BeatsX wraps AirPods tech in a neckband-style headphone for less

Like 'em or hate 'em, Apple's AirPods have been the talk of the headphone world ever since they were announced alongside the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus back in September 2016. But there's another Apple wireless headphone from the company's Beats by Dre subsidiary that's also received its share of buzz: The BeatsX ($150, £130, AU$200). And like the AirPods, the BeatsX was also delayed, but it's officially available as of February 10.

The BeatsX employs Apple's new custom low-power Bluetooth chip, the W1, which is also found in the AirPods, PowerBeats3 Wireless and the Solo3 Wireless, and allows for automatic pairing with Apple devices updated with the latest versions of its operating systems (iOS 10, MacOS Sierra and WatchOS 3). But among that trio of new Beats models, the BeatsX is the only truly fresh model, and the first one designed with the help of Apple's design and engineering teams. (The PowerBeats3 Wireless and Solo3 Wireless just updated the previous models in their respective lines with Apple's new wireless chip.) Another bonus: the BeatsX is the only one that charges with a Lightning cable.

 

Companies blur lines over who owns devices

When Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) remotely disabled the last of its flawed Galaxy Note 7 smartphones last month, it further blurred the lines between who ultimately controls your phone, or computer, car or appliance: you, or the companies that make it work?

Industry executives and analysts say companies are exerting greater remote control over their devices - changing how and whether they work, removing or adding software and content, or collecting personal data from them - not always with permission or with the user's best interests at heart.

"(The Samsung case) is exactly an example of how devices ... are no longer objects we own, but rather services we've subscribed to and which can be revoked at a moment's notice," said Stefano Zanero, an Italian computer security expert.

Alphabet Inc. Takes Another Shot at Amazon With Home Control

Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google Home connected speaker takes on Amazon.com, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Alexa on its home turf. But what about Google’s big advantage over Amazon in the smart home war — all those smartphones?

The company has just begun rolling out Home Control, a new feature that lets Google Assistant control smart home devices by voice.

However, at this point, Home Control — like Google Assistant — remains a feature that’s exclusive to Google’s own Pixel Phones.

The Battle for the Smart Home

 

More Tips To Survive The Google Pagerank Breakup

All those who wanted to monetize their web sites had a big boost a couple of years ago when Google rolled out their AdSense program. I jumped on board, just like I jumped on the new upstart named "Amazon" when they first appeared on the scene. Amazon has cut its affiliates commissions back to near-oblivion, in the interest of their profits -- why did we think Google wouldn't do the same?

But, as it goes on the web, most players weren't content with running an honest web site with honest content. I've complained and complained to deft ears about how so many sites are 'cheating' by stacking their links and all manner of other tricks to increase their clicks. Google finally caught on.

It's actually been happening over the past year. Page rankings dropping, along with Ad Sense revenue. I first became aware of it back in April -- but no matter how hard I tried, I could not get to the bottom of the problem. Unfortunately there are many sites who are caught in the web who shouldn't be -- like ours. We run an honorable web operation, and have resisted "selling" links, or engaging in link-exchanges, 3-way link schemes and any number of other schemes the underworld has dreamed up. We get requests each and every day from sites ranging from travel vacations to home appliances to pet care and even a number of 'illegal' operations -- all wanting to "exchange links" with us to "enhance" our Google rankings. It's a sad note that once again, the corrupt element of the web drags down good people too.