About the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2nd Gen

The Bose QuietComfort lineup can seem a bit confusing; many of the products get the same “quiet comfort” branding without much differentiation. First, there’s the QuietComfort earbuds which were released in about 2020, which I reviewed. Next came the QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra.

While I found the Ultra earbuds very comfortable and offering terrific sound and noise cancelling, the $379 CAD and $299 USD launch price was a bit of a turn-off and the battery life wasn’t class leading.

Watch my full video review of Bose QC Buds

These new 2024 Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, which I believe are referred to as Gen 2, formally succeed the original model, and comes with a more modest price tag of $249 CAD / $179 USD.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2nd Gen features a “Chilled Lilac” color variant (which I received) in addition to the usual Black and White Smoke colors.

Don’t confuse the QuietComfort Earbuds 2nd Gen with the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II. Launched back in 2022, those earbuds featured the same oval-shaped design as their predecessor so you can consider the 2024 version of the QuietComfort Earbuds as a reboot of the series with a rounded earbud design and a smaller (but still a bit chubby), pill-shaped charging case.

I would like to thank Bose for supplying a test pair of earbuds for me to try out in my home. Well the company did send me a pair at no charge, it did not ask for, nor receive permission to have any input into this review so these thoughts are all my own.

What’s in the Box?

The box includes the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds with medium ear tips and size 1 stability bands pre-attached. You may optionally swap these ear tips with a pair of smaller and larger sizes and size 2 and 3 stability bands all included in the box, for a better fit.

Finally, you get the charging case and USB-C to USB-A charging cable.

To take advantage of some extra features and customization you will want to download the Bose QC earbuds app.

As a quick aside, Bose seems to have about half a dozen different apps for its headphone product and finding the right one is not always easy. Fortunately when you put these into pairing mode and go to connect your phone it should prompt you to download the correct version.

Design

Right out of the gate I like the design of these earbuds a little bit better. Well they are still a bit chunky, they seem a little more streamlined at the same time. They have a nice oval design that is easy to grip and remove from the case and well there are plenty of edges and ridges, everything has been nicely softened. Despite the suave look, these feel pretty durable and substantial while also feeling light in the ear.

Fit & Feel

One of the big issues ladies like me have with earbuds is that they tend to be designed for men’s ears, making them extremely bulky and often painful in a woman’s ear. I’m glad to say it appears these have been trimmed down a touch. While they do fill the ear concha, the fit is not tight. While Bose has designed these to be a little more low profile, these still do stick out enough from the ears that they are both very noticeable and would be unsuitable for side sleepers if you’re a bedtime earbud advocate.

Sound quality

I listened to a variety of different audio on these buds over about a week. I started out listening to YouTube videos and found the voice replication was excellent, and the audio was perfectly in sync with the video. I moved on to listening to music and covered a wide span of genres over my seven days.

The sound quality is, not surprisingly, really great. With lots of subtlety and an outstanding balance of clear highs with a deeply resonant bass, the audio quality was outstanding whether grooving to Chromeo, working out to Eminem or Busta Rhymes, or chilling to jazz or lo-fi hip hop during the workday.

Features

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2nd Gen comes with some nice surprises that you won’t even find in the pricier Ultra variant.

Going Beyond Ultra

I’m delighted to report that the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds addressed one of my main complaints with the Ultra model; the battery life.

Battery life & charging

Expect a fully charged pair of QuietComfort Earbuds to run for about 8 and a half hours with the charging case providing a further 21 hours. If by chance you have forgotten the charging cable, you can use any Qi wireless charger to juice up the case!

Customizable Touch Controls

Tap gestures on earbuds are often confusing or hit and miss, especially if you are migrating from a different pair of earbuds. Fortunately, you can use the Bose QC app to fully customize the actions behind single, double, or triple tapping the left and right earbuds. The default positions are a quick tap for play or pause and tapping and holding the earbuds adjust volume as well.

Noise cancellation + Aware

It’s almost unheard of for a more premium brand pair of headphones to be without two key features nowadays; that’s noise cancellation and aware mode. Noise cancellation of course is designed to block out extraneous sounds from bleeding in, while aware mode will deliberately pipe ambient sound into your buds if you need to keep an ear out for something.

How is the noise cancelling? Several things can affect the quality of noise cancellation including the fit of your headphones which is why it’s important to make sure you’re wearing the right size ear tips and you have a good seal created.

To test out noise cancellation I always run the same type of test. I engage the noise cancellation setting but don’t play any audio; that way I can really hear how much sound might be bleeding in.

With the Bose QC Buds 2nd Gen, I found the noise cancellation was extremely good at blocking out any type of sound, even when it was playing right in front of me. I’d say the noise cancellation succeeds at blocking out about 90 to 95% of all noise intrusion on its own.

With almost any kind of music or audio playing the noise cancellation succeeds admirably in creating a total cone of silence.

When it comes to the aware mode, I found it was able to pipe sound in extremely effectively while also giving it a very natural sound; not like it’s being piped through earbuds or a tunnel, but almost as though you’re not wearing earbuds at all.

In short I give both the noise cancellation and the aware mode a nine or a 10 out of 10.

The earbuds also offer a special Low Latency Audio Mode for gamers or media lovers who demand more synchronized audio.

Water resistance

While I don’t recommend using the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds for working out or running outdoors, the buds do boast an IPX4 water-resistance rating allowing them to function just fine under light rain, splashes, or some sweat. However, keep in mind that the charging case doesn’t enjoy any water protection.

Multipoint

These headphones have the option of connecting to two devices at one time, and allowing you to switch audio playback between them. This is a feature I really appreciate in headphones and it means I can keep them connected to my phone and tablet simultaneously.

The multipoint connection worked really well and I was able to swap between watching YouTube videos on my iPad and picking up a call on my iPhone with ease.

Other features

There are a few other features packed into these earbuds also, including EQ presets which allows you to use a handful of preset sound modes to change how your audio comes through. You can use voice control to control the headphones so you never need to reach for your phone and something called fast mute lets you quickly mute or unmute your microphone during phone and video calls with just a quick press on the headphones. There is even a gimmicky setting called remote selfie which allows you to use your headphones and the voice control or touch controls to have your smart phone camera take a photo.

The Not-So Ultra Stuff

Two of the QuietComfort Ultra’s marquee features that didn’t make the non-Ultra cut are the Immersive Audio and Snapdragon Sound.

Considering the midrange pricing, Bose made the right call with these feature cuts as spatial audio performance tends to vary depending on the track and streaming service while Snapdragon Sound only works with a handful of modern mobile devices.

No points deducted for these omissions but something to be aware of in case they are key features for you. If so you can certainly make the upgrade to the Ultra.

Overall review: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2nd Gen

Cheers to Bose for offering a fiercely competitive noise-cancelling product for under $200 that provides a noticeably elevated audio experience compared to other wireless earbuds in the budget tiers.

Let’s go over the pros and the cons so you can see if they might be right for you.

On the pro side the sound quality is outstanding, and the noise cancellation and aware modes are top-tier. The fit and comfort of these has been greatly improved and means they are a lot more comfortable to wear for longer stretches of time. The battery life is also pretty reasonable and well within common standards, and with Qi wireless charging, you get yet another premium level feature at a much more affordable price. I have to also shout out the new lilac colour which is subtle but cool. I’m also a huge fan of the multi point connection and I can say the Bose QC earbuds app actually provides a lot of options for customization and adjustment.

So what are the downsides? It’s been hard trying to find things to crack on. I suppose some of the biggest complaints people might have is that the charging case is still pretty chunky particularly when compared with other competitors. And the earbuds do still stick out quite substantially from the ears.

