This week’s edition of the Official Xbox Podcast is likely to have far more eyes and ears on it than usual. That’s because three top Xbox executives are set to lay out what's ahead for the brand.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, Xbox President Sarah Bond and President of Game Content and Studios Matt Booty will “share updates on the Xbox business,” following rumors that several major games could be coming to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. Various reports have indicated that one-time exclusives such as Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are bound for rival platforms. Even tentpole franchises like Halo and Gears of War could be on the way to Sony and Nintendo platforms.
Please join us for a special edition of the Official Xbox Podcast.
Hear from Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond and Matt Booty as they share updates on the Xbox business. pic.twitter.com/TxwWJVUbgx
It's likely that Spencer, Bond and Booty will either dispel such rumors or confirm the reports on the Official Xbox Podcast. Spencer pledged that the “business update” will include details “about our vision for the future of Xbox.” You can find out for yourself what that entails by checking out the episode on YouTube (which we've embedded below) or podcast services such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts when it drops at 3PM ET on Thursday.
It's clear that Microsoft's gaming division has been going through a sea change over the last few months after finally closing its mammoth takeover of Activision Blizzard in October and then laying off 1,900 people a few months later. We should get more clarity as to the overall direction of Microsoft Gaming today.
It does seem that Microsoft is about to become more of a multi-platform publisher, though. The company has already pledged to bring more of its games to Switch after making a deal with Nintendo to release Call of Duty titles on that company's systems.
That said, Microsoft is unlikely to stop making consoles of its own any time soon. Spencer told staff at a town hall earlier this month Xbox has more hardware in the pipeline, according to Inverse. Bond also reportedly laid out a vision of making Xbox available on "every screen" and showed the smash hit Game Pass title Palworldon various tablets, TV screens, monitors and handheld devices.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-phil-spencer-discuss-the-future-of-xbox-at-3pm-et-164520726.html?src=rss
A team of South Korean researchers at Yonsei University have developed a hybrid rice variant that’s quite literally filled with beef. The lab-grown rice grains were infused with cow muscle and fat cells, so they are one part plant and one part meat. The rice is also an appetizing shade of bright pink, which tends to happen when flesh enters the picture.
The team hopes to eventually offer a cheaper and more sustainable source of protein with a much lower carbon footprint than actual beef. It’ll also save time for those who enjoy a nice beef bowl over rice—the rice is the beef bowl.
Here’s how they achieved this culinary delight. The researchers first coated each grain of rice in fish gelatin to help the meat cells latch on. Next, they inserted cow muscle and fat stem cells into each grain, which are then left to culture in a petri dish. Rice grains feature a porous, yet organized, internal structure that actually mimics the “biological scaffolds” found in meat cells. So the rice grains offer a housing that allows the cells to grow and thrive, along with molecules to provide nourishment.
The meat cells grow both on the surface of the rice grain and inside of the grain itself. After around ten days, you get a finished product. The study, published in Matter, says the rice grains taste like beef sushi, which makes sense given the ingredients.
“Imagine obtaining all the nutrients we need from cell-cultured protein rice,” primary author Sohyeon Park said in a press release. “Rice already has a high nutrient level, but adding cells from livestock can further boost it.”
The team even envisions a day when livestock could be eliminated from the process entirely. They hope to develop a line of cells that continue to divide and grow over long periods of time, so they can source from that line instead of from actual cows. “After that, we can create a sustainable food system,” Park told CNN.
Obviously, this is still in the research phase, so pink beef rice won’t be showing up on restaurant menus anytime soon. The team’s refining the growth process to produce rice grains with more nutritional value. They also hope to further improve the taste, texture and color. “It could one day serve as food relief for famine, military ration, or even space food,” Park said in the press release.
