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The best true wireless headphones so far
By Lauren Dragan This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here. We tested 11 of the most promising true wireless in-ear headphones (as in, no wires connecting the earpieces like traditional Bluetooth earbuds). All of them, we found, have some flaws in fit, functionality, or convenience. Because this is the first generation of the technology, manufacturers are still working out the kinks. As a result, we can't make an overall pick that we think would work for most people. What we can tell you is which sets are the better options right now, and what they offer in terms of pros and cons. Depending on how you plan to use your headphones, we have picks for iPhone/iOS users, budget-oriented folks, those who prioritize sound, fitness buffs, and Samsung users. This way, you can decide for yourself which, if any, will fit best into your lifestyle or be worth your money.
Erato is the next company trying 'truly wireless' earbuds
Cast your mind back to 2014. Now imagine a pair of wireless headphones from that time. Most likely, you thought of an "over the head" pair of cans, like the SMS Sync, or a pair of tethered earbuds like Powerbeats. These days, the definition of "wireless" is being taken to its logical conclusion: buds not joined to each other in any way. The concept first came to many people's attention via Bragi Dash or Earin. The idea is catching on, though, with more headsets -- including known brands -- getting in on the action. Is this the future of wireless earbuds? Newcomer Erato, with its Apollo 7 set, seems to think so, and -- like Bragi and Earin -- it's hoping you'll be excited enough to fund it on Kickstarter. I got to try an early set for myself, and see if truly wireless really is the way to go.
Self-aware headphones switch channels depending on which ear they're in (video)
Life is fraught: social interaction, inflation and fashion all conspire to ruin your day. Even the simple act of firing up your PMP can send you to the floor in tears if you discover your earbuds are in the wrong way, forever ruining the beautiful stereo trickery of The White Album. Fortunately, Japan's Science and Technology Agency has beavered away at this most first-world of problems with its Universal Earphones Project. One earpiece holds a proximity sensor, which if it's pointing at your ear, pumps out the left-channel, if it's facing away from you, it pumps out the right channel (pictured). It's also capable of working out if you've shared your sounds with a friend and will push out a mono mix to both headphones -- so neither of you miss out on the other half. Amazing to think all of the money and manpower that went into a solution to save you having to read the letters "L" and "R" and making a decision for yourself. After the break we've got a video explaining it, just be warned that the narrator is synthesized, it's not a serial killer.
Cooky robots will make soup for you, won't clean up afterwards
Cooking robots aren't exactly anything new (even if they haven't yet been perfected), but they generally come in the form of humanoid robots or, at the very least, robotic arms in order to be more adept in the kitchen. JST's ERATO research division has taken a decidedly different approach with these so-called Cooky robots, however, which are tiny, wheeled bots that scurry about your countertop and work as a team to make miso soup for you. As you might have guessed from the image above though, they aren't quite entirely autonomous, and require that you both label all the necessary ingredients with special cards, and pre-program things like cooking time and temperature. They'll take things over from there on out though and, as you can see in the video after the break, the results do at least appear to be edible.
Rumored HTC Sirius, Erato, and Wings get detailed specs and dates
We don't know where the information came from and (as ever) we can't be absolutely certain that it's genuine, but over the last few days a range of specific details on some previously rumored HTC mobiles have turned up in data sheet and picture form over at PDAdb.net. First up is the HTC P6500 Sirius: a quad band, WiFi and EDGE device that runs Windows Mobile 6, has a 400MHz Samsung processor, a 3.5-inch QVGA display, and also comes with 256MB and 64MB of RAM and ROM respectively. Next up is the HTC S420 Erato flip smartphone, which could potentially be the successor to the Star Trek. This 99 gram, 2.4-inch screen flipper should come with the same 400MHz CPU and Windows Mobile 6 operating system as the Sirius, but adds features like UMTS and HSDPA connectivity, an FM radio receiver, SiRF Star III GPS, and a 2 megapixel shooter. Finally there's the touchscreen featured (but stylus lacking) HTC S730 Wings which shares the same CPU, operating system, connectivity, screen, camera, GPS, and storage as the Sirius. In fact, the only difference we can tell between the two is the addition of WiFi, the exclusion of FM, and a different form factor to accommodate a slide-out QWERTY keypad. PDAdb quotes possible release dates for these unannounced and currently rumored devices as August for the Sirius, April for the Erato, and July for the Wings. You can't get a more detailed "rumor" than that.[Via GSMArena]
HTC Star Trek + 1 = "Erato"
Since the codenames HTC uses for its upcoming devices are a source of endless amusement, we just wanted to take the opportunity to add another to the mix: "Erato." Sources tell us that's the moniker getting tossed around for the follow-up to the Star Trek, HTC's first foray into the wide world of fashion clamshells. Details are still totally sketch on this one, but if all we get is a Crossbow flip phone with HSDPA (or, heck, UMTS will do) and GPS, we'll be happy campers.