In short I think these are a great pair of premium sounding earbuds from a top notch audio brand now offered at a more affordable price and I can definitely recommend Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2nd Gen to you.

Those QuietComfort Ultra buds still have a place in premium land, but if the product isn’t on sale, I think you’ll get outstanding bang for the buck with these rebooted QuietComfort Earbuds.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2nd Gen sell for about $249 CAD/$179 USD, and you can get them from places like Bose, Best Buy or Amazon.

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The post Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Gen 2: full hands-on review appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

The post What can you do with Roku Express 4K? appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

Sonos Roam 2: What you get

Let’s look at what you’re getting here: Sonos Roam is a small, wireless, portable speaker option that Sonos wants you to take with you in the yard, camping, RVing and on the go. It can be used either horizontally or vertically and Roam can be controlled with the Sonos app or using the subtle but easy to locate buttons on the top. It will connect using Wi-Fi (so it can join your larger Sonos system at home) or via Bluetooth (use it anywhere, even off-grid).

Read & watch my full review of original Roam here.

Sonos Roam 2: What’s new?

There are three improvements when it comes to the second generation model, and while a couple of them are welcome, for the most part the changes are underwhelming and really designed to make the speaker more appealing to new buyers who may have read reviews of the original version. Fortunately, Sonos isn’t going to charge you more for these updates; the price stays put.

1. Dedicated Bluetooth button
2. USB-C cable update
3. Subtler logo

Let’s cover each of these off so you can see what you’re getting.

Watch my full hands-on review of Sonos Roam 2

A Sonos Roam with Button-shaped Band-Aid?

The Sonos Roam 2 is virtually identical to the original model. It has the same shape and overall design as the original Roam and comes in the same five colour variants—Black, White, Sunset, Wave, and Olive.

What’s the same?

Battery life unfortunately hasn’t improved and has the same IP67 waterproofing. It comes with Automatic Trueplay support, features integrated mics, and has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and AirPlay 2 support baked in.

The key change is a dedicated Bluetooth button. Here’s why this is a big deal.

I never had issues using my original Sonos Roam at home or outdoors because I set it up at home via Wi-Fi and the process is just like setting up any other Sonos speaker. Yes, Sonos made a controversial change to their app, but at the core of it all, the setup process is similar. But what if you skipped that step and decided to travel with the speaker? You’ll find out that you must connect the speaker via Wi-Fi, before you can switch to Bluetooth. That means taking an unnecessary step to switch on your phone’s Wi-Fi hotspot.

Again, I never experienced this issue, but others who aren’t familiar with Sonos products will. This oversight perfectly symbolizes the company’s focus on home audio.
The extra physical Bluetooth button, as silly as it sounds, corrects the course and finally lets you pair the Sonos Roam 2 directly to your phone as you should with any other Bluetooth speaker. And alongside the introduction of the Sonos Ace, Sonos has finally gone mainstream in portable audio. Hooray I guess?!

New USB-C cable

By no means a significant upgrade, it’s still a welcome improvement to get a dedicated USB-C to USB-C cable. This is the way most devices are going now and I kind of feel like we might as well make the switch already. Like most electronics manufacturers you’re not getting a plug included with this so if you haven’t already invested in a high powered multi connection USB plug, now is the time to pick up a couple.

Subtle logo

Of all the things Sonos chose to refresh, printing the logo in the same colour scheme as the rest of the speaker seems like a waste of paint. I suppose having the logo blend in helps to differentiate Roam from Roam 2 at a glance, but there’s really no reason for this change that I can see.

Minor upgrades

So as you can see the biggest upgrade is the improvement in Bluetooth connectivity, which is a big deal for some folks. All that is to say that if you already own a Roam speaker, there is no need to upgrade to the second generation. But if you were holding off on making a purchase, you can rest assured that you will have a much easier time with this version.

Sound quality

Since the sound quality hasn’t been tweaked over the original, I’m going to rinse and repeat some of my notes from the first iteration.
Roam is super small but definitely has power. It sounds a lot bigger than it is. Sitting next to it, 50% volume was more than enough. In a bigger open space, it is also surprisingly able to fill the space, even at that same 50% volume level.

The overall audio quality is very good… the speaker is well tuned and it’s possible to hear a lot of depth in the music. As I noted in Gen 1, there’s a lot of warmth to the sound, and the vocals sound outstanding. The music is very well balanced, which is no surprise. Sonos invests a lot in its speakers, so I’m not at all surprised that I like the sound of this one.
Outdoors you’ll not surprisingly need more volume the further you are away from it, but it seems like it’s able to dial up the right amount of power…

Sonos Roam battery life & power

Roam claims 10 hours of battery life from one charge but in my tests I got just under 10 hours, playing the music at a low level. Ten hours isn’t a lot for a portable wireless speaker, particularly when other portable models can give you 20 hours or more, so this is a pretty big downside.

When it comes to charging, you can either use the 90-degree USB-C cable that’s included with the speaker or purchase the optional wireless charging base.

Power saving feature (previously) improved

Original Sonos Roam had a big problem for me and that was that its smart power-saving feature didn’t work correctly out of the box, and the speaker would drain if not shut off completely.

Sonos fixed this with a firmware update several months after my review, and I’m glad to see that with this second generation it appears the speaker will indeed power down on its own if it hasn’t been used in about 30 minutes. If this is problematic for you, you can turn this setting off inside the Sonos app but it arrives on by default.

Sonos and Portable speakers

May 21, 2024, was a huge turning point for veteran smart speaker maker Sonos as it marked the day the company fully embraced travel-friendly products. Not only did they announce their very first pair of headphones, the Sonos Ace, but they also launched a successor to the Sonos Roam speaker. While Sonos didn’t give the Roam 2 launch much fanfare, the portable speaker is a key part of that turning point too even though the original Roam was just as portable and launched three years prior. My review of the Sonos Roam 2 will explain how a minor improvement marks a big change to the company’s vision and to understand this better, I want to share a short history lesson of the 22-year-old company.

A Short Sonos History: From “Home” to “Home and Outdoors”

Sonos has spent nearly 15 years building smart speaker products of all shapes and sizes with a set of common standards. They can all connect to your router and you can control them through a single mobile app that lets you stream music to any or all connected speakers. Combine that with a focus on powerful specs and you end up with the Sonos lineup that exists today—all Wi-Fi-enabled (except the Bluetooth-only Sonos Ace), premium prices, and solid quality both inside and out. This focused approach to home music has won over many fans securing the company’s reputation as the brand of choice for Wi-Fi-enabled home speakers.

“Home” is the key word here because Sonos positions its speakers as home products and not for traveling. The company broke that tradition in 2019 when they introduced their first battery-powered speaker called the Sonos Move, followed by the Sonos Move 2 three years later. But weighing nearly 7 pounds, I wouldn’t call the Sonos Move 2 travel-friendly; it’s more designed to be moved around your home and yard.

The original Sonos Roam truly fit the portable role and I praised it for its great sound quality and portable design with added waterproofing. Moreover, the speaker kept the Sonos essence intact with its built-in Wi-Fi so it can connect to your network just like the larger speakers can. Other than the mediocre 10-hour battery life and the fact that it doesn’t float, I had no complaints. But when I used the Sonos Roam 2, I realized its predecessor had one other weakness that I failed to mention and will finally bring to light here.

About the Sonos Roam 2

I feel like the Sonos Roam 2 sends two separate messages to two different audiences and I’ll explain both. The first audience consists of the people who already own a Sonos product or two and recognize the company’s reputation as a premium manufacturer in the speaker space. They see the size of the speaker, they see the $179 price, and they expect a portable speaker that can serve as another satellite to their Sonos ecosystem. The Roam 2 fits that description because it has built-in Wi-Fi.