This is just one part of a global effort to do something, anything, about the ongoing ecological disaster that is meat production. Livestock intended for slaughter are responsible for 6.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere each year, according to a UN report. That’s nearly 12 percent of all human-caused carbon emissions.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youve-tried-plant-based-meat-but-here-come-meat-based-plants-163654564.html?src=rss
A team of South Korean researchers at Yonsei University have developed a hybrid rice variant that’s quite literally filled with beef. The lab-grown rice grains were infused with cow muscle and fat cells, so they are one part plant and one part meat. The rice is also an appetizing shade of bright pink, which tends to happen when flesh enters the picture.
The team hopes to eventually offer a cheaper and more sustainable source of protein with a much lower carbon footprint than actual beef. It’ll also save time for those who enjoy a nice beef bowl over rice—the rice is the beef bowl.
Here’s how they achieved this culinary delight. The researchers first coated each grain of rice in fish gelatin to help the meat cells latch on. Next, they inserted cow muscle and fat stem cells into each grain, which are then left to culture in a petri dish. Rice grains feature a porous, yet organized, internal structure that actually mimics the “biological scaffolds” found in meat cells. So the rice grains offer a housing that allows the cells to grow and thrive, along with molecules to provide nourishment.
The meat cells grow both on the surface of the rice grain and inside of the grain itself. After around ten days, you get a finished product. The study, published in Matter, says the rice grains taste like beef sushi, which makes sense given the ingredients.
“Imagine obtaining all the nutrients we need from cell-cultured protein rice,” primary author Sohyeon Park said in a press release. “Rice already has a high nutrient level, but adding cells from livestock can further boost it.”
The team even envisions a day when livestock could be eliminated from the process entirely. They hope to develop a line of cells that continue to divide and grow over long periods of time, so they can source from that line instead of from actual cows. “After that, we can create a sustainable food system,” Park told CNN.
Obviously, this is still in the research phase, so pink beef rice won’t be showing up on restaurant menus anytime soon. The team’s refining the growth process to produce rice grains with more nutritional value. They also hope to further improve the taste, texture and color. “It could one day serve as food relief for famine, military ration, or even space food,” Park said in the press release.
This is just one part of a global effort to do something, anything, about the ongoing ecological disaster that is meat production. Livestock intended for slaughter are responsible for 6.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere each year, according to a UN report. That’s nearly 12 percent of all human-caused carbon emissions.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youve-tried-plant-based-meat-but-here-come-meat-based-plants-163654564.html?src=rss
Meta says it will start making businesses and influencers cover the cost of a 30 percent fee Apple is charging when they pay to promote their posts on the Facebook and Instagram iOS apps. In 2022, Apple updated its App Store policy to apply the 30 percent cut it takes from digital purchases to boosted posts, claiming that they were effectively in-app purchases. Meta is now passing that additional cost along to advertisers.
Starting later this month in the US and in other markets later this year, Apple will take over billing of boosted posts through the apps. When the 30 percent fee becomes applicable, it will be more expensive for advertisers to pay for boosted posts on the Instagram and Facebook iOS apps. They can get around Apple's fee by going through the mobile web or desktop instead.
Meta says its hands are tied, since it either has to play by Apple's rules or remove the boosted post feature from its iOS apps. "We do not want to remove the ability to boost posts, as this would hurt small businesses by making the feature less discoverable and potentially deprive them of a valuable way to promote their business," the company wrote in a blog post.
Those who don’t mind paying extra to promote posts via the iOS apps will need to go through a different payment process too. They’ll have to add prepaid funds to their account and pay for boosted posts in advance of publishing them instead of after the ads run.
If advertisers add prepaid funds through the Facebook or Instagram iOS apps, they'll be subject to Apple's 30 percent service fee. Alternatively, they can add funds to their Meta account on desktop or the mobile web. That way, Meta says, they can use the funds to boost posts "from any tool, including from the Instagram or Facebook iOS apps, without incurring fees."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-will-make-advertisers-cover-apples-30-percent-fee-on-boosted-facebook-and-instagram-posts-160823453.html?src=rss
Meta says it will start making businesses and influencers cover the cost of a 30 percent fee Apple is charging when they pay to promote their posts on the Facebook and Instagram iOS apps. In 2022, Apple updated its App Store policy to apply the 30 percent cut it takes from digital purchases to boosted posts, claiming that they were effectively in-app purchases. Meta is now passing that additional cost along to advertisers.
