Month: February 2024
Biden administration is investigating security threats from Chinese vehicles
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Astell & Kern announces 13-driver(!) earbuds and a new hi-res music player with built-in vacuum tube amp
Astell & Kern’s latest hi-res music player promises analog warmth for your digital delights.
Astell & Kern has just announced a duo of new products, and true to the company’s form, they’re both indulgent in the best way.
If you’re a music fan who wants the best of both worlds, the latest hi-res audio player promises to deliver the precision of hi-res digital audio with the warmth of tube amplification. The Astell & Kern SP3000T features the firm’s Triple Amp system, which enables you to customize your sound via tube amplification, a digital op-amp, or a mix of the two. And you can use those modes across all three outputs: 2.5mm, 3.5mm and 4.4mm.
The tubes are are Raytheon JAN6418 MIL-SPEC Vintage Vacuum Tubes, which Astell & Kern says deliver a “uniquely warm and soothing tone” of the kind you get from the nicest vintage tube amps. And the op-amp is A&K’s tried and tested one that we’ve seen in multiple hi-res audio players from the firm, delivering high clarity and low noise.
Like the Astell & Kern SP3000 it’s based on (and which features among our list of the best portable music player), the SP3000T has an AKM AK4499EX DAC with an AK4191EQ digital delta-sigma modulator that takes care of the digital signals while the DAC processes the analog signals separately. And it’s all powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 6125 which, with 8GB of RAM, comes with significantly more RAM than most digital audio players.
It’s all very impressive, but what are you going to listen to it with? Astell & Kern has a plan for that too, and it involves more drivers than you thought you’d ever need in a set of earbuds.
Astell & Kern Novus: a baker’s dozen of drivers
The new Novus headphones are the latest collaboration between Astell & Kern and Empire Ears, and the specification is quite something. There are 13 drivers in total: dual W9+ Empire Ears drivers, five balanced armature drivers (one Sonion and four by Knowles), quad Sonion electrostatic drivers, and dual Sonion bone conductors. The body is aluminum with a diamond-like carbon finish, 24K wet gold-plated faceplates, and sapphire glass.
The price? A mere $4,999 (approx. £4,000 / AU$7,700) – though, honestly, I might have guessed higher from the paragraph above.
The Novus in-ear-monitors will be a limited edition (so probably won’t be a staple of our best wired headphones guide) and will go on sale in May. Meanwhile the SP3000T will also go on sale in May for $2,999 (approx. £2,400 / AU$4,600). If you can’t wait that long and you happen to be in or near New York, both products will be available for demos at CanJam NYC 2024, which takes place on March 9 and 10 at the New York Marriott Marquis.
That’s not all. Astell & Kern is also teasing a “more user-accessible” A&ultimata product for launch later this year, which it says will give audio enthusiasts “an additional option for high-end, flagship music playback.”
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Duolingo jumps on online learning boom and AI push, set to add $1.68 billion to its market value
Duolingo, fueled by the AI boom started by ChatGPT, is poised for a remarkable resurgence following the disclosure of a data breach compromising the private information of over 2.6 million users last August. In a premarket surge on Thursday, Duolingo’s
The post Duolingo jumps on online learning boom and AI push, set to add $1.68 billion to its market value first appeared on Tech Startups.
Duolingo, fueled by the AI boom started by ChatGPT, is poised for a remarkable resurgence following the disclosure of a data breach compromising the private information of over 2.6 million users last August. In a premarket surge on Thursday, Duolingo’s […]
The post Duolingo jumps on online learning boom and AI push, set to add $1.68 billion to its market value first appeared on Tech Startups.
Biden administration is investigating security threats from Chinese vehicles
Policymakers are concerned that Chinese vehicle companies like BYD could collect sensitive data from drivers in the US. | Photo by John Keeble / Getty Images
The US government is opening an investigation into the potential risks to national security posed by smart car technology produced in China and “other countries of concern.”
The US Commerce Department’s probe will focus on “connected vehicles” — a broad term that can be applied to any car with internet access — amid concerns that technology like cameras, sensors, and on-board computers could be exploited to collect sensitive data about US citizens and infrastructure.
During a call with reporters on Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said that the investigation was being launched “before Chinese-manufactured vehicles become widespread” across the US.
“Imagine if there were thousands of Chinese vehicles on American roads that could be immediately disabled by somebody in Beijing,” Raimondo said, later adding that “it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to figure out how a foreign adversary like China with access to this sort of information at scale could pose a serious risk for national security and the privacy of US citizens.”
“Why should connected vehicles from China be allowed to operate in our country without safeguards?”