It also targets the crowd who are looking for a high-end, portable, Bluetooth speaker, but can’t quite afford a $300+ speaker such as the Sonos Move 2. Maybe they were curious with the Sonos brand, but didn’t bother because of the high entry-cost and view the Sonos Roam 2 more as a low-hanging fruit.

If you read my original review of the Roam, you’ll notice how my description of the Roam 2 mirrors its predecessor. That’s because the Sonos Roam 2 is essentially the same product with a big fix.

Overall Thoughts: Sonos Roam 2

Unfortunately, I have some bad news to share for folks hoping for the Sonos Roam 2 to be something much more. The Sonos Roam 2 has no other improvements other than the new Bluetooth button, and a minor colour change to the logo to match your chosen colour style.

Sonos developed great successor speakers in the past like the Sonos Beam Gen 2, so I expected the Roam 2 to make a similar technical leap. However, the Sonos Roam 2 is the company’s entry-level baby and most companies don’t dedicate too many resources to their entry-level products because of the lower margins they generate. On top of that, the Sonos Roam 2 isn’t under serious pressure by the competition. Yes, there is a plethora of great and aggressively priced Bluetooth speakers, but none of them can play ball with the Sonos ecosystem anyway.

So even with that extra button, better Bluetooth connectivity remains as the primary selling point of the Sonos Roam 2.

I believe a theoretical Sonos Roam 3 will deliver the audio quality or battery gains we want if they feel threatened by a Bluetooth competitor in the $150 to $200 price range. For now, that competitor is the original Sonos Roam and I would recommend that instead if you can find it below the $179 MSRP. As for existing Sonos Roam owners, you can actually buy a Sonos Roam 2 and pair it with the original Roam in stereo which can count as a more meaningful upgrade.

Overall, it’s nice Sonos has been listening to its customers who’ve been complaining about the connectivity, and this refresh will check many of the boxes for a portable speaker.
While the sound quality is great and it’s super portable and compact –not to mention it’s really waterproof, it does have some significant plusses. But it’s not without its downsides: mainly that it still doesn’t float, and the battery life is on the lower side.

Bottom line, if you’re insisting on a Sonos speaker, Roam is your best choice for a portable option. If you’re not brand-loyal, you can probably find other great sounding speakers, with longer battery life, that float and may be more durable.

Sonos Roam sells for about $229CAD $169USD and is available from Sonos, Amazon and other retailers. You can also check out original Sonos Roam which has been heavily discounted in the wake of the new version. My full review of original Roam is available here.

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The post Sonos Roam 2 speaker: Full hands-on review + what’s new? appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

We all have vastly different reasons both for wanting headphones and for the headphones we choose. Some folks love the isolating power of over ear headphones while others find them smothering. There are people that prefer the subtle discretion of earbuds while others can’t stand having some thing in our ear canals. All that is to say that purchasing headphones can be a very personal experience that’s different for everyone. The best you can do is choose a reputable brand and try to find a pair that have good consumer reviews to. In this review I’m testing out the Sony WH1000XM4 over ear wireless noise cancelling headphones. I’ll take a look at the style and comfort, what you get with your purchase, how long the battery lasts and what it’s like to use for all kinds of listening experiences from music to podcasts, phone calls and zooms. I’ll wrap things up with the pros and cons and make an assessment about whether or not I think I can recommend these for you.

Many reviewers and customers have praised Sony’s flagship WH-1000XM over-ear headphones series for their exceptional comfort and listening experience and top-tier noise-cancelling options. Sony’s latest noise-cancelling headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM5, continues that premium streak, but has a different design than its predecessors. The glaring omission of that redesign is its inability to fold, making the included case much bigger as well.

Fortunately, many retailers continue to sell the older Sony WH-1000XM4 which has many of the same features the current model has. But is buying a pair of $300 premium headphones launched back in 2020 a good idea given the sea of newer options available? Let’s see how they hold up in 2024.

What’s in the Box?

When you unblock the package the first thing you’ll likely notice is the hard shell travel case. I’m actually not generally a huge fan of these cases as they tend to be far bulkier than they need to be for simple safe transport. In this case, the case is actually extremely thin and very slim and flat on both sides making it quite unusually easy to slide into a bag or backpack. The back of the carrying case also has an elastic mesh pocket for storing any other small items you wish to add.

I’m very impressed. When you flip the case open you’ll see the headphones, a very short 6-inch USB-C power cord, an auxiliary cable, and a dual-prong airplane aux travel adapter. A felted divider keeps the cords and accessories in one place while also protecting the headphones, another very nice touch.

Design & Comfort

The WH-1000XM4 should be one of the most comfortable headphones $350 can buy thanks to the ample memory foam cushioning on the earcups and headband. (In fact, the WH-1000XM4 model has thicker cushioning than its successor making the former the better pick if you are after comfort and long listening sessions. The newer WH-1000XM5 feels a lot lighter though.)

The earcups feel very well made but they are on the thinner side. I don’t have particularly big ears or ones that stick out, but the inside of the earcup do come quite close to my ears. Those with bigger ears might find these uncomfortable or annoying. The covering on the cups is quite soft and feels feels neither leathery nor plastic. Just very comfortable. (I get the impression these would last years before you notice any signs of wear and once you do, you can easily replace the earcups with a third-party set like the popular stylish earcups Wicked Cushions make.)

When wearing the headphones, you can adjust the headband for a nice snug fit that doesn’t add serious pressure to your head and ears, in fact if anything I’d say these feel on the looser side when it comes to head compression. While I wasn’t worried about them falling off, sudden had movement did seem to allow them to move around just a little bit. Just bear in mind that Sony designed the WH-1000XM4 for casual listening so they’re not really meant to go jogging or exercising since the design also offers no waterproofing.

My preference is for a lighter and less constricting feeling over your headphone that doesn’t sound hollow or plasticky. I’d say this set checks all the boxes.

Using the Sony WH-1000XM4

Setup & pairing

There’s only two buttons on the left earcup, making things easy to operate and keep track of the controls.
Holding the power button on the left cup for a couple of seconds switches on the headphones and will immediately enter pairing mode if you are doing this for the first time, as mine did. Pairing the headphones with your device is pretty simple (just open your phone’s Bluetooth menu and tap to connect)

You can use the Sony Headphones Connect app to configure the headphones. From the app, you can adjust the noise cancellation levels, assign a function to the physical “custom” button next to the power button like toggling noise cancellation or triggering your voice assistant, and even pair the headphones to a second device.

Gestures

The right earcup’s surface is touch sensitive allowing you to perform quick actions through tap and swipe gestures. If the app or site supports it, double tapping the right earcup plays or pauses the active media. An alternate way to pause playback is to simply remove the headphones since it has wear-detection and putting the headphones back on resumes the playback.

When your connected device has an incoming call, the double-tap gesture can also answer it as well as end the call during a conversation.

Swiping up or down adjusts the volume while swiping left or right triggers “next” or “previous” actions. These gestures will work when connected to Android or iOS devices as well as Windows systems.

Noise Cancellation

The comfortable earcups provide some decent passive noise isolation, but you’ll get the best experience by activating the noise cancellation feature.
Sony’s QN1 noise cancelling processor and five built-in mics do a fantastic job in cancelling out background noise. The noise cancellation is also adjustable. If you go into the app and look for the sound tab, when you turn on ambient sound control it will give you a slider bar so you can adjust how much exterior noise gets through. You can also let the Sense Engine do its work by setting an appropriate level based on your current activity and the level of sound around you. I always test out noise cancellation both with some audio playing and without anything playing at all. Testing noise cancellation in quieter or environments is actually a bigger challenge since the headphones don’t hear anything to try to cancel out so it’s possible to get more noise bleed in advertently. I can say that these performed quite well in all my tests.