Starting later this month in the US and in other markets later this year, Apple will take over billing of boosted posts through the apps. When the 30 percent fee becomes applicable, it will be more expensive for advertisers to pay for boosted posts on the Instagram and Facebook iOS apps. They can get around Apple's fee by going through the mobile web or desktop instead.
Meta says its hands are tied, since it either has to play by Apple's rules or remove the boosted post feature from its iOS apps. "We do not want to remove the ability to boost posts, as this would hurt small businesses by making the feature less discoverable and potentially deprive them of a valuable way to promote their business," the company wrote in a blog post.
Those who don’t mind paying extra to promote posts via the iOS apps will need to go through a different payment process too. They’ll have to add prepaid funds to their account and pay for boosted posts in advance of publishing them instead of after the ads run.
If advertisers add prepaid funds through the Facebook or Instagram iOS apps, they'll be subject to Apple's 30 percent service fee. Alternatively, they can add funds to their Meta account on desktop or the mobile web. That way, Meta says, they can use the funds to boost posts "from any tool, including from the Instagram or Facebook iOS apps, without incurring fees."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-will-make-advertisers-cover-apples-30-percent-fee-on-boosted-facebook-and-instagram-posts-160823453.html?src=rss
Beyond the sound's quality, we want two things when it comes to headphones: a lightweight design and noise canceling. Bose's aptly named QuietComfort wireless headphones make a case for both and, right now, do so at a record-low price. The 2023 QuietComfort headphones are currently available for $249, down from $349 — a 29 percent discount. The sale applies to all colors: Cypress Green, Moonstone Blue, Black and White.
The newest iteration of the Bose QuietComfort wireless headphones improves on the QuietComfort 45. While many of the features (which we'll get into) are quite similar, the 2023 model offers adjustable ANC models and an option to save custom modes. The headphones are our choice for the best noise-canceling wireless headphones for 2024.
Bose's QuietComfort headphones also offer a soft earcup and padded band for that comfort component. They provide 24 hours of battery life with a 15-minute charge providing another two and a half hours of juice. As for sound quality, the QuietComfort headphones offer high-fidelity audio and adjustable EQ for even greater customization.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/boses-new-quietcomfort-headphones-are-100-off-right-now-145839415.html?src=rss
Beyond the sound's quality, we want two things when it comes to headphones: a lightweight design and noise canceling. Bose's aptly named QuietComfort wireless headphones make a case for both and, right now, do so at a record-low price. The 2023 QuietComfort headphones are currently available for $249, down from $349 — a 29 percent discount. The sale applies to all colors: Cypress Green, Moonstone Blue, Black and White.
The newest iteration of the Bose QuietComfort wireless headphones improves on the QuietComfort 45. While many of the features (which we'll get into) are quite similar, the 2023 model offers adjustable ANC models and an option to save custom modes. The headphones are our choice for the best noise-canceling wireless headphones for 2024.
Bose's QuietComfort headphones also offer a soft earcup and padded band for that comfort component. They provide 24 hours of battery life with a 15-minute charge providing another two and a half hours of juice. As for sound quality, the QuietComfort headphones offer high-fidelity audio and adjustable EQ for even greater customization.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/boses-new-quietcomfort-headphones-are-100-off-right-now-145839415.html?src=rss
Last month, Bose took an interesting approach to debuting a new product when it launched its Ultra Open Earbuds exclusively through a collaboration with fashion company Kith. Now, Bose is back with its own version, nixing the co-branding while keeping the same price. For both varieties, the $299 Ultra Open Earbuds sit outside of your ear canal and clip onto the ridge of your ear to stay in place. Due to the open nature of the design, active noise cancellation (ANC) is moot, but Bose does bring its Immersive Audio tech to the table for spatial sound.
