Daily Archives: October 2, 2022

For more of the latest and greatest product releases, check out our full collection of the best new gear.

September is in the books and yes, it's officially fall. But looking back on the month that was, there were a lot of new cool gadgets that were announced this month. From all the new iPhones to Bose's newest noise-canceling wireless earbuds, Sonos's first "miniature" subwoofer and a lot of cool soundbars and loudspeakers, we break it all down.

(For the best announcements of last month, August 2022, click here.)

The Bowers & Wilkins PX8 are the company's new pair of flagship noise-canceling headphones and, at $699, they are the most expensive pair you can buy (other expensive competitors are Apple's $549 AirPods Max and the Master & Dynamic $599 MW75.) The new headphones are essentially a higher-end model of the B&W's recently released PX7 S2 ($399), with superior drivers and made of more luxury materials. They are available in two finishes: black or tan.

Price: $699

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Teenage Engineering is well-known for its creative gadgets and its latest one is no different. The PO-80 Record Factory is a unique kind of turnable because it is capable of both cutting and then playing a vinyl record. That's right, you can connect it to an audio device (via a 3.5mm jack) and make a vinyl record. These are tiny 5-inch vinyl records, granted, so don't expect to record an entire album (although there is an adapter for making 7-inch records). The PO-80 Record Factory is powered by USB and has its own built-in speakers; you can also hook it up to an external speaker via a 3.5mm connection.

Price: $149

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One of the standouts from Amazon's big hardware event was the Kindle Scribe. It's the company's newest and most high-end e-reader, but it's most notable because it's the first Kindle to work with a stylus (called the Scribe Pen); it attaches to the side of the Kindle Scribe and you can use it to take notes, leave page markers or even draw.

The Kindle Scribe is available for preorder and is expected to ship before the holidays.

Price: $340

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The other big standout from Amazon's big hardware event was the Halo Rise, which is a bedside alarm and sleep tracking device. The Halo Rise has a built-in light and clock that will gradually warm (mimicking the sunrise) to gradually wakes you up. It also has integrated sensors for sleep tracking; it tracks your breathing patterns as well as room conditions like temperature, light levels and humidity, and then gives you information about your sleep that you can access in Alexa app. It is not a speaker does not come integrated with Alexa, but it will work with an existing Alexa smart speaker.

The Halo Rise is available for preorder and will ship later this year.

Price: $140

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The Freewrite Alpha is Astrohaus's most affordable smart typewriter to date. For those who don't know, a smart typewriter allows you to type on a monochrome screen and be free of the internet's many distractions (such as email). It connects to Wi-Fi and you can access the document you've typed afterward. Astrohaus is running an Indiegogo campaign for the Freewrite Alpha right now, and it's expected to ship in 2023.

Price: $249

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Skullcandy has announced its first gaming headsets in years. There are three different models PLYR ($130), SLYR Pro ($100) and SLYR ($60) and all are relatively affordable and compatible with PC as well as the latest consoles. The SLYR and SLYR Pro are both wired headsets, while the PLYR is a wireless headset and has some more advanced features and even a Tile integration to help you find it if it gets misplaced.

Price: $60 $130

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Logitech announced a new version of its popular wireless mechanical keyboard, the MX Mechanical Mini this time it's specifically made for Mac setups. The original model was compatible with Mac, but the new model is part of the "Designed for Mac" series. The only real difference is that it has the same key caps and configuration as a Magic Keyboard, plus the keyboard is available in either space gray or pale gray to match your Mac.

Price: $150

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Nothing didn't officially announced a new product, but it did release a teaser video and a bunch of lavish press photos of its upcoming pair of wireless earbuds called the Ear (stick). They are expected to be very different from the company's Ear 1, and they'll come in cylindrical and vibrantly-colored charging case. They are expected to be fully announced later this year.

Price: TBD

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The Victrola Stream Carbon is the first turntable that works natively with an existing Sonos speaker system. It's a collaboration between Victrola and Sonos and, after you set it up, it'll appear in the Sonos app just like any other Sonos component; from there, you just group it with your other Sonos speakers are boom you're rocking out to vinyl. There's no extra components needed. In addition to working perfectly with Sonos, it's also just a really gorgeous and high-end turntable.

