Tag: audio equipment

The best time and days to book your domestic and international flights | CNN

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This week in travel news: the best time and day to book your flights, new business and first class cabins for Qantas and Air France, and the only woman living on an island populated by convicted criminals.

With some airfares up by as much as 50%, it’s more crucial than ever to get smart about your booking strategy. An expert at travel site Hopper tells CNN you should start tracking your May, June and July vacations now. And there’s a “Goldilocks window” for booking – not too early, not too late – says another expert from travel site Going.

Get your laptop and credit card out on a Sunday to stand the best chance of securing the best deals, says booking platform Expedia. You can refine your search further with flight comparison site Skyscanner’s new Savings Generator, launched this month. Plug in your departure city, your destination and when you’d like to travel, and it’ll help you pinpoint the best time to book and the cheapest time to travel.

If you’re an airline planning to launch record-breaking new 19-hour flights connecting Australia with New York and London, you’d better make darn sure you’re offering your customers a comfortable experience – especially for those shelling out the big dollars in the front section.

Qantas has revealed the first and business class prototypes for the Airbus A350s that will be serving its new “Project Sunrise” routes that are slated to launch in 2025. The airline says its First Suite will feel like “a mini boutique hotel.”

That follows the unveiling last month of Air France’s swanky new long-haul business cabin, complete with sliding doors and redesigned seats. It debuted on a Boeing 777-300ER flying Paris-New York and the first destinations it will serve are New York, Rio de Janeiro and Dakar, Senegal.

Back in 2011, Giulia Manca went to a former Italian prison island in search of a relaxing break. Twelve years later, she’s the only woman living on an island populated by convicted criminals and is loving life in the “Alcatraz of the Tyrrhenian Sea.”

Over in Mexico, one of the country’s most notorious prisons began a new chapter in December as a Pacific Ocean getaway. The former penal colony on the Islas Marías archipelago now boasts a tourism center, restaurant and cafe, as well as villas for guests to stay in before hitting the beaches.

Dubai could be getting an indoor, climate-controlled, 93-kilometer cycling superhighway looping round the city, if developer URB gets its way. The greenery-filled corridor “aims to make Dubai the most connected city on Earth by foot or bike.”

The move could perhaps earn the Middle Eastern hub a future spot on our list of the world’s best cities to see by bike: destinations in North America, Scandinavia and Asia Pacific all make the current roundup.

Two people who have a better knowledge than most of global cycling culture are British couple Laura Massey-Pugh and Stevie Massey, who last year became the fastest cyclists to circumnavigate the world on a tandem bicycle.

Anthony met Barbara at a Greek ferry port in the summer of 1969. He was a 28-year-old American college graduate with a third-class ticket and she was a 24-year-old flight attendant for Air France, traveling in second class.

Like Jack and Rose in “Titanic,” the boat’s class divisions didn’t stand in the way of love. Here’s how Anthony jumped the barriers to the meet the woman who’d be his bride.

What dinky little travel essential are you most likely to lose – and most likely to mourn when you do? For many of us, the answer is earphones.

If you’re someone whose most cherished travel companion is a playlist or podcast, but also doesn’t like to break the bank on something that could end up on the floor of a foreign city’s metro system, take a look at this guide to best budget earbuds. It’s been put together by our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN.

After a brief hiatus, we’re sorry to say unruliness is back. An American Airlines flight was diverted to a North Carolina airport on February 22 due to a disruptive passenger. The woman was taken into custody, but a misdemeanor charge was dismissed.

An Airbnb plumbing disaster led to a beautiful continent-spanning friendship.

Turn on the waterworks, this one will touch your heart.

This Asian nation has the world’s most “powerful” passport.

So why aren’t its citizens using it?

What it’s like to live off grid in a traditional Maya village.

And why their lifestyle is now under threat.

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February 25, 2023
From color-changing cars to self-driving strollers, here’s some of the coolest tech from CES 2023 | CNN Business

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A long list of companies once again showed off an assortment of cutting edge technology and oddball gadgets at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week.

There were new twists on foldable devices, cars that changed colors and smart ovens that live streamed dinners. There was a self-driving stroller, a pillow that pulsates to reduce anxiety and a locker from LG that claims to deodorize smelly sneakers in less than 40 minutes. At the event, some people gathered in groups, sitting in silence, to test out the latest virtual reality products.

While some of these devices may never find their way into households, the products on display offer a glimpse at some of the biggest tech trends companies are anticipating this year and in the years ahead.