The noise cancellation quality is excellent and really allows you to create an excellent cone of silence.

Sound quality

I tried listening to a variety of music and audio with the WH-1000XM4 including spa sounds (soothing and non-distracting while working), pop, rock, podcasts and more.
The sound quality on these is outstanding, as it should be. Supremely well balanced, it’s easy to pick out multiple layers of sound. The bass, if all settings are left to factory, is a wee, wee bit on the flat side, which can easily be adjusted with the equalizer settings (turn on Bass Boost or Excited). The overall experience is full, head-filling and super enjoyable and it will be tough to find fault with the audio.

Connect to two devices at once

A feature I love and headphones is the ability to connect to two devices at once. While you have to toggle the setting on inside the Sony headphones connect app, it allows you to maintain connections to two devices at once meaning you can connect to your laptop and your phone and easily between them without needing to stop and reconnect. This does take a couple of steps to get set up and the app will walk you through it.

Battery life & charging

Having long battery life in quality headphones is really important. Nobody wants to have to charge them up every day or so, because of course you can count on them running out of juice when you need them the most; like when children are screaming at the airport and you just need to chill out. The WH-1000XM4 provide about 30 hours of battery life with a full charge. With noise cancellation off, you can expect about 38 hours of runtime. I’m happy to say these also boast fast charging where 10 minutes of charge can give you up to five hours of listening time. All in all this is outstanding.

Auto Power off

The headphones have an auto power off setting so that whenever you remove the headphones they will turn off after a short period of time. This is very handy for the forgetful types and those who want to prioritize saving needless battery waste.

Other Features

Like many noise-cancelling headphones models in its class, the WH-1000XM4 offers an ambient sound mode which utilizes the built-in microphones to transmit ambient noises to the earcups so you can hear your surroundings while enjoying your music. You may also temporarily activate this feature at will by covering the left earcup with your hand. This will trigger Quick Attention Mode which activates ambient sound while also lowering the volume.

Being a high-end Sony audio product, the WH-1000XM4 supports the high-resolution LDAC audio codec. LDAC improves the audio quality over Bluetooth connections which could come in handy if you have a large FLAC collection or enjoy lossless streaming services like Deezer or Tidal.

If your mobile device has built-in NFC, you can also initiate a quick Bluetooth pairing by placing the smartphone on the left earcup. Just look for the NFC logo.

My Places

These headphones allow you to adjust how they operate based on where you are. Registering locations you frequent with the Sony headphones connect app automatically switches your headphones settings when you were at each location. For example you may be able to hear your family speaking while listening to music at home, or block out colleagues using noise cancelling at your busy open-concept workplace. This feature will automatically adapt your settings based on your current location. Sony does take note that certain areas like subways and tunnels where GPS reception is weak won’t allow you to use this feature properly.

360 Reality Audio

Another key feature of these headphones is 360 reality audio which seems very similar to spatial audio in that it allows you to seemingly hear sound from more places around your head as opposed to simply straight into the ear canal. At the moment this feature is only compatible with a handful of music apps, none of which I subscribed to. As a result I was unable to test out this feature.

Speak to Chat

The speak to chat feature is another cool offering. If you turn this feature on the headphones will listen for your voice and then automatically kill noise cancelling so you can hear what’s happening around you and speak to others. The sound quality is rather strange in that it sounds truly like your voice in the room, I’ll be at with headphones still on your head. It actually sounds very true to life and doesn’t distort voices or add a buzz or hum. The only downside I noticed when testing this is there is a very slight delay when you first begin speaking before the ambient mode kicks in. And it takes quite a while after I finish speaking (about 20 seconds) before the noise cancellation comes back on. Not really a problem but just something to be aware of.

Equalizer

The Sony headphones connect app also offers you equalization settings so you can adjust the headphones to your liking. You can choose from some Sony built presets or make your own custom custom adjustments.

Overall Review: Sony WH-1000XM4

Despite the product’s age, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is still a compelling buy and will easily outperform other current midrange products in the audio quality and noise cancellation departments.
When it comes to the pros, the sound quality is great, the folding design and slim hard case make it really easy to travel with. The headphones are comfortable and light, and easy to wear for long listening sessions. The battery life is fantastic, the accessories it comes with are useful.

When it comes to the downsides it’s hard to find a lot to crack on here. I could complain about the rather plain design, but for some people that’s actually a pro. I think the biggest issue is going to be the price, and that it continues to stay high despite the launch of a newer iteration.

Many retailers still sell the WH-1000XM4 at over $300 which in my opinion puts it too close to the newer Sony WH-1000XM5. The Sony WH-1000XM5 offers better noise cancellation and audio performance, which is worthwhile if you don’t mind the bulkier case and slightly reduced comfort and flexibility. But if you can find a pair at under $300, grab the deal and you’ll have some great mileage with the pair.

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Hands-on review: Sony WH1000XM4 over-ear headphones appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

Breaking into the crowded wireless earbuds marketplace is quite difficult when big brands like Bose, Jabra, Apple and JBL fill it with pretty awesome products. If you don’t have the brand power, the most practical thing to do is to offer something with comparable features, but at a way lower price. That’s just one of the strategies that EarFun is using to take on the competition with the EarFun AirPro 3. Selling for about $80 USD

EarFun AirPro 2 vs EarFun AirPro 3

EarFun still sells the AirPro 3’s predecessor for $10 less. I recommend skipping that because the AirPro 3 is the first in the AirPro lineup to feature a Qualcomm QCC3071 SoC (system-on-chip) with aptX adaptive Audio Tech. Qualcomm designed this chip specifically for wireless earbud products and EarFun claims to be the first to implement it. The chip features a special Bluetooth technology called LE Audio which dramatically reduces the latency to allow higher quality streams to be shared with devices that support LE Audio.

Watch my full hands-on review of EarFun AirPro 3 earbuds

The EarFun AirPro 3 also boasts a longer 9-hour battery life with noise cancelling disabled or 7 hours with the feature turned on. This is impressive as EarFun didn’t add any extra weight on the earbuds themselves. A fully charged charging case can also boost the total runtime to 45 hours and it features fast charging as well.

What’s in the Box?

What you’ll find in every EarFun AirPro 3 box is mostly what you’d expect – the wireless earbuds and its charging case along with a user manual and a USB-C charging cable. Despite its sub-$100 price tag, the AirPro 3 impressively includes four sizes of ear tips (one on the buds; three in the box) rather than the usual trio found in many mainstream competitors so you are more likely to fit a pair that perfectly fits in your ears.

The design of the EarFun AirPro 3 is a bit uninspiring, though it does evoke Apple AirPods so you can sort of see where EarFun is going with its product name. However, it is nice to see EarFun adding IPX5 Sweat and Water Resistance to the earbuds which is something you don’t typically see on a pair of earbuds at this price range.

Fit & feel

Pulling the EarFun AirPro 3 out of the charging case I’m struck by how substantial they feel; they feel solid and sleek, not chap in any way. I put them in my ears and was immediately rewarded with a snug but very comfortable fit.

Using EarFun AirPro 3

Pairing the EarFun AirPro 3 with your device is very straightforward as the QCC3071 chip supports Google Fast Pair. The earbuds support multi-device connectivity and EarFun offers a companion mobile app called EarFun Audio which lets you customize equalizer settings, apply firmware updates, and access guides.

