Beats Studio Buds officially announced

Beats officially announces the Beats Studio Buds, powerful true wireless earbuds that deliver a high-quality audio experience in a sleek, lightweight and comfortable design.

Sweat- and water-resistant earbuds with an IPX4 rating and up to 24 hours of battery life, Studio Buds brings quality Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, and for the first time ever, convenient one-touch pairing to both iOS and Android users.

“In building a product this small, every minute detail was considered, analyzed and selected to optimize for sound quality, comfort and durability,” said Oliver Schusser, vice president of Beats and Apple Music. “Studio Buds is our tiniest, most subtle form factor to date, yet keeps Beats’ promise of delivering an immersive sound experience in a beautiful design.”

Premium audio design and performance

Studio Buds were designed and engineered to prioritize high-quality audio playback and overall comfort—no matter if you’re listening to music, streaming a movie or chatting with a friend.

The ergonomically tilted acoustic nozzle features a laser-cut micro-vent to ensure pressure relief on the eardrum. And with three soft silicone eartip options and a lightweight design, Studio Buds are incredibly comfortable for all-day use.

Its powerful, balanced sound is driven by the proprietary 8.2mm, dual-element diaphragm driver, which features a central rigid piston with a flexible outer surround.

Coupled with a two-chamber acoustic design, Studio Buds achieves outstanding stereo separation and low harmonic distortion across the frequency curve so you hear every note.

Additionally for Apple Music users, Studio Buds automatically plays Spatial Audio for available tracks mixed in Dolby Atmos so you can enjoy true multidimensional sound and clarity.

With two listening modes, you are in total control of your sound experience. Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) blocks unwanted external noise, including wind noise, using real-time adaptive gain control.

To ensure clear playback after ANC is applied, Studio Buds employ an algorithm that monitors the source file while simultaneously correcting and cleaning audio-compromising artifacts at up to 48,000 times per second.

Easily switch to Transparency mode with a long-press of the ‘b’ button when you need to hear the world around you. External-facing microphones mix the sounds of your surroundings back in with your music for a natural listening experience.

During phone calls, the dual-beam-forming microphones target your voice and filter out wind and obstructing external noise for elevated clarity.

Connection and controls

Studio Buds offer simple one-touch pairing to both Apple and Android devices.

Class 1 Bluetooth technology offers extended range and exceptional cross-body performance, meaning reliable connectivity and fewer dropouts. Each earbud independently connects to your device, so you can choose to use one or both.

The multi-function ‘b’ button on each earbud allows you to answer/end calls, play/pause content, skip songs, and toggle between ANC and Transparency listening modes.

Both Android and iOS users can switch listening modes, check battery levels or receive firmware updates directly on their device.

Studio Buds are conveniently voice assistant enabled, and iOS users can also activate Siri hands-free by saying “Hey Siri.”

Battery life

The earbuds have up to 8 hours of listening time with two additional charges provided by its pocket-sized carrying case, giving you up to 24 hours of combined playback.

With ANC or Transparency mode turned on, you’ll get up to 5 hours of listening time, and up to 15 hours combined with the case. If you need a little extra juice, 5-minute Fast Fuel charging gives up to 1 hour of playback8 when battery is low.

Locate your lost Beats

Studio Buds is the first Beats product to support both FindMy in iOS and Find My Device on Android. Easily locate your lost earbuds using their last known location (when paired via Bluetooth) or by playing a sound when they are nearby.

Sustainable packaging

With the smallest and most sustainable approach to date, Beats Studio Buds packaging is made from 92% plant-based material sourced from recycled fiber and/or sustainable forests.

Beats Studio Buds are available to order starting today for $149.99 (approx. PhP 7,199.74) from apple.com in the US and Canada, with shipping beginning June 24.

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ASUS ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition first impressions

05/27/2022

Back in CES 2022, ASUS unveiled its array of upcoming laptops and to the surprise of many, the lineup includes an ultra-special edition ZenBook to commemorate a milestone for the company.

