noise cancellation
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Noise Free Wireless alleges Apple is tone deaf over sound reduction patent, files lawsuit to match
Apple faces litigation claiming that it's using patented technology all the time, often from small patent holding companies with dollar signs in their eyes. Noise Free Wireless has just filed a patent lawsuit against Apple whose allegations are considerably, well, louder. The firm maintains that it had been pitching its patented noise cancellation to Apple in periodic meetings between 2007 and 2010, only to watch as 1 Infinite Loop used Audience's technology for the iPhone 4 instead -- and supposedly handed some of Noise Free's work to a competitor. An Apple patent filed the same year borrows some of that work, Noise Free insists, in addition to the iPhone in question. Neither side is talking about the details to outlets like Macworld, although we'd be cautious about accepting either company's position at face value. However much Apple may protest its innocence regardless of circumstances, Noise Free certainly has a vested interest in retribution after losing out on such a big contract.
Nokia Reaction Bluetooth headset slips out: 'acoustic' design packs ear detection, noise reduction (video)
While it hasn't gone public on Nokia's own site, its YouTube channel has thrown up a video of a new Bluetooth headset. The device, like previous Nokia inventions, can be paired to phones through NFC and also automatically transfer and answer incoming calls when it senses it's near your ear. It packs in three separate mics, background noise cancellation and "automatic volume control" that aims to forgo screaming into the earpiece. We'll update with more details once we hear from Nokia. Take a peak at the device after the break -- and sigh at the sight of the ill-fated Nokia N9.
Noctua's noise-canceling PC fan gets tested, drops twenty decibels
Having trouble tuning out the hum of your PC fans? Maybe it's time you took another look at Noctua's NF-F12 integrated noise cancellation fan. According to the firm, the Computex prototype kept things about 20dB quieter by utilizing a patented RotoSub ANC technology to emit anti-noise directly from the fan's own blades. Noctua hopes to dampen the cooler's 2,500 RPM hum to the overall noise level of a slower 1,500 RPM fan. Builders looking to piece together a quieter machine can look for the noise reducing cooler an the latter half of 2013. Your old fan? Well, you could always use as a makeshift turntable. Hit the break for a peek at a more silent tomorrow.
Noctua developing noise-cancelling PC fan, will demo at Computex
Try as we might to block it out, we just can't stand the whirring of our PC fan when it starts to act up. There may be an end to our cringing, as Austrian company Noctua is gearing up to debut a fan with integrated noise cancellation at Computex. The cooling fan to be shown in Taipei is only a prototype, but we know it's a Noctua NF-F12 model that uses noise-control technology from RotoSub. Luckily, Computex is less than a week away, so we'll soon have a better idea of whether this fan can keep our PC from sounding like a 777 ready for takeoff... we're sure our coworkers would appreciate it.
Audio-Technica unveils ATH-ANC9 noise-cancelling cans
Audio-Technica has been quiet on the noise-cancelling headphones front for some time, but today it announced a new set of sound-nixing cans, the ATH-ANC9. While earlier ATH models block out 85 percent of outside noise, the new version ups the ante to 95 percent. Also new are three Tri-Level Cancellation modes, each tailored to drowning out sound in a particular environment (airplanes, noisy office and libraries, for example). This over-the-ear set has 40mm drivers and an input sensitivity of 100 dB to make the music you choose to hear sound nice and clear. The ATH-ANC9 comes with two detachable cables, two adapters and an AAA battery. It's available now for $349.95 on the Audio-Technica website and at other retailers. Get the full details in the presser below.
Jawbone Big Jambox review
It was back in February when we first caught wind a beefier version of Jawbone's Jambox, thanks to some less-than-stealthy ninjas at the FCC. Today it's officially here. Dubbed Big Jambox, this $300 Bluetooth speakerphone and "smartspeaker" is unsurprisingly a supersized -- yet still portable -- version of the new-age micro-boombox that the won us over back in 2010. Naturally, there have been some tweaks to go along with the bigger footprint, but all the core features including Jawbone's MyTalk apps and noise-cancelling know-how are in tow. Now that we've used it extensively for a few days, we're ready to answer some questions you might have. Does it follow the old adage that bigger is better? How will it fit into your lifestyle compared to the Jambox? And most importantly, is it worth the asking price?