Bose has gone the “open” route before, debuting the Sport Open Earbuds in 2021. That model has the over-the-ear hook that we’ve seen on some fitness-focused earbuds, only the company opted for a hard plastic hook that doesn’t bend or flex at all. This meant they weren’t the most comfortable and you couldn’t use them while wearing glasses or a hat. As open-type earbuds have become increasingly popular, mostly for the allure of “all day” wear by allowing you to stay in-tune with your surroundings, Bose developed this model that fixes all the issues of its previous design. There are some trade-offs with earbuds that sit outside of your ear canal, but you may be willing to overlook them in the name of style, comfort and functionality.
Design
Photo by Kate Steele/Engadget
For the Ultra Open Earbuds, Bose created a two-piece design that consists of a rounded speaker chamber that sits outside of your ear canal and a cylindrical battery box that rests behind your ear. In between is a strip of soft-touch, flexible silicon that wraps around the edge of your ear for what the company calls a “light-as-air grip.” There are onboard controls too, as the battery barrel on both sides each holds a single, multi-function button.
Bose describes the Ultra Open Earbuds as “more fashion accessory than traditional wearable,” and they certainly aren’t inconspicuous. They provide a lewk that you’ll need to be okay with. During my testing, not everyone I encountered, even in my own home, was a fan.
“It’s really hard for me to look at you when you have those things on,” my wife said. “They’re a vibe.” On the bright side, that vibe got me out of a conversation with a door-to-door internet salesman quickly as they suggested I was “on call.”
Polarizing design aside, the Ultra Open Earbuds are extremely comfortable to wear. Earbuds that go into your ears are fine for a few hours at most for me before they become a test of my endurance. Open-type earbuds are different, of course, and these are certainly the most comfy of the sort that I’ve tested thanks to the lack of a hook. And that clip-on pressure is so light that you don’t feel any irritation there. There’s enough of a grip to hold the IPX4-rated earbuds in place though, even during workouts.
Bose Music app and features
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
Like most of Bose’s recent products, the Ultra Open Earbuds work with the company’s Music app for access to features and settings. There isn’t anything new here that wasn’t available on the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds that debuted last year, except for some guidance about how to put the Ultra Open Earbuds on. Most of the tools you’ll need are still front-and-center on the main screen, with things like battery life, sound modes, EQ, Immersive Audio and Bluetooth connections easily accessible. The Ultra Open Earbuds don’t have multipoint Bluetooth connectivity, so though the app does show multiple devices to stream from, you can only sync with one at a time. And since these are meant to be worn all the time, there’s no automatic pausing either.
The app also lets you reassign what the onboard button does, but only one gesture is available for customizing: press-and-hold. By default, it’s set to cycle between stereo and Immersive Audio modes. You can also employ it to change the Immersive Audio setting (Still, Motion, Off), switch Bluetooth connections, summon your voice assistant or simply disable it entirely. Left and right buttons can be configured individually, putting different tasks on either side. Bose does include onboard volume control despite only having one physical button on the earbuds. A double press then hold on the right increases the level while the same sequence on the left lowers it.
Sound quality
One unique aspect of the Ultra Open Earbuds audio-wise is the fact that you can wear them anywhere along your ear they sound and feel the best. This could be at the bottom of your ear or along the back edge. Bose says positioning around your ear doesn’t affect overall sound quality so long as the speaker component is placed first before wrapping the silicon “flex arm” around back. There are certain spots where the Ultra Open Earbuds feel and sound better, but it always takes a small adjustment to find the sweet spot when I first put them on.
Bose says that the Ultra Open Earbuds use so-called Open Audio in tandem with its spatial Immersive Audio tech for “a breakthrough experience.” According to the company, the former allows you to listen to tunes with “almost no sound leaks” to those around you. I found that this only holds true up to about 50 percent volume level. Above that, people around you in quiet settings will hear what you’re listening to. Not in great detail unless you crank the earbuds all the way up, but a general rumble is audible to those nearby.
