Let’s get one thing straight: the WiFi can suck. Maybe it’s the configuration of your flat or your outdated router. Maybe your neighbour figured out your WiFi password ("password123" really?) and is leaching off your router. Perhaps its ghosts... bandwidth-stealing spooks. Either way, the Orbi 970 Series from NETGEAR can help.
The NETGEAR Orbi 970 Series isn’t just another router. It’s a statement. A middle finger, if you will, to buffering icons and laggy Zoom calls. WiFi 7 is the latest wireless standard and the Orbi 970 Series has speeds up to 27 Gbps and lower latency. The secret sauce to this is the device's quad-band design so that that your devices are always connected to the fastest frequency. Think of it like there's a tiny air traffic controller who is rerouting your attached devices to the best possible connection.
For that kind of speed, the Orbi 970 Series reflects its sleek, minimalist design. Presented as 12" obsidian towers, they have in-built antennas that provide exceptional 360° WiFi coverage. It has a 4K QAM and multi-link operation (MLO)—the "4K QAM" is a sort of modulation technique used in WiFi 7 that packs more data into each signal ensuring higher data transmission rates, while the MLO allos for the simultaneously sending and receiving of data across multiple frequency bands and channels, leading to increased throughput and better network stability in congested environments. Oh, and there's this LED ring at the base gives you a quick status update without being obnoxiously bright.
Setting up the Orbi 970 Series is simple. Just download the Orbi app, follow the prompts, and in minutes, you’re basking in multi-gig internet glory. We didn't have a signal drop during our test and we tend to hook up a lot of devices to the router.
The one downside to this is the price. Priced from SGD2,799, it comes in two- or three-pack. And there's also option for an ongoing subscription fees for NETGEAR Armor security and Smart Parental Controls. But we suppose that's the price to pay for something this fast and reliable. It almost feels like the future has arrived... and we welcome that because the present as it is... well, sucks.
The NETGEAR Orbi 970 Series Quad-band WiFi 7 Mesh is available online
In my lifetime as a gamer, a console announcement has never felt as inevitable as the Nintendo Switch 2's. The writing has been on the wall for the Switch for years, but when accessories for its next version showed up at CES, it felt like the nail in the coffin when it came to secrecy. This morning, Nintendo just outright announced the Switch 2 in a video on its YouTube channel. That's right. The successor to one of the best-selling consoles of all time is called—no surprises here—the Nintendo Switch 2. It's coming out this year.
Let's hit the high-level, important details first. The follow-up to Nintendo's handheld-console hybrid is coming in 2025. Again, Nintendo simply dubbed this console the Switch 2. No Super Switch—that was the name I was gunning for—or Switch Pro. From what the teaser shows, there's no new gimmick. It's just a (presumably) better Switch. I mean, we have to assume that's a new Mario Kart in the final moments of the teaser—but nothing about the footage makes it look "new" or even teases the graphical capabilities of the new hardware. In terms of tech specs, we are in the dark until 2 April, when Nintendo has scheduled its first Switch 2 Digital Direct.
The nearly two-and-a-half-minute preview placed a lot of emphasis on showing how the Joy-Con design has changed. Visually, the detachable controllers have more of a "pro" look—Nintendo gave them a black coat of paint with coloured highlights under the sticks, as well as where each Joy-Con interlocks with the console. In the early days of the Switch, I had a lot of issues with my Joy-Cons, both with stick drift and a latch mechanism that would often break. Ideally, the Switch 2's Joy-Con revamp is meant to address these issues.
The video also emphasised an even sturdier kickstand than the Switch OLED's, which improved upon the first generation's wimpy attempt. Beyond that, Nintendo showed a new dock, which looks functionally the same, and what appears to be a new Mario Kart title. On first look, they all functionally appear the same. To top it off, the teaser did confirm that the Switch 2 will play exclusive titles as well as original Switch games. This did come with the notable fine print that "certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2."
Fingers crossed that we'll hear more on that—along with an idea of a release window and launch lineup—in April's Direct.
Originally published on Esquire US
It's the little things that get you. Small seemingly insignificant moments that result in a tsunami of consequences. Like habitual breathing through one's mouth as a toddler or underestimating a business-mogul-turned-reality-star-turned-US-President-turned-convict-turned-US President-Again. So, yes. Small things. Like your hearing. That concert you attended; maybe you have ringing in your ears the next day but things return to normal. You shrug it off and, due to the hubris of youth, you attend that concert. And then another. Before you know it, your hearing is shit.
Dr Sumbul Desai, vice president of Health at Apple, wants to change people's perception of hearing health. "We actually don't think about anything related to our health until you lose it often. And I think that's one of the things that we're really trying to change is how do we drive people to be more proactive and preventative around their health to lead longer and healthier lives."
She sees hearing loss as a critical blow to one's health. "There is actually a seminal paper that came out last year in the Journal of American Medicine," Dr Desai said. "[It] talked about the strong connection between hearing loss and cognitive decline and shows that the more you lose your hearing over time. Without any hearing assistance, it can have a more detrimental impact on your cognition leading to dementia.
"Number two, hearing loss has shown to increase social isolation as well as increase loneliness depression. It impacts on your wellbeing because, if you think about it, it's how you connect."
Dr Desai cited her mother who has profound hearing loss and how exhausting it was to connect with her when she isn't using her hearing aid. That frustration can lead people into feeling isolated and with a lack of interpersonal connection, the well-being takes a hit.
