Anker’s new Soundcore Bluetooth sleep earbuds guarantee unmatched noise blocking… Yes, Snore Please!

A good night’s sleep is the best way to wake up energized and fresh the next morning. But if barking dogs in the neighborhood or a snoring partner alongside is giving you sleepless nights; noise-blocking sleep earbuds could be the go-to option to save yourself from any more nights spent tossing and turning.

If you are aware of noise-cancelling sleep earbuds, you may have already landed on the Anker Soundcore Sleep A10. An average option against a Bose or an Apple, the Soundcore A10 is now getting a refreshing uplift with the upcoming pair of Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds that are designed to block out as much outside noise as possible; deliver extra comfort while sleeping; and offer battery life that competitors don’t match.

Designer: Anker

Sleeping while wearing earbuds has not been a comfortable experience for me. I’m predominantly a side sleeper and the earbuds tend to hurt the ear when pressure is exerted. Anker believes it has worked its way around this problem with the new Twin-Seal ear tips that fit snuggly within the ear canal to ensure they are comfortable to wear in bed.

Even though the Soundcore Sleep A2 wireless earbuds are meant specially to block the outside noise while sleeping, the earbuds do not support active noise cancellation feature. Instead, it features a four-point noise-masking solution to ward off common disturbances such as snoring. This is made possible by the buds’ two-layer silicon construction with ear wings that offer “three times stronger passive noise blocking“ and “blend perfectly with the shape of your ear” spreading the “pressure evenly” for night-long comfort.

The new Anker earbuds can pair with Bluetooth device to play music, though information is scanty about the specs the Soundcore A20 would support. Things will become clearer in mid-April when Anker would start a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for its wireless sleep earbuds. Anker informs, the device will be offered at 40 percent discount through Kickstarter, and will go on sale for $150 after the crowdfunding campaign is over.

Until then, what we know from the company’s product page is that the device will feature a library of sleep noises that you can play to cancel out any seeping ambient sounds or perhaps to sleep to a piece of soothing music playing directly into your ear. Soundcore Sleep A2 touts a whopping 80-hour backup with a charging case in support. A companion for peaceful, disturbance-free sleep, it offers 14 hours of playback in Sleep mode and 10 hours of playback with Bluetooth.

 

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Photoacoustic Imaging Watch photographs blood vessels to monitor heart rate, SpO2 in real time


In a new and essential medical advancement, a team of researchers at the Southern University of Science and Technology in China has devised a wearable watch that can non-invasively monitor a wearer’s blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen saturation by clicking photos of the blood vessels in the skin. For this, the high-tech watch uses photoacoustic imaging and checks the user’s heart health in real time without much hassle.

Photoacoustic imaging machines generally use light and sound waves to see and hear inside the body and capture high-resolution imagery of blood vessels to estimate oxygen saturation, skin conditions, and even cancer.  Presently, these machines are bulky and require the user to visit the hospital. With the help of the Photoacoustic Imaging Watch, Chinese researchers have been able to miniaturize the tech to monitor how the wearer’s heart is working in real time, anywhere.

Designer: Southern University of Science and Technology

The watch, developed by SUST captures images of the blood vessels using tiny laser beams in the skin in high resolution. The watch is the imaging device and it is attached to a backpack that houses the entire hardware. With the watch on the wrist and backpack on the shoulder, the user should be able to check blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen levels even while moving around freely.

The backpack containing the hardware – laser and power supply – weighs about seven kilograms. The lightweight backpack can be carried around with ease while it allows the laser to focus and capture images of the tiniest of blood vessels in the skin around a 3 mm field of view. The new imaging system is currently in testing under various conditions, and it has been seen as a successful, convenient, and mobile alternative.

This “miniaturized wearable imaging system” can be used in “community health centers for preliminary disease diagnosis” or for “long-term monitoring of parameters related to blood circulation.”  Also, the system can be handy in “early detection of skin diseases.” The researchers are trying to make an even smaller laser beam to make the wearable photoacoustic imaging system more portable, maybe even small enough to eliminate the backpack from the design.