Immersive Audio, Bose’s spatial sound technology, puts you in the acoustic sweet spot to improve the overall listening experience. This works really well on the QC Ultra Earbuds and QC Ultra Headphones where your ears are closed off and the sound is directed at them. With the Ultra Open Earbuds, the difference between stereo and Immersive Audio in terms of overall sound quality is subtle. And since Immersive Audio has such an impact on battery life, it’s probably best if you leave it off if you aren’t able to greatly distinguish between the two modes.
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
In general, the Ultra Open Earbuds suffer the same fate as most open-type audio wearables. You sacrifice sound quality to keep your ears clear, which certainly increases overall comfort most, if not all of the time. Specifically, there’s a lack of dynamic tuning as the audio profile rests mostly in the mid range. Bass is subdued, as are the crisp highs from Bose’s other recent audio gear. These are still some of the best open-type earbuds I’ve tested in terms of sound, but their design leads to a less impressive listening experience compared to in-ear buds.
There is a decent low-end thump when listening to things like Com Truise’s synth-tinged electronic instrumentals. But, it doesn’t have the same deep bass punch as closed-off earbuds. There’s also still good detail in mellow selections like Kacey Musgraves’ “Deeper Well” but even then the sound is more compressed than usual, so the openness of the track is quite subdued. The overall audio quality depends on how the earbuds fit on your ears as I could improve things by holding them close to my ear canal, but they don’t stay there without assistance. Where they rest on their own, though, doesn’t deliver the best these buds have to offer.
There also seems to be a reverb-y echo on the Ultra Open Earbuds, like the two sides are slightly out of sync. This is the biggest knock on the sound quality for me as it’s very evident when listening to podcasts. It sounds like the host recorded in a school hallway even when the audio is pristine. It doesn’t make the earbuds unusable, but it’s enough to be noticeable, especially on isolated voices. I’ve reached out to Bose for more information on why this is happening, and whether there might be a fix coming. (Update: This is caused by Immersive Audio mode being active for podcasts. After some guidance from Bose, I disabled it, which fixed the issue.)
Call quality
Due to their design, the Ultra Open Earbuds are great for hearing yourself on calls. Your ears aren’t blocked, so you don’t ever feel the need to shout or worry about a subpar transparency mode. When you’re speaking, voice quality is decent, but only in quiet areas. If you encounter medium-to-high levels of ambient noise, which I simulated with a white noise machine and a louder-than-average bathroom fan, that background clamor is very apparent to the person on the other side.
Battery life
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
On the Ultra Open Earbuds, battery life is drastically impacted by the spatial Immersive Audio. Bose says you can expect up to four and a half hours with it turned on or up to seven and half hours without. Battery life also took a hit on the QC Ultra Earbuds and the QC Ultra Headphones when Immersive Audio was at work, so this isn’t a surprise. But, cutting the expected play time by about half is more of a decrease than what I experienced on those two models. During my tests, I managed just over five hours of playtime at 75 percent volume with Immersive Audio active almost the entire time. This includes letting the earbuds sit idle in standby mode twice for around 30-45 minutes before picking them back up (breaks not factored into use time).
The good news is there are nearly three full charges in the case, no matter which audio mode you use. A 10-minute rest will give you up to two hours of playtime and the Ultra Open Earbuds take one hour to fully charge. The bad news is that the case doesn’t charge wirelessly out of the box, so you’ll need to plug in a USB-C cable. Bose will sell a wireless charging cover for the case like it does with the QC Ultra Earbuds ($49).
The competition
There are fewer options for open-wear earbuds than there are “traditional” models. One in particular is worth considering as an alternative to the Ultra Open Earbuds. Shokz is better known for its bone-conduction models that keep your ears completely free from obstruction, but the company also makes the OpenFit ($180) open-ear headphones. Engadget homepage editor Jon Turi observed “rich bass” during his review, but with a “crunchy” edge to super-low frequencies. Senior commerce editor Valentina Palladino has also tested these, noting the balanced weight distribution that helps them stay in place during workouts. Of course, these have the over-the-ear hook, so you’ll have to contend with that interfering with glasses or headwear.