But, as Dr Desai touched on before, prevention is better than cure. Your Apple AirPods Pro 2 can protect your hearing with Control mode switched on (go to Settings in iPhone > tap the name of your AirPods > tap Hearing Protection). With activated, your AirPods Pro 2 will note your surroundings and alert you if you're exposed to decibels exceeding unhealthy levels. It can also reduce the noise level as well.
When Apple first launched AirPods in 2016, it revolutionised what earphones can be: wireless, can be charged in its case, aesthetically pleasing. Spatial audio features and noise cancellation and transparency became part of the AirPods hallmarks. "We recognised that these features that make AirPods were actually the core building blocks needed to create these hearing health features," said John Ternus, senior vice president of Apple's Hardware Engineering.
Working with Dr Desai and her health team, Ternus shaped these audio devices to possess features that can impact hearing. Along with Control and Noise alert modes, the Airpods Pro 2 (and only that model) also has an FDA-approved Hearing Test that can also personalised a hearing aid function from the results.
To take the Hearing Test, your AirPods Pro 2 (with the latest firmware) needs to pair with an iPhone or iPad that are running on iOS or iPadOS 18.1 or later. The silicon tips of your AirPods Pro 2 must fit perfectly in your ears to create a seal.
Ensure that you're free of any otolaryngological maladies like a cold, a sinus infection, ear infection, allergies or were in a loud environment (like a concert) in the last 24 hours. Next, you'll need to find a quiet spot for the five-minute Hearing Test, which is a simple process of tapping the screen whenever you hear tones played at different volumes and frequencies.
I took the test lying down. While I could hear the blood rush in my ears, as the outside world closed about me, eyes closed, I was so deep in concentration, tapping on the screen whenever the beep came on. When the results came out, I wasn't convinced. So, I took it again for corroboration. The results were similar: both my ears suffer from "little to no loss".
But what if the results were worse? Then, there's the option to turn on Hearing Aid mode, which pumps up the sounds around you so that you can hear or you can tweak the balance to your specs. Hearing Aid mode also applies to the volume controls on the iPhone, like your calls or the videos you watch. Your AirPods Pro 2 are also a cheaper hearing aid than, well, the actual hearing aids themselves.
I'm not sure what the opinions of actual ENT doctors have on the Hearing Test but the ease of taking them and the "gamification" aspect can encourage users to take the tests and sometimes share (show off) the results. Like this is the aural version of "how much can you press, bro?" Imagine a bunch of men huddled together and comparing hearing results; this can be a positive push for preventative or remedy for one's hearing health and we like the sound of that.
It was a series of firsts for Apple’s latest iPad range—a new M4 chip, the thinnest iPad device, a 13-inch iPad Air. Now, out of the blue, Apple drops the iPad Mini on us. The last generation was released in 2021 and, in all honesty, we’ve forgotten about it. It’s like a long-lost uncle showing up at a family reunion after being out at sea. So, it’s quite an entrance for the new iPad Mini but can it leave a lasting impression? Let us count the ways.
Like many of Apple’s latest products, this iPad Mini supports Apple Intelligence (which at this point of writing, still hasn’t come out yet). This is what is marketed: the iPad Mini’s AI will extrapolate your personal context and make writing easier or edit and create images based on prompts. Like an assistant but one who doesn’t roll their eyes when you casually ask what “skibidi” means.
The latest Apple Pencil Pro can be used with the iPad Mini. It does all the things like barrel rolling and when you hover your Pencil Pro over the screen, a preview shows where the tip will land on the display. And maybe this is a personal preference but the iPad Mini’s 8.3” is the perfect size for jotting down notes or sketching. It’s my preferred dimension for reading a book or watching a movie. And seeing the 6.53” long Pencil Pro docked on the side of the iPad Mini’s frame looks… right.
It comes in four colours—including blue and purple—and it supports 5G. Touch ID is still on the top button; there’s a USB-C port; a 12MP wide back camera and a 12MP front-facing camera for that quality Zoom meeting… except while the other iPad models shifted their front-facing camera to the middle of the landscape side, the iPad Mini’s front camera remains stubbornly in portrait. I mean, video conferencing is still doable but the front camera placement is jarring. The iPad Mini has the A17 Pro chip that was used in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max… except the iPad Mini has five GPU cores, one less than the iPhone 15’s. And sure, it might have levelled up from the iPad Mini’s last generation model but having tried the iPad Pro, the iPad Mini feels a tad inadequate.
But it's not about choosing the best but, rather, what fits your need. If we consider the iPad Mini as an easy-to-carry sketchpad/e-book/TV that’s an upgrade from its previous generation, compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro, has (may have?) Apple Intelligence and doesn’t break the bank, then, yes, this is the device you’re looking for.
The iPad Mini retails from SGD699
It's all about timing. When the Apple Vision Pro first came out, it was ahead of its time—it could immerse users into its mixed-reality interface but its features were underused. Now that the software (VisionOS 2; more developer apps) has caught up, the Apple Vision Pro is finally doing what it's destined for. And with the release of Submerged, we finally see how the Apple Vision Pro is starting to cook.
Submerged is the first scripted short film filmed entirely in Apple Immersive Video. Directed by Oscar-winner Edward Berger (who adapted and directed All Quiet on the Western Front), the WWII thriller puts users in the middle of the action.
