Month: August 2024

The Era 100 might resemble a roll of paper towels, but it remains our default smart speaker. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Sonos’ Labor Day sale is bringing discounts to a variety of smart speakers and soundbars until September 2nd, many of which are on sale elsewhere for the same price. Both the Sonos Era 100 and portable Move 2 are 20 percent off, which means you can get the Era 100 from Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos for $199 ($50 off) or the Move 2 for $359 ($90 off) via the same retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos).

The Era 100 is an easy recommendation for a Sonos-connected Wi-Fi speaker, regardless of where you’d like to put it in your house. It’s compact enough to fit in most places but offers robust volume and quality sound, which gives your music some depth without getting too bassy. The Move 2, on the other hand, is kind of like an Era 100 that can go anywhere thanks to its built-in battery. It’s a bit bigger and heavier than your average Bluetooth speaker, but that makes it a great fit for an outdoor garden party or a car camping adventure — especially since the battery can provide up to 24 hours of continuous playback.
Read our reviews of the Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Move 2.

A few more Saturdeals

Woot is selling the last-gen Motorola Razr Plus in new condition with a full one-year warranty for $499.99 ($500 off). There may not be any of Razr’s fun colors on offer, but 50 percent off a foldable from last year is a good deal if you want to try a flip-style folding phone without spending the usual $1,000 or more. Plus, the 2023 Razr Plus offers excellent battery life and one of the best jumbo-sized cover screens around. Read our review.
The first-gen Apple Pencil has returned to its all-time low of $69 ($30 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. Yes, it’s still got that awkward, poorly designed Lightning connector under its cap for charging, but if you have a compatible iPad (like the ninth-gen model), it’s likely your best option for note-taking and sketching. Well, unless you want to go the third-party / knockoff route.
The gray-and-yellow version of Hori’s Split Pad Compact is selling for $22.74 (around $10 off) at Target. The excellent Joy-Con alternatives — which work with both the Nintendo Switch and Switch OLED — offer a slightly roomier, more ergonomic grip that’s more akin to a full-size controller experience without being overly bulky. They even feature two extra rear buttons, which you can customize. Read our Nintendo Switch controller buying guide.
The Shargeek 170 power bank is down to $143.64 (around $36 off) at Amazon, matching its all-time low. The nifty, see-through piece of tech allows you to peer inside, giving you a closer look at its fun circuitry and 24,000mAh battery cells. The charger can also output up to 170W of power across its two USB-C ports and lone USB-A port, which is enough to charge most laptops. It’s even IP66-rated for water and dust resistance, so it’s not just a looker.

The Era 100 might resemble a roll of paper towels, but it remains our default smart speaker. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Sonos’ Labor Day sale is bringing discounts to a variety of smart speakers and soundbars until September 2nd, many of which are on sale elsewhere for the same price. Both the Sonos Era 100 and portable Move 2 are 20 percent off, which means you can get the Era 100 from Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos for $199 ($50 off) or the Move 2 for $359 ($90 off) via the same retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos).

The Era 100 is an easy recommendation for a Sonos-connected Wi-Fi speaker, regardless of where you’d like to put it in your house. It’s compact enough to fit in most places but offers robust volume and quality sound, which gives your music some depth without getting too bassy. The Move 2, on the other hand, is kind of like an Era 100 that can go anywhere thanks to its built-in battery. It’s a bit bigger and heavier than your average Bluetooth speaker, but that makes it a great fit for an outdoor garden party or a car camping adventure — especially since the battery can provide up to 24 hours of continuous playback.

Read our reviews of the Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Move 2.