Here’s a look at some of the buzziest products announced last week:

BMW unveiled a wild color-changing concept car with 260 e-panels that can change up to 32 colors. During a demo, different parts of the car, including the wheel covers, flashed in varying hues and swirls of colors. The technology, which relies on panels that receive electrical impulses, isn’t ready for production. (Breaks between panels and what looked like wiring could be seen on the outside of the car.) But just imagine being able to drive a sporty red car on the weekends and then a conservative gray model when you go to work.

If you think snapping photos of your meal for Instagram is overdone, now you can livestream your dinner as it cooks in real time and post it to your social feeds. Samsung’s new AI Wall oven features an internal camera that can capture footage of your baking food or allow you to keep tabs on it without ever leaving the couch. The oven, which uses an algorithm to recognize dishes and suggest cooking times and temperatures, also pushes notifications to your phone to prevent you from burning meals. The oven will launch in North America later this year; a price has not yet been announced.

Canadian-based baby gear startup Gluxkind was showed off its Ella AI Powered Smart Stroller. It offers much of the same tech seen in autonomous cars and delivery robots, including a dual-motor system for uphill walks and automatic downhill brake assist. It’s meant to serve as an “extra pairs of eyes and an extra set of hands,” according to the company’s website – not a replacement for a caregiver. The Ella stroller is able to drive itself for hands-free strolling – but only when a child is not inside.

No gadget at CES this year was as striking as the Mutalk mouthpiece from startup Shiftall. The device, which looks like a muzzle, features a soundproof Bluetooth microphone that makes it difficult for others in the room to hear your voice when you’re on calls. The company thinks the $200 gadget will come in handy for everything from voice chats and playing online games to shouting in VR when you don’t want to disturb anyone else nearby. Instead of hearing you, they will simply see your new mouthpiece; you can decide which is worse.

If you ever wanted to hit 15 miles per hour on roller skates, this electric pair from French startup AtmosGear promises to help get you there. With a battery pack that holds an hour charge and the ability to travel over 12 miles, the skates can clip onto any existing roller skates, turning them into motor-propelled footwear. The skates are currently available for pre-order for $525.

You’ve probably heard of smartphones that come with headphones, but what about headphones that come with a screen? The JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds adds a touchscreen to the case to bring smartwatch-like capabilities by allowing users to control its settings, answer calls, set alarms, manage music and check battery life. No launch date has been announced, but the new buds will cost $250 when they eventually go on sale.

Some companies offered a new twist on the foldable phone concept. For example, Samsung Display’s Flex Hybrid prototype features a foldable and slidable display (the right side slides to offer more screen space). Meanwhile, the Asus $3500 Zenbook 17 Fold OLED – the world’s first foldable 17-inch laptop – picked up significant buzz on the show floor, acting almost like a large tablet that can be folded in half when on the go.

Dubbed “the world’s first awareable,” the $500 Nowatch is a watch… with no clock. The Amsterdam-based startup of the same name launched the device to help users monitor stress, body temperature, heart rate, movement and sleep. But unlike other smartwatches, there’s no watchface – instead, a gemstone sits where the touchscreen display typically goes. “We’ve replaced the traditional watch face with ancient stones, celebrating the belief that time is NOW,” the company said on its website.

Honda and Sony have joined forces to create tech-filled electric cars that, they say, will be both fun to drive and filled with the latest entertainment innovation. According to the CEO of Sony Honda Mobility, its cars will recognize your moods and be highly communicative and sensitive to your needs. The car will have screens on the outside so it can “express itself” and share information and will be able to “detect and understand people and society by utilizing sensing and [artificial intelligence] technologies,” according to the company. That’s why the company named its first joint car brand Afeela, in that it just has to “feel” right. But it’s unclear if we’re afeeling that name.

While it typically requires a blood panel and a visit to the doctor’s office to learn more about vitamin deficiencies, Withins says its new $500 U-Scan device can tell you similar information right from the comfort of your own toilet. The device attaches to existing toilets and collects data from your urine stream to detect vitamin deficiencies, check hydration and monitor metabolism, according to the company. An additional device called the U-Scan Cycle Sync tracks periods and ovulation cycles.

Schlage’s new smart lock is one of the first to work with Apple’s Home Key functionality, which allows users to upload their keys to their Apple Wallet and unlock their deadbolted front door directly from their phone or Apple Watch. The lock also works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice controlled, hands-free locking. Available in two finishes, the deadbolt can manage access codes, view lock history and handle multiple locks at once. The lock, which will cost $300, will be available for purchase late this spring, according to a company press release.