The plot follows a sinking submarine (upon re-reading this article, "sinking submarine" sounds... weird) and its crew, trying to survive. Tor Myhren, Apple’s VP of Marketing Communications, describes Submerged as the next evolution in storytelling. “Apple Vision Pro places you inside the story—inside a packed submarine alongside the crew. The depth of immersion here just wasn’t possible before. We’re thrilled to see how filmmakers like Edward Berger will push the boundaries with this technology.”
Filmed over three weeks, a full-scale, 23-tonne submarine set was constructed to resemble the WWII vessels and was designed for full submersion. Great lengths went into employing practical camera traps and special effects to create an immersive environment. The cast went through extensive stunt rehearsals to keep the action realistic.
Berger's approach to filmmaking was redefined by Apple’s immersive tech. “This new medium expands the horizon of storytelling. Apple Vision Pro allowed us to create a story in a way that was previously unimaginable. It’s a game-changer for filmmakers.”
Submerged is the first in many immersive content for Apple Vision Pro. Next month, Apple teams up with The Weeknd for an immersive music experience to celebrate the diamond-certified artist’s upcoming album, Hurry Up Tomorrow. Fans can also look forward to Concert for One, an intimate new concert series launching later this year, kicking off with a special set from award-winning British artist RAYE and new episodes of Adventure will be released later in the year.
And if you ask us, given the immersion of the Apple Vision Pro, maybe we can expect a horror short film/interactive game?
Nearly a year after its release, I’ve seen virtually no marketing for the PlayStation Portal. Yet, it's selling like hotcakes. I had to find out what I was missing out on. Is this a product of the Sony propaganda machine, or something worth buying? After a month with PlayStation’s newest handheld, I’ve seen how it impresses, and where it disappoints.
But first, let’s talk about the PSP, the PlayStation Portable. In 2005, Sony released its first handheld console, and since then it's become a classic. It was the first portable device that promised console-quality 3D games on the go. It was celebrated for its library (and how easy it was to hack), even when it failed to live up to this promise. Nearly two decades later, and 12 years after its successor the PlayStation Vita, Sony has re-entered the handheld race. Just not the way you might think.
Sony released the PlayStation Portal into an era where the dream of taking your PC and console games on the go is fully realised. Devices like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally do that very thing, and they do it quite well. It would make sense for Sony to release a competitor, one where you can play PlayStation exclusives like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and God of War: Ragnarök anywhere you are. But Sony didn’t do that... They made this instead.
At SGD295.90, the PlayStation Portal is a great value for the tech, but it’s use-case is remarkably limited. I wanted to love it, and as a piece of hardware I do, but I fear my streaming issues aren’t an isolated incident. If you want to pony up for a Portal, I recommend you do it only if you have a vast PS5 library and scorching fast home internet.
The Portal is a dedicated remote play device that takes the form factor of a PS5 DualSense controller. Imagine cutting a DualSense in half and splicing a screen between each half. That’s exactly what this is. Using PlayStation’s remote play feature, you can stream any game you are playing on your PS5 directly to the Portal, as long as you are on the same Wi-Fi connection. That caveat is a big deal.
As a piece of hardware, the PlayStation Portal impressed me. The 8-inch touchscreen is roomy (not too big) and supports gameplay in 1080p at up to 60 frames per second. It’s a great controller in the first place, and now there’s a pretty damn good screen in the middle.
Most of the impressive (and gimmicky) features of the DualSense carry over to the Portal—including its advanced haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, built-in microphone, and overall ergonomics. The two things it’s lacking are a speaker and a touchpad. The lack of a microphone is mostly no biggie—even though I tested the only game that actually uses the controller, GOTY 2024 contender Astro Bot.
The real fumble with this device is that the touchpad is replaced by an unreliable touchscreen interface. Tap the screen and two transparent squares will pop up to represent the left and right sides of the touchpad. In theory, these work.
In practice, they don’t. The Wired reviewer noted this made Alan Wake 2 unplayable. I didn’t even try to stream a game that was graphically intense over my internet. But in my time delving into Sony’s library of PS1 and PS2 titles, I found that the touchpad is often used as the start button in these emulated classics. On the Portal, this doesn’t work. When playing Ape Escape (which I was inspired to finally play thanks to Astro Bot), I was unable to switch gadgets because the start menu was inaccessible. In later levels, this makes things unplayable.
I had other hardware nitpicks (the Portal doesn’t support Bluetooth headphones), but on the whole, that’s not where my main concerns about the Portal’s usefulness lie. In fairness the next part isn’t even Sony’s fault. The PlayStation Portal is a letdown… because of my internet.
Bandwidth is the lynchpin of the PlayStation Portal. How much you have of it determines your experience with the console. Me? I have good enough internet for working and gaming online with no trouble, but I don’t have a connection that I would call fast, nor would I consider it all that stable. This was the Achilles’ heel of my time with the Portal.
In my month with the Portal, I’ve tested good-looking PS5 games including Ghost of Tsushima, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon's Souls, and Astro Bot. I also spent time with PS4 games The Last Guardian and God of War. In almost every case, the opening minutes of streaming were a disaster. Often, I would switch a game I was playing from the console to the Portal and would be greeted with pixelated, laggy gameplay. Typically, this would get worse before the game paused altogether, then booting me out and forcing me to reconnect. Only after reconnecting did some games perform.
