Just before the year ends, the first potential images of Google’s Pixel 4a have arrived! Courtesy of @OnLeaks and 91Mobiles, these CAD-based renders give us a good look at what to expect from Google’s second budget device…
Nomad case for Pixel 3
As per usual with leaks of this nature, it’s important to take things with a grain of salt. There’s always a chance details can be lost in translation or changed before launch. That said, there’s a fairly decent track record available from @OnLeaks.
Like we expected based on last year’s design, the Pixel 4a is very close to the design of the standard Google Pixel 4. There’s a rectangular camera housing on the top left corner but, in this case, it only shows a single camera sensor as opposed to the 4’s dual-sensors. This is something we expected to happen given the budget nature of the device.
On top of that, the device also includes a rear fingerprint sensor, 3.5mm headphone jack, and the same USB-C port and bottom-facing speakers.
The display is perhaps the biggest change here. Unlike the Pixel 3a, it has very slim bezels all around and utilizes a punch-hole for the front-facing camera sensor. Apparently, the display on the smaller model will be somewhere between 5.7 and 5.8-inches, only a slight increase. The Google Pixel 4a apparently measures in at 144.2 x 69.5 x 8.2mm.
Notably, this isn’t the first leak of the Pixel 4a. In a recent episode of Alphabet Scoop, we went over some Pixel 4a details including a slightly higher price tag at least for the XL model. Our sources also mentioned it will arrive around the same time of year, which we assume means another Google I/O launch.
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Apple's AirPods Pro wireless headphones are a notable upgrade over the second-generation AirPods released earlier this year. The Pro version of the AirPods still work with the iPhone, iPad or a Mac, but they add a new design and features.
In fact, the AirPods Pro are the biggest upgrade we've seen to the AirPods since Apple first released them in late 2016. Not everything is different, however, the AirPods Pro still have the core features of the regular AirPods.
Some things have changed, though. For instance, you no longer tap on one of the earbuds to switch tracks, and you can use active noise cancellation to block out all sound from the outside world. And for those who want to listen to music, but still hear some of your surroundings, well, there's a new Transparency mode that lets some ambient noise filter trough so you can hear cars behind you, someone shouting your name, and so on.
Here are some tips to get the most out of the AirPods Pro, starting with how to pair them with your iPhone ($699 at Apple).
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AirPods Pro first impressions: Should you upgrade?
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Pairing only takes a couple of seconds.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
Pairing still takes just a few seconds
After unboxing your AirPods Pro, unlock your iPhone (or iPad ($359 at Walmart)), and open the charging case to your earbuds. A second or two later, a prompt will show up on your phone asking if you want to pair the earbuds.
Tap Connect to initiate the pairing, and you're done. Not only will the AirPods Pro work with your iPhone, but they'll also be paired to all the Apple devices you've signed into your iCloud account.
The AirPods Pro have a button that's not really a button.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
Don't tap your AirPods Pro, press them
Instead of tapping on one of the AirPods, the stems of the AirPods Pro act as a button. There's not actually a button there, but more of a pressure-sensitive section that's able to replicate how you'd use a button. It's weird and confusing, and yet something you'd expect Apple to do.
Using two fingers, squeeze the flat indention on each AirPod. You'll hear a click in your ear with each press. Here's a breakdown of what each press of the button does:
Single-press: Pause/play
Double-press: Skip forward
Triple-press: Skip backward
Long-press: Switch between noise cancellation and transparency mode.
Battery life is supposed to be five hours.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
Check battery life
Whenever you want to check the charge level of your AirPods Pro and the charging case, unlock your iPhone or iPad and open the case next to your device with the AirPods inside it. An animation will appear, detailing the charge level of each AirPod and the case.
Control Center makes it easy to switch between modes.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Use Active Noise Cancellation
Perhaps the headlining feature of AirPods Pro is Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). When it's turned on, noise cancellation blocks nearly all background noise that you'd normally hear with regular earbuds or the standard AirPods. If you work in a noisy office, for example, it should block out all of the chatter and distractions.
In addition to turning off noise cancellation with a long press on one of the AirPods' buttons, you can also use Control Center on your iPhone or iPad. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your device's screen, then, when control center appears, long-press on the volume slider. At the bottom of the screen, you'll have three options: Noise cancellation, Off, and Transparency. Tap the setting you want to use.
Using Transparency mode on the AirPods Pro
When you switch to Transparency mode, you'll be able to hear some of your environmental sounds, but still hear the audio in your AirPods Pro without issue.
Transparency mode is something you'd use in an airport when you need to listen for gate changes, or when walking through busy streets so you can hear the traffic.