This is the ASUS ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition and it’s here to celebrate 25 years of having been able to send ASUS laptops to outer space during a space mission back in 1997.

As a special edition laptop, it comes in a special packaging that is simply fun to unbox.

But with the unit all ready to be set up, here are my first impressions of the device from its build quality, design, and features.

First thing you’ll notice on this laptop is that it doesn’t look like any other ordinary laptop. Its design elements are simply out-of-this-world (pun intended) and are really striking if you’re into the extra bling for your gadgets.

The aluminum body comes in this golden brown shade that ASUS calls Zero-G Titanium color. And all over its shell are markings, patterns, and accents that all contribute to its space-themed approach.

These designs are not random, mind you, and every spec and marking have their own meaning. For one, most patterns on the body reflect the same elements seen in the MIR space station where ASUS laptops spent more than 600 days back in ’97.

Additionally, dots and dashes seen on its lid are Morse code and translate to “Ad Astra Per Aspera” which is Latin for “Through hardships to the stars”. Really great and meaningful detail.

And of course, one thing that’s hard to miss is this small display on its lid. This is the exclusive ZenVision display which is a 3.5-inch OLED screen in monochrome loaded with animations and customizable graphics to add a sprinkle of personalization to the laptop.

ASUS says this potential-filled display is inspired by a datasheet of a spaceship. And by using its MyASUS app, you can change what’s shown from time, date, battery level, to your own business card, animation, or a custom message.

Open the lid and you’re introduced to its keyboard. Both the space bar and power button are highlighted with a differently-colored coating that blend well with the overall aesthetic of the laptop.

Just like a true ZenBook, the ErgoLift hinge is seen here as well that props up the chassis when you open the lid. This gives way to better air circulation and cools the laptop easier in addition to providing a more ergonomic experience when typing.

It also comes with the company’s NumberPad 2.0 which transforms the trackpad into a number pad. It also supports certain gestures to instantly bring up the calculator and make numeric input easier.

And just like a true ASUS laptop, the device feels very solid and durable which is not at all surprising.

After all, the company really reinforced this specific model to pass some space-grade tests like vibration & temperature and withstand being in a space capsule where large temperature differences are common. Talk about durability!

As for the rest of its physique, the ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition comes with a wide variety of connectivity with its regular-size HDMI, USB 3.2 Gen 2, two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, audio jack, and even a microSD card reader.

Moving on to its main display, it features a 14-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 2880 x 1800. It comes with a 16:10 aspect ratio with touch input so you can go for a more relaxed way of browsing and navigating the laptop.

Up top is a small webcam with its own physical shutter to keep prying eyes away.

The display has slim side bezels and is so far immersive enough. Its OLED panel also ensures that you only get vibrant colors with deep blacks while its HDR feature offers a wider dynamic range to see more details.

Not only do you get lively colors and sharper picture, but you’re also assured of accurate colors thanks to its display’s 100% DCI-P3 color gamut and PANTONE-validated panel. And for fans of scrolling smoothly and gliding through the laptop’s menu and UI, you’d be glad to know that the display can go up to 90Hz refresh rate — of course, it will take a toll on the battery performance.

This laptop isn’t all for show and looking pretty. Inside, it packs powerful components that should help you accomplish tasks whether you’re at your office here on Earth or in a space station floating in outer space.

It’s got Intel’s 12th-gen processor at its core in both Core-i5 and Core-i9 configurations while graphics are handled by Intel Iris Xe. You can get up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM on this as well as up to 1TB SSD for faster boot-up.

Other specs and features worth looking forward to are its WiFi 6E connectivity for faster and more stable connections, Harman Kardon-certified speakers with Dolby audio, and AI noise-canceling tech for your video calls.

Meanwhile, for its battery, it carries a 63Wh Li-Po pack with a 100W charger to fill it up faster. We’re curious as to how long the battery could last with all its nice features activated and put to work.

Stay tuned for the full review. Meanwhile, more details on the laptop by clicking here.

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