Price: $799

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Polaroid is temporarily jumping out of the realm of instant film cameras and into... portable Bluetooth speakers. That's right, the company announced four different Bluetooth speakers the P1 ($60), P2 ($130), P3 ($190) and P4 ($290) (from left to right: starting from the smallest and most affordable to the largest) that each have a colorful-yet-retro flair.

They work like most other portable Bluetooth speakers (although none are rugged) but the kicker is that each works with the company's new companion app (Polaroid Music), which allows them to stream a number of different radio stations.

Price: $60 $290

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The Meze Audio 109 Pro is the Romanian hi-fi company's first pair of dynamic open-back headphones. They're designed to be super lightweight and comfortable, but yet they're also made with premium materials like wood, steel and leather so they'll feel pretty lavish.

The 109 Pro are modeled after the company's well-loved 99 Classics ($309), but they have an all-new beryllium coated dynamic driver that promises rich, detailed and accurate sound. At $799, they are open-back headphones for budding audiophiles looking to make the jump into the world of serious hi-fi.

Price: $799

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The Sony SRS-XV900 is the company's newest Bluetooth party speaker, and it's effectively a larger version of its existing SRS-XV700. At 58 pounds, it's a far-cry from being classified as a "ultra-portable" speaker, but it does have a built-in battery (that gets up to 25 hours of playtime) so you can move it around your backyard as you see fit. It has multiple analog connections and can be used to power your other mobile devices. And yes, you can customize its built-in LEDs to light up however you see fit.

Price: $900

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This is Mophie's newest portable power bank that doubles as a stand for your iPhone. It's fully compatible with MagSafe, meaning it can fast charge any iPhone 12, iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 at up to 15 watts. It has a 10,000-mAh capacity, which is enough to nearly double the battery life of your iPhone. Additionally, it has a USB-C PD input/output port that you can use to charge a second device along with your iPhone.

(Mophie also announced updated models of its other portable powerbanks, including the powerstation mini, the powerstation and the powerstation pro XL.)

Price: $130

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Focal announced an upgraded version of the super high-end Utopia headphones that it first released in 2016. The new open-back cans have an updated and more lightweight design (the earcups also have a new honeycomb pattern on them), but they also boast improved sonic performance thanks to new M-shaped drivers and M-shaped grills that, according to the company, enable "even clearer and more accurate musical reproduction." The only real downside is the Focal increased the price of the new models by about a grand.

Price: $4,999

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Logitech's Brio 500 is effectively an updated version of the company's c922 Pro. It delivers similar picture quality 1080p at 30 fps or 720p at 60 fps but it does have a new ultra-wide lens and more advanced autofocusing capabilities that can automatically keep you in frame. The Brio 500 also has a built-in microphone and a privacy shutter, and it comes in three different colors. It's positioned as a moderately affordable option for anybody looking to up their Zoom game (it's also compatible with Microsoft Teams and Google Hangouts) with upgrading to a more expensive 4K webcam.

Price: $130

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The Bowers & Wilkins 700 S3 is the company's third-generation line of 700 series loudspeakers. The line includes a total of eight loudspeakers including three floor-standing speakers, three stand-mounted speakers and two center-channel speakers and they all borrow technologies of the company's high-end line of 800 Series Diamond speakers, but deliver them in a slightly more accessible package.

Price: $1,500 (center-channel) $7,000 (floor-standing)

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DJI announced the Osmo Mobile 6, its latest handheld gimbal designed to help you take more stabilized photos and videos with your smartphone. This sixth-generation model has a couple marked improvements over its predecessors. It has a new wheel control on the side of the handle that can help you quickly zoom-in (or out) and focus on your subject. There's a new "quick launch" feature that, as the name gives away, will help you quickly launch to the DJI camera app so that you can get shooting faster than before. And there's a new status panel screen that'll more easily show you how much battery the gimbal has left.

Price: $159

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The Sub Mini is a smaller and more affordable version of Sonos's exisiting Sub; it costs $429 and weighs 14 pounds, while the larger Sub costs $749 and weighs just over 36 pounds. The Sub Mini works much the same way as the Sub, adding bass to a Sonos home theater or speaker system, but it's specifically designed to be paired with Sonos's smaller soundbars and speakers, like the Beam (Gen 2), Ray or a stereo pair of Ones. The only downside is that you can only pair one Sub Mini with a Sonos soundbar, unlike the Sub which you can pair two with Sonos's flagship soundbar, the Arc.