You can switch to Transparency mode with a long press on the AirPods' buttons, or by using the toggle in Control Center.
Even your Apple Watch can help you change modes.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
If you have an Apple Watch, you can tap on the AirPlay icon in the Now Playing app to switch between noise cancellation and transparency modes whenever your AirPods Pro are in use.
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Change modes on your Mac
When using your AirPods Pro with your Mac, you can switch between noise cancellation and transparency without having to squeeze one of your AirPods Pro. Instead, click on the speaker icon in the menu bar along the top of your screen, then hover your mouse over your AirPods Pro, then select the mode you want to switch to.
Change out the tips
Included in the box with your AirPods Pro are two additional sizes of ear tips -- the medium size already comes installed. Try those out first, and if they feel uncomfortable, you can swap out for a different size. There's no trick to getting the tip off of each AirPod, just pull to slide it off and push to fit another pair on. It may feel like you're going to rip it, but from the few swaps I've done, they eventually come off.
The Ear Tip Fit Test will tell you if you're using the right size ear tips.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Do the Ear Tip Fit Test
If you dive into the AirPods Pro settings, you can do the Ear Tip Fit Test (try saying that out loud a few times). The test will play some sounds, use the AirPods' microphones, and then tell you if the ear tips you have installed are the right size for your ears.
To run the test, open the Settings app on your iPhone, select Bluetooth and tap on the "i" next to the name of your AirPods Pro. Select Ear Tip Fit Test, and then follow the prompts.
I've run the test with both medium and small ear tips, and both passed. So don't feel locked into the first ear tips you test with; there may be another size that works and feels more comfortable.
Check the charge status when wirelessly charging the case
The case that comes with the AirPods Pro will wirelessly charge on the same wireless charging pads that work with the iPhone. Place the case on the pad, with the small light facing up, to start charging it. The case's light will light up when it's first placed on the pad, letting you know it's charging. However, it will eventually time out and turn off. Tap on the case to check the charge status of the case (green means it's fully charged).
There's plenty more to the AirPods Pro, but these tips and tricks apply to all AirPods, and should help you completely master your new wireless earbuds. If you got a new iPhone
BMW’s latest electric motorcycle patent shows that the company is hard at work on wireless charging options. And they seem to have come up with a clever option.
BMW’s wireless charging e-moto solution
Electric motorcycles are generally charged just like electric cars. The rider/driver hops off/out of the vehicle and then plugs in a charger cable into a charging socket on the vehicle.
If you take a look at the patent drawing below, you’ll see that BMW’s electric motorcycle wireless charging plan includes the only non-rubber component of the bike to touch the ground: the side stand.
BMW has incorporated a wireless charging receiver into the pad at the base of the electric motorcycle’s side stand. When the rider parks his or her electric motorcycle, the side stand’s pad would land on the wireless charger (which houses an AC coil). Wireless charging power is correlated to the distance between the charger and receiver, and thus works best when the two are in nearly direct contact. BMW’s wireless electric motorcycle system seems to do just that.
It’s hard to say how quickly the system would be able to charge. Most electric motorcycles are capable of either Level 1 or Level 2 charging. The former often takes all night while the latter can often be done in a few hours. Such wireless charging would likely be closer to Level 1 charge levels, thus resulting in more of a trickle charge. Some electric motorcycles such as the Harley-Davidson LiveWire and the Lightning Strike are capable of DC fast charging that can nearly top off the battery in around 40 minutes. However, it is unlikely that BMWs wireless electric motorcycle charging system could reach those charging speeds anytime soon.
Color me interested. I’d use this setup today if it was available.
Sure, plugging in the charging cord isn’t really that much effort, but neither is plugging in a phone charger and yet many people still enjoy the ease of dropping their phone on a wireless charger.
I can see wireless charging of electric motorcycles being more of a trickle-charging top up measure, at least in the beginning. Considering a motorcycle often parks in the same spot everyday at a rider’s home, it’d be easy to land the side stand on the pad repeatedly and reliably, thus cutting out the main step in the charging process after each ride. That way a commuter e-bike would hopefully stay fairly topped up, and riders could of course still use a conventional charging plug for times when they require faster charging, such as after long rides that deplete the battery at a time when the rider is in a hurry to get back out on the road again soon.
What do you think of BMW’s wireless charging electric motorcycle patent? Let us know in the comments below!
Another major video-game streamer on Twitch is migrating to Facebook Gaming: This time, it’s the emerging streaming platform’s biggest female-streamer acquisition yet, Corinna Kopf.
Kopf is a member of David Dobrik’s popular „Vlog Squad“ group on YouTube and has a sizeable presence on Instagram with more than 3.5 million followers.