When the streaming works smoothly, it is inconsistent from game to game. Higher-intensity titles didn’t stream as easily as less graphically demanding games. I had more luck getting the PS4 games to run smoothly after the initial hiccups. Ironically, the games that streamed the best were remastered versions of PSP and Vita games like Final Fantasy VII spin-off Crisis Core and the PS4 version of Gravity Rush. High-speed titles like Insomniac’s Spider-Man games or shooter rogue-lite Returnal never quite feel right on the Portal. Online shooters would certainly be a no-go on my Wi-Fi. Sorry, Helldivers.
Another streaming flaw I encountered almost instantly was the inability to stream “streamed” content to the Portal. In language that doesn’t use the form of “stream” three times in a phrase, that means no Netflix, no YouTube, etc. It also means that if you have access to the PlayStation Plus library of games that are only available via cloud streaming, they won’t run on the Portal. A bit of a disappointing oversight.
Overall, some games I accepted taking a graphical hit (and occasional hitches) on, and many others I would rather play on my TV.
The use case for the PlayStation Portal is niche, for sure. If you have one TV in your home that’s often used by others, it is an appealing offer. Especially for the same price as a pair of Sony’s gaming earbuds. Chances are if you are paying for fiber internet already, the price isn't a big deal.
Still, playing the Portal feels limited and tethered. Not being able to leave the good Wi-Fi zone of your house makes it not in competition at all with what Nintendo and Valve have put out there. I also found that seemingly small quibbles like the lack of touchpad or Bluetooth support were more detrimental than they sound. All the small things. True care, truth brings.
That said, these are the types of setbacks you’d expect from a first-generation device. Even if the Portal was flawless, though, it still wouldn’t solve the nation’s inadequate bandwidth infrastructure. Without any improvements on that front, another PlayStation Portal would be a sequel that wouldn’t make much sense. For now, the current model’s effectiveness depends on your access to Broadband.
Originally published on Esquire US
I've been wearing smartwatches and fitness trackers around my wrist for years, but I’d never worn an Oura Ring before. I hadn’t considered myself much of a “ring guy,” but I admittedly wasn’t a watch guy before I started wearing an Apple Watch. Now I can’t go a day without it. After wearing my Oura Ring Generation 3 for more than two months, I can almost say the same thing about the tiny sleep monitor that currently lives on my finger at all times.
As a sleep tracker, the Oura Ring 3 is remarkable. As a fitness tracker, it’s not bad, could be better. As a piece of wearable tech, it’s comfortable to wear constantly and consistently, even in bed.
Let’s get straight to it. Does the Oura Ring do enough to replace a smartwatch? No. I think it serves an entirely separate function. To answer the trickier question of “Is an Oura Ring right for you?” it depends on what you’re looking for in a wearable health tracker.
If you want extensive amounts of data about your sleep and daily health tracking, as well as an accurate step counter, yes, it is. Want all that in a package that doesn’t look techy whatsoever? An even better reason to choose one. If you want a completely smart device that will show you texts, calls, and reminders and, most important, tell you what time it is, buy a watch.
My Oura Ring journey began like any other—with a sizing kit. After you choose your make and model, Oura will send you a box of ring sizers ranging from sizes 6 to 13. They recommend you wear the smart ring on your index finger, but—due to a Little League–related accident in my youth—I’ve found it most comfortable to wear on the middle finger of my non-dominant (left) hand. Indecision frequently haunts me, so I was initially worried that my chosen size (11) would be too tight or too loose, but after weeks of everyday wear, I can safely say I don’t think about it too much anymore.
Once your device (it feels strange to call something this small a “device”) arrives, it’s time to download the app. The setup process is pretty easy and the onboarding is gradual. Certain data, like stress levels, resilience, long-term trends, and reports tabs, are inaccessible on day one. To start, I primarily relied on the ring for sleep and restfulness data. In this way, the Oura Ring puts its best foot forward.
Oura offers several style and finish options for your ring. You can opt for Heritage, the original design with a raised plateau segment, or the fully rounded Horizon. Each has a selection of metal finishes to choose from. In terms of tech, the rings are all identical. No plus or pro offerings, just one ring to rule them all. Each Gen 3 has three sensors on the inside of the ring that use biometrics to track daily functions, including heart rate and blood-oxygen levels.
About a month into my time with the ring, I went on a family vacation and multiple people asked me if my Horizon Oura Ring was a wedding ring or an engagement band. That’s how slick it is. It’s that normal looking. The fact that it’s so high-tech and looks like any other SGD450 ring made it easy to incorporate Oura into my daily routine.
Since you are supposed to wear it all the time yet it’s also an electronic device, one of my first questions was “When will I charge my Oura Ring?” The answer: during showers. The ring itself is waterproof up to 330 feet; that means swimming is no problem, and the same goes for doing the dishes, washing your hands, etc. This is meant to monitor you at all times, remember? That makes it a great choice for swimmers who want to track their workouts.
Every morning, I wake up to see how I slept and to confirm the previous day’s activities, then I slip my ring off to shower and back on before I start my day. It ends up fading into the background of my busy life. Sometimes I’ll check the app to see my daily stress levels, but generally I only think about my Oura Ring in the morning and at night.
While heart rate and blood-oxygen sensing are the newest features of the Oura Ring (only available on the Gen 3), sleep tracking is the most impressive feature, and it has only improved with each iteration. This is where the form, factor, and function fully align to accomplish something a smartwatch has yet to do: provide accurate, seamless data about my sleep health.
