Simon Walsh

Ever since Apple released its AirPods, loads of alternatives from competitors have been pushed out in an attempt to grab marketshare. Companies like Samsung, Bang & Olufsen, Jabra, and even Anker have shipped what they think consumers are looking for. Up to this point, none of the options have seemed to garner the amount of interest that AirPods have experienced. With today’s announcement of the TrueConnect earbuds from RHA, folks who are not in the Apple ecosystem or find the fit of the AirPods to be uncomfortable may finally have a viable alternative to consider.
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There seems to be a growing focus these days on having rich, booming sound with us wherever we go. Lets face it, our smartphones simply do not have enough room left over to pack the internals necessary for stellar audio. For this reason, I typically opt to carry a Bluetooth speaker along with me when I need higher volume or just want better quality. Recently, Marshall announced its new Kilburn II Bluetooth speaker and we’ve been testing it out for a few weeks. Head below for more.
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If you have grown weary of the similar gameplay styles across popular video games, you may find some enjoyment delving into the plethora of indie games that are out there. These types of games can often provide unique game mechanics that the big developers choose not to take a risk on. Let’s face it, the big games are popular for a reason, but it can be delightful to play a game like Sokpop’s Llama Villa where the premise is simply to shower, feed, and build a home for your llamas. Just like its games’ unique experiences, the Sokpop Collective is setting out to shake up how consumers pay for games with an inexpensive subscription that comes with a promise of two new games each month.
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If you are anything like me, you have accumulated quite a few battery packs over the years. With all of the new power sources that have been cranked out over the last decade, varying options like AC, USB-A, USB-C, and Qi have pushed us to always be on the lookout for the best on-the-go power bank. I think that all of us are ready to throw in the towel if we can’t find one power bank that gives us all the ports that we could possibility need so we only have to keep one in our bag. If this is how you feel, then Goal Zero’s new Sherpa 100AC power bank may very well be the best solution out there.
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With Apple’s long-awaited AirPower charging mat potentially being scrapped, other companies are being given a chance to sell similar devices to those of us that are sick of waiting. There are quite a few products already on Amazon that set out to let you charge three devices wirelessly, but most of them have quirky designs, few reviews or are being manufactured by unknown brands. Those factors make placing your $1,000 iPhone on top of them questionable, at best. With the unveiling of Nomad’s Base Station: Hub Edition, we are given an option from a reputable brand that is well-designed, can charge two devices wirelessly, and two more via 7.5W USB-A and 18W USB-C Power Delivery-enabled ports.
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Ever since consumers began cutting the cord, companies have been scrambling to come up with all kinds of devices that make it simple to stream content on your TV. Roku is one of the most popular, offering a range of devices like its Express, Streaming Stick, Ultra, and more recently TVs with Roku built-in. Building TVs with smart technology is something that is not new though, considering that companies like Samsung, Sony, and LG have been doing it for quite some time. These companies typically use their own proprietary software which can quite often lead to a frustrating user experience due to a lack of polish that makes navigation feel far from simple. With Logitech’s upcoming K600 TV Keyboard, the company aims to provide consumers with a better user experience.
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With Jet.com firing shots in Amazon’s direction just last week, Jeff Bezos’ company today introduced a new way to highlight small to medium-sized businesses that are owned and operated in the United States. The new portion of the online retail giant’s site is called Amazon Storefronts and offers over a million products provided by nearly 20,000 businesses from all 50 states. With categories such as Back to School, Pet Supplies, Kitchen, and more, Amazon Storefronts offers products that will appeal to many consumers. 
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While you may not have heard of a keytar before, there is a good chance that you may have seen them in use before. In fact, if you’ve played Rock Band 3 back in the day, you may have jammed using the game’s Wireless Keyboard which is in fact the same kind of instrument. With instruments like the Yamaha SHS-10 having been around since the 1980s, keytars have been used for quite some time but have been called various names like ‘shoulder’ or ‘strap-on’ keyboards. Then there was a shift to adopt the keytar name a few years back when Alesis released its Vortex controller. With the unveiling of AX-Edge Keytar, Roland shows off its beautiful, high-end 49-key guitar/keyboard hybrid.