In the past year, Kopf has pivoted to streaming on Twitch, where she was temporarily barred for wearing only underwear during a stream, which is against the platform’s terms and conditions.
Kopf was later reinstated and had almost half a million followers on Twitch, but she is turning to Facebook as „a home that not only empowers myself, but also my community, to make a positive impact in the gaming world.“
Professional video-game streamer Corinna Kopf announced on Friday that she’s pivoting from Twitch to an exclusive contract with Facebook Gaming. The member of David Dobrik’s „Vlog Squad“ is the biggest female streamer to migrate to Facebook yet.
Kopf’s social-media presence is largely concentrated on YouTube and Instagram, where she has more than 3.5 million subscribers. But over the past year, she has leaned into video-game streaming on Twitch, where she was temporarily barred for wearing only underwear during a stream – which is against the platform’s terms and conditions.
She was reinstated and had accrued almost half a million subscribers on Twitch, where she largely played „Fortnite.“ On Twitter, she made the announcement that she had signed an exclusive streaming contract with Facebook Gaming, something streamers told Business Insider could be more profitable and lead to more views, thanks to Facebook’s massive user base and new focus on streaming.
„As a female streamer, it’s so important for me to find a home that not only empowers myself, but also my community, to make a positive impact in the gaming world,“ Kopf said in a statement.
On Twitter, her announcement was met with mixed reactions. Some commentators think Kopf will lose a substantial portion of her audience, and Facebook Gaming has yet to gain a fraction of the recognition that Twitch, YouTube, and Microsoft’s Mixer have in the streaming world.
But Kopf isn’t the first big streamer or social-media star to sign with Facebook Gaming – nor is she the first popular Twitch personality to ditch the platform. Twitch has been losing major names, including its primary star, Ninja, for more than a year. Facebook also acquired major Twitch streamer Jeremy „DisguisedToast“ Wang in November.
Popular streamer „Tfue“ replied to Kopf’s tweet, saying, „No more half ass birthday streams,“ in reference to her streaming session that got her barred.
Kopf’s first stream will take place at 4 p.m. PT on December 30 on her Facebook Gaming profile.
We weren’t expecting much from retailers like Amazon and Walmart during the holiday shopping season when it came to Nintendo Switch console deals, but we were pleasantly surprised. Amazon in particular ran some terrific deals, offering savings up to $60 in an unheard-of one-day deal. That means a whole lot of people just got a new Switch console for Christmas, and they’re likely looking for new games to play. Lucky for them, Amazon is offering some awesome discounts on best-selling Switch games right now in its year-end sale! Popular titles including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Just Dance 2020, Super Mario Party, and Super Mario Maker 2 are all discounted today, and that’s just the start.
See all the discounts on best-selling Switch games right here:
And here are some of our favorites:
Follow @BGRDeals on Twitter to keep up with the latest and greatest deals we find around the web. Prices subject to change without notice and any coupons mentioned above may be available in limited supply. BGR may receive a commission on orders placed through this article.
I was halfway through reviewing the Sonos Port when the company called me to say the price was going up by $50 to $449.
The diminutive box, which allows you to integrate Sonos’ whole-home audio into virtually any kind of setup you might have, was already feeling a little expensive to me. Now it seems like there’s a clear break between the Sonos devices meant for consumers and the devices meant for high-end AV integrators to sell as part of extremely custom — and extremely expensive — audio systems.
Let’s back up: the Sonos Port is part of a welcome reboot of the Sonos product line that’s been happening since new CEO Patrick Spence took over. One of his stated goals was to move a little faster, and he’s accomplished that: first by quickly introducing new consumer products like the Sonos One and Beam, partnering with Ikea on the Symfonisk line of speakers, and then by making sure the professionals who install custom Sonos systems had new, modern products to use.
The first of those products, the Sonos Amp, was a total reboot of the older Sonos Connect:Amp. While it’s expensive (more so now), I really liked it and thought it made a case for itself in a variety of situations since it is a self-contained high-end amplifier with Sonos capabilities. But at $449, I’m less sure about the Port, which is an update of the Sonos Connect, and it really can’t do anything until you plug it into something else. The Port worked flawlessly in my testing, and it offers a tremendous amount of configuration options that allow Sonos to work with almost any kind of audio system you might have. But it’s priced to match, and I think it’s entirely too expensive for the two things most people would want it to do: connecting a record player to an existing Sonos system, or integrating an existing audio system into a Sonos setup.