EarFun equipped each earbud with touch sensitive controls which can activate several functions depending on the tapping pattern you follow. A single tap on the left or right earbud decreases or increases the volume respectively. Triple tapping that particular earbud will go to the previous or next track. To answer or end a call, you can double tap either earbud. For rejecting calls, you must tap and hold either earbud for 2 seconds. If you don’t have any incoming calls, this tap and hold gesture will either activate the voice assistant or toggle the noise cancelling depending on the earbud you perform it on.

The tap controls are mostly responsive although I will say remembering the tap sequence will take some doing and now and then I had to repeat my commands.

Key Features

Active Noise Cancelling

Like the previous model, EarFun’s QuietSmart 2.0 Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation is baked into the AirPro 3. The technology is nowhere near as sophisticated as what you’d get with a pair of flagship Apple or Sony earbuds but the noise reductions are actually pretty good for focusing. There are three settings; Ambient Mode, Normal and Noise Cancelling. Ambient lets you hear pretty much everythign around you and worked well; I could even hear a low fan running with Ambient mode on. Normal mutes the lower sounds in particular, and noise cancellation gives you a pretty solid cone of silence. It’s not perfect and there are better noise cancelling earbuds out there but for the price, I’m actually rather impressed.

Audio specs

EarFun clearly wanted to minimize the bottlenecks of the Qualcomm QCC3071 chip so it outfitted the earbuds with custom 11mm Wool Composite drivers which boast decent high-frequency range, increased clarity, and boomy bass. Audiophiles will still notice the audio quality differences when pitted against flagship products from premium brands, but for its aggressive pricing, this is as good as $80 gets.

The QCC3071 comes with aptX Voice technology too so the AirPro 3 matches that with an enhanced 6-mic array. Combined with Qualcomm’s cVc or Clear Voice Capture technology, the AirPro 3 is well-equipped to suppress noise and transmit clearer vocals.

Connect to other devices

It’s possible to get connected to two different Bluetooth devices simultaneously. There’s a bit of a back-and-forth process the first time but after that it should pair to both simultaneously as it did for me. Essentially, you’ll pair with your first device and stay connected then put the earbuds back in there charging case and hold the button for three seconds to put it back into pairing mode. Then you’ll search on your second device is Bluetooth menu to find the earbuds. Connect on the second device then return to the first device and re-initiate the connection.

Doing this allowed me to switch seamlessly between my MacBook Pro and my iPhone 15 easily.

Sound Quality

I have to say I wasn’t expecting much in the way of sound quality but the EarFun AirPro 3 sound pretty good. There is a noticeable if slight lean towards the treble side so they can sound thin on some music, particularly if the volume is low, but this is subtle. The bass first hit me as raspier, not resonant, but I picked through a bunch more bass-heavy tracks (Headsprung by LL Cool J, C-Walk by Kurupt, West Coast from M1) and found a lot more boom and bounce.

I listened to a variety of sound from podcasts and music to zoom calls and the phone and found the sound was great all across the board.

Battery Life

When it comes to battery life you are actually getting quite a bit; you’ll have 9 hours of battery life in the buds with a further 36 hours (4 more charges) in the charging case totalling 45 hours.

• Recharging time runs from one hour up to 3.5:
• 1 hour(for earbuds);
• 2hours(for charging case via USB-C);
• 3.5 hours(for charging case via wireless charger)

Overall Review: EarFun AirPro 3

Overall I was surprised and impressed by the EarFun AirPro 3. This is a solid earbuds package with great sound quality and useful features. They are easy to set up, easy to pair even to multiple devices simultaneously. They sound great across all audio spectrums and the three levels of noise cancellation is a nice bonus that performs admirably.

For $80 USD, the EarFun AirPro 3 is quite the steal if you can forgive the generic design and finicky touch controls. If you don’t have super high expectations with noise cancellation, you should be happy with the overall listening experience and battery life the AirPro 3 provides and with its previous track record of other EarFun devices, it looks like this budget brand is here to stay!

In short, I can definitely recommend EarFun AirPro 3 if you’re tired of being on the big tech hamster wheel.

Also read:

1. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Review
2. Jabra Elite 3 truly wireless headphones review
3. The Best Wireless Earbuds Buying Guide: how to choose, plus our top recommendations

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post EarFun AirPro 3 earbuds hands-on review appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

As someone who spends a lot of time using PCs and laptops, all my stocking stuffer recommendations under $50 are accessories rather than standalone products. However, given how versatile these products are, I’m confident these products will serve as great gifts to anyone. I’ve personally used all products in this list and continue to use most of them today so feel free to ask any questions about these picks if you wish to learn more.

A teeny tiny speaker

We love the look of the EWA Travel A106 Pro Portable Bluetooth Speaker. Smaller than a lime this is the ultimate emergency backup speaker you can truly bring anywhere… and it it gets lost, well, you’re only out $26! Weighing just 6 ounces, the A106 mini speaker is conveniently small but boasts clear sound with impressive bass and room-filling loudness. Use it for streaming music or internet radio services such as Pandora and Spotify from your Smartphone, iPhone, or via other audio device with Bluetooth.

Tech Touch Gloves

Ordinary winter gloves aren’t just going to cut it when it comes to using a touchscreen. Only specially designed gloves like the TRENDOUX Winter Gloves use special conductive material adding a great deal of convenience when the environment gets all chilly! They also make for great driving gloves!

Portable Apple Watch Charger

I know nobody should own any microUSB devices in 2023, but this unique portable Apple Watch Keychain charger is too unique to not consider! The tiny, built-in 1000mAh battery is just enough to add about 2 hours extra airtime to any Apple Watch making it a perfect add-on gift to that Apple Watch gift you bought on sale!

Cords and Cables

Cords and cables make for great equalizers when adding to the value of a stocking full of goodies! Native Union is a good brand to start with because they make all sorts of cables in assorted colors and materials to mix and match with other accessories in the stocking. A personal favorite is the weighted cable that stays put on any desk or bedside table, and its extra long length means you can still use it in bed. From Lightning cables to USB-C, these cords are reliable and come from a trustworthy brand. Be sure to check out this cords and cables guide for some other recommended brands!

Bluetooth Trackers

There are a lot of folks out there that simply think Bluetooth trackers aren’t worth the price, especially when you factor in battery replacements. Buying one as a gift is one thoughtful way of saying that valuables and personal possessions do matter and could be real saviors when the unexpected happens! Air Tags are the obvious Bluetooth tracker choice for Apple fans because of their tight integration with iPads and iPhones. For those Android loyalists, consider getting a Tile Pro as that tracker has a replaceable battery.

Tile Tracker

Have you ever heard any stories of folks saying they won’t ever need a Tile tracker, but suddenly wished they purchased one after an unfortunate incident of losing a valuable? The thought of losing luggage sure gives me the chills so be that cool Santa and gift a Tile tracker or two to allow proper tracking of these valuables no matter what mobile device they use.

Check out Erin’s full hands-on with all the Tile trackers so you can better decide which one to gift.

Anozer Tablet Stand

Putting a tablet such as an iPad on a stand is something you must experience to appreciate the benefits. The stand props up your tablet and lifts it up so you see its screen directly without tilting your neck down. This improves your posture while reading content while saving you the extra burden of holding your tablet.

Why does this matter to me? Because all my tablets have casings which add a bit of weight. This also adds an extra use case as well – using the tablet as a computer when you pair it with a Bluetooth keyboard. Yes, using a laptop might be more ideal depending on your use case, but based on my experience with both setups, I always found a tablet + keyboard combo more pleasant to work with on surfaces with minimal space.

I’ve tried a few tablet stands including one from ORICO and another from BAVIN. At least so far, the Anozer Tablet Stand is my favorite. The entire stand is made of aluminum and the back of the holder has four rubber pads to keep the tablet in place. The rigid construction is durable enough for the stand to hold an iPad Pro 12.9 with a case and unlike plastic stands, the Anozer Tablet Stand keeps the tablet steady and secure. Then when you are done using it, you can simply fold it and stuff it away in a bag.