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Camper van with space-saving indoor shower and Starlink internet is designed for extended days on road

Living, Working, and Traveling have a new definition in 2024. Once, all three were separate entities; where you lived wasn’t where you worked, or where you worked you didn’t travel. But with trailers and camper vans, the entire definition is altering. Now, where you live is where you work, and where you work is where you travel. Based out of Cincinnati, Remote Vans has been making this transformation come real since 2021 and it’s reached a new high in 2024 with three new models—Friday, Oasis and Aegis.

The three Remote Vans variants are built on Mercedes Sprinter chassis with “power, comfort and connectivity” at the forefront. Born at the company’s new 30,000-square-foot production facility, all of the Friday, Oasis and Aegis are designed and fabricated in the factory except for slight metalwork carried out by a local vendor. While power comes from the Sprinter, comfort is ensured by the Remote Vans’ experience in Class B motorhomes, and connectivity is provided with Starlink high-speed internet. All of it is powered by a massive power bank, which can either juice up electrically or using a 190 watts solar panels.

Designer: Remote Vans

Remote Vans is making inroads in the RV market now with some customized features that should put it in a different league from its competitors. For instance, the new Friday, Oasis and Aegis arrive with a company-built shower pan (recirculating and collapsible shower system), freshwater tank and other befitting features like Espar hydronic water and air heating system to make camping for extended time fun in them.

The new power bank – comprising a 16.8-kWh 51-V Lithionics battery and a 3,000W inverter – onboard these Remote Vans models comes with 60 percent more storage than in the previous models. It takes care of the power needs of an efficient 48-volt air conditioner that can run for days on portable energy. All three variants with features onboard are ideal for both small and grand expeditions but the base model Friday lacks some premium features like a suspension kit, long-range fuel tanks, and an option for additional solar panels that Oasis and Aegis do.

Friday, starting at $205,000 and includes a kitchen, queen bed, 90-degree swing seat, internal shower, portable toilet, roof rack, and awning. On the entry, you have a comfortable and warm living space, saturated with a legless bed, a scratch-proof kitchen, an overhead shelf, and lightweight upper cabinets. The kitchen comprising a countertop, induction cooktop, microwave, minimalist drawers, sink, and fridge is easily accessible from inside or outside of the van.

The queen-size Bascule Bed is designed to folds-up during the day to provide 17.4 sqft of unobstructed garage space beneath when required, while the interesting swivel seats and fold-out swivel table make possible multiple, remote workstation setups or dining possibilities on the go. The base essentials of the Friday remain the same for Oasis and Aegis, while some additional features spike up the price for the latter two camper vans.

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This Teenage Engineering inspired laptop is a creative sound engineers dream come true

One thing all digital creatives need is a good machine to support their endeavors. The same holds true for music that pleases our ears, and no one knows it better than Teenage Engineering. The Swedish consumer electronics brand has made a name for itself in the last couple of years courtesy of its unique design language and the sublime ability to blend visually striking form factor with the musical experience.

This music editing laptop based on the TE philosophy of instant musical immersion, is all about music immersion, portability of use and flexible connection options to connect audio devices to create and edit music. It comes with a unique DJing method to control multiple controllers simultaneously by pressing the keys and adjusting the dot-shaped touchscreen.

Designer: PDF Haus

The motivation behind designing this compact music-creating machine is to cut down the clutter of various instruments and give audio engineers the ability to work on their projects anytime, anywhere. There are dedicated control wheels and keypads for editing the music files with ease. Those detachable sound sampler modules that act as a sound device to record or send edited samples, extend the usability of the machine without the need for a dedicated sampler. Thus, making it a one-stop-shop gadget for sound editing, audio creation and more. Everything is a lot more fun with the 180-degree hinge that allows one to work on it like contemporary audio-creating equipment.