Read our review of the Sonos Sub Mini, here.

Price: $429

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DJI announced its newest action cameras, the Osmo Action 3. It borrows the classic design of the 2019-released Osmo Action and pairs it with the sensor and shooting capabilities (maxes out at 4K at 120fps) of the 2021-released Action 2. Additionally, DJI has given the new camera significantly dual touchscreens, improved battery life (up to 160 minutes) and faster charging capabilities. It also has a new quick-release mounting system.

Price: $329+

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The Fujifilm X-H2 is the company's newest mirrorless camera and it's very similar to the recently-released X-H2S. It has the same processor, built-in image stabilization and electronic viewfinder. The big difference is that the Fujifilm X-H2 has a huge 40.2-megapixel APS-C sensor, which is the highest resolution that the company has put into any of its X Series cameras.

Price: $2,000 (body only)

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GoPro introduced its newest action camera and this year there are two to choose from. The Hero 11 Black is the company's newest flagship model, while the all-new Hero 11 Black Mini (pictured) is a shrunk-down version that's almost half the size. Compared to last year's model, the Hero 11 Black looks pretty identical, but GoPro integrated it with a larger sensor that enable some higher-resolution photo and video capturing capabilities. The "Mini" version is exactly the same, but lacks the dual touchscreen displays.

The GoPro Hero 11 Black is available now while the Hero 11 Black Mini will be available on October 25.

Price: $300+ (Mini); $400+

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Amazon introduced an updated version of its entry-level Kindle. It still costs $100, but has been upgraded with a nicer and brighter screen, improved battery life and it supports USB-C charging. That's right, micro-USB be gone! This 11th-generation Kindle will be available on October 12.

Price: $100

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Astell&Kern announced its new flagship portable hi-fi player, the A&ultima SP3000, and it is luxurious. It's made of high-end 904L stainless steel, just like a Rolex watch, and has gorgeous and large (5.46") touchscreen. It is decked out with a new high-end DAC (AK4499EX) and should support pretty much any lossless audio codec (up to 32-bit/768kHz). It runs an Android operating system so accessing your lossless service be it Qobuz, Tidal or Apple Music should be a breeze.

Price: $3,699

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The iPhone 14 is very similar to last year's iPhone 13. It's the same size and has a nearly identical 6.1-inch display. It also has the same A15 Bionic chipset. However, Apple did give it a few notable upgrades under the hood. It has improved rear and selfie camera systems for better low-light photography; there's a new Action Mode for improved image stabilization when shooting video. It has satellite connectivity which is a first for any iPhone. And maybe most notably, Apple has done away with the "mini" version and instead replaced it with a "plus" version, which has a 6.7-inch display similar to the Pro Max.

Read our review of the iPhone 14, here.

Price: $799+

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The new iPhone 14 Pros were probably the biggest standouts from this week's Apple's event. They have an all-new floating pill-shaped notch, called the Dynamic Island, that's interactive and designed to more-easily control apps (like Music, Timer or Maps) when they are running in the background. They have a vastly improved rear triple-camera system, including a 48-megapixel main camera with the largest sensor ever put in an iPhone. And they are powered by Apple's super new powerful chipset, the A16 Bionic.

Read our review of the iPhone 14 Pro, here.

Price: $999+ (Pro); $1,099+ (Pro Max)

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Bose announced the second-generation models of its noise-canceling wireless earbuds. Compared to the 2020-released QuietComfort Earbuds, the new models have a completely new design that's noticeably smaller, plus Bose has drastically improved the noise-cancellation and transparency modes; in fact, Bose claims that these have the "worlds best noise cancellation" of any true wireless earbuds.

Price: $300

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Apple announced the second-generation models of its AirPods Pro. The new wireless earbuds look pretty similar to their predecessors and cost exactly the same $249 but Apple has given them a more advanced H2 chipset, superior audio and twice as powerful active-noise cancellation. There are new capacitive touch controls on each earbud that allows you to adjust volume (a first for an AirPod). They have a more durable case that can wirelessly charge on a Qi charger, MagSafe charger or (most excitingly) an Apple Watch puck. They will ship with an additional size eartip that's "extra small." And the case has a built-in loop that you can attach a small lanyard that Apple will sell separately.

Read our review of the AirPods Pro 2, here.