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Ever since Amazon launched its Prime service back in 2005, it has been wreaking havoc on brick-and-mortar stores. With the ability to quickly find items, check reviews, and have most products delivered in two days or less, it is really not much of a surprise that Prime has surpassed 100 million subscribers. While many stores have tried to compete by launching better websites and offering free shipping on orders that exceed a certain threshold, Amazon is still king when it comes to online shopping. With Walmart’s acquisition of Jet.com back in 2016 and its major site refresh today, the company has shown that it is far from conceding to the online shopping giant.
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If you have any smart cameras in your home, you are probably aware of how wonderful and also how annoying motion alerts can be. While there are quite a few cases that you find yourself wanting alerts, the majority of the time a constant stream of notifications can be more distracting than the feature is worth. With the launch of SmartCam N1 and N2, Wisenet has set out to reduce the amount of notifications delivered to your smartphone by letting users limit notifications to only faces that they have not identified.
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In just the past few weeks LG has announced its upcoming 21:9 UltraGear gaming monitors and Samsung opened pre-orders for its new Thunderbolt 3 UltraWide offering. With new monitor releases coming out left and right, it can be hard to stay up-to-date and be sure that you have found the right fit for your setup. While all of the options can be overwhelming, hefty competition tends to lead to better pricing and typically means that more features tend to come standard. In this fierce climate, AOC has announced four new gaming monitors that pack a punch while also being fairly affordable.
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It is highly likely that when you hear people talk about tracking keys or backpacks your mind instantly thinks of Tile. This is because Tile has been working on its trackers since 2012 and saw huge success when launching its crowdfunding campaign with pre-orders from over 50,000 backers by mid-2013. If you own a Tile tracker, you likely know that it has distance restrictions due the range of Bluetooth. In most cases this is fine when trying to find something nearby, but there would be a lot more use cases if the range could be extended. And that is exactly what Samsung has set out to do with its new SmartThings Tracker.
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From JVC debuting its 8K e-shift home theater projector to Hisense bringing additional laser TVs to its lineup, there have been lots of developments in the projector market. It wasn’t too long ago that 1080p projectors were the best available to consumers. Now not only are 4K projectors easy to find, pricing isn’t too bad either when considering the amount of detail and screen real-estate you can get from them. While Optoma has many projectors in its lineup, the company has shown us today that it will continue to push the envelope in this arena with its announcement of 6 brand new offerings along with an upgrade to its recently released UH51A that we covered earlier this year.
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Considering that the list of smart home accessories keeps growing larger and larger, there always seem to be shiny, new options vying for our attention. Just last week we reported that Philips, a company probably best-known in the smart home world for its Hue light bulbs, has a hybrid switch in the works set to replace or join its current offerings. With options from Lutron, Wemo and others, there are certainly lots of switch products to consider, but with today’s release of Brilliant Control, things just got even more competitive.

Of all the options out there, Brilliant Control seems like it may have the chops to take the crown as being the most daring and innovative. Coming in with four models, Brilliant Control sports a built-in display, camera, controls for at least one light, and the promise that it ‘works with all smart home products’.
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With theater subscription services from MoviePass coming along to get people in theaters, large entities like AMC have been pressured to step up to the plate with competing options. While competition is likely to get the theater on people’s minds, the heat dished by the latest home theater gear works to negate that by giving customers a plethora of ways to have top-notch experiences without the need to leave their house. To make home theater hardware even better, Denon and Marantz have both announced updates for some A/V receivers to provide support for IMAX Enhanced, a technology that was unveiled earlier today.