Jawbone unleashes Big Jambox, beefs up its Bluetooth 'smartspeaker' lineup
We've had a shimmer in our eye for Jawbone's $200 Jambox, the itty bitty Bluetooth 'smartspeaker,' ever since it was released back in late 2010. So, imagine our delight now that the company has just stepped things up to a larger level with its new $300 Big Jambox. Measuring in at well over double the size of the original, the 2.7-pound speaker is still very similar in design and features the familiar perforated metal grill designs by Yves Behar -- starting May 15th, you can pick one up in your choice of Red Dot, Graphite Hex and White Wave. The larger footprint helps it to be more functionally capable than its sibling, yet it's still small enough to carry in one hand. On top, the unit sports playback controls in addition to the requisite volume and talk buttons, while on the side you'll find a USB connection (for software updates), power input 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth-pairing button and a power button. To pump out the jams, the Big Jambox features an airtight enclosure loaded with a duo of active neodymium drivers and opposing dual-passive bass radiators to handle all the wub wub you can throw at it. A 2,600mAh rechargeable battery will get you roughly 15 hours of totally wireless listening time (500 on standby), but -- as is the case with the original -- you still can't share that juice with your gadgets. Positively, Android users can take advantage of the Big Jambox's exclusive Companion app, which allows the unit to do tricks such like sync up with your G-cal to inform you about your appointments. Lastly, like the Jambox, the Big Jambox features MyTalk voice prompts / app compatibility, along with Live Audio DSP to give your sounds an immersive "3D" feel. Curious to find out more? We spent a full weekend with the new gizmo, and you can catch our full review by clicking here. Full press release after the break.
Audience earSmart eS110 brings its voice processing and noise suppression to low cost feature phones
Remember Audience? Sure you do. The outfit was behind the iPhone 4's noise-canceling wizardry that would be later built directly into the 4S' A5 heart. Now, the company has announced its earSmart eS110 advanced voice processor for feature phones. Touting "the same voice quality" as those more expensive phones that we all covet, the single microphone tech will suppress unwanted noise like cars passing by or that loud guy next to you at a bar. The eS110 offers crisp calls for both handset and speakerphone uses thanks to processors designed around how humans filter the sounds that we hear. Entry-level smartphones are targets as well and the kit's 3.5 x 3.5mm stature should make for easy integration. Audience says that samples will be sent out to manufacturers in March and should show up in handsets by the end of the year. In search of a few more details? Hit the full PR below to find out more.
Sony launches party pack of noise-cancelling headphones, your personal discotheque awaits
To the joy and delight of babysitters everywhere, Sony announced a boatload of new noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds to keep you sane in loud situations. Leading the pack are the $200, on-ear active / passive MDR-NC200D headphones, which have a 40mm drivers in each ear, 22-hour battery and folding design. For $150, users wanting portability can cop the smaller in-ear MDR-NC100Ds, which have a lower price tag and 13.5mm drivers. Both headphones feature Sony's "Artificial Intelligence Noise-Cancelling" technology, which claims to automatically reduce ambient noise by around 98.2 percent -- because you know, precision matters. Also launching today are two new smartphone headsets -- the $40 in-ear DR-EX14VP and the $60 DR-XB23VP earbuds -- with connectivity to Android, iPhone and BlackBerry phones, as well as Sony Ericsson, Nokia and other phones thanks to an included compatibility cord. Pulling up the rear are the new iPhone control headsets -- the $60 DR-XB22iP in-ear silicone hybrids, the $40 DR-EX61iP earbuds and the $150 "over-the-head" DR-ZX701iP. Currently accepting pre-orders, the headphones will be available for purchase sometime in October -- just in time to tune out the doorbell this Halloween. Check out the full PR after the break.
Curtain lifts, Audience exposed as iPhone 4's noise cancelling wizard
It's hard not to respect good detective work, so we have to give kudos to the good folks at Chipworks for putting a long-lived iPhone mystery to rest. The iPhone 4 has been applauded for its dual-mic noise cancellation, but nobody knew who actually built the voice processor responsible for this "magic and revolutionary" feature. Jobs and Co. white-labelled a certain chipset inside the iPhone 4 -- it asked the manufacturer to scrub all branding off -- so nobody could properly identify it. Was it made by Apple or a third party? Fast-forward nearly eleven months and it turns out the company responsible is none other than Audience, the same lovely folks behind the Nexus One's renowned noise reduction. We're unsure why this was kept under wraps for so long, but we can understand why Apple would want to remain quiet and keep this superb technology all to itself. A little sleuthing can go a long way, however, so follow the links below to learn how this mystery was unraveled.
Pioneer's SE-NC31C-K noise-cancelling earbuds are cheap, but are they effective?