Price: $249

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The Apple Watch "Ultra" is a completely new line of Apple Watch that's larger, more rugged, more sophisticated and more expensive than any other Apple Watch. It has a bigger and redesigned digital crown and an all-new "Action" button that can be customized to do things like quickly start specific workouts. It has a bigger battery that lasts 36 hours (or up to 60 hours when in low-power mode). And it has a new Compass app and an app specifically designed for recreational scuba divers called Oceanic Plus.

Read our review of the Apple Watch Ultra, here.

Price: $799

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Apple also announced new flagship and budget-friendly Apple Watches in the Series 8 and SE (Gen 2), respectively. Both look nearly identical to their predecessors, admittedly, but Apple gave both a few notable improvements. The new SE has a faster processor, comes in new colors and has a new $249 starting price (which is $30 cheaper than before). The Series 8 has new sensors for body temperature monitoring (which is mostly aimed at women's reproductive health). Both new Apple Watches also can detect if you're in a serious car crash and call for help.

Read our review of the Apple Watch Series 8, here.

More here:

The Best and Coolest New Gadgets of September 2022 - Gear Patrol

Halloween pumpkins: Alternatives to carving

Don't want to make a mess carving pumpkins this Halloween? Try these techniques instead.

ProblemSolved, USA TODAY

With the falling of leaves and spiced latte orders come the autumn feels, and despite the still summer-like weather, Austin is home to pumpkin patches, corn mazes, hayrides and pumpkin hunts.

Here's a list of farms and other places blooming with fall festivities. See websites for pricing and current hours, which can be affected by weather. Is your favorite spot missing? Email ehopkins@statesman.com and we'll add it to our list.

More:The ultimate list of Austin live music for the rest of 2022

Along with hundreds of domestic farm animals, Crowe's Nest is a utopia of fall festivities. Stop by the working farm and rescue wildlife sanctuary for fall festival every Saturday and Sunday through the month of October. (10300 Taylor Lane in Manor; crowesnestfarm.org)

This adventure farm is where visitors can find pig races, a large petting zoo and traditional pumpkin patch fare as part of the Georgetown-based farmstead's fall festival. The annual spree of all things harvest season runs through Nov. 20. Sweet Eats is cashless, and pets are not allowed. (14400 E State Hwy 29; sweeteats.com)

Indian Springs Ranch has it all: pumpkins to pick, animals such as American bison, zebras, white and water buffalo, face painting, fall-themed photo ops, kid's swings and food and craft vendors. (403 Elm View Way, Manchaca; indianspringsranchatx.com)

Home to hayrides, Candy Cornkid Maze, pumpkin paintings and scarecrow stuffings, this Marble Falls farmstead is one way to get your fall season fix. All visitors are welcome through Nov. 6. (1801 FM1980, Marble Falls; sweetberryfarm.com)

When autumn blooms, a pumpkin patch or festival is a must-do, and Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival is among the best sites. The five-acre farm is the place for over 50 fall-inspired games, activities and attractions. (419 Founders Park Road in Dripping Springs; drippingspringspumpkinfestival.com)

Through Oct. 30, the family-run farm is a mainstay for pumpkin houses, farm animals, photo opps, axe throwing and an unlimited dose of fall fever. (2651 Bob White Road, Temple; therobinsonfamilyfarm.com)

Spend a day at this family-owned farm with Mama Mary, who provides a peek into rural Texas outside Austin's bustling metro area. Visitors can pick out the perfect pumpkin, ride hay wagons and barrel trains, and get lost (but not really) in the land's tractor tire playground or hay maze. (5701 Williamson Road, Creedmoor; mamamarysfarm.com)

Nestled inside the oak tree-filled hills of South-central Texas, stop by the four-generation farm for pumpkin picking and painting and other fall activities from through October. (3117 TX-159, La Grange; texasjersey.com)

Located 30 miles from downtown Austin, the 118-acre farm offers a five-acre corn maze, farm animals, live music, face painting, duck races and other activities. Through Nov. 6. (1115 FM 969, Bastrop; bartonhillfarms.com)

More:Regal Arbor, longtime Austin art house movie theater, has closed

Scour Evergreen Farms for the annual pumpkin hunt, along with a pumpkin launcher, train ride, a bounce house, fishing pond, kid zip line and other fall fare. (242 Monkey Road, Elgin; evergreen-farms.com)