The Port is an unassuming black box that can either send audio from your Sonos system out to an amplifier or take audio in from a component like a turntable or AirPlay and send it out to your Sonos system. It’s a simple idea executed extremely well — everything works and sounds solid, and the box itself is highly configurable for a variety of wacky situations. There’s a 12V trigger output so it can power up an external amp when it detects incoming audio, and it can accept commands over the network from custom smart home controllers. If you have a Pioneer or Onkyo surround receiver, it can even power them up over the network so they integrate into your Sonos system. (Sadly, the Sonos app cannot control the volume of a receiver over the network in that configuration, which seems like a miss.)
Setup is as easy as any other modern Sonos device: you plug it in, open the app, and tap the connect button on the back when prompted, and then you’re off and running. If you’re swapping out an older Connect, the only hard part will be rerunning the power cable, since the Port uses a different connector.
All of this works exactly as intended, and as elegantly and powerfully as you’d expect from Sonos. I tested it with both the analog audio out and the composite digital output to my Denon receiver, and it sounded excellent with both, although the digital output was a little quieter than I expected. I also used it as an AirPlay target to stream audio to the rest of my Sonos system, and that worked just fine as well. The only disappointment I had was with Google Assistant; Google and Sonos have not yet added the ability to set a Sonos speaker as the default output for music in a room, so saying “Hey Google, play some music” resulted in audio playing from my Nest Hub, not the Sonos. Alexa has this ability; it’s a miss that it’s not there for Google users. I asked Sonos when this might be added, and there’s no timeline yet, but the company is certainly aware of the gap.
That’s a small issue, however — the bigger issue is the price, which seems more reflective of everything the Port can do, and less related to the main things people need to do.
For example, if all you want to do is stream a turntable to a couple of Sonos One speakers around your house, the Port is an incredible overkill at $449 — you’re paying for a million features you’ll never use. If you’ve got a surround sound setup that you’d like to include as part of your Sonos system, the Port still seems like an overkill — you’re basically using it as the top half of a Sonos One SL, which sells for $179.
I’m sure there are people out there who will get every cent of power and flexibility out of the Port’s $449 price tag, but I also doubt they’re reading this review, because they are busy setting up their CEDIA booths or helping billionaires make sure the sauna is heated when the Bentley pulls in or whatever.
I asked Sonos why the Port was so expensive, and the company didn’t shy away from it — product manager Benji Rappoport told me it was priced to reflect the total value of the product and its ability to connect to the Sonos ecosystem, and that Sonos assumed most consumers would simply buy its cheaper offerings. And it’s true that if you are looking to do something as simple as update your aging 5.1 system with Sonos, you’re better off buying a more modern Sonos consumer product like the Beam for less money. It also seems clear that Sonos knows that the professional AV integrators who are most likely to buy the Port will simply pass the cost along to their clients, who are already spending thousands on custom solutions.
And really, that all seems fine — go ahead and soak the people who can afford completely custom, professionally installed home audio systems. But it stings that the very expensive Port is the only solution for many use cases the rest of us might have, since one of the best reasons to go with a Sonos system is that it is by far the most flexible, complete product line for multiroom audio on the market.
The last time Sonos CEO Patrick Spence was on The Vergecast, he told me that one way Sonos had sped up its product cycles was by modularizing things: most Sonos products now use the same processor, networking components, and so on. If that approach can yield a $100 Ikea speaker — complete with actual speaker — I don’t know why it can’t help make a simple box that helps people stream a turntable or get more out of an existing stereo.
I am sure the people who sell racks of $10,000 amps and custom surround processors aren’t going to flinch one bit at the Sonos Port — it will help them do their jobs, and it’ll perform admirably. But there are a million little edge cases where a product like the Port makes sense for consumers, and it’s a shame Sonos doesn’t have a cheaper, simpler version of the Port that helps regular people get the most out of their systems, especially when Amazon seems intent on making sure it has a million cheap Echo devices that can play audio in almost every room as well. That’s ultimately the value of Sonos compared to every other smart speaker system out there: the product line is big enough, and capable enough, for almost every situation. It’s just that for a few of those situations, your only choice is to pay as much money as a pro.
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Setting up a new phone is a flurry of entering passwords, transferring contact data, downloading must-have social media apps, and entering even more passwords. Once that’s all done, it’s time to fill your phone with everything else you might need day to day: a smarter weather app, a good email client, and some things to make sure you have plenty to read and listen to. Here are our suggestions for where to start.
We’ve rounded up our favorite and most-used games, apps, and entertainment. Check out our app picks for iPhones, Android phones, PCs, Macs and TVs; our favorite mobile games from Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass; and our top choices for the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. We’ve also listed our favorite streaming shows on Disney+, Hulu and Netflix, some great sci-fi books, and exciting new podcasts. (Note: pricing was accurate at the time of publishing, but may change.)