That detachable interaction UI system brings a whole lot more to the fore than expected. Things like Low Pass Filter, High Pass Filter, pitch controller, and much more. While one could go on talking about the multifaceted use of keys and buttons that music makers will instantly relate to, we’ll appreciate the whole design aspect of it. Especially the achromatic and orange point tones emphasizing its Teenage Engineering DNA.

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Legendary Italian designer Marcello Gandini known for Lamborghini and Lancia Stratos Zero dies aged 85

Sowing the seed of Italian craftsmanship in car design will always be attributed to Marcello Gandini. Unfortunately, the legend passed away at the age of 85, leaving us with his iconic works including Lamborghini Countach and BMW Garmisch. He was the creative head behind the idea of incorporating the iconic scissor door and several other design innovations that were ahead of time.

Marcello’s cars have timeless appeal given they adorned the walls of automotive enthusiasts all over the world. Born in Turin, Italy, he worked as an interior designer and once was even rejected by Nuccio Bertone’s lead designer Giorgetto Giugiaro who himself had names like BMW M1, Maserati Ghibli and Lotus Esprit S1 under his design portfolio. Eventually, when Giugiaro moved on to Ghia in 1965, Gandini was hired by Bertone.

Designer: Marcello Gandini

This started an exciting journey that eventually led to designs like the Lamborghini LP500 prototype (earlier known as Countach), the Lancia Stratos Zero concept and the Alfa Romeo Monteral. During his 14-year stint at Bertone, he completed over 100 projects, most of which are deemed the classics in automotive design. His signature styles including the scissor doors and wedge-shaped outlines, even today capture everyone’s imagination. After leaving Bertone, Gandini started a new company with his wife Claudia. During this time he worked out of the box to design mass production cars for names like Polo, BMW and Renault.

He even worked with Tata Motors in the year 2017 to bring to life the TaMo Racemo sportscar concept. Gandini also helped design the Volkswagen Polo, second-generation Renault 5 and Citroen BX. In the latter half of his glorious career, he experimented with non-automotive projects like the Angel helicopter, an expansive house in Corsica and noticeable industrial and furniture design spaces.

The legendary designer died aged 85 all of a sudden in the Rivoli municipality of Turin on Monday which was a shock for the design community. His funeral chapel was held on Thursday from 3:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M., and Friday from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. local time. The funeral will extend to Saturday to allow fans and the design community to pay homage.

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Light, comfortable, and overly versatile Dropy teardrop trailer has compact foldout kitchen

Teardrop trailers have, arguably, taken the camping world by storm. The industry is flooded with small, mini, and micro trailers with their customization options to fit user desires and requirements. Offering extreme overlanding comfort with a sleeping area and functional galley kitchen in the rear, these lightweight trailers in addition to being exciting and fun are also comfortable and glamorous.

Following the lead arrives Dropy, a light, compact, comfortable and overly versatile teardrop trailer designed and developed by Barcelona-based Drop Campers. While on the exterior, the squared-off Dropy is just an ordinary trailer, it reveals some exciting new ways to keep it simple with an interesting layout.

Designer: Drop Campers

The variation of the Dropy lies in its kitchen, which basically comprises a fold-down traction board at the back alongside a small slide-out to hold a petite stove. This interesting convertible makeover, which is starkly compact in comparison with the rear galley kitchen, leaves more room in the sleeping quarter for the inhabitants to explore. The folding table can double as a work desk or a casual table when you want to just sit and relax outside of your camping trailer.

Always ready for what you throw at it, the Dropy has been designed to travel on tar, gravel, and unbeaten trails without much fuss courtesy of its welded galvanized steel chassis comprising a torsion bar axle and choice of leaf spring or independent suspension. Within its aluminum composite, birch body, black Line-X cabin, insulated with Kaiflex closed-cell rubber, you can experience an unforgettable living space featuring a double mattress, overhead cabinets, and some drawers and shelves for storage.