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Ever since Hisense announced its $10,000 laser TV, the company has been working to expand its lineup to offer additional options to its customers. Just a few months back, Hisense released its $3,000 L5 laser TV, but we have not heard if that model will be making its way to the United States. Today’s announcement of two more laser TVs from the company gives us hope that we will start seeing laser TVs on display at stores and in homes willing to pay a premium to have the latest-and-greatest tech.

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Japan-based company, JVC has announced 3 new projectors to be released in the near future. While two of its new projectors offer native 4K resolution, the one that takes the cake is what the company is calling the “world’s first” 8K e-shift home theater projector. There are a lot of 4K projectors from brands like ViewSonic, Optoma, Epson, and Sony available on Amazon, but you will be a hard-pressed to find similar options from JVC. While JVC is a brand that is fairly well-known by consumers, most of its products are no-where near as popular as the previously-mentioned competitors’ offerings in the US. With the unveiling of its new high-end consumer-focused projectors, the company may be able to pique the interest of folks looking to improve their home theater setup.
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Bang & Olufsen has used IFA Berlin (similar to CES in the United States) as a platform to announce some of its upcoming products. Just yesterday we covered the company’s new $3,500 Beosound Edge speaker that was also unveiled at this event. B&O’s Autumn/Winter 2018 collection brings colors inspired by the old city of Marrakesh to four of its products. The three colors found in the AW2018 collection are referenced by the company as Dark Plum, Terracotta, and Limestone. While the Beoplay E6, H9i, and Earset will be available in select shades of the new colors, the Beosound P6 is the only speaker that made the cut to receive a makeover.
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Bang & Olufsen is well-known for its high-end, tastefully designed products. From its BeoVision Eclipse 4K HDR television to the BeoSound 1 and Beoplay H9i over-ear headphones, it is clear that the company strives to make products that stand out from the crowd. Not only do they typically pack a punch in terms of performance, they also make a statement with finely crafted aesthetics. The company’s latest speaker, the BeoSound Edge, looks to fit right in line with the rest of its products. With features like a 10-inch woofer and a design based on the old English pound coin, this is yet another high-end option from B&O to consider if you are in the market for a standout speaker to add to your home or office.
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Just over a week ago we covered Amazon’s plans to halt its discounted video game pre-order pricing. The now-defunct offering gave gamers 20% off pre-orders, saving them in most cases about $12 per game since the majority of triple-A titles cost $60 at launch. The news is not all-bad though, Amazon will still offer a $10 credit for pre-orders of select titles, but customers will need to wait 35 days to get their money back and even at that point, it is an Amazon promotional credit.
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Financing the latest technology is more popular than ever before. For over a couple of years now, mobile carriers have been pushing customers to pay monthly for smartphones instead of signing contracts. Most of these companies have phased out contracts entirely, forcing consumers to either pay for their phone upfront or pay for it over the course of several years. Today, Microsoft is taking a page out of these companies’ playbooks with the launch of Xbox All Access. Announced as a limited-time offer, this service is an option that bundles a new Xbox One S or X with Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass for a monthly fee.
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For the folks that love riding their motorcycles, but do not enjoy summer heat, Feher has unveiled its new ACH-1 helmet to keep riders more comfortable in warm weather. With a self-contained air conditioning unit, this helmet distributes cool air along the top of riders’ heads, providing up to a 10-15º Fahrenheit decrease.
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Incase is one of those brands that typically hits the nail right on the head with each of its product releases. While this is likely due to having a great team running the company, it can also be partly attributed to the large amount of new products it cranks out. The ICON Sling Pack is Incase’s latest and it provides a form-factor that comfortably accommodates a MacBook, iPad, and many other accessories.
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Although it was originally announced back in May of this year, details for HP’s new OMEN Mindframe gaming headset didn’t include a release date, pricing and more. It only took HP a couple of months to hammer out this information and it decided that Gamerscom was the right place to share the details needed for gamers to decide if this will be their next headset. It may sound funny when you hear that Mindframe’s standout feature is active cooling to prevent ear sweat, but considering that this is something that a lot of gamers experience, it is likely to be appreciated alongside many of its other high-end features.