Dark Sky
After a decade of owning a smartphone, having powerful apps in your pocket doesn’t really feel like a surprise anymore. But Dark Sky still feels a little bit like magic every time it works: it’s a weather app that predicts when it’s going to start and stop raining, down to the minute, and it’s usually pretty darn accurate. Should you make a run for it before the rain starts, or should you wait it out inside for a few minutes because the bad weather is going to pass? Dark Sky lets you know and can keep you from getting wet. The app’s basic features are free, but you’ll have to pay $3 per year to get its detailed rain forecasts. They’re absolutely worth the price.
1Password / LastPass
You’ve probably heard this before, but you should really be using a password manager. I’ll admit: they can be a little bit of a hassle. But once you get into the flow, everything you do online becomes far more secure, and logging in mostly becomes a breeze. Password managers create and store strong unique passwords for every website you use, so if one gets stolen — and large website breachesdo occurwith some regularity — all of your other accounts remain safe. I’m recommending two apps here: 1Password is my favorite (I’ve been using it for years), but it comes with a monthly fee. LastPass is a perfectly good alternative available for free; I just find it to be a little less pretty to look at.
Files by Google
This should just be the file browsing app that comes built into Android. On the occasions you need to go looking for a file that was saved to some mysterious location on your phone, Files by Google makes it a lot easier to find, with obvious sections for downloads, videos, audio, and other documents. (Android’s built-in Files app has similar options, but they’re more confusing or require more taps to get to.) Files by Google also offers some handy additional features, like an entire tab dedicated to highlighting old files you might want to get rid of to free up space.
Clue
Clue is an easy-to-use app for tracking your period, with a clean design and gender-neutral language and iconography. The app’s creator says it doesn’t sell your health data, though it occasionally shares anonymized data with researchers. This year, the app got a pair of notable updates meant to better show patterns in your cycles and highlight irregularities. The app is free to use, but Clue recently began offering an in-app subscription that gives you small perks like product discounts and emailed data reports.
Pocket
All day long I come across articles I want to read but don’t have the time for. Pocket lets you quickly save those stories for later, so you don’t forget about them, and it downloads them so you can read them offline — perfect if you’re someone who’s frequently on a subway, a plane, or just waiting around somewhere with poor signal. Will I ever finish reading my entire Pocket queue? Absolutely not. But that just means I’ll always have something waiting on my phone when I have some time to kill.
TickTick
I finally started using a proper to-do list this year, and it’s made keeping track of my work tasks (and home to-dos) so much easier. TickTick isn’t beautiful, but it’s simple and flexible. You can download it on any major platform or use it on the web, and your tasks sync across devices. Adding something is easy, thanks to natural language support (e.g. just type in “Wrap gifts at 8PM on December 24,” and you’re set). While I mostly use TickTick on my Mac, the Android app is what brings it all together, delivering notifications when I ask for them and displaying upcoming deadlines in a highly customizable widget.
Otter
For whatever reason, Android doesn’t come with a built-in voice recording app (though some device manufacturers, like Samsung and Google, make their own). If you’re a person who typically records meetings, interviews, or basically anything that involves people talking, Otter is your answer. The app makes it easy to jump into a recording, and once it’s done, it creates an automated transcript of the entire recording (in English only), even attempting to break it down between different speakers. It’s never perfect (and requires you to send your audio to Otter’s servers, something to be aware of for the privacy-conscious), but it’s surprisingly good. For someone like me, who’s perpetually looking for specific things I remember from interviews, Otter is a game changer.
Pocket Casts
Pocket Casts has long been seen as one of the best — if not the best — podcast app for Android. This year, it got even better: it’s free, with the $4 price tag disappearing in favor of some premium but optional subscription features. The app has a clean interface that puts the focus on podcast art, and there are plenty of fancier features (like cross-device playback syncing, playback speed adjustment, and silence trimming) for those looking for them.
Microsoft Outlook
Google’s Gmail app looks a lot better than it did this time last year thanks to a big redesign, but the app still isn’t very good for anyone who has to deal with tons and tons of email every day. If you’re inundated with messages, particularly ones you don’t need to immediately look at, Microsoft’s Outlook can take over. It splits your inbox into two sections — “Focused” and “Other” — automatically hiding anything it suspects is unimportant inside that lesser section. The app can also limit your notifications to just the emails it deems important enough to hit your main inbox, a major relief for anyone overwhelmed with notifications. The filtering can sometimes get things wrong, though I’ve found it errs on the side of showing too many emails, rather than having you miss something you need to see. It’s the only thing that lets me keep my work email on my phone in a healthy way.
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