Category Archives: music players/speakers

Apple AirPods 2 Review: Is it worth upgrading or not?

Posted on 12 April 2019 by Stewart Wolpin

Do you own Apple’s wildly popular AirPods true wireless Bluetooth buds? If you do, you are now on the horns of an upgrade dilemma: do you step-up to the company’s second generation AirPods 2 ($199)? At first glance, Apple’s AirPods augmentations … Continue reading →

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True Wireless Earbuds: AirPods and Alternatives

Posted on 10 April 2019 by Stewart Wolpin

You may be excused if you thought that Apple’s AirPods are the first and only so-called “true wireless” earphones—completely cordless in-ear “buds” that connect both with each other and to your smartphone via Bluetooth—since their distinctive white sticks seem to … Continue reading →

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12 Techiest Tech Toys from Toy Fair 2019 (Plus 1)

Posted on 12 February 2019 by Stewart Wolpin

Amidst the usual multitude of plush toys, licensed action figures, toy, RC and ride-in/on vehicles, construction kits, books, games, and other indoor and outdoor playthings at Toy Fair 2019, taking place at New York City’s Javits Center this week, are … Continue reading →

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A/V In ’18: 5 Foundational Changes & 11 Newsmakers

Posted on 14 December 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

Traditionally, A/V product categories don’t tend to be very newsworthy outside of the latest updated versions of existing products and technologies. But 2018 unusually saw five major foundational changes in audio and video. See the rest of this 2019 recap … Continue reading →

Posted in ear/headphones, IFA, music players/speakers, smart home, Tech History, TV/4K/UHD/8K, TWICE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

7 Companies That Owned The Smart Home Conversation In 2018

Posted on 6 December 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

Two trends dominated the smart home category in 2018. On the product side, there is the growing battle for voice assistant ecosystem supremacy between Amazon and Google. Not only has there been hockey-stick growth in the number, as well as unit sales, … Continue reading →

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The Best Bluetooth Speakers

Posted on 20 November 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

Bluetooth speakers come in all manner of sizes, shapes, colors and sound quality. So how do you choose which Bluetooth speaker makes sense for you? Much depends on where you’ll be listening and how much you want to pay. My … Continue reading →

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The Best True-Wireless Earbuds

Posted on 20 November 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

Wander around any urban center and you’ll spot a surfeit of the white stick Apple AirPods sticking out of people’s ears. They are the market leader in a new category of Bluetooth headphones dubbed “true wireless” because there is no … Continue reading →

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Review: Riva Concert Takes On Sonos One

Posted on 13 November 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

In the world of $200 Alexa-enabled smart speakers, everyone is competing with the acknowledged audio quality and multi-room king of this category, the Sonos One. The latest – and perhaps most worthy – contender is the new Riva Audio Concert ($199, due … Continue reading →

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Review: Netgear Orbi Voice combines a router with a smart speaker

Posted on 6 November 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

Merging two different devices into a single product is not usually a good idea. If something goes wrong with one — the entire item is useless. That’s something Netgear has avoided with the Orbi Voice, an Amazon Alexa-enabled smart speaker that … Continue reading →

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Flashback 1998: A Compressed History of the Digital Music Player

Posted on 26 October 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

A momentous occasion in the evolution of recorded music occurred 20 years ago when a California district court ruled to allow the sale of a curious new portable music player in the face of opposition from the Recording Industry Association … Continue reading →

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