For something more mainstream, I’d suggest Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. They are certainly the best true wireless model yet from the company, with stellar ANC performance and that Immersive Audio tech that doesn’t require special content for spatial sound. They’re also slightly cheaper at $249.
Wrap-up
Kudos to Bose for thinking outside the box for its latest set of open-style earbuds. The Ultra Open Earbuds’ design is certainly unique, and it’s also very comfortable. If you’re going to wear these all day like the company expects, they can’t be painful at any point, and these certainly aren’t. However, you’ll need to make some sacrifices in terms of audio, unless these fit you right in the sweet spot close to your ear canal. If all-day wear is your goal, though, and you enjoy the benefits of the open design, you’ll likely be ok with the sonic deficiencies.
The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are available starting today in black and white color options for $299.
Update, February 15 2024, 11:09AM ET: This review was updated with more info on the use of Immersive Audio when listening to podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bose-ultra-open-earbuds-review-function-meets-fashion-140015467.html?src=rss
Last month, Bose took an interesting approach to debuting a new product when it launched its Ultra Open Earbuds exclusively through a collaboration with fashion company Kith. Now, Bose is back with its own version, nixing the co-branding while keeping the same price. For both varieties, the $299 Ultra Open Earbuds sit outside of your ear canal and clip onto the ridge of your ear to stay in place. Due to the open nature of the design, active noise cancellation (ANC) is moot, but Bose does bring its Immersive Audio tech to the table for spatial sound.
Bose has gone the “open” route before, debuting the Sport Open Earbuds in 2021. That model has the over-the-ear hook that we’ve seen on some fitness-focused earbuds, only the company opted for a hard plastic hook that doesn’t bend or flex at all. This meant they weren’t the most comfortable and you couldn’t use them while wearing glasses or a hat. As open-type earbuds have become increasingly popular, mostly for the allure of “all day” wear by allowing you to stay in-tune with your surroundings, Bose developed this model that fixes all the issues of its previous design. There are some trade-offs with earbuds that sit outside of your ear canal, but you may be willing to overlook them in the name of style, comfort and functionality.
Design
Photo by Kate Steele/Engadget
For the Ultra Open Earbuds, Bose created a two-piece design that consists of a rounded speaker chamber that sits outside of your ear canal and a cylindrical battery box that rests behind your ear. In between is a strip of soft-touch, flexible silicon that wraps around the edge of your ear for what the company calls a “light-as-air grip.” There are onboard controls too, as the battery barrel on both sides each holds a single, multi-function button.
Bose describes the Ultra Open Earbuds as “more fashion accessory than traditional wearable,” and they certainly aren’t inconspicuous. They provide a lewk that you’ll need to be okay with. During my testing, not everyone I encountered, even in my own home, was a fan.
“It’s really hard for me to look at you when you have those things on,” my wife said. “They’re a vibe.” On the bright side, that vibe got me out of a conversation with a door-to-door internet salesman quickly as they suggested I was “on call.”
Polarizing design aside, the Ultra Open Earbuds are extremely comfortable to wear. Earbuds that go into your ears are fine for a few hours at most for me before they become a test of my endurance. Open-type earbuds are different, of course, and these are certainly the most comfy of the sort that I’ve tested thanks to the lack of a hook. And that clip-on pressure is so light that you don’t feel any irritation there. There’s enough of a grip to hold the IPX4-rated earbuds in place though, even during workouts.
Bose Music app and features
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
Like most of Bose’s recent products, the Ultra Open Earbuds work with the company’s Music app for access to features and settings. There isn’t anything new here that wasn’t available on the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds that debuted last year, except for some guidance about how to put the Ultra Open Earbuds on. Most of the tools you’ll need are still front-and-center on the main screen, with things like battery life, sound modes, EQ, Immersive Audio and Bluetooth connections easily accessible. The Ultra Open Earbuds don’t have multipoint Bluetooth connectivity, so though the app does show multiple devices to stream from, you can only sync with one at a time. And since these are meant to be worn all the time, there’s no automatic pausing either.