A separate statement from President Joe Biden repeated an oft-heard cliche likening modern cars to “smart phones on wheels.” He accused China of using unfair business practices, such as the state subsidies for Chinese-made EVs being investigated by the EU, to secure a foothold over the auto industry.
“China imposes restrictions on American autos and other foreign autos operating in China,” Biden said. “Why should connected vehicles from China be allowed to operate in our country without safeguards?”
While no immediate restrictions are being put in place, administration officials told reporters on Wednesday that the investigation may lead to new regulations that could restrict or prohibit certain vehicle parts from being used in the US. Such action would mirror trade restrictions placed against companies like Huawei over national security concerns that the telecom giant could be exploited by the Chinese government for espionage. Some policymakers in the US have also attempted to restrict or outright ban TikTok, the shortform video app owned by Chinese company ByteDance, over similar fears.
China has previously accused the US of repeatedly abusing “the concept of national security” to wrongfully target Chinese companies and impede competition from global markets. Meanwhile, Tesla faces similar scrutiny in China over concerns the US could use the EV company to spy on the country, with restrictions reportedly limiting where they can be driven.
China surpassed the US as the largest auto market in the world several years ago. Thanks to high tariffs, though, there are no Chinese-made cars for sale in the US. Some Chinese automakers are exploring opening up plants in Mexico, raising fears among US auto executives that they could soon start importing low-priced models into the country.
Policymakers are concerned that Chinese vehicle companies like BYD could collect sensitive data from drivers in the US. | Photo by John Keeble / Getty Images
The US government is opening an investigation into the potential risks to national security posed by smart car technology produced in China and “other countries of concern.”
The US Commerce Department’s probe will focus on “connected vehicles” — a broad term that can be applied to any car with internet access — amid concerns that technology like cameras, sensors, and on-board computers could be exploited to collect sensitive data about US citizens and infrastructure.
During a call with reporters on Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said that the investigation was being launched “before Chinese-manufactured vehicles become widespread” across the US.
“Imagine if there were thousands of Chinese vehicles on American roads that could be immediately disabled by somebody in Beijing,” Raimondo said, later adding that “it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to figure out how a foreign adversary like China with access to this sort of information at scale could pose a serious risk for national security and the privacy of US citizens.”
A separate statement from President Joe Biden repeated an oft-heard cliche likening modern cars to “smart phones on wheels.” He accused China of using unfair business practices, such as the state subsidies for Chinese-made EVs being investigated by the EU, to secure a foothold over the auto industry.
“China imposes restrictions on American autos and other foreign autos operating in China,” Biden said. “Why should connected vehicles from China be allowed to operate in our country without safeguards?”
While no immediate restrictions are being put in place, administration officials told reporters on Wednesday that the investigation may lead to new regulations that could restrict or prohibit certain vehicle parts from being used in the US. Such action would mirror trade restrictions placed against companies like Huawei over national security concerns that the telecom giant could be exploited by the Chinese government for espionage. Some policymakers in the US have also attempted to restrict or outright ban TikTok, the shortform video app owned by Chinese company ByteDance, over similar fears.
China has previously accused the US of repeatedly abusing “the concept of national security” to wrongfully target Chinese companies and impede competition from global markets. Meanwhile, Tesla faces similar scrutiny in China over concerns the US could use the EV company to spy on the country, with restrictions reportedly limiting where they can be driven.
China surpassed the US as the largest auto market in the world several years ago. Thanks to high tariffs, though, there are no Chinese-made cars for sale in the US. Some Chinese automakers are exploring opening up plants in Mexico, raising fears among US auto executives that they could soon start importing low-priced models into the country.
X enables live video broadcasts in Spacesye
X’s audio chat rooms called Spaces can now broadcast live video, but only for those hosting the session. As The Verge reports, a Dogecoin designer posted an official walkthrough of the feature on the platform formerly known as Twitter. Hosts will now be able to choose whether to enable video and switch on their cameras when they create a Space. They can then broadcast with either their front or rear cameras and in vertical or landscape orientation. We’re still not seeing the option to enable video in Spaces on Android, but it’s reportedly already available for iOS devices.
spaces are now CAMERA ON (if u like) https://t.co/yukiqhyvf6— X (@X) February 28, 2024
The platform already has a separate feature allowing users to broadcast live video, but that option’s not quite as interactive as a Space. In a Space session, participants can still speak or co-host, even though only the host has the capability to broadcast live video.