Active noise cancellation's the secret sauce that keeps us counting sheep even when surrounded by the cacophony of crying babies and the dull roar of jet engines -- though we often find the bulky form factor of those serenity-inducing cans unwieldy. Luckily for us, Pioneer has released its SE-NC31C-K noise-cancellation earbuds that promise to remove 90 percent of ambient noise at the flip of a switch on its AAA battery-powered in-line module -- all for around a hundred bucks, which is a far more palatable price than its sound-suppressing brethren from Sennheiser ($320) and Sony ($415). Should you run out of juice, fear not, for you can bypass the noise cancellation features to listen to your tunage as you would with a garden variety set of buds. Given its (relatively) bargain-basement price, we aren't sure how well Pioneer's latest nullifies ambient noise, but there's only one way to find out if they can give the best headset ever made a run for its money. Should you not share our skepticism, hit the source link and grab a pair for yourself.
GM shows off Terrain SUV with noise cancellation, says silence equals fuel efficiency
GM claims its new Terrain has other SUVs beat when it comes to fuel efficiency, and they're citing active noise cancellation -- a concept near and dear to audiophiles everywhere -- as one of the driving factors that puts it 4MPG above the competition. Basically, the Terrain's enlisted a new one-touch "Eco mode" that allows its four-cylinder engine to run at a lower torque, decreasing engine speeds, and thus saving gas. The thing is, this increased fuel efficiency comes with a "low-end frequency boom," which is where the noise cancellation sets in: two microphones built in to the car's headliner detect the boom, prompting a frequency generator to pump counteracting sound waves through Terrain's speakers. Simply put, GM's just getting rid of an unpleasant hum. So a quieter car isn't necessarily a greener car, but we'll take a more fuel efficient SUV any day. If you're picking up what GM's laying down, check out the full PR after the jump.
Ask Engadget: best (non-ugly) noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset for drowning out office noise?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Simon, who seems to be not-so-secretly hoping to drown out his entire office. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I need a headset which can block out the background from a busy office. I'm talking repetitive noises such as drilling, background chatter, keyboard clattering, computer fan whirring and the endless static from our building's air conditioner. I would love if this headset had a fair to good quality of sound for MP3s, and it would of course have to have a good microphone for IP phone telephony and Skype. If it didn't look like something from Radio Shack that would be a bonus, and if the microphone was a bit discreet for street and airplane use that would be an added benefit. Lastly the connection to a workstation could be both USB and Bluetooth, with a preference for wireless. Thanks!" Bluetooth headsets have evolved quite a bit since the last time we had this discussion, so we're curious what you're currently using to make work a wee bit more bearable? No need in keeping secrets, right? Speak out in comments below!
NEC uses active noise cancellation for quieter zooming into your future memories
NEC just injected a little Bose up in some digital cameras, adding what it calls "noise suppression technologies" to Casio's new EX-ZR10 and promising that it will be deployed "throughout the digital camera and video camera markets" soon. The tech is designed to combat the evil intrusion of noise from optical zoom motors, working with a recording of what the zoom motor sounds like inside the camera. The shooter's internal circuitry then subtracts that noise from what's being recorded and, hey presto, silent zoomin'! NEC indicates a camera's microphone still captures other, desirable ambient noise without issue and that this tech allows the use of faster, more powerful motors for faster, more powerful zooming.
Sennheiser's sophisticated CXC 700 earbuds tout three levels of noise cancellation, TalkThrough functionality
Sennheiser has a thing for trotting out titillating new wares at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, and this year is proving to be no different in that regard. The audio specialist has just introduced one of the most fully-featured headsets we've seen in quite awhile, with the CXC 700 boasting not one, not two, but three levels of noise cancellation. The newfangled NoiseGard /digital technology gives owners a trifecta of noise-cancelling profiles, with each one optimized for something different. In fact, we'll let Senn do the explaining here: "Mode 1 absorbs low-frequency noise in particular (100 to 400 Hertz), such as engine noise from trains, buses or small passenger planes. Mode 2 focuses on cancelling noise in the medium frequency range (400 to 3,000 Hertz), which is caused above all by air-conditioning systems in large passenger aircraft or office buildings. Mode 3 has a particularly wide frequency range (100 to 3,000 Hertz), and combines the noise-cancelling effect in the medium and low-frequency ranges. As a result, background noise with different noise components, such as that which occurs at airports, railway stations or underground stations, can be effectively suppressed, although with a slightly lower noise-cancelling performance than in the first two modes." In case that's not enough to convince ya, these offer a frequency response of 20Hz to 21,000Hz, and they'll function just fine (albeit sans noise cancellation) even if your AAA battery keels over. Controls are embedded in the cabling, and users are able to activate the TalkThrough function if they'd prefer to conduct a conversation with someone without actually removing their earphones. Furthermore, changing between the NoiseGard profiles and activation of the TalkThrough function are indicated by both an acoustic and a visual signal. The company will be shipping these with a 4.5-foot long cable, an in-flight adapter, 6.35mm jack plug adapter, a small carrying case and a diaphragm protector, with sales to start later this month for around $320. %Gallery-112244%
Ask Engadget: best passive noise cancelling headphones?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Alex, who just can't take the noise, dude. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "Hello Engadget. I've always been a fan of high quality audio but I have a problem. I need noise cancelling headphones, but active noise cancelling gives me a headache and my ear canals aren't round enough to use in-ear earphones. I've also looked into custom earphones but I can't afford paying $400 or more for a set. What are your recommendations for the best pair of passive noise cancelling headphones? My ears thank you." We will say that Klipsch's oval ear tips tend to fit in funky ear canals that typically reject round ones, but if you're still hellbent on a pair of cans, we're hoping our audience below can toss out some advice. If they can hear us from underneath their noise cancelling headphones, of course.
