Pro 2. This premium set comes with a “smart” case that features a touchscreen display on the outside. That 1.45-inch LED panel gives you access to the core features of the JBL One app, including noise cancellation modes, EQ presets, volume and track controls. The display will also show you battery info for each earbud and the case individually, along with the current time. Those four items line the top while the other tools are available by swiping across screens.
The display turns on when you open the case or when you tap it, and then you unlock it with a swipe. As you might expect, the touchscreen automatically turns off after a few seconds and JBL has thrown in brightness and wallpaper customization for good measure. Another item the Tour Pro 2 case offers is message and social notifications, but the display doesn’t actually show any text for those. It will just let you know you have something waiting.
The touchscreen case is on the larger side for a set of true wireless earbuds, but not drastically so. It’s noticeably bigger than most of JBL’s lineup, but definitely not the largest I’ve seen. Of course, the larger stature is understandable since the company needed more room to accommodate a bigger battery for the display. Despite the extra power consumption, JBL is still promising battery life you’d expect in active noise canceling (ANC) buds: up to 8 hours with it on, up to 10 with it off. Plus, the case offers wireless charging and the quick-charge feature gives you four hours of listening in 15 minutes.
JBL is touting the convenience of not having to look at your phone for the “smart” case with the Tour Pro 2. Of course, you’ll still have to carry the case with you and you’ll have to stay within Bluetooth range of your connected device. I think the concept could have potential, but I’ll need to spend some time doing “regular” everyday things to properly gauge the utility. There are things available on the display that you can’t access directly on the earbuds and that you will otherwise have to tap into JBL’s app to change, so it could conceivably save you a few seconds.
I’ll have to wait until the $250 Tour Pro 2 arrives this spring to judge the audio quality as I wasn’t able to do so during a brief CES demo. However, the company has a solid track record in that department so I expect its latest premium set will handle listening habits just fine.
Jan 04
“Democracy is messy,” said Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher.
Who's in charge here?
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