Logitech K380 travel keyboard

Full disclosure, the keyboard I personally use is an Anne Pro 2 simply because it’s a mechanical keyboard and after going mechanical, I simply couldn’t go back! Unfortunately, that keyboard is more than $50 so my next personal pick is the Logitech K380 which I tried for a bit before I gifted it.

Priced at around $39 or lower, the Logitech K380 is a fantastic budget Bluetooth keyboard and a terrific companion to my tablet stand recommendation. The keyboard is small enough to fit in a bag and it can pair with just about any Bluetooth-enabled device from an iPad to a Raspberry Pi!

Even if the person you are gifting to lacks a tablet, he or she can still pair the keyboard to a phone. Considering how large phones are nowadays, using a keyboard to send a long text message or perhaps an email is a nice convenience. With the keyboard paired, the phone won’t bring up the onscreen keyboard leaving you with more screen real-estate for composing lengthier messages.

The neat little feature of this keyboard is its ability to pair up to three devices making this a versatile peripheral as well. The Logitech K380 is a travel-friendly keyboard which you can pair with your phone, tablet, or laptop, but you can use it at home too as you can pair it with any desktop computer you have with Bluetooth or even your Smart TV! The K380 comes in various colors as well.

Logitech G502 Mouse

If you have a friend or loved one who spends a lot of time on a computer or laptop, gifting a Logitech G502 is simply a no-brainer. Don’t be fooled by the fact that this peripheral is a gaming mouse either because you can use it as a productivity mouse as well. I’ve used a lot of mice from different brands and the Logitech G502 offers the best feature set for a wired mouse while it’s on sale for a sweet slice of the regular $70 price.

For me, the best features of the G502 are its software and 11 reprogrammable buttons. The Logitech G HUB software allows you to remap any of the buttons to various things such as a keyboard shortcut or a macro. For instance, I configured the two side buttons to change virtual desktops while the thumb button takes screenshots. Logitech’s non-gaming mice have fewer buttons, cost more, and offer less software customization which is why I picked this over other office mice.

Ringke Folding Stand 2

The Ringke Folding Stand is a nice, inexpensive stocking stuffer for that person who loves to travel light with a laptop. Unlike most laptop stands, the Ringke Folding Stand 2 has a flat form factor and feels like a piece of rubberized cardboard. Straight from its name, you can fold the stand into a tent-like shape which you can place the laptop on giving it an angle which makes typing comfortable while lifting it slightly for better heat dissipation. Although the stand feels light, it can hold heavier 16-inch laptops just fine. Not only does the stand offer two angles but you can flip it over flat and use it as a mouse pad too!

8bitdo Zero 2 game controller

Gifting to your kids or younger relatives? I wholeheartedly recommend the 8bitdo Zero 2! This tiny little stocking stuffer is a fully functional game controller that is surprisingly versatile. PCs, laptops, Smart TVs, tablets, phones, and modern game consoles all have built-in Bluetooth and each have their own gaming libraries. As long as the game supports controllers, you can play it  game with an 8bitdo Zero 2. Just keep it mind that it won’t work with a PlayStation.

What surprised me most with the 8bitdo Zero 2 is how usable it is despite its small size. It works best with retro titles and 2-D platformers as it lacks trigger buttons and analog sticks. While I don’t recommend this controller for prolonged gaming, it’s impossible to complain especially when getting one as a gift simply because of how cute and tiny this controller is!

Got a cool stocking stuffer find under $50 you’d like to share? Post your pick in comments below.

Also Read:

1. Best Tech Stocking Stuffers for Christmas 2023

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Tech Stocking Stuffers for under $50 appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

Earbuds

The coolest thing about buying a pair of earbuds is how they easily fit into the smallest stockings! Just make sure they don’t have any holes because some of these stuffers are north of $300! For your special someone with an iPhone or a MacBook, the Apple AirPods Pro is a terrific gift. Yes, they are a bit pricey at $329 CAD but we have the one-year hands-on experience and they remain highly competitive against other top picks!

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 or PI5

For an alternative that plays nicely with devices across the spectrum, the Bowers & Wilkins P17 impressed us with great audio quality, noise cancellation, and build quality. But before you pony up $399 USD / $499 CAD, make sure the lucky person doesn’t mind frequent charging as the earbuds’ battery life is on the average end.

Amazon Echo Buds

If you need to stretch your budget to buy earbuds for several people, consider the Amazon Echo Buds! Priced at around $154 CAD for the USB-C wired charging version, you get plenty of nifty features and decent audio quality even when not taking the Amazon-specific features into account.

Jabra Elite 4 and Skullcandy Push Active Earbuds

The Skullcandy Push Active Earbuds is a great budget sports earbuds recommendation because of its rather low $79 USD / $99 CAD price. Audio quality is nothing to write home about but fitness buffs will appreciate the long battery life, sweat resistance, and secure fit thanks to those built-in hooks.

If audio performance matters more than the other features, you only have to spend a bit more for the Jabra Elite 4 earbuds. These earbuds don’t last as long as the Skullcandy earbuds on a single charge, but you get Active Noise Canceling! The newer Jabra Elite 8 Active are also Erin’s newest best pick so those are a great gift buy too.

Echo Dot with Clock

You can’t go wrong with a cute-looking ball that shows the time and plays whatever beats you tell it to! Not to mention these Echo Dot smart speakers are priced frequently below their $59 retail price and you can get it bundled with add-ons in case you want to treat yourself or another loved one as well!

For the Music/Podcast Addicts: Bose Soundlink Micro and JBL Go 3

All modern tiny speakers sound fuller and better than the speakers built into your phones making these Bluetooth-powered treats great stocking stuffers for your audio-loving friends and relatives. How much of an audio quality boost you want depends on how much you’re willing to spend!

The JBL Go 3 and Bose Soundlink Micro are our top ultraportable speaker picks for 2023. For the budget-conscious, we recommend the JBL Go 3 as it offers decent audio quality for a sub-$50 USD / $60 CAD price. It also feels rugged and comes in various fun colors that even younger folks will appreciate.

The Bose Soundlink Micro costs more than double the price of a JBL Go 3 for a reason – the audio quality is much better while still sporting a small form factor. The design and micro-USB port does make the speaker look a bit dated, but I’d wager anyone wouldn’t mind when he or she pumps up the speaker volume to 70% (Hint: it gets loud!). Remember, this is a Bose product!

Wyze Cam v3 Mini

A security camera might not be the most glamorous stocking stuffer but the Wyze Cam can serve as a handy first line defense in a tiny 2-inch package! In case he or she already has an outdoor camera, they can easily use it as a baby or pet monitor or just a simple indoor surveillance piece that can capture motion. Plenty of versatility here!

Abode Smart Light Bulb 

The key to a good stocking stuffer light bulb is something that is inexpensive, easy to set up, and has that fun color-changing property—and one that you don’t need to buy an extra hub or bridge for. The Abode smart light bulb ticks all those boxes as it doesn’t require a hub for setting up and offers a simple app interface. The fact that it works with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant is a nice extra!

Amazon Smart Plug

Unsure what type of smart home accessory to buy for your friend or relative? Go for a smart plug like the Amazon Smart Plug and let that person decide! The package doesn’t scream Christmas gift as loudly as others, but it is one of the most useful low-cost accessories for turning any AC-powered device into a smart one where the power state can be controlled by a simple Alexa voice command. We also love the GE Cync Smart Plug too. Watch for a full review coming soon.