The app also lets you reassign what the onboard button does, but only one gesture is available for customizing: press-and-hold. By default, it’s set to cycle between stereo and Immersive Audio modes. You can also employ it to change the Immersive Audio setting (Still, Motion, Off), switch Bluetooth connections, summon your voice assistant or simply disable it entirely. Left and right buttons can be configured individually, putting different tasks on either side. Bose does include onboard volume control despite only having one physical button on the earbuds. A double press then hold on the right increases the level while the same sequence on the left lowers it.
Sound quality
One unique aspect of the Ultra Open Earbuds audio-wise is the fact that you can wear them anywhere along your ear they sound and feel the best. This could be at the bottom of your ear or along the back edge. Bose says positioning around your ear doesn’t affect overall sound quality so long as the speaker component is placed first before wrapping the silicon “flex arm” around back. There are certain spots where the Ultra Open Earbuds feel and sound better, but it always takes a small adjustment to find the sweet spot when I first put them on.
Bose says that the Ultra Open Earbuds use so-called Open Audio in tandem with its spatial Immersive Audio tech for “a breakthrough experience.” According to the company, the former allows you to listen to tunes with “almost no sound leaks” to those around you. I found that this only holds true up to about 50 percent volume level. Above that, people around you in quiet settings will hear what you’re listening to. Not in great detail unless you crank the earbuds all the way up, but a general rumble is audible to those nearby.
Immersive Audio, Bose’s spatial sound technology, puts you in the acoustic sweet spot to improve the overall listening experience. This works really well on the QC Ultra Earbuds and QC Ultra Headphones where your ears are closed off and the sound is directed at them. With the Ultra Open Earbuds, the difference between stereo and Immersive Audio in terms of overall sound quality is subtle. And since Immersive Audio has such an impact on battery life, it’s probably best if you leave it off if you aren’t able to greatly distinguish between the two modes.
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
In general, the Ultra Open Earbuds suffer the same fate as most open-type audio wearables. You sacrifice sound quality to keep your ears clear, which certainly increases overall comfort most, if not all of the time. Specifically, there’s a lack of dynamic tuning as the audio profile rests mostly in the mid range. Bass is subdued, as are the crisp highs from Bose’s other recent audio gear. These are still some of the best open-type earbuds I’ve tested in terms of sound, but their design leads to a less impressive listening experience compared to in-ear buds.
There is a decent low-end thump when listening to things like Com Truise’s synth-tinged electronic instrumentals. But, it doesn’t have the same deep bass punch as closed-off earbuds. There’s also still good detail in mellow selections like Kacey Musgraves’ “Deeper Well” but even then the sound is more compressed than usual, so the openness of the track is quite subdued. The overall audio quality depends on how the earbuds fit on your ears as I could improve things by holding them close to my ear canal, but they don’t stay there without assistance. Where they rest on their own, though, doesn’t deliver the best these buds have to offer.
There also seems to be a reverb-y echo on the Ultra Open Earbuds, like the two sides are slightly out of sync. This is the biggest knock on the sound quality for me as it’s very evident when listening to podcasts. It sounds like the host recorded in a school hallway even when the audio is pristine. It doesn’t make the earbuds unusable, but it’s enough to be noticeable, especially on isolated voices. I’ve reached out to Bose for more information on why this is happening, and whether there might be a fix coming. (Update: This is caused by Immersive Audio mode being active for podcasts. After some guidance from Bose, I disabled it, which fixed the issue.)
Call quality
Due to their design, the Ultra Open Earbuds are great for hearing yourself on calls. Your ears aren’t blocked, so you don’t ever feel the need to shout or worry about a subpar transparency mode. When you’re speaking, voice quality is decent, but only in quiet areas. If you encounter medium-to-high levels of ambient noise, which I simulated with a white noise machine and a louder-than-average bathroom fan, that background clamor is very apparent to the person on the other side.
