Tech Talk

If you do a lot of outdoor activities, be it riding a bicycle, walking, or anything else, it may be a good idea to, for safety purposes, invest in headphones that don’t completely cut you off from hearing the sounds of the world. One of the best values right now is the OpenRun from Shokz (formerly known as AfterShokz), an unconventional-looking set of headphones. Normally $129.95 at Amazon, they’re $109.95 in black, blue, grey, or red colorways.

These connect and operate like regular wireless headphones. But instead of covering your ears, the OpenRun leave them, well, open and instead deliver sound through bones near your ears — and it works surprisingly well. In case you were curious, these are the successor to the AfterShokz Aeropex, a model that I reviewed and that former Verge bike enthusiast Dieter Bohn really liked. The Shokz website says that, in fact, the OpenRun are “Aeropex with quick charge.”

Ring Alarm Pro, the latest home security system from Ring, has hit its lowest price yet at Amazon. The base eight-piece configuration that includes the Alarm Pro base station (that doubles as an eero Wi-Fi 6 router), a keypad, a motion detector, one alarm range extender, and four contact sensors for doors and windows is $60 off. Normally $299.99, it’s down to $239.99.

Every configuration of the Ring Alarm Pro is steeply discounted. The step-up model that usually costs $379.99 and includes the base station, two keypads, two motion detectors, an alarm range extender, and eight contact sensors costs $299.99.

My colleague Jennifer Pattison Tuohy called the Ring Alarm Pro “all you need to start a smart home.” It can be added with other Ring Alarm accessories, along with other eero 6 routers and Amazon products. Read our review for a deeper look.

It is, perhaps, not the biggest indication of success for Samsung’s Freestyle projector that it’s nearly $200 off at Woot two months after its release. Nevertheless, paying $719.99 for this model is a much better idea than paying the normal $899.99 price. If you want a small-ish projector for your space, this might not be the worst option. Though, don’t expect miracles in terms of picture quality or brightness. It’s rated for 550 lumens of brightness and supports 1080p resolution.

You can get a stellar price on Google’s second-gen Nest Hub smart display at several retailers. Normally $99.99, places like B&H Photo, Adorama, and Best Buy are selling it in every color for $54.99 — almost half-price. Jumping from first to second gen, Dan Seifert’s review points out that this product sounds better than before, but it sadly didn’t get the speed increases that it really needed. Though, the real draw of this model for some people may be the Soli radar-enabled sleep tracking features.

Here’s an excerpt from the review that sums it up nicely: “You just place it on your nightstand about an arm’s length or less away from your bed, and point the screen towards where you sleep. Its radar sensors are sensitive enough to track your breathing and movement, so the Nest Hub can tell when you’re moving, when you’ve fallen asleep, and when you’ve woken up. Its microphone records how often you cough and snore during the night, which might put an end to many spousal arguments.”

Source: theverge