From streaming music and audiobooks to live audio rooms and podcasts, every major player in tech is trying to own a chunk of the listening experience. Spotify is expanding beyond music streaming, YouTube is becoming an audio-only destination, and Apple Music is hoping to stand out with spatial audio while Tidal, Pandora, SoundCloud, and so many more scramble to set themselves apart.
B&W’s iconic Zeppelin iPod speaker has evolved over the years, culminating in today’s new £699 / $799 Zeppelin Pro Edition. It now comes in gold and gray finishes, a more colorful downlight to set the mood, and new tweeters paired with midrange drivers and a subwoofer that are said to improve the overall sound. It can be used in a multi-room setup and supports AirPlay2, Bluetooth aptX Adaptive, and Spotify Connect.
At $449, this all-in-one Google TV projector is a good choice if portability is important and you already own a battery with USB-C PD 3.0 output. The speaker is good enough, and the auto-positioned 1080p image looks best at night but remains watchable during the day. A $499 bundle incudes a wobbly PowerBase Stand for about two hours of playback. Mine toppled over onto concrete but the projector survived!
The new “Series” category should make it easier to filter narrative-driven shows (which are like audiobooks, but broken down into episodes) from other styles of podcasts.
Apple Podcasts is also launching a “Top Series” chart to track the most popular offerings, and a “Series Essentials” spotlight to showcase a series every month that defines the category — starting with Tristan Redman’s Ghost Story.
[Apple Newsroom]
Elago has updated its AW5 Hang Case so that the silicone Game Boy homage is now compatible with the Apple AirPods 4 featuring active noise cancellation. The $18.99 case doesn’t play any retro games, but it will help protect the AirPods 4’s charging case from scuffs and damage if dropped, while still allowing features like wireless charging and Find My to continue to work.
For audiophile’s wanting both higher quality audio and the convenience of wireless headphones, FiiO’s $44 BT11 dongle adds Bluetooth 5.4 support to phones like the iPhone 16, plus codecs like aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, and aptX Lossless.
You’ll also need a subscription to a high-res music streaming service, and headphones that support those HD codecs, to actually take advantage of it.
The second-gen AirPods Pro with USB-C introduced last September are now available in Apple’s Certified Refurbished online store for $209 — $40 cheaper than a brand new pair.
But they’re also available new from Amazon and Best Buy for $189.99, and have sold for cheaper.
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission.
Spend a few minutes watching this video from Caleb Denison at Digital Trends. Many of us (myself included) will never own a $7,000 pair of audiophile loudspeakers, but this is about something much more relatable than that. It’s a touching look at the bond created by a shared passion. In this case, that’s audio gear — but you can apply it to just about anything.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Ring, and Galaxy Buds 3 revealed at Samsung’s Unpacked event went on sale globally today, though some regions / carriers may vary.
The exception is the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which are delayed (until August 28th in the US) due to quality issues with the removable ear tips.