Battery life
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
On the Ultra Open Earbuds, battery life is drastically impacted by the spatial Immersive Audio. Bose says you can expect up to four and a half hours with it turned on or up to seven and half hours without. Battery life also took a hit on the QC Ultra Earbuds and the QC Ultra Headphones when Immersive Audio was at work, so this isn’t a surprise. But, cutting the expected play time by about half is more of a decrease than what I experienced on those two models. During my tests, I managed just over five hours of playtime at 75 percent volume with Immersive Audio active almost the entire time. This includes letting the earbuds sit idle in standby mode twice for around 30-45 minutes before picking them back up (breaks not factored into use time).
The good news is there are nearly three full charges in the case, no matter which audio mode you use. A 10-minute rest will give you up to two hours of playtime and the Ultra Open Earbuds take one hour to fully charge. The bad news is that the case doesn’t charge wirelessly out of the box, so you’ll need to plug in a USB-C cable. Bose will sell a wireless charging cover for the case like it does with the QC Ultra Earbuds ($49).
The competition
There are fewer options for open-wear earbuds than there are “traditional” models. One in particular is worth considering as an alternative to the Ultra Open Earbuds. Shokz is better known for its bone-conduction models that keep your ears completely free from obstruction, but the company also makes the OpenFit ($180) open-ear headphones. Engadget homepage editor Jon Turi observed “rich bass” during his review, but with a “crunchy” edge to super-low frequencies. Senior commerce editor Valentina Palladino has also tested these, noting the balanced weight distribution that helps them stay in place during workouts. Of course, these have the over-the-ear hook, so you’ll have to contend with that interfering with glasses or headwear.
For something more mainstream, I’d suggest Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. They are certainly the best true wireless model yet from the company, with stellar ANC performance and that Immersive Audio tech that doesn’t require special content for spatial sound. They’re also slightly cheaper at $249.
Wrap-up
Kudos to Bose for thinking outside the box for its latest set of open-style earbuds. The Ultra Open Earbuds’ design is certainly unique, and it’s also very comfortable. If you’re going to wear these all day like the company expects, they can’t be painful at any point, and these certainly aren’t. However, you’ll need to make some sacrifices in terms of audio, unless these fit you right in the sweet spot close to your ear canal. If all-day wear is your goal, though, and you enjoy the benefits of the open design, you’ll likely be ok with the sonic deficiencies.
The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are available starting today in black and white color options for $299.
Update, February 15 2024, 11:09AM ET: This review was updated with more info on the use of Immersive Audio when listening to podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bose-ultra-open-earbuds-review-function-meets-fashion-140015467.html?src=rss
NVIDIA is doing very well for itself, so much so that the chip maker has overtaken Alphabet, Google's parent company, to become the third most valuable company in the United States, Reuters reports. The news comes almost immediately after NVIDIA pushed past Amazon in the rankings, with the company now valued at $1.83 trillion. Worldwide, it sits in fourth, behind American companies Microsoft ($3.04 trillion) and Apple ($2.84 trillion) and the Saudi Arabian state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco ($2.07 trillion).
AI's boom over the last year is largely to thank for NVIDIA's jump in valuation, with about 80 percent of the high-end chip market in its hands. It created the H100 chip, which powers LLMs at OpenAI, Amazon, Meta and more. In January, Mark Zuckerberg said Meta will buy 350,000 of NVIDIA's H100 chips by the end of the year.
Unlike most companies that are engaged in a competition over which will advance in AI the quickest, NVIDIA has its figurative hands in all baskets. The chip maker is also expanding its business to create custom chips for cloud computing firms. This additional offering can keep NVIDIA in the mix, even as AI manufacturers seek more bespoke options.
NVIDIA's quarterly report will drop on Wednesday, February 21, and while it's expected to be positive, anything less than excellent could lower the company's valuation and, thus, ranking. Predictions set NVIDIA's quarterly earnings tripling to $20.37 billion and net profits jumping 400 percent to $11.38 billion.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidia-becomes-the-third-most-valuable-us-company-at-alphabets-expense-123503967.html?src=rss