At first, I felt the insights were a bit obvious. But I soon realised that I trusted the data, since it reflected how I was actually feeling in the form of a score. Now I wake up each day, ready for my scores to tell me how I slept, not the other way around. Even knowing simple information, like when exactly I fell asleep and precisely how many sleep minutes I get per night, feels like a breakthrough in understanding my body. And that’s just scratching the surface.
The main thing I gravitate toward is the scores. Each morning, once the ring determines I’m fully awake, I will get scores from 0 (typically above 50 if I slept at all) to 100 that rate both my sleep and my readiness for the day. I cannot emphasise how much I love these stupid numbers. Seeing a high readiness score can reinforce a feeling that I’m going to have a good day, while a lower sleep score is an excellent validation of why I feel like shit. In fact, this is where the sleep tab of the app truly comes into play. Broken-down stats on REM and deep-sleep time, or my overall sleep efficiency, allow me to quickly compare each night’s sleep with my norm.
Eventually, the app will start providing a Resilience rating. Mine currently reads “solid,” but with proper self-care, I can raise that to “exceptional” over time. This aspect is actually quite vague and difficult to engage with, but another Oura Ring wearer I spoke to called it her favourite feature. To each their own.
The health data is impressively accurate for a device like this, but it’s not perfect, especially the further your health is from the baseline of what’s expected. An example: I was born with a congenital heart condition, a bicuspid aortic valve, so I have a very strange-sounding heartbeat. My heart also has to pump twice as much as most people’s to produce the same blood flow. The point is, I already have a reason to be suspicious of how accurately the Oura Ring can monitor my heart health, confirmed by its rating of my “cardiovascular age” as thirteen years older than I am. Do I have the heart of a man in his early forties? Maybe, but I’m sure plenty of forty-year-olds have stronger hearts than I do.
The issue is, if I were unaware of my condition, this would be concerning. And everything that the Oura app can recommend is general, lowest-common-denominator health advice. Eating fruit and working out won’t actually do anything substantial for my cardiovascular readings. This is all to say, you are probably never going to get life-saving data from this thing. The most it can do is help you get better sleep and exercise more, which can admittedly feel life-changing.
In terms of general health tracking, like daytime stress and heart-rate data, the Oura Ring and app are very comprehensive. It’s easy to get lost in the sauce, and every week I swear either I’m gaining access to new features or the app is being updated. The amount of information here can be a little overwhelming.
When tracking my activities and exercise, the Oura Ring 3 has advantages and downsides compared with the smartwatches I’ve used. As a pedometer, it’s more accurate at tracking my steps and daily calorie burn than my smartwatch. It also provides way more data than I’ve ever gotten from my Apple Watch, but it’s worth mentioning that I don’t subscribe to Apple Fitness+. For this review, I received Oura’s subscription to test out all of the ring’s features, but there will be more on how that works later. Just know that for now, I was very impressed by the amount of fitness data provided. But when it comes to workout tracking and recognition, the ring lags.
This is one of my favourite features of the Apple Watch. When I start an elliptical workout or a bike ride or even a long walk, it will accurately identify it 95 percent of the time and ask me if I want to record the workout. As a result, I always have digital records of all my workouts on my phone, fully automated. Its tech wasn’t always this accurate, but Apple has invested a lot of time and money into it. I can’t say the same for Oura, unfortunately.
For starters, having to open the app to retroactively confirm and log my workouts is one more step than I’m used to taking. Beyond that, I found the functionality often lacking. Once, my Oura Ring correctly identified a forty-minute elliptical workout. More commonly, though, it will misidentify it as (maybe?) a walk, as it does most non-running workouts. Most days, I have to confirm four or five walks in my exercise log, meaning the ring doesn’t know the difference between a trek to the subway and a short hike.
Up front, an Oura Ring will cost you from approximately SGD450 before tax, depending on which style and finish you choose. The newer Horizon models will generally run you slightly more than the OG Heritage design, and fancier finishes like Brushed Titanium, Gold, and Rose Gold will add to the price tag. While that’s not nothing, I live in a city where a cup of coffee rarely costs less than five bucks. Four or five hundred dollars for something you will use every day is reasonable compared with, well, the state of everything else.
What really irks me is the subscription model that’s tacked on to that. After an included free month of fully featured access, Oura begins charging SGD9 per month for access to in-depth sleep insights, heart-rate monitoring, body-temperature readings, blood-oxygen readings—pretty much everything you would use it for.
It isn’t so much the cost that frustrates me (it’s fairly affordable compared with direct alternatives like Apple Fitness+) but rather the dread of that payment hanging over my head every month until I want to stop using the device—all to use its basic functions. What baffles me is how fundamentally useless the Oura Ring 3 is without a subscription. It just feels like another company trying to bleed its users dry when we’ve just invested hundreds of dollars in a product. You’ll have barely unlocked access to all the features after one month of use, making the free month feel like even more of a “lite” version of the true experience than is advertised. A free year would’ve at least been a compromise.
I really, really like the Oura Ring Horizon Gen 3. I like how it looks and how much of a conversation starter it has proved to be. Most of all, I like how it’s confirmed something I’ve always known but never had the data to prove: I get a pretty healthy amount of sleep. My bedtime is way more consistent than I expected. Even a small insight like this has started to change how I think about my sleep and, by extension, my mood and energy levels.
Even as an Apple Watch user for several years, I’ve found a way to slot the Oura Ring into my life and teach me something new about myself. That’s something I can’t say about most products I try. If I ever take this thing off, it’s either because I’m taking a shower or my subscription has finally lapsed.