Earbuds Cleaning Kits

Cleaning kits are inexpensive products that can add significant life to any gadget so why not include them with your main gift? All it takes is just $7 to add a capable earbuds cleaner kit complete with a brush, sponge, and metal tip for getting stubborn dust and dirt out of those tight crevices. If you’re feeling more generous, you may include the Kickstarter-funded PurePort Multi-Tool kit which does a great job cleaning earbuds and can clean both cables and connection ports alike as well!

Bluetooth Trackers

There are a lot of folks out there that simply think Bluetooth trackers aren’t worth the price, especially when you factor in battery replacements. Buying one as a gift is one thoughtful way of saying that valuables and personal possessions do matter and could be real saviors when the unexpected happens! Air Tags are the obvious Bluetooth tracker choice for Apple fans because of their tight integration with iPads and iPhones. For those Android loyalists, consider getting a Tile Pro as that tracker has a replaceable battery.

SD or microSD Cards

Whatever gift you want to stuff in a stocking, you want to make sure that person can use it to the fullest right out of the box! SD and microSD cards are prime examples and they are so cheap to the point that there is no excuse for adding even the smallest capacity! Go for the SanDisk, Samsung, or KOOTION brands and head to this buying guide if you don’t know which type to get.

For the Budding Content Creators

Have a friend or loved one frequently uploading content in TikTok, YouTube, or maybe livestreaming on Twitch? Stuff up the stocking with a few small, but meaningful upgrades!

Joby GorillaPod Mobile Rig

The Joby GorillaPod Mobile Rig is a handy and inexpensive upgrade for entry-level vloggers. It may not offer any professional features like image stabilization, but the lightweight, flexible tripod legs allow you to use it as a monopod for self-videos as well as a standard tripod for filming all sorts of other scenes. The clamp keeps the mobile phone securely in place on the tripod while the arms allow you to mount other accessories such as a light or microphone. If getting the kit is a bit much for your stocking budget, any of the various components can be purchased individually including the small Beamo light, and even the wireless shotgun microphone.

Check out Erin’s Joby vlogging gear review for other Joby accessories you can add to your stocking.

Tula Portable Microphone & Recorder

If you want to be that extra cool Santa this year, a Tula Microphone is one potential ticket. Stuffing this retro-looking bad boy in a stocking will add a whopping $349 CAD to its value. When it comes to media, most consumers prefer better audio fidelity over video quality, making this microphone a great and highly noticeable upgrade over a smartphone or laptop’s built-in mic. What’s even cooler is the 8 GB worth of flash memory built right into the mic allowing you to use it as a standalone voice recorder. Perfect for podcasting on the go! If this one seems a bit out of stocking budget range, the microphone makes a fantastic gift also. Erin picked one up this year and it’s become her new go to microphone.

For the Globetrotters

When the occasion calls for gifting to frequent flyers, stocking stuffer gifts are the right approach because small gifts don’t add any extra bulk to their travel gear! Here’s some easy recommendations.

For the Wellness Buff

usmile Y10 PRO

I personally find electric toothbrushes to be a bit of an unnecessary luxury and that’s probably because I tried using a cheap one and came away a bit unimpressed. As they always say, you get what you pay for!

But after I read Erin’s review of the usmile Y10 PRO and how she gave it a perfect 5-star rating with no cons of any kind, I can’t help but be curious with this sonic electric toothbrush. But as a gadget-lover myself, I can see from a mile away just how cool this electric toothbrush is. It has a built-in screen that keeps track of your brushing, has an IPX8 waterproof rating so you can use it in a shower, and it can even measure how hard or soft you brush. Everyone needs to brush their teeth making this a great $100 USD gift for anyone!

Ninja Blast

A blender in a stocking? No, this isn’t a joke! I can totally confirm that you can fit this compact, portable blender in a perhaps larger stocking because I have one myself. What surprised me with this product when unboxing is the blender’s cylindrical packaging, so it won’t really give that large stocking a bulging look.

As for the blender itself, it’s a joy to use as I can just charge it with my phone charger for a couple of hours and then fool around with some blends here and there. I use it for making smooth protein shakes, cucumber shakes, and strawberry almond milkshakes. It had no trouble crushing ice as long as you add water and I found it really easy to clean. Ninja did a terrific job designing this blender and Erin agrees; read here review!

Have any gadgets you plan on stuffing in your stockings? Do comment and share away!

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Best Tech Stocking Stuffers for Christmas 2023 appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

With more than a billion active iPhone users, Apple has done a solid job in making their iconic smartphone both easy to use and simple to set up. Even without assistance from someone at the Genius Bar, you should be able to get started in using your new iPhone by following the onscreen instructions.

But as popular as the iPhone is, we sometimes forget just how much of a premium we are paying for the iOS experience. Maybe you are paying for the iPhone through your carrier contract or maybe you are just used to paying for flagship phones, but it doesn’t change the fact that you are paying quite a bit even for the “budget” iPhone SE. Knowing your iPhone’s premium nature is key to maximizing the amount you paid for the device and there’s no better way to discovering these features than giving your iPhone a real setup treatment. So, let’s take a walk through setting up an iPhone TechGadgets style!

First, a little disclaimer; the instructions laid out here cover iOS 17.1 which is the latest non-beta version at the time of writing. Future iOS updates may slightly or significantly alter the setup procedure. If you have an older version that doesn’t come with iOS 17.1 out of the box and you are having trouble with any of the steps here, feel free to leave a comment and we’ll gladly help you out!

Initial Setup Tips

Switching on a brand-new iPhone for the first time or performing a factory reset on one will greet you with a basic setup wizard asking you to choose the language and your country. After making your choices, iOS will let you set the overall size of the text and homescreen options. Choose any of the options before tapping “Continue” to get a small glimpse of what they’ll look like.

“Quick Start” Feature

If you own another iPhone or iPad running iOS 11 or later and it’s connected to the Internet, Apple’s Quick Start may detect the device and offer to transfer its data. Quick Start is a useful feature if you want to use your device right away without going through the hassle of searching for the apps and games you use on other iOS devices. But if you are very selective on what goes into your iPhone and want to save as much storage space as possible, I recommend skipping this feature.

Getting to Know Your Apple ID

To unlock your iPhone’s full potential, you must login to your Apple ID. Your Apple ID provides you with 5 GB of free cloud storage space via Apple iCloud which is useful for backing up settings, documents, and photos. It also gives you access to the iOS App Store where you may download free apps or purchase paid ones. You may create an Apple ID right from the iPhone but if you own a Mac or another device, you might have already made one. Try using the email you used to register for the Apple ID account for logging in. If you forgot your password, you can always reset it.

Updating Your iOS Version

As you swipe around your home screen, you might notice a notification indicator on your Settings icon. This could indicate a new iOS update which you should install immediately before tinkering with the rest of your phone to ensure the update installs on a clean operating system. Go to the “Settings” icon, tap “General,” and go to “Software Update” to check the details on the update if any. Tap “Download and Install” to download the update. This process could take time depending on the speed of your Internet connection and could cause your iPhone to reboot.

Once your iPhone reboots and finishes installing the update, go back to “General” in the “Settings” app and scroll down to “Transfer or Reset iPhone.” Tap “Reset” and select “Reset All Settings” to restore all iOS settings to their defaults. You can skip this step if you like, but I recommend doing this after an update as it tends to fix any bugs and other anomalies a new update could introduce.

Choosing Your Charging Adapter

The iPhone 12 and newer models only come with a USB-C charging cable and not a charging adapter thus forcing you to use an existing adapter one if you have. Since you’ll be regularly charging your iPhone, I recommend getting Apple’s own 20W USB-C Power Adapter which you can buy on Amazon or Apple’s official website.