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Gamescom, a trade fair for video games, has been held in Cologne, Germany annually since 2009. At this year’s event, ASUS has certainly made a splash with lots of new products including two new TUF Gaming notebooks. With FX505 and FX705, ASUS is offering two size options for gamers that appreciate rugged design. The FX505 has the smaller display of the two, coming in at 15.6-inches, while the larger FX705 packs a 17.3-inch screen.
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Earlier today, Dell announced two new gaming monitors that will soon join its line-up that will be referred to as 2419HGF and 2719DGF. Its new offerings are sized at 24- and 27-inches, providing consumers two sizes to consider for their next display. If you were expecting size to be the only differentiator, you would be wrong. The 27-inch monitor packs a higher resolution in addition to faster refresh rates. Each display packs connectivity options that include HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB, but the number and specifications of ports vary between models.

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Sony has introduced an updated model of its existing XAV-AX200 head unit. The new model name changes slightly to XAV-AX210, and its differentiating feature is iDatalink Maestro support which provides a more seamless experience when interacting with controls that are already built-in to your car. Prior to this unit, steering wheel controls, vehicle settings, and more were not plug-and-play like most customers would have hoped.
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While most people enjoy the plug-and-play conveniences offered by consoles like Playstation 4 Pro, Xbox One X, or Nintendo Switch, many prefer the customization and higher-end graphics options that come with PC gaming. While the more tech-minded gamers typically prefer to build a desktop, many others are looking for something that they can take with them while on-the-go. When choosing the second route, gamers are left looking for a laptop that is both portable and powerful. These are features that ASUS is cramming into its new ROG Zephyrus S, which it claims to be the ‘world’s thinnest’ gaming laptop.
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If you enjoy all types of cycling, then German-based company Convert, may just have the bike of your dreams. The company has been working on its FF1 model for quite some time with the goal of making an all-in-one unit that can be quickly transformed into the type of bicycle a rider needs at any given time. Convert touts that the FF1 can be changed into a mountain, road, or commuter bike in less than 5 minutes with just one tool that comes included with your purchase.
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Just a couple of years ago, truly wireless headphones seemed futuristic and many years away from being a reality. Once Apple released its AirPods, that changed everything. Many criticized the design, saying that AirPods looked a lot like earrings. Over time, the market started filling with alternate options from Samsung, Anker, Bragi, and more, that didn’t mimic Apple’s design. Adding to that list of options are Crazybaby’s latest earbuds dubbed, “Air 1S”. The Crazybaby Air 1S are the company’s follow-up to its Air truly wireless earbuds that reached 5514% funding on Indiegogo back in December 2016.
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With Apple’s latest MacBook Pros garnering lots of attention for their recent high-end spec bumps and the controversies that ensued, Lenovo has announced two new laptops with features that seem to best its macOS competitor. While Apple’s recent updates allowed its 15-inch MacBook Pros to pack six-core Intel i9 processors, 32GB of DDR4 memory, and 4TB storage capacities, Lenovo’s 17.3-inch P72 laptop is configurable with Intel Xeon processors, 128GB of DDR4 memory, and 6TB of storage. Lenovo’s new P1 laptop, which is more similarly sized to Apple’s 15-inch portables, can pack a Xeon processor, 64GB of DDR4, and 4TB of storage. Not too shabby.
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If you find yourself preferring mechanical keyboards and are a fan of the Resident Evil franchise, Capcom may have just the product for you. The company has announced an official Resident Evil 2 mechanical keyboard based on the game’s Lexington typewriter. In addition to its standout-design, the keyboard packs Bluetooth and works on both Windows and macOS.
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Numskull, a company well-known for its gaming gear, announced earlier today that, thanks to a recent partnership with BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, it will make a PAC-MAN themed design for its first quarter-sized arcade cabinet. The company has plans for an entire series of these small arcades and each will be fully playable. With their compact size, they will fit on nicely on desks and are likely to distract many from getting their work done on time.