The interior of the Dropy trailer is well-lit with a skylight, and boat side doors with sliding windows. The camper is more of a shell otherwise starting at €21,500 (approximately $23,500). It is the la carte options that scale up the price and the utility of the Dropy. To that accord, Drop Campers offers a range of options depending on the Crossover (all-road), SUV (all-terrain), or Offroad variant you go for. This includes the choice of 110W rooftop solar panels, lithium battery, hot air heating system, outdoor water tank with road shower, refrigerator, Primus 2-burner gas stove, indoor hanging hammock for kids or pets, bike rack for 2 bicycles, ski and surfboard carriers, side-mounted dresser and outdoor bathroom/toilet, and more.

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This hybrid smartwatch cocoons a pair of earbuds for double utility geeks always desired

Carrying around gadgets is a normal regime for geeks like me who always have a smartwatch, earbuds and the trusted phone at arm’s length. That said, at times you wish things were more compact or a multipurpose gadget would perform double duty to cut the clutter down. The Huawei Watch Buds are a good example of that niche market space where smartwatches and earbuds are in plenty.

Capitalizing on the inherent human nature of forgetting things, especially buds, the Huawei Watch Buds are a good idea to own. On the same lines, Indian tech startup, WatchOut has released their own iteration of a smartwatch with earbuds concealed on the sides. They are pitching it as the WearPods Smartwatch for Gen-Z who are always open to accepting new ideas and gadgets for an upbeat lifestyle.

Designer: WatchOut

Converging the two gadgets always seemed like a sensible idea to me, since it means you have one less gadget to carry around. Moreover, taking out your earbuds from inside the smartwatch is the stuff of Bond movies, for bragging rights. How well these two separate wearable experiences work is still my quandary as little compromises for both have to be made to fit in such a small size. With a typical smartwatch lasting a couple of days on full charge, and with all the smart features enabled, the battery life on this hybrid smartwatch having a 1.93-inch display is going to be an issue for sure.

Just like the charging case of your earbuds juices up the earbuds for the next session of listening, the smartwatch charges the incubating buds inside. Interestingly, the earbuds are quite compact which results in the compact form factor of the squarish smartwatch. The makers have kept the rugged element alive for this timepiece having a 48.5 mm dial with symmetrical chopped edges. At that size, it might be an odd fit for smaller hands but the compact design should make things accommodating.

Just like other smartwatches out there, IP67-rated WatchOut has a suite of features for customization, health statistics (including heart rate, steps, BP measurement and sleep tracking), and of course, bands to match the look. Coming on to the buds, they have a good balanced audio for music lovers. There’s no mention of ANC or transparency modes in the feature list, so we’ll mark that as a downside. That said the buds will last an impressive 8 hours on a single charge. For approximately $60, this combo of a smartwatch and earbuds is not a bad deal considering a standalone product alone costs around $100-$150 if you are on a budget.

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This modular multiverse controller is well-equipped for gaming, drone flying and industrial applications

In a world where gadgets are ruling the roost, a unified approach to control them is prime. Carrying around different controllers for your drone, portable gaming consoles and Metaverse applications seems like backtracking to the last century. The dynamic aspects of life and users’ desire to have the least possible things to carry in their backpacks with the maximum scope of utility are important in current times. That’s the reason multiple utility gadgets are in hot demand.

This Multiverse controller wants to address this market space with its ability to address multiple use-case scenarios. With 3D printing in its structural design, the controller has modular capabilities to adapt to the needs of users and gamers who love the freedom of customization.

Designer: Diego Perez Rogé

Strangely named the Lifil Murtiverse controller, this gadget will primarily be an open-source product in terms of hardware and software. This keeps the options open for industrial applications, along with the casual applications for individual users. All the buttons, triggers and joysticks are completely modular, allowing the users to program the controller for different game-playing needs, customize for drone flying, controlling industrial equipment, or even employed in tech-savvy educational applications in schools or institutions. The ergonomics have been kept close to what’s identified as a winning formula as it closely resembles an Xbox or PlayStation controller.