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At Esquire, we’ve been testing and reviewing the latest and greatest products for decades. We do hands-on testing with every gadget and piece of gear we review. From portable monitors to phone cameras, we’ve tested the best products—and some not-so-great ones for good measure.
To review this Oura Ring, I tried it out for many weeks before even sitting down to start writing. Plus, I spoke with other Esquire staff members about their past and current experiences with the product to get the fullest picture possible.
Originally published on Esquire US
Just when I thought we'd hit capacity on mid-tier consumer headphones, Sonos made its long-awaited entrance. We've already got classic brands like Apple, Beats, Bose, Marshall, and Sony. We've got luxury plays from Bowers & Wilkins, Bang & Olufsen, and most recently Dyson. Consumer headphones are a multibillion-dollar industry (Statista values it at SGD24 billion globally), so there's a lot of money to be made off our active-noise-cancelling obsession, and there have been a lot of shitty attempts to enter the market.
So, did Sonos do it right? Do the brand-new Sonos Ace headphones move me in any way? Surprisingly, yes. After a couple months of testing, I think these are some of the best headphones available. At SGD699, they're good for music listening and travel, but they're best in class for at-home TV watching.
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One thing: Sonos Audio Swap. Everything else that's great about these headphones—active noise cancellation, spatial audio, lossless streaming—other headphones do just as well. Audio Swap establishes these as TV-watching headphones, a category where they face little to no competition.
When you have a Sonos soundbar, Audio Swap uses the HDMI connection to pull hi-fi sound from the TV and share it with the headphones via Bluetooth. (Currently, this is only available with the Sonos Arc, but the brand is promising compatibility with lesser soundbars as soon as possible.) For flat living, it's great. My girlfriend and I are both guilty of holding unpredictable late-night movie-watching hours long after the other has gone to sleep.
Normally, there are two options. 1) Movie watcher tells sleeper to wear earplugs and get over it. 2) Movie watcher respectfully turns the sound down so low that the dialogue is impossible to hear. Sonos Audio Swap is the fix we've both craved. The Dolby Atmos spatial audio makes it feel as if you're listening on a proper surround-sound system, but it's all within your own head.
Full transparency, though: This is not a new concept. You can already stream TV audio to a pair of spatial audio-equipped headphones with Apple TV 4K and a pair of AirPods Max. The difference is that the Sonos home-entertainment ecosystem takes it up a notch.
See, since Sonos is already deep into home audio, the Ace has been built into that infrastructure. The most obvious example is in the TrueCinema technology. At the time of this writing, the software is still being worked on for a consumer rollout, but I got a little taste at an exclusive Sonos media event. TrueCinema will use the room-mapping capabilities of the Sonos soundbar to determine what your movie-watching experience sounds like in various positions around the room.
Then it shares that information with the headphones, so when you're sitting on your sofa, the audio sounds exactly the same as when it's coming from your soundbar. And if you walk around the room, the spatial audio centre doesn't move with you, so you get a different listening experience. Sonos is trying to replicate what it sounds like to watch TV without headphones while wearing headphones. An ambitious goal that I think will pay off big.
Yes, they're amazing for travel, music, podcast or audiobook listening, and everything else. But pretty much all the headphones in this price range are. When you're comparing any of these models, you have to dig deep to find differences.
As for me, I split the category into two (a bit arbitrary) subcategories: music headphones and podcast/audiobook headphones. Bose and Sony are podcast/audiobook headphones, because they have the best active noise cancellation. So is Bowers & Wilkins, because its bright house sound is good for dialogue. All-rounders like Bang & Olufsen, Apple, and the Sonos Ace are music headphones. (Beats are in their own bass-heavy category.)
The best compliment I can give the Sonos Ace is that they're the best competitor to the AirPods Max, which I love. The sound is full, from bottom to top. On the low end, you get deep bass and those rich low-mids that make you feel the music. In the middle, it's true to life. On the high end, you get crisp treble and vocals that cut through the rest of it. As expected, Sonos hit all the notes it needed to.
And how do they stack up to the AirPods Max in terms of usability? About the same. They connect quickly, and the Sonos app lets you play with EQ settings. They look good in either white or black. The headband is sturdy, with stainless-steel interior components, and smooth when adjusting. The case is fine. To be nitpicky, I think the recycled plastic feels a bit cheap. But the case itself is sturdy, slim, and great for travel.
Speaking of travel, that's where I think these would overtake the AirPods Max for me. They're ever so slightly lighter but feel just as substantial. The case is hard and about the size of a book, so it's easy to slip into a crowded carry-on without worrying about damaging the headphones. But the biggest win is that Sonos includes a USB-C-to-3.5mm jack in the case. That means no dongles or stupid pretravel purchases. From day one, you're good to go with in-flight entertainment.
If you've already got a Sonos home audio system, or have grand ambitions to get a Sonos home audio system, buy a pair. If you're a frequent flyer who's always wanted a pair of headphones with a better travel case and an included 3.5mm adaptor, buy a pair.
The music performance is great, but it's not miles better than the other options out there. What I can say for a fact is that Sonos Ace headphones are the best home entertainment headphones on the market. If you can drop the money on both these and the Arc soundbar, there's not a better home audio setup available. If you're not interested in sitting at home watching TV through your headphones, maybe play the field.