Cardo Scala Rider G4 headset review: advanced noise cancellation for riders
We'll get this out of the way up front: riding a motorcycle on the road is a generally dangerous and frequently challenging thing. Doing so while dialing into a concall or grooving to some chill tunes is, well, not something we would exactly encourage. So, when we were given the opportunity to test ride Cardo's latest helmet-friendly Bluetooth headset, the Scala Rider G4, we were a little unsure of just how useful the thing would be for a conscientious, safety-minded rider. We took a pair of the headsets for a spin just the same and were left firmly convinced that this is a product worth giving up our in-helmet singing careers for. Click on through to read why, and for a demonstration of some supremely impressive noise cancellation. %Gallery-88850%
Sony's Trik / Triq iPod Dock is perfect for your garishly tasteless lifestyle, also headphones
Looking for the perfect sound system to match the urban camo scheme you applied on your M4A1 in Modern Warfare 2? Have we got the solution for you, guaranteed to both work with your iPod/iPhone and to make your parents cringe. It's Sony's Triq/Trik, which is so unbelievably tricky Sony can't decide whether to call it the Triq or the Trik. If the monochrome thing doesn't do it for you there are three other skins to choose from, each more hideous daring than the next. It pumps out a very meaningful 75 watts and will cost a $130 when it ships in April. Sony also announced the MDR-NC300D Digital Noise Canceling Earbuds, said to be the first earbuds with digital noise cancelation, surely far superior than those paltry analog cancellation-featuring earbuds. They're pictured after the break, featuring a "vertical-in-the-ear" style and providing 20 hours of life from a single AA battery. No, the battery doesn't go up in your ear canal. %Gallery-81805%
Sony NWZ-S745 on sale in Canada, US given cold shoulder
We don't know about you, but every time we hear of a Walkman, we think of the old school cassette players, and are left strangely disappointed by the slinky modern variants and their tons of storage. The 16GB S745, which has absolutely nothing to do with Mickey Mouse we assure you, has entered North American retail channels, only it seems to have skipped the US for its more peace-loving neighbor up north. Eagle-eyed Canadian shoppers have spotted the more advanced version of the S740 on sale in Sony Style stores (for 200 CAD or 188 in real American currency), replete with a 2-inch screen, noise-canceling earphones, and an unhealthily thin case. Still, suspicions abound that Sony is merely waiting for CES to roll around to make its big US unveiling, but if you really can't wait it's not like driving up to Canadia would be that terrible anyway.
Video: Sony NW-A840 packs OLED, noise cancellation, and 64GB of flash heat, still thinnest Walkman ever
Sony's keeping the pressure on the dedicated portable media player market with the launch of its latest OLED Walkman. The NW-A840 series is the thinnest Walkman ever at 7.2mm and comes packing a 2.8-inch OLED display and up to 64GB of flash storage. The players also feature Sony's digital noise cancellation, premium MDR-EX300SL earbuds right in the box, and the ability to pump 720x480 pixel video out to your TV. Sony rates the battery at 29-hours of continuous music or 9-hours of video. The A-series ships in three models -- 16GB NW-A845 (¥24,000/$263), N32GB W-A846 (¥30,000/$329), and 64GB NW-A847 (¥40,000/$439) -- starting October 31st. Also available in black for those who detest downtown hipster-brown. Video preview after the break. [Via Sony Insider]