This power adapter can charge your iPhone faster than lower wattage USB-C chargers. If paying $20 for an official Apple accessory isn’t appealing to you, you can pick up some cheaper third-party alternatives. When searching online, use “MFi” or “Made for iPhone” in your search query to ensure you avoid buying incompatible chargers.

Configuring Your iPhone’s Charging Behavior

Since the very first iPhone, replacing its iPhone battery was never a DIY affair for the average consumer. Therefore, battery care is very important as professional battery replacement can be costly. Fortunately, Apple does offer an option to extend the overall lifespan of the battery and it’s enabled by default.

However, this option can affect your iPhone’s overall battery life between charges. If you wish to maximize your battery life, go to “Settings” followed by “Battery” and then “Battery Health & Charging.” You can then switch the “Optimized Battery Charging” option from there. If you are using an iPhone 15 or plan on using newer devices, you also have the option to prevent chargers from charging beyond 80%.

Pairing With Your Apple AirPods Pro

One of the advantages of having both an iPhone and a pair of Apple AirPods Pro wireless earbuds is its quick and simple pairing process. Just switch on your iPhone’s Bluetooth settings from the “Settings” app and open your AirPods charging case with the AirPods inside. Position the AirPods case near your device and follow the rest of the instructions and you’re all set!

Taking these extra steps in setting up your iPhone is a good way to avoid some of the occasional bugs that may occur in iOS. Clear that hurdle and you can finally start opening the App Store and start installing your favorite mobile apps!

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post How to set up an iPhone appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

Buying a laptop for under $400 likely means you’ll be in a world of pain once you witness the compromises you’ll get for that low price. However, if we’re talking about Chromebooks, you could get some mileage if Google’s lightweight operating system fits your specific use cases. Even a basic machine like the Acer Chromebook 314 laptop can get things done as long as you don’t push it too hard. Knowing this Chromebook’s boundaries requires a closer look at the operating system powering this machine – Chrome OS.

What is Chrome OS?

Chrome OS is a full operating system built around Google’s Chrome browser. If you can imagine loading up Windows on your laptop and the only “desktop application” you can run is Google Chrome, you can get a good sense of the Chrome OS life. Don’t let that fool you into thinking that Chrome OS is severely limited because its usefulness outside of Web browsing rides on two major areas – the Chrome extensions and the Web apps.

The Chrome Web Store is more than 12 years old and third-party developers continue to make useful apps that can enhance your Web browsing experience. Average Windows users might not need to explore the Chrome Web Store so much because of the vast third-party app ecosystem, but Chrome OS will force you to dig deeper, and you’ll eventually find some neat little productivity-enhancing gems.

Web apps are booming more than ever before as developers try to make their apps and services accessible to as many devices as possible from smartphones to desktops. By keeping all the code on the server side, updating apps and services become much easier and users don’t have to download large installers. This is why Chromebooks exist with storage capacities as low as 64 GB. One good and reliable Web app counts as one extra thing a Chromebook can do.

Extra Features

The Chrome browser experience doesn’t exactly define the boundaries of Chrome OS as the operating system has a few extra features. Like Windows, Chrome OS has a customizable taskbar where you can pin shortcuts to your favorite Web apps as well as a launcher where you can access more apps including some of the lightweight built-in system apps. You can also personalize the OS such as changing your wallpaper or adding extra users with Google accounts.

Chrome OS also has access to the Play Store allowing you to install Android apps just in case you might have a favorite mobile app you wish to use on your laptop. Don’t get too excited with this one especially if you’re looking to buy a budget Chromebook because Android apps are a bit more demanding in system resources and compatibility varies since most apps are designed for touch. Not all devices running Chrome OS including the Acer Chromebook 314 have a touchscreen.

Why Choose a Chromebook Over a Windows Laptop?

Windows laptops can hit a pretty attractive sub-$300 price point as well and obviously have the benefit of being able to run all sorts of apps and games even without an Internet connection. However, Windows is a juggernaut of an operating system filled with both legacy and modern code which some feel just isn’t efficient enough for basic hardware to run smoothly.

On paper, the Acer Chromebook 314 should meet the Windows 11 minimum requirements with its Intel Celeron N4020 processor and 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM but even out of the box, Windows 11 will consume at least 3 GB of RAM and try to put stress on the SSD if it needs extra virtual memory. Windows Update and Defender can be pretty taxing for the Intel N4020 too with its slow dual cores.
I believe nobody should be using a dual-core 4 GB Windows laptop in 2023 as apps and operating systems continue to evolve and become more demanding. Chromebooks, on the other hand, run far more efficiently due to the basic nature of Chrome OS. More of that 4 GB RAM can be allocated for additional browser tabs and fewer background tasks mean prolonged battery life compared to a Windows system with the same specs. Chrome OS also requires less tinkering to get the performance and battery life you need although the Acer Chromebook 314 is a minor exception.

Acer Chromebook 314 – Bare minimum?

The Acer Chromebook 314  laptop is positioned at the very bottom of Acer’s Chromebook lineup as the company also offers other Chromebooks that cost more than double the amount but also boast twice as much RAM and CPU cores. Is having bare minimum performance worth the savings? Knowing your use case is key to appreciating the Acer Chromebook 314’s value.

For starters, you want to avoid using the Play Store feature altogether by disabling the Play Store option in the Chrome OS settings. Even if you don’t plan on installing Android apps, leaving the Google Play Store enabled will run some background tasks necessary for Android apps to function and it will bog down the performance of a dual-core 4 GB Chromebook like the Acer Chromebook 314. Android apps will run if you really insist on installing them, but expect the performance to drop a bit and try to avoid keeping too many browser tabs open especially if they run heavy background tasks.

If you use fewer than ten tabs at a time, you might have some available memory to install some extensions. Feel free to experiment with your favorite extensions and then launch the Task Manager by right-clicking on the title bar and clicking “Task Manager” to see how much memory those extensions are using. Typical extensions use less then 50,000 KB or 50 MB worth of memory but the Acer Chromebook 314 could still suffer from slowdowns if you try to visit heavy websites filled with ads, scripts, and other media.

The Acer Chromebook 314 is also equipped with 64 GB of flash memory. That isn’t a whole lot but I don’t find any issue with it since the laptop also has a pair of USB-C ports and USB-A ports for external drives. One of the USB-C ports also supports Power Delivery for charging as well as DisplayPort in case you wish to add an extra monitor. But even on its own, the Full HD 1080p display is adequate for watching Web videos and the built-in Wi-Fi 5 chip is more than capable of streaming high-quality HD footage.

Overall review: Acer Chromebook 314

I would describe the laptop Acer Chromebook 314 as a decent budget machine that will later serve as a “one task at a time” type of machine years later. We are entering the AI phase of the Web and AI is going to put a lot more strain on our systems as we try to come up with some clever prompts for whatever type of media response we want. Even if AI isn’t for you, websites will continue to evolve and feel more app-like, and push basic hardware to their limits. But if you don’t mind keeping your tabs and background activity to a bare minimum, the Acer Chromebook 314 will always be a superior performer compared to any Windows laptop with similar specs. The double-digit battery life and simplistic Chrome OS experience makes this Chromebook a good choice for students.

Acer Chromebook 314 ranges in price from $230-589CAD and $245+USD.

Of course if you want to see the future of Chromebooks, check out our review of the ASUS Chromebook Plus CX34, which doubles pretty much all of the key specs of this machine and add a boatload of artificial intelligence features to boot. Since it’s also very close to this one in price, it might be a more worthy option to upgrade.

Shop the Acer Chromebook 314 on Amazon and Walmart

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Review: Acer Chromebook 314 laptop appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.