PRO: Easily the best headphones for watching TV and movies
CON: For music, podcasts, or audiobooks it's not clear cut—on-par with AirPods, in my opinion
Originally published on Esquire US
It was an audacious move when Dyson decided to plunge into the deep end of audio. Dyson is allowed to experiment but with the Dyson Zone, it was trying to be a lot of things. For one, it's a pair of headphones but it was also an air purifier? It's as though the brand wasn't confident in their foray into the audio space and still cling to the signature fans that put them on the map in the first place. Those two disparate functions—audio fidelity and the air purifying—found a shaky common ground in the Zone but not only was the design ridiculous (Bane, anyone?), it was heavy and, in some cases, the air purifying sensors weren't as accurate as it should be. But the noise cancellation and audio fidelity showed promise, which brings us to the brand's first audio-only headphones: the Dyson OnTrac.
Drawing from 30 years' worth of aeroacoustics R&D, Dyson has going is their own custom Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) algorithm. The ear cushions on the headphone cups, create a seal on the ears and each headphone cup is outfitted with eight microphones that cancel out external sounds at 384,000 times per second and reduce noises up to 40dB. Armed with 40mm, 16-ohm neodymium speaker drivers and advanced audio signal processing, you get a clear delivery. You get your highs and lows with a wide frequency range—a resonant 6 Hertz to a crisp 21,000 Hertz. Another feature is the tilting of the speaker housing at 13 degrees towards the ear for a more direct audio response.
You get a battery life of up to 55 hours. For weight distribution, instead of being housed in the cups, two high-capacity lithium-ion battery cells, are positioned at 10- and 2-o'clock of the headband. The ergonomics of the headphones are great. We have been wearing them for about two hours and we don't have any tension on the neck or the temples. High-grade foam cushions and multi-pivot gimbal arms relieve ear pressure, while the soft micro-suede ear cushions and optimised clamp force ensure a consistent and comfortable fit.
One thing that sets this apart from all the other headphones is that the Dyson OnTrac allows for customisation for the ear cushion and the outer cups. Usually, that sort of feature is disabled to maintain the drivers' integrity but Dyson is confident enough that even when you swap out the modular cushion and cups, the Dyson OnTrac will perform as well as it should.
The Dyson OnTrac comes in four base colourways—aluminium (that's finished via computer numerical control machining); copper; nickel and a ceramic cinnabar variant that has a ceramic-like painted finish. Then you have customisable caps and cushions in different hues, which give over 2,000 colour combos. The caps are made of high-grade aluminium and are in either anodised or ceramic finishes.
The Dyson OnTrac Headphones retail for SGD699 and will be available on September 2024 at all Dyson outlets and online.
When it comes to prognostication, look to the dreamers, who imagine the things that will be made possible. For Apple, it's the sort of longview that benefits from the company's long development cycle for its products. It is this sort of gestation period that allows the Apple Vision Pro (AVP) to come to fruition.
In 2007, a patent was granted to Apple for a "HMD (head-mounted display)", which meant that development for the Apple Vision Pro ran for 16 years. That's the problem with dreamers, it takes a while before everybody, including the technology, catches up. But while most of the tech needed to be invented, some things like the look of the device didn't veer too far from a concept sketch.
"When we started this project, almost none of these tech existed," said Mike Rockwell, VP of Apple’s Vision Products Group. "We had to invent almost everything to make it happen."
Alan Dye, Apple’s Vice President of Human Interface Design, said that the AVP was, by far, the most ambitious Apple product that they had to design. "I can't believe that any other company would be able to make something like this as it requires all disciplines across the studio together, to create one singular product experience. It's kinda unprecedented."
Richard Howarth, Vice President of Industrial Design, concurs. "One of the reasons that it was very ambitious was that it hadn't been done. Nothing with this sort of resolution and computing power had ever been done.
"We didn't even know if it was possible."
The prototype was huge. Powered by a roomful of computers. Thick cables run between them. Although a behemoth, the prototype represented proof that it was possible.
Yes, during development, there were VR headsets that were released to the public. But Dye and Howarth weren't interested in creating a VR headset; they wanted a way to bridge people. Dye explains that whenever someone dons a VR headset, they are isolated from other people around them. "We wanted [the Apple Vision Pro] to foster connection, both by bringing people, from across the world, right into your space or by remaining connected with people around you."
The intent to connect framed how the product was designed. Like EyeSight, where your eyes—or a simulacrum of your eyes—appear on the front of the Apple Vision Pro if you're addressing someone or if you're using an app (an animation plays letting others know that you can't see them). Essentially, it's a visual aid for others to know whether you're available or not.
Mixing AR and VR, the Apple Vision Pro would pioneer "spatial computing", where the integration of digital information into the user's physical environment. The only way that could work was Apple's proprietary M2 chip that powers the device and an R1 spatial co-processor. Another way for the AVP to process the workload is "foveated rendering", where it only renders what your eyes are looking at.
The micro‑OLED display puts out 23 million pixels didn't hurt either. There are also 12 cameras for precise inside-out tracking (it tracks your eyes, your hand gestures and human bodies who come within your ambit).
Dye and Howarth didn't want to use external controllers and opted for hand gestures and voice commands to get around. The hardware is only as good as the software. That's where visionOS comes in.
visionOS lets you create your own Persona, an almost realistic avatar of yourself or allows for the aforementioned EyeSight. It still is kinda janky (eye tracking is left wanting if I'm selecting something at the edge of my periphery).
