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Bose Sleepbuds review: Helpful but needs improvement
Bose, which is well-known for its quality (and pricey) audio equipment, went an interesting route with its latest piece of hardware. Two years ago, the company took to Indiegogo to gauge interest in a pair of noise-masking sleep earbuds. Essentially, customers paid to be part of the beta test and received hardware at up to a $100 discount. At the end of the campaign, the company had raised $450,320 -- more than 900 percent of its $50,000 goal -- so clearly there's a market for these. The Sleepbuds went on sale for $249.95 in June, and I was pretty much first in line to buy a pair at my local Bose store.
Engadget giveaway: Win a Nightingale home sleep system!
While some city dwellers have developed the ability to tune out loud noises, not everyone can ignore disruptive sounds come bedtime. Using optimized frequencies and decibel levels, Nightingale can do what white noise machines and fans fail to accomplish, by interfering with the brain's ability to comprehend noise when you're ready for bed. These unobtrusive units plug directly into wall outlets, while providing a pass-through for plugging in other electronics. You can control Nightingale with its free app (iOS and Android), and also choose if you want to add LED lighting effects in a variety of colors to help set the mood for a peaceful night's rest. The company has provided use with two home sleep systems for a pair of lucky winners this week. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget for up to three chances at winning one of these Nightingale home sleep systems. Good luck! Winners: Congratulations to Austin R. of Honolulu, HI and Will S. of San Jose, CA!
The ambient sounds of sci-fi will make you ditch that white noise machine
Sometimes you just need to clear your mind from all distractions and tune out the rest of the world. Sure, you could rely on a playlist or a regular ol' white noise machine, but that doesn't do much to boost your geek cred. Thanks to YouTuber crysknife007, you can now zone out with ambient sounds from Blade Runner, Battlestar Galactica and more. Whether its the hum of the engines from the Millennium Falcon or Nostromo, there are plenty of options to choose from with all of them providing a 12-hour loop that's sure to last a workday. Of course, you turn off all the lights and pretend your soaring through space, too. [Photo credit: Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection/Getty Images]
TUAW's Daily Mac App: DeepFocus
When you're in a noisy environment, such as a café or study room, or even when there's just the odd sound to distract you in a room of silence, concentrating can be difficult. You could play some music, but often music can be just as distracting as the background noise, especially when you're trying to put words down on a page. DeepFocus, a US$1.99 app available from the Mac App Store, aims to solve the problem without music, allowing you to concentrate without aural distractions. It does this by creating a wall of sound, generating random sound patterns defined by a set soundscape or theme, overlaid on white noise. The white noise helps to block out background sounds, while the soundscape gives you just enough (but not too much) to focus on, allowing you to concentrate. The app comes packing eight different soundscapes for you to choose from, with themes like the seaside to the urban landscape. You first select a soundscape from the menu bar and click 'Enter DeepFocus!' Headphones are, of course, a must, and a good set of sound isolators or noise-cancelling headphones will definitely enhance the experience. The white noise works to some extent, but you will still be able to hear a modicum of what's happening around you. Both the white noise background volume and the 'auralscape' volume can be independently controlled to taste, while an option for a 'Low level noise mask' is also present. A timer is included in the menu bar, showing you how long you've been in 'DeepFocus,' but thankfully, it can be turned off. If you have trouble concentrating in a noisy environment, or even in a relatively quiet one, DeepFocus could be the answer if, like me, you can't get by with music alone.
TUAW Sleep-off: Ambiance vs. aSleep vs. your Mac
Everybody needs to sleep, and more than just a few hours each night. It's not just a matter of being in a foul mood all day; there are some pretty serious physiological effects of sleep deprivation. Since you tend to learn the most when you do things incorrectly, I know plenty about lost sleep. Anything that helps my insomnia is worth checking into, so I've spent some time looking at ways my Mac and my iPhone might help me lay down, and stay down. I took a look at the iPhone first; there are more than a few apps available which make me drowsy, but only two that I could find which do it intentionally: aSleep and Ambiance. Fluff your pillow and read on to see how they stack up against each other and a few desktop applications.
