Headphones were the original piece of wearable technology and they remain as essential today as ever. But they are starting to change rapidly now, as things like noise cancelling and Bluetooth wireless technology enable the dream of completely cable-free living. What will the best headphones of the future look like?
That’s according to code spotted in the Google app by 9to5Google. As of last week’s rebrand you can replace Google Assistant with Gemini (formerly Bard) on your phone when you say “Hey Google” or hold the home button, but this doesn’t carry across to other devices like headphones.
It could be a challenge making Gemini’s longer responses work in an audio-only format, however.
The concept at CES shown in this video looks to mix an earbuds case with a round OLED screen and a smartwatch-like interface. I’m not totally sold on earbuds cases with screens, but this seems pretty clever.
If you own Jabra’s Elite 8 Active or Elite 10 earbuds, expect to make some better-sounding calls in March after an over-the-air update announced at CES 2024. The Elite 10’s update will help identify background voices, making it easier for users to take calls in busy coffee shops or co-working spaces.
Meanwhile, the ANC on Elite 8 Active will work better in windy conditions — thanks to improved wind detection technology.
The ATH-TWX7 compact earbuds announced today at CES 2024 include a Soundscapes mode that plays meditative sounds of nature or other calming sounds for when you just want to chill. The noise cancellation tech also has two modes for calls: Natural (for quiet, indoor environments) and Noise Reduction (for louder, outdoor environments).
The “splashproof” buds are priced at $199 and are available now.
MySmartPrice reports that Bose is getting ready to launch new wireless open-ear headphones at CES, over three years after it released the now-discontinued Sport Open Earbuds.
The open headphones feature a G-shaped design that hooks around the ear for a snug fit, similar to Huawei’s FreeClip earbuds. Pricing, specs, and a final product name should hopefully be available soon.
Sennheiser’s lauded IE 600 wired earbuds are down to $499 for Cyber Monday. Yes, that’s objectively a lot of money. But they normally run 700 bucks and are widely considered one of the best sounding pairs of earbuds on the market today. Here’s a detailed video review on them. No gimmicks. Just pristine audio.
If you take care of these buds, they’ll last many, many years to come. No need to worry about deteriorating battery life when you’re plugged in the old fashioned way — with a USB-C dongle nowadays, I guess.
If the IE 600s are firmly outside what you’re willing to spend, then consider the IE 200s, which have a similar sound tuning and can be had for $120 today.
Note: If you buy something from these links, we might get affiliate revenue.
The internal email from Chief Product Officer Maxime Bouvat-Merlin did not specify how many jobs will be lost. Per Bloomberg, the cuts will happen today, and are the result of “a shift in product strategy.” The email also disclosed that a team is dedicated to headphones inside Sonos, which might be behind the “major product in a new multibillion-dollar category” mentioned in yesterday’s earnings call.