The positioning of buttons can be adjusted by a 30-degree adjustment angle to have maximum control over the transversal axis. On the inside, the components are ARDUINO actuated to make possible the assembly of the controller from scratch for potential configuration with newer Bluetooth or WiFi modules. According to the designer, the controller can be reconfigured at the internal hardware level to ensure it never gets obsolete with technological advancements.

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This ultra-futuristic Batmobile inspired by motorsports is fit for the Batman 2 flick slated for 2025 release

The Batmobile, as a symbol of power, stealth, and ingenuity has captivated audiences for generations with its dynamic presence in the DC Comics universe. Beyond the pages of comic books and the screens, the crime-fighting accomplice has inspired real-world automotive designers to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation. From its humble beginnings as a stylized car in the 1940s to its latest incarnation in the movies, the Dark Knight’s legendary ride has undergone numerous adaptations, each reflecting the technological advancements and design trends of its respective era.

While many of these interpretations remain confined to the realm of fiction, some have transcended into reality, sparking imaginations and fueling the dreams of automotive enthusiasts and designers alike. This concept design is no different as it lands straight out from a realm of the future for Gotham’s vigilante to take charge of the streets!

Designer: Frédéric LE SCIELLOUR

The humungous size of this crime-fighting machine can be gauged from the minuscule size of the driving seat. Top it off with those spiked-up wheels for maximum grip even in the most inhospitable terrain or inclement weather conditions. You can even deem this vehicle fit for a universe where Batman and the junkies of Mad Max collide. For sure it is built for high-speed chases in the city and the outer bounds with equal dexterity. The low-slung riding position and the wide tires ensure maximum grip aided by those metal spikes. The uniquely shaped rear wing seems inspired by the Formula-1 cars of the current generation to increase the downforce. This Batmobile looks fit for a circuit racing world with its motorsports-inspired shape.

To beep up the intimidation quotient while maintaining a modern look, the Batmobile gets small red LED headlights and fog lamps up front. The overall glossy bodywork is contrasted by the matte titanium grey finish that looks gorgeous.

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$3,000 Cybertruck Basecamp Tent is an unpolished homeless encampment missing key features

Before the release of the Cybertruck (for eager buyers), Tesla was developing an official accessory with Heimplanet to satiate the needs of adventure junkies. Known as the Cybertruck Basecamp Tent, the sleek and stylish add-on would turn the electric truck into a sporty off-grid camping vehicle for nature lovers.

The accessory has finally shipped for people who pre-booked and unfortunately, it looks nothing like the version promised in the 2019 renders and prototype. Just like the Cybertruck’s overblown bubble hype, the Basecamp Tent for the truck bed looks like a gray blob of unfinished and shabby product that’s more like a homeless encampment.

Designer: Tesla

There are a lot of strings attached when we consider the ease of installation as Tesla recommends owners bring the thing to the service center for initial installation of the brackets. Ideally, that should not be the case as one should be able to seamlessly install it on his/her own. A user on the CybertruckOwnersClub forum says that “forcefully popping out the Aeroflap” just feels like a less-than-premium experience. Removing or reinstalling the Aeroflap compromises the waterproofing at the front of the vault. Also, the plastic pieces/clips hooked from the Aeroflap are susceptible to breaking with repeated use.

Strangely the manual lists down the “Tent Mode” – supposed to self-level on a sloped surface – which apparently doesn’t exist right now. So, should we expect some kind of update or add-on fix it? The second-hearted approach in launching this product is evident from the small little gripes. On a positive note, the Roof Peak clips are easy to locate and attach to the roof, as they fit along the triangle section of the truck’s window. This helps maintain the structural integrity of the tent, and once everything is in place, inflate the tent to set up the base for the night. Another advantage is the space under the stowed basecamp to store essentials. Not to mention the lightweight aesthetics and the use of premium materials.

If the price had been reasonable, my perspective would have been different about all the shortcomings in features and the overall design. But shelling out $3,000 for this unfinished accessory that’s a handful while installing and uninstalling, is not at all justified!

 

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