September 26, 2024 | View in browser 

 

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IN THIS ISSUE

 

🥽 Meta's new Quest 3S is now its most affordable headset 
🟧 Only around 5,000 people are using the Rabbit R1 daily
👂🏼 Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: tiny, terrific earbuds
🍿 New DreamWorks movie hoping to win weekend box office

🕹️ Sony answers questions about the new PS5 Pro

 

Image: Meta

 

COMPUTING

 

Meta unveils Quest 3S mixed-reality headset at Connect 2024 event

 

'The Quest 3S is a great first step into VR or an upgrade from an original Quest or Quest 2'

 

The new Quest 3S headset offers many of the best features of the more expensive Quest 3 that launched last year, and at $300 costs an eye-catching $200 less, Digital Trends reported.

While the Quest 3 is a better headset overall (eg. sleeker, better lenses, more storage), the new budget model can run the same games, apps, and immersive VR titles.

The Quest 3S has a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip and can handle big titles like Batman: Arkham Shadow and Asgard’s Wrath 2. If you buy a Quest 3S during the promotional period, Arkham Shadow is free. The Quest 3S starts shipping on October 15 and is available for preorder now ...

 
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MORE COMPUTING

 
  • Meta Quest 3’s Home Sports is a mixed-reality take on Wii Sports
  • Orion are Meta's first fully holographic AR glasses and ‘neural interface’
  • The Zuck unveils Meta's version of OpenAI's Advanced Voice Mode
 
 

SPONSORED BY BEST BUY

 

Sony’s ITE self-fitting OTC rechargeable hearing aids are $200 off right now

 

OTC hearing aids or over-the-counter hearing aids use air conduction to project sound and do not require medical or surgical implantation. They’re usually intended for those with mild to moderate hearing loss. They’re meant to be an alternative that’s more affordable and accessible — prescription hearing aids can be very expensive. It’s a new category of audio devices that’s becoming more widespread with brands like Sony spearheading the available options. One such entry in the OTC hearing aids category is Sony’s ITE self-fitting OTC hearing aids. Right now, they’re on sale at Best Buy ...

 
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Image: Digital Trends

 

MOBILE

 

Only around 5,000 people are using the Rabbit R1 daily

 

Rabbit has so far pushed 16 over-the-air updates to the R1 in a bid to improve the much-criticized device

 

There were high hopes for the AI-powered Rabbit R1 device just before it started shipping about five months ago. But in a recent chat with Fast Company, Rabbit founder Jesse Lyu revealed that only 5,000 of the 130,000+ R1 devices sold are being powered up on a daily basis.

Lyu said that he felt compelled to launch the product early — before it was entirely ready — to stay one step ahead of the tech giants who are investing huge amounts of time and money in AI.

“If you’re a startup, you better ship early, period,” he said, adding that hardware startups have to embrace the imperfect if they want to be part of a conversation ...

 
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MORE MOBILE

 
  • Your Gmail app will soon help protect you from scams
  • How to hide apps on your iPhone in iOS 18 and earlier
  • Why I’m ditching my Apple Watch Ultra 2
 

The Google Pixel Buds Pro (left) and Pixel Buds Pro 2.

Image: Digital Trends

 

AUDIO / VIDEO

 

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: tiny, terrific earbuds

 

'You'll be surprised how much of an upgrade gets packed into a smaller package'

 

Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds have come up trumps in a hands-on review by Digital Trends.

The new buds are smaller, lighter, and have better battery life than their predecessors, though at $229 they cost $29 more. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 were also praised for their comfort in the ear (“I think they’re the most comfortable closed-style earbuds I’ve ever worn”), impressive noise canceling, and great sound quality.

A notable improvement over the original version is that you can access Google’s Gemini AI assistant hands-free, even when your phone is locked and in your pocket.

Drawbacks, however, included a lack of hi-res codecs and limited spatial audio ...

 
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MORE AUDIO / VIDEO

 
  • This $44 device fixes the iPhone’s lack of hi-res wireless audio
  • Disney officially launches password-sharing crackdown 
  • Hisense U7N TV review: So much bang for your buck, but …
 
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ENTERTAINMENT

 

The Wild Robot looking to win box office on opening weekend

 

MovieWeb describes it as DreamWorks' best movie since 2010's How To Train Your Dragon

 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has been winning the weekend box office for three weeks now, but it looks like it’s about to be toppled from the top spot by an animation from Universal and DreamWorks.

The Wild Robot, which follows an intelligent robot called Roz who’s stranded on an uninhabited island, is forecast to rake in up to $32 million from moviegoers in North America this weekend, with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice expected to collect up to $15 million.

Whether the sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 classic claims second or third spot all depends on how well Transformers One does on its second weekend, which is also expected to score ticket sales of up to $15 million ...

 
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MORE ENTERTAINMENT

 
  • Netflix’s most popular show is causing a war of words. What’s the deal?
  • Amazon's Robocop TV series gets a showrunner
  • Here are some of the gems coming to Paramount+ in October
 

Image: Sony

 

GAMING

 

Sony answers questions about the new PlayStation 5 Pro as pre-orders open

 

The PlayStation 5 Pro is a high-tech console that’ll make performance modes in the most intense games that much better — but for a price

 

PlayStation senior principal product manager Toshi Aoki told IGN recently that the PS5 Pro’s exorbitant price tag is worth it for all the new technology you’re going to get.

“[The technologies] that we are putting in to deliver new experiences for game players, and also not just the technological differences, but the SSD, the Wi-Fi 7, and the new technologies that surround the gameplay as well,” he said. “So it’s more of a full package that will give that exceptional value to the players … the most engaged players that we’re targeting.”

Aoki also had something to say about the absent disc drive ...

 
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MORE GAMING

 
  • Ubisoft drops bad news for Assassin's Creed fans
  • PlayStation is remastering the wrong games
  • Batman: Arkham Shadow will come bundled with Quest 3 and 3S headsets
 

ABOUT OUR SPONSOR

 

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