A New Panasonic for Your Ears (and Shoulders)

Panasonic has revealed a new shoulder-mounted, headset-speaker hybrid called the SoundSlayer WIGSS.

AUGUST 27, 2021 It's August 27, 2021. It's Friday! As always, congrats for making it to another weekend. Here's a new batch of music to soothe those ears. We're especially happy with this week's selection. Apple Music | Spotify     ⏰ Today's Big Stories... in 30 Seconds Today We Watched, Read, and Listened to (so you don't have to): 397 articles, 11 podcasts, 13 press releases, 511 tweets, and 11 YouTube videos 1. Panasonic Announces New Immersive Speaker System Panasonic has a new speaker-headset combo: the SoundSlayer WIGSS. Sitting comfortably on top of a user's shoulders, it uses its full-range speakers and various sound modes to deliver high-quality surround sound. Its price and release date have yet to be shared, but we suspect it'll be expensive. 2. Windows 11 Will Abandon Several Taskbar Functions Despite hopes that missing taskbar functions in Windows 11 were a bug, Microsoft has confirmed it's intentional, and is meant to encourage the use of the Windows Widgets panel. Not a fan? Microsoft's statements on the matter have been "We'll take your feedback into consideration" type responses. Ooof. 3. Pixel Buds App Gets Android Home Screen Widget Google is finally making it easier to manage the Pixel Buds' settings via a new widget. With it, you can quickly access these settings directly from the home screen, customize the name of the Pixel Buds, and more. It's been a long requested feature from Pixel users, and if it makes them happy, we're happy. 🦑 Go Deeper Quake is a heck of a game, and it's finally made its way to the Nintendo Switch. While parts of it can leave you wanting, Rob Rich believes its extra content and expansions really make it something special.     🎱 By the Numbers AirPods are keeping Apple in the lead Data: Counterpoint Research A lot of companies sell wireless earbuds, but when it comes to who is topping the global market, Apple is comfortably in the lead. Sure, its market share took a slight hit in 2021, but we doubt that'll last. AirPods are pretty popular these days, and a new iteration would likely bump that percentage back up.     🏫 Best Back-to-School Deals of 2021 Our top picks for the best back-to-school tech deals for the students in your life from the editors and experts at Lifewire. See the Guide 🤓 Nerd Out "What happens when you solve it?" —Molly McLaughlin, Senior Content Strategist Solving a Rubix Cube is one thing, but what about a Rubix dodecahedron? Those bored with traditional puzzle cubes and their solutions should check out the 12-sided atlasminx for a real brain buster (and time sink). (Share on Twitter) 💎 You Know You Want It  Cool, but is Tony Hawk okay? Image: Liquid Death Like Tony Hawk and skateboarding? You may be interested in the new Hawk Blood Deck from Liquid Death, painted using the legend's own, well, you can probably guess (mixed with actual paint, of course). Now, yes, the skate decks have already sold out, but maybe they'll hit up Hawk again for another set? 🎥 Behind the Scenes Streaming? Theater-only? Why not both? Same-day streaming releases for movies like Black Widow and Godzilla vs. Kong have been great for many people, but the most recent CinemaCon, the National Association of Theatre Owners' annual convention, has proven that theaters and executives are still against embracing the new convenience.      🗞 Extra! Extra! We've got you covered with the best in daily tech news! See the latest on our site or follow us on Google News. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here. Have something you'd like us to write about? We're always open for suggestions, too. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Tech Today newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here .   Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. A Dotdash Brand 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10005 2020 Dotdash • All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.   [View in Browser]

Google Unveils the Fitbit Charge 5

Google has announced the Fitbit Charge 5 and you can pre-order it now for $180.

AUGUST 26, 2021 It's August 26, 2021. On this day in 1938, NYC Radio station WQXR used a tape recorder to broadcast for the first time. Is this technically a podcast? We'll let you decide.     ⏰ Today's Big Stories... in 30 Seconds Today We Watched, Read, and Listened to (so you don't have to): 387 articles, 9 podcasts, 11 press releases, 499 tweets, and 16 YouTube videos 1. Google Announces the Fitbit Charge 5 Google has unveiled the $179.95 Fitbit Charge 5. It's 10% thinner than its predecessor, sports an AMOLED display, and its battery can last up to seven days. Features include GPS, 20 exercise modes, and heart rate and stress level trackers. Interested? You can pre-order it now on Fitbit's official website. 2. Facebook Messenger Gets New Features for Its Birthday Facebook introduced a ton of new Messenger features on Wednesday for the app's 10th birthday. Among these include Poll Games, where you decide who is most likely to do something in your group chats, an easy way to share Facebook contacts, and new Word Effects. Nice! Now, where's that cake? 3. Twitter Lets You See Which Spaces Friends Are Attending Twitter is adding even more to its Spaces audio feature, including the ability to see which Spaces the people you follow are attending. The update applies to the mobile apps, but not to Twitter.com, though it's unclear if the feature will eventually be supported everywhere. More ways to use Twitter, huh? Yay? 🦑 Go Deeper A lot of people stream on Twitch, but not all streamers are treated equally. Allison Matyus has the deep dive on the platform's harassment problems, and how streamers are fighting to make it safer.     🎱 By the Numbers People know what social media is? Who knew! Data: Edison Research Many people are aware of social media, but such perception seems to be on the decline if Edison Research is to be believed. Of course, it's not a huge drop off since 2019, but we can't help but wonder what's causing the decrease to begin with. Maybe some people are just that good at avoiding social media. 🔥 Today's Hot Deal If you're on the lookout for a new laptop, HP's 11-inch Chromebook is enjoying a $62 discount on Amazon right now. Like Chrome OS and have $160 to drop on new gear? This is for you. Don't Miss This Deal 🤓 Nerd Out "Must go faster." —Kyree Leary, Associate News Editor Nothing says 'speed' like a Lamborghini, and in 2019, the carmaker kept the idea going with its Lamborghini Sián hybrid. It went from 0-62 MPH in 2.8 seconds, and topped out at 218 MPH. Wow! (Share on Twitter) 💎 You Know You Want It  The definition of luxury Image: Stuart Hughes Apple's MacBook Air laptops are already pretty good, but what if they were covered in platinum? That's what Stuart Hughes is selling with its MacBook Air SUPREME PLATINUM Edition. These were ~$440,000 when they debuted, but only 5 were made. Bummer. Guess we'll have to spend our fortunes elsewhere. 🎮 Up-Down-A-B-Start Accessible gaming Gaming has become more accessible in the last few years, from in-game options to new controller setups. Grant Stoner took some time to discuss his own relationship with games with a disability over on Fanbyte, and how he can now play games he never could before.     🗞 Extra! Extra! We've got you covered with the best in daily tech news! See the latest on our site or follow us on Google News. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here. Have something you'd like us to write about? We're always open for suggestions, too. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Tech Today newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here .   Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. A Dotdash Brand 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10005 2020 Dotdash • All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.   [View in Browser]