Based on follow-up posts by some users, X has to fix a few bugs and other issues for the feature to work smoothly. Enabling video apparently introduces quite a lengthy lag into chat sessions, and broadcasting in landscape makes it impossible to manage a Space, since the video takes up the screen. Also, participants on desktop don’t have the ability to see videos yet. Mobile users that do see videos are shown an interface that prominently displays the host’s visual feed next to participants’ user icons. The Verge says videos only live inside the chat sessions as they happen in real time and that users will have to join to see them, which means recorded Spaces are still audio-only at the moment. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-enables-live-video-broadcasts-in-spacesye-133051972.html?src=rss
X’s audio chat rooms called Spaces can now broadcast live video, but only for those hosting the session. As The Verge reports, a Dogecoin designer posted an official walkthrough of the feature on the platform formerly known as Twitter. Hosts will now be able to choose whether to enable video and switch on their cameras when they create a Space. They can then broadcast with either their front or rear cameras and in vertical or landscape orientation. We’re still not seeing the option to enable video in Spaces on Android, but it’s reportedly already available for iOS devices.
spaces are now CAMERA ON (if u like) https://t.co/yukiqhyvf6
— X (@X) February 28, 2024
The platform already has a separate feature allowing users to broadcast live video, but that option’s not quite as interactive as a Space. In a Space session, participants can still speak or co-host, even though only the host has the capability to broadcast live video.
Based on follow-up posts by some users, X has to fix a few bugs and other issues for the feature to work smoothly. Enabling video apparently introduces quite a lengthy lag into chat sessions, and broadcasting in landscape makes it impossible to manage a Space, since the video takes up the screen. Also, participants on desktop don’t have the ability to see videos yet. Mobile users that do see videos are shown an interface that prominently displays the host’s visual feed next to participants’ user icons. The Verge says videos only live inside the chat sessions as they happen in real time and that users will have to join to see them, which means recorded Spaces are still audio-only at the moment.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-enables-live-video-broadcasts-in-spacesye-133051972.html?src=rss
Want a phone with a headphone jack? Nubia Music Phone has two, plus a huge speaker
ZTE says the just-unveiled Nubia Music Phone’s vinyl-styled rear speaker boasts 600% more volume than your smartphone.
I’m no gambler, but if you’d asked me to predict what we’d see at MWC 2024, my top picks would have been the (oddly Eve from Wall-E esque) Nothing Phone 2a, a bendable concept phone you can wear like a wrist cuff and transparent laptop screens – after all, Samsung’s first ever transparent micro-LED display was unveiled at the start of the year.
What I wouldn’t have bet on was ZTE releasing a colorful, vinyl-styled smartphone with not one but two analog 3.5mm headphone jacks and a huge DTS:X-certified speaker on its rear panel, thus becoming a solid rival to my current pick for the best phone for sound, the Sony Xperia 1 V.
But here we are. ZTE says that thanks to its vinyl-styled, rear-mounted speaker (not too dissimilar to the speaker seen on the Nokia 130, one of two ‘dumb’ Nokia feature phones launched last year, albeit a more powerful proposition), the Nubia Music smartphone promises 600% higher volume than your average smartphone. If true, bringing one of the best Bluetooth speakers along to add music to your next barbecue, beach or camping trip may soon become wholly unnecessary.
And let’s talk about those two 3.5 mm headphone jacks! While Sony’s aforementioned Xperia lineup is one of the last handsets to keep supporting the humble headphone jack, I’ve not seen two of them on a piece of portable audio kit since the Sony Walkman of my childhood. Not even FiiO’s new CP13 tape player has two jacks, and thats’ an actual Walkman wannabe…
3.5mm jacks and Ambilight? This is the retro phone of my dreams
Just look at that light-strip around the deck for visuals… (Image credit: ZTE)
Nubia also includes a special music companion app that helps you control the special RGB strip on the edge of the screen to match the music – yes, ZTE thinks Ambilight is the future and I’m here for it, despite Philips dropping a key Ambilight feature I loved last year, even as Panasonic added integrated LED lighting to its in-flight entertainment system.
As reported by NotebookCheck, the Nubia Music phone totes “a powerful amplifier and an AI algorithm” to achieve its much higher volume output than conventional phones. Elsewhere it reportedly sports a 90Hz HD display, a 50-megapixel dual camera, a 5,000mAh battery, plus up to 8GB of RAM.
Solid details are otherwise thin on the ground (the phone has an unspecified Unisoc processor, the DAC chip is unknown and pricing and availability hasn’t yet been made official by ZTE), but based on those specs, it’ll likely arrive as a mid-range offering. And I will be ready.
I think this phone would make me happy too (Image credit: ZTE)
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