A few more Saturdeals

Woot is selling the last-gen Motorola Razr Plus in new condition with a full one-year warranty for $499.99 ($500 off). There may not be any of Razr’s fun colors on offer, but 50 percent off a foldable from last year is a good deal if you want to try a flip-style folding phone without spending the usual $1,000 or more. Plus, the 2023 Razr Plus offers excellent battery life and one of the best jumbo-sized cover screens around. Read our review.
The first-gen Apple Pencil has returned to its all-time low of $69 ($30 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. Yes, it’s still got that awkward, poorly designed Lightning connector under its cap for charging, but if you have a compatible iPad (like the ninth-gen model), it’s likely your best option for note-taking and sketching. Well, unless you want to go the third-party / knockoff route.
The gray-and-yellow version of Hori’s Split Pad Compact is selling for $22.74 (around $10 off) at Target. The excellent Joy-Con alternatives — which work with both the Nintendo Switch and Switch OLED — offer a slightly roomier, more ergonomic grip that’s more akin to a full-size controller experience without being overly bulky. They even feature two extra rear buttons, which you can customize. Read our Nintendo Switch controller buying guide.
The Shargeek 170 power bank is down to $143.64 (around $36 off) at Amazon, matching its all-time low. The nifty, see-through piece of tech allows you to peer inside, giving you a closer look at its fun circuitry and 24,000mAh battery cells. The charger can also output up to 170W of power across its two USB-C ports and lone USB-A port, which is enough to charge most laptops. It’s even IP66-rated for water and dust resistance, so it’s not just a looker.

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The Shokz OpenFit Air are a lightweight pair of open-ear buds that use air conduction.

The bass is pretty good for open-ear fitness buds, but alas, my glasses foiled the ear hook design. Two years ago, I thought my quest for the best running earbuds was over. The Beats Fit Pro were simply perfect in every way. Then I moved to the suburbs. The Beats’ ambient mode was no match for North Jersey drivers’ blatant disregard for speed limits. Open-ear headphones seemed like the obvious answer. But which ones? For a few weeks, I dabbled with some bone conduction headphones, but I missed my bass drops too much. That, in turn, led me to try the $119.95 Shokz OpenFit Air.
While Shokz is best known for its bone conduction tech, the OpenFit Air uses traditional air conduction like any other wireless buds. The speaker sits above your ear canal, while ear hooks hold them securely in place. I normally don’t prefer ear hooks — comfort tends to be hit or miss. But I’ll give anything a go if it means I get to have situational awareness without giving up my bass.

The OpenFit Air hook around your ears, while the speaker sits right above your ear canal.

The good news: the bass is better. The bad news is, it’s not by much. Truthfully, no open-ear headphones are great at bass, but these are at least less muddy than bone conduction. If I’m running next to a busy street, I actually can hear the rumbly “five-star Michelin” verse in “God’s Menu” by Stray Kids. It’s not crystal clear — but I can hear it instead of sighing and wishing I had my Beats Fit Pro. (All bets are off if you’re near a highway, though.)
Aside from bass, the speaker position means you can hear your content pretty well, but open-ear buds always have limitations. I wore these on several commutes to the office. A quiet NJ Transit bus or train? No problem. A noisy New York City subway drowned out my audiobooks to the point where I gave up listening to anything at all. I never got any complaints about sound leakage, but I imagine that’s because the NYC subway is too loud for anyone to hear anything.

At 8.7g, the OpenFit Air are quite lightweight.

As exercise buds, these are a great option. They have about six hours on a single charge, and a 10-minute charge gets you two hours of use, which isn’t too shabby unless you’re an ultramarathoner. With IP55, you can work up a nice sweat or handle a bit of rain, though I’d be wary of a full-on downpour. They’re comfy and pretty secure — that is, until you put some glasses on.
While the hooks are pliable and relatively thin, they took up a lot of space behind my ears. On days when I didn’t wear contacts, the top of my ears felt crowded and weighed down. That heavy sensation made me paranoid that the Air would fall off, and I’d go to readjust them. Often, that ended up with me accidentally triggering the touch controls. Even when I didn’t wear glasses, I unintentionally dislodged the Air whenever I brushed my bangs behind my ears. I don’t love that, as someone who’s been traumatized one too many times by chasing after a bud that fell out of my ear mid-run. To be fair, you may not have these issues. Some of this is likely down to the shape of my ears and the fact my glasses have chunkier arms. But if you really want a secure fit, a wraparound design is a better choice.