But still, the visionOS won the prestigious D&AD Black Pencil award for Digital Design and a Silver Cannes Lion for Digital Craft. The judges saw potential and there's still the visionOS 2 on the horizon, where the update allows for a functioning Magic Keyboard to appear in a virtual environment or customise the icons' position on the home screen.
One of the features that I look forward to is creating spatial photos from photos from the Photos app library. Using advanced machine learning, the visionOS turns a 2D image into a spatial photo that comes to life on the AVP.
It was only a few years ago, that the Google Glasses was slammed by the public for being too intrusive. While cultural norms have shifted to the point where the public is lax about their privacy, Apple is still up in arms about privacy and security.
"It's important to know that Vision Pro has a privacy-first design at its core. We took great care in privacy and security for it," Rockwell says. "We don't give camera access to the developers directly. When your eyes highlight a UI element, the developers won't know where your eye position is. They are only informed if you tap on something. Another thing is that if you're capturing a spatial video or spatial photo, it alerts others on the front display that you're recording."
The Apple Vision Pro retails for SGD5,299 and there will be many, who would baulk at that price.
"We built an incredible product that we believe has enormous value," Rockwell explains. "This is not a toy. It's a very powerful tool. It's intended to be something that can give you computing capabilities, the ability to use this in a way where there's nothing else out there that can do it. We reached into the future to pull back a bunch of technology to make it happen.
"We want to ensure that this has fundamental and intrinsic value and we believe that at the price, it is of good value."
Perhaps access to the future is worth the ticket? The Apple Vision Pro is emblematic of the promise of the imminent. Of the convenience of speaking with your loved ones or the experience to traipse in lands unseen.
Like the eyes of the oracle, the device brims with potential and given time, the future is more realised.
The Apple Vision Pro is out now.
The luxury fashion House is breaking new grounds by venturing into the gaming and virtual world—Fortnite. How? By letting players to experience the Versace Mercury sneaker in-game for a limited time.
The collaboration adds a fun twist by inviting players to Murder Mystery (Fortnite Creative map) and explore an archaeological dig site. The first to discover the Versace Mercury sneaker wins and discovering the digital treasure comes with a special in-game perk and puts that player in the spotlight for that round. To promote the sneaker, Twitch streamer Agent 00 offers his viewers a chance to win a real pair of said sneakers during his stream.
That's not all. The collection also collaborates with Snapchat, offering a Snap AR experience and a Bitmoji digital collection. Platforms like Fortnite offer a new medium for brands to convey their story and visual identity in gamified and social ways. This approach gives players relevant rewards that enhance their experience, whether through gameplay or cosmetic items for self-expression. With this collab, Versace can continue its commitment to virtual worlds and the value of digital fashion items.
In the real world, the Versace Mercury collection is made from high-quality calf leather and features a single sole, embodying both futuristic design and versatility. Sci-fi inspired, these sneakers have a complex structure of 86 precisely crafted components. The upper and lining of each pair alone consist of 30 pieces, all seamlessly cut and stitched together.
Fortnite is free-to-play and is available on most platforms including PlayStation 4; PlayStation 5; Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X/S.
Samsung's biannual unveiling of its devices yesterday in Paris. It was, after all, a marketing strategy, a slew of Samsung devices announced at the locale of this year's Olympics. With pomp and circumstance, there comes the expectation of something new from the South Korean tech giant. These are what were announced at this year's Unpacked event.
The AI game heats up even further as Samsung reiterates its commitment to the integration of its Galaxy AI into their product ecosystem. Samsung was the first major phone brand to announce its use of Galaxy AI and while that thunder was stole with Apple announcing their own proprietary Apple Intelligence, Samsung reminds us that it already has a working Galaxy AI and that more of its products will have them.
One of the more impressive Galaxy AI addition is the Sketch to image feature. Your rudimentary doodle can be generated into different fully-fleshed image styles. Apple mentioned similar actions with its Image Wand but at this point, it's all about the speed to showcase AI, so this round goes to Samsung.
Samsung's signature phones return: the Galaxy Z Fold6 and the Galaxy Z Flip6. Touted to be "the slimmest and lightest Z series", the series are also blessed with enhanced Armor Aluminum2 and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for more durability. Both the Fold6 and Flip6 have Snapdragon 8 Gen In addition to being reliable, every element of the Z series is also powerful. Both the Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 are equipped with the Snapdragon Gen 3 Mobile Platform, the most advanced Snapdragon mobile processor yet.
The Galaxy Z Fold6 has a sleeker design and a Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, which gives it unparalleled brightness. There's an upgraded gaming experience that's within the Fold6 by its chipset and a 1.6x larger vapour chamber. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Flip6 has a new 50MP wide camera, a 12MP Ultra-wide sensors and larger battery life.
Let's address the elephant dominating the room: yes, obvious comparisons would be made with the Apple Watch Ultra. From the orange band to the orange "action button" to the shape of the dial, I guess, imitation is a form of flattery? But other than the looks, the Galaxy Watch Ultra seem to hold its own with its pricing and health measurement specs.
Other than the smartwatch, this smart ring is meant to be worn throughout. It's less intrusive than the smartwatch, which makes for easier health tracking. Imbued with three sensors—accelerometer, photoplethysmography and skin temperature reading—the Galaxy Ring can monitor and collate various health metrics. It comes in several sizes.
Welp, those were our key takeaways from this year's Unpacked. As we go through the devices, we'll let you know in-depth what to further expect with each of these devices.