The pumpkins "are rolling into town" (at Pioneer Farms to be exact), according to this event's website. Visitors are promised art, fire shows and thousands of hand-crafted pumpkin displays. Tickets are by time slot, with no walk-up sales, through Oct. 30. (Pioneer Farms, 10621 Pioneer Farms Drive ; http://www.pumpkinnights.com/austin)

Run wild at Texas Pumpkin Fest. The annual festival, now at a new location in Leander, has more space to explore the area's harvest and Halloween season activities. (8760 FM 2243, Leander; texaspumpkinfest.com)

Read the original post:

Here's a list of pumpkin patches in and around Austin - Austin American-Statesman

In Song of Myself published in 1855, American poet Walt Whitman remarked, I am large, I contain multitudes. He may not have work in mind, but his statement does have implications for the all-pervasive generalist versus specialist debate of the 21st century. There are myriad versions of ourselves that seldom manifest at jobs and the way we carry on with our lives. Quietly conscious of unfulfilled destinies, many of us wonder if there could be more to life than the mandates of punishing work schedules.

The strongest critique against tinkering and dabbling with our various selves comes from Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith. In The Wealth of Nations (1776),he spoke about how the division of labour premised on deep specialisation was essential for augmenting productivity in the capitalist system. He explained with great panache the efficiency that can be brought about if everyone focused on one narrow task and stopped indulging in what Walt Whitman called multitudes.

Smith was prescient in many ways. Doing one narrow job made perfect sense in the industrial age. It unleashed great economic productivity, but it came at the cost of experimentation and curiosity.One of Smiths most serious readers was Karl Marx who agreed with the analysis as applied to the economic system. Where he differed with Smith was the overall efficacy of such a system focused on hyper-specialisation. Marx said we dull our lives and cauterise our talents by specialising without knowing why.

As you can tell, both Smith and Marx made sense. There was, at least in the industrial era, a clash between the demands of the employment market and the free, wide-ranging potential of our work lives.In 1930, John Maynard Keynes predicted that by the end of the century, technology would have advanced so comprehensively that we would all be working 15-hour work weeks. Technology has advanced much more than Keynes wildest imagination, but hardly anyone works 15-hour a week today.One theory proffered by LSE anthropologist David Graeber is the emergence of bullsh*t jobs. He asks why did the Keynesian utopia never materialise. The standard response to Graeber is the exponential increase in consumerism. Given the choice between less hours and more toys and pleasures, we have collectively chosen the latter.

Graeber says it is as if some powerful force out there is making up pointless jobs just for the sake of keeping us madly busy. In socialist states like the Soviet Union, where employment was considered both a right and a sacred duty, being busy was equated to doing actual work. It was too common to find three clerks earning a pittance employed to sell a piece of meat. Tired of the woeful inefficiency, market competition was supposed to fix it, but even according to the latest surveys carried out in countries, ranging from the UK to Sweden to the US and India, somewhere between 35-60 percent of employees believe their work makes no difference. There is a crisis of meaning even though these jobs pay the bill for the time being. The answer, Graeber believes, isnt economic; it is moral and political. The ruling class figured out that a happy and productive population with free time on their hands is a danger.

I believe that the time for meaningless jobs is coming to an end. Coronavirus-induced pressures on economies will lead to a massive disruption in our work lives. Passion economy is not only a window to a new kind of employment, but an emergence of an operating system where people will have to stop being busy for the heck of it, pause to figure out what problem needs their attention and then plan to create more meaningful jobs that both pay the bill and propel us to explore our multitudes.In this pursuit, the ability to reinvent ourselves will be the most important skill. Reinvention is not easy as a solitary pursuit. We will need our collective networks, combined resilience and a mind that questions established systems that make no sense today.

It is hard to say whether Whitman, Smith, Marx or Keynes will prevail, but perhaps a new system will be cocreated by all of us. Technology and artificial intelligence will no doubt be an important factor, but it will only make sense if contextualised atthe human level, not onlyfor the big enterprises and governments, but also formicro networks, micro communities, micro institutions and micro cultures.

Utkarsh Amitabh

CEO, Network Capital; Chevening Fellow, University of Oxford

Twitter: @utkarsh_amitabh

Excerpt from:

As time for meaningless jobs comes to an end, reinvent to stay relevant - The New Indian Express