To my surprise, I ended up preferring the Air for everyday wear. Maybe it’s just me, but bone conduction headphones scream fitness in a way that feels a little weird when I’m running errands. These remind me more of the sleeker, more discreet Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. My favorite way to wear these was when I was cooking or cleaning. I could easily listen to my audiobooks or podcasts, keep an ear out for beeping appliances, and keep the naughty cat from trying to eat my dinner straight from the pan.
If I had better vision, these might’ve ended my quest for a Beats Fit Pro alternative. They’re pretty affordable at $120, bass is decent for a pair of open-ear buds, and they’re comfy. I want something just a smidge more secure for days when I don’t feel like popping lenses in. Alas, the hunt continues.

The Shokz OpenFit Air are a lightweight pair of open-ear buds that use air conduction.

The bass is pretty good for open-ear fitness buds, but alas, my glasses foiled the ear hook design.

Two years ago, I thought my quest for the best running earbuds was over. The Beats Fit Pro were simply perfect in every way. Then I moved to the suburbs. The Beats’ ambient mode was no match for North Jersey drivers’ blatant disregard for speed limits. Open-ear headphones seemed like the obvious answer. But which ones? For a few weeks, I dabbled with some bone conduction headphones, but I missed my bass drops too much. That, in turn, led me to try the $119.95 Shokz OpenFit Air.

While Shokz is best known for its bone conduction tech, the OpenFit Air uses traditional air conduction like any other wireless buds. The speaker sits above your ear canal, while ear hooks hold them securely in place. I normally don’t prefer ear hooks — comfort tends to be hit or miss. But I’ll give anything a go if it means I get to have situational awareness without giving up my bass.

The OpenFit Air hook around your ears, while the speaker sits right above your ear canal.

The good news: the bass is better. The bad news is, it’s not by much. Truthfully, no open-ear headphones are great at bass, but these are at least less muddy than bone conduction. If I’m running next to a busy street, I actually can hear the rumbly “five-star Michelin” verse in “God’s Menu” by Stray Kids. It’s not crystal clear — but I can hear it instead of sighing and wishing I had my Beats Fit Pro. (All bets are off if you’re near a highway, though.)

Aside from bass, the speaker position means you can hear your content pretty well, but open-ear buds always have limitations. I wore these on several commutes to the office. A quiet NJ Transit bus or train? No problem. A noisy New York City subway drowned out my audiobooks to the point where I gave up listening to anything at all. I never got any complaints about sound leakage, but I imagine that’s because the NYC subway is too loud for anyone to hear anything.

At 8.7g, the OpenFit Air are quite lightweight.

As exercise buds, these are a great option. They have about six hours on a single charge, and a 10-minute charge gets you two hours of use, which isn’t too shabby unless you’re an ultramarathoner. With IP55, you can work up a nice sweat or handle a bit of rain, though I’d be wary of a full-on downpour. They’re comfy and pretty secure — that is, until you put some glasses on.

While the hooks are pliable and relatively thin, they took up a lot of space behind my ears. On days when I didn’t wear contacts, the top of my ears felt crowded and weighed down. That heavy sensation made me paranoid that the Air would fall off, and I’d go to readjust them. Often, that ended up with me accidentally triggering the touch controls. Even when I didn’t wear glasses, I unintentionally dislodged the Air whenever I brushed my bangs behind my ears. I don’t love that, as someone who’s been traumatized one too many times by chasing after a bud that fell out of my ear mid-run. To be fair, you may not have these issues. Some of this is likely down to the shape of my ears and the fact my glasses have chunkier arms. But if you really want a secure fit, a wraparound design is a better choice.

To my surprise, I ended up preferring the Air for everyday wear. Maybe it’s just me, but bone conduction headphones scream fitness in a way that feels a little weird when I’m running errands. These remind me more of the sleeker, more discreet Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. My favorite way to wear these was when I was cooking or cleaning. I could easily listen to my audiobooks or podcasts, keep an ear out for beeping appliances, and keep the naughty cat from trying to eat my dinner straight from the pan.

If I had better vision, these might’ve ended my quest for a Beats Fit Pro alternative. They’re pretty affordable at $120, bass is decent for a pair of open-ear buds, and they’re comfy. I want something just a smidge more secure for days when I don’t feel like popping lenses in. Alas, the hunt continues.

Read More