– CNN’s Peter Valdes-Depena contributed to this report

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January 11, 2023
Forget smartwatches, consumers are snapping up these quirky alternatives | CNN Business

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CNN
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In 2015, the same year Apple introduced its smartwatch, a Kickstarter campaign launched for a very different kind of wearable device: a wellness-tracking ring called the Oura.

Seven years later, the Apple Watch is the most popular wearable device while other similar products from Google and Samsung also dominate the wearables market. But something notable is underway: products like Oura, which look and sometimes function markedly different from more mainstream wearables, are gaining renewed traction.

The Oura ring ($399) experienced a spike in sales during the pandemic, and has seen continued momentum this holiday season, CEO Tom Hale told CNN Business. It provides sleep tracking data without needing to wear a smartwatch to bed and can detect subtle changes in body temperature. It also has no screen. Earlier this year, the company announced it had received a $2.55 billion valuation and has since rolled out partnerships with Gucci, Strava and other brands.

The ring is among a small but increasingly buzzy group of alternative wearable devices that people are gravitating toward right now, including a fitness band tracker with no screen and headphones that don’t need to be put in the ear. Some of the demand stems from shifts during the pandemic, as consumer interest in health monitoring surged. People turned to activity trackers, smartwatches and other devices to keep tabs on their steps, vital statistics and more. Many were also willing to experiment with different form factors, as long as they provided accurate data and were still comfortable – a trend that continues today.

“The funny thing is that most of these devices have been around for a while but have slowly built a name for themselves in recent quarters,” said Ramon Llamas, a research director at IDC Research. “But it takes time for word of mouth to spread.”

The devices may also tap into a desire to get the benefits of wearable trackers without necessarily having a screen or device on their body at all times.

Take the WHOOP band, a health tracker without a screen that first came out in 2015. It has a very specific focus on workout recovery, resting time, training and coaching. Founder and CEO Will Ahmed told CNN Business this year’s Cyber Monday was its largest sales day ever.

“It wasn’t that long ago that people only wore a health monitor if something was wrong. Now, we’re seeing people take a much more proactive approach to their health,” he said. “This trend has continued even as the pandemic subsides.”

Like Oura, the WHOOP is a subscription-based device and targeting a more niche audience. It’s pricy, too: $480, including a two-year subscription plan.

“The challenge is that most of these devices are vying for single-digit market share behind the market leaders, [such as Apple and Samsung],” Llamas said. “That’s why it is key to have a well-differentiated segment that you can serve almost exclusively. Companies like WHOOP have been successful because they focus on athlete rest and recovery so well, and those are key factors for many athletes today.”

Ahmed said the product is evolving to support this growing interest in health by adding new features related to pregnancy, stress and deeper biometric monitoring. In August, WHOOP announced it raised $200 million in a funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, giving the company a valuation of $3.6 billion.

Health tracking devices continue to take on new shapes and sizes, too, including some that don’t require being worn at all. In September, Amazon showed off a non-wearable sleep tracking monitor, Halo Rise, which sits on a nightstand and tracks breathing patterns while the user is asleep. Meanwhile, some companies like Withings let users slip sensors under the mattress to collect sleep data.

There’s also a shift in demand for what is arguably one of the original wearables: headphones.

Bone conduction headphones, which like the Oura have been around for years, are also “having a moment,” according to Steve Konig, head of the research department at the Consumer Electronics Association. Rather than sitting inside or on top of the ear canal, bone conduction headphones rest in front of the ear, leaving it uncovered. They transmit audio along the user’s bones and jaw to the ears instead of directly into the ear canal. The headphones also feature a soft band that runs behind the upper portion of the neck to secure it in place and minimize sound distortions.

At the same time, the exposed ear allows users to pick up on sounds and the environment around them, crucial for safety when doing activities such as riding a bike or jogging. Unlike earbuds, there’s also less concern about it popping out of your ears.

Shokz ($125) pioneered bone conduction headphones, but the market has since expanded with other brands offering similar designs. Open earbuds – such as ones designed by Sony and Bose – feature a similar design that leaves the ear canals completely open so that the user can hear the outer noise. But some audiophiles say the sound quality on bone conduction headphones and open earbuds is less than stellar.

“In the past 10 years, audio innovation in general has soared because of the introduction of new features, such as noise cancellation technology, built-in wireless capabilities and more,” Konig said. “Now, people own multiple pairs of personal listening products for different locations and use cases; some leave them at the office, others prefer bigger, beefier ones on airplanes. They also make a great holiday gift because, in the grand scheme of gift giving, they’re fairly reasonable to buy.”

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December 3, 2022