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It seems that no matter how much storage we attain, we are always left wanting more. In the early days of computing, storage capacities were measured in megabytes and kilobytes. Over time we have not only adapted to most laptops and desktops packing gigabytes and terabytes of storage, we now live in a world where smartphones with half a terabyte of storage actually exist. Each time larger capacity drives come out, early adopters pay high prices to get their hands on them. Within a year or so after release, pricing begins to drop as manufacturers discover ways to cut costs. While Samsung has had highly priced 4TB solid state drives available for over 2 years, the company’s latest advancements will make these storage capacities more affordable.
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If you enjoy showing off your love for character’s from your favorite movies, TV shows, and video games, then you have probably come across some Funko-branded gear. From its iconic large-headed, small-bodied Pop figures to shirts, Funko has the gear needed to prove just how big of a fan you truly are. If you found yourself enjoying Avengers: Infinity War in theaters since its release, then you’ll be happy to hear that five new Pop figures will be released later this year based solely on the popular film.
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In a somewhat surprising move, Comcast, one of the nation’s largest cable TV providers, has announced that it will be partnering with Amazon later this year to bring Prime Video to its X1 cable boxes. Comcast has offered its own streaming service, Xfinity On-Demand, for many years and while there is quite a bit of content available for free, access is limited based on your subscription tier. Also, many of the most popular shows and movies are locked behind a rental paywall. Amazon’s Prime Video will give Comcast subscribers another catalog to access with additional Prime Original content like Goliath, Sneaky Pete, and more, all without the need to switch their TV input. Users will have to be subscribed to Amazon Prime to take advantage of the new feature.
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Just when you think you have the TV situation figured out in your home, Sony has announced four new UHDTVs that all pack quite a punch. The company wasn’t shy about this release, touting that the new sets were developed with the focus of bringing its ‘long history and expertise developing professional cameras and monitors’ to televisions. Aside from brand, these sets stand out from the competition with features like a Netflix Calibrated Mode, compatibility with CalMAN’s professional-grade display calibration software, a built-in 3.2 channel sound system, and more. With the name MASTER Series, Sony paints a very clear picture that it plans for this tech to lead the charge in its TV product line-up.

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HyperX has added a Pro version of the well-rated Pulsefire FPS gaming mouse to its product line-up. As you would expect, the Pulsefire FPS Pro gets some upgrades from the standard model. Some major differences are an upgraded Pixart 3389 sensor, which provides up to 16,000 DPI tracking and onboard memory for storing custom profiles directly on the mouse, making it easy to switch things up while on-the-go.
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With lots of smart security cameras flooding the market, it’s hard to know which one is the best. In many instances you need to buy multiple cameras so you can see from more than one angle. With the release of its 360-Degree Outdoor/Indoor All-in-One HD Camera that was originally announced at CES 2018, Guardzilla has provided a simple security camera solution that allows you to see from all angles with just one device.
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Amazon has launched yet another feature for its ever-growing virtual assistant. With the arrival of Alexa Cast, Amazon has created a foundation to compete with Apple’s AirPlay and Google’s Cast. The new feature allows users to ‘cast’ what they are listening to on their smartphone to nearby Alexa devices. While functionality is quite limited at launch, its capabilities will likely grow over time.
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If you ever take photos at night, you know how much of a negative impact the darkness can have on the quality of your photos. The end result produces a lot of noise, less of the environment is visible, and to top it all off, in many cases the camera flash turns on and ends up making photos look even more unrealistic. A new company called SiOnyx aims to change all of that with its new Aurora Night Vision Camera.
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Kensington has announced a new product aimed squarely at making your computing experience more comfortable. Its new CoolView Wellness Monitor Stand sports a built-in fan that can be replaced with its upcoming heater or air purifier releases. Swapping the fan out is made possible thanks to the stand’s modular design. This is a feature that is sure to help it stick out in an already-crowded market, stuffed with alternatives from beloved companies like Twelve South.
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