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Bose acquires Skullcandy to help it reach a wider audience

21 October 2026 at 22:15
A pile of Skullcandy headphones sitting on a mixing board in a studio.

Bose announced today it has acquired Skullcandy. Although the two companies are competitors in the consumer audio space, Skullcandy recently partnered with its new owner to bring several of Bose's audio technologies - including its head-tracking spatial audio and excellent active noise cancellation (ANC) - to products like the Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC headphones and Method 360 ANC earbuds.

Specific details about the deal weren't shared, but according to a news release, Bose plans to keep Skullcandy a separate brand that will become part of its premium consumer audio business. Skullcandy will remain based in Park City, Utah, where it was …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Spotify is busting free of CarPlay with the launch of its first native car app

21 October 2026 at 14:00
Spotify native car app in Audi vehicle

Spotify announced Wednesday the launch of its next-generation, fully native in-car app, built directly on Google's Android Automotive operating system. The standalone app, which is launching today in select Audi models, runs directly on the vehicle's infotainment hardware - eliminating the need for phone tethering, Bluetooth connections, or aux cables.

It's the clearest sign yet that Spotify is ready to move beyond Apple CarPlay and Android, popular phone projection systems that currently dominate the way most people consume media in their cars. And with 34 percent of Spotify's monthly active users and 77 percent of Premium subscribers stre …

Read the full story at The Verge.

It’s hard to imagine wireless headphones ever getting lighter than these

19 October 2026 at 16:03
A person wears the Final Porta wireless headphones with orange ear pads.

If you're on the hunt for lightweight wireless headphones but wearing earbuds or clip-ons never feels comfortable or secure, a relatively obscure Japanese headphone maker could have the solution. Final's new Porta headphones feature an on-ear design supported by a headband but with a structure made from a single piece of wire so they weigh just 40 grams. For comparison, Marshall's recently-launched Milton A.N.C. are also designed to be smaller on-ear headphones but weigh 200 grams.

The Final Porta are available for preorder now through the company's online store for 12,800 yen (around $80) with black or orange ear pads and shipping expected …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Fairphone’s latest repairable earbuds are smaller, lighter, and longer-lasting

14 October 2026 at 13:00
The Fairbuds 2 have had a total design revamp from the original pair.

Repairable, ethical phone brand Fairphone has released its second pair of earbuds. The Fairbuds 2 are just as repairable as the first generation, but deliver improved audio and almost twice the battery life. The Fairbuds 2 are out now in the UK and Europe from Β£99 / €119, and a US launch at $119 will follow on November 2nd.

The Fairbuds 2 have been redesigned from the ground up, moving to a stemmed design, available in black or green, and a case that's 37 percent smaller than the first generation. Despite that shrinking hardware, Fairphone has almost doubled the buds' battery life, which now totals 40 hours without active noise cancellation …

Read the full story at The Verge.

CMF’s first wireless speakers look like musical milk cartons

12 October 2026 at 15:00
The CMF Speaker S and Speaker M standing side by side in orange and turquoise color options.

The CMF Speaker Series are the first portable Bluetooth speakers from the budget-focused brand that Nothing created but is in the process of spinning off into an India-based standalone subsidiary. As with many of CMF's products, like the Headphone Pro that launched a year ago, the new speakers deliver affordability alongside unique designs and bright color options that help them stand out from the competition. While the company doesn't directly cite a grocery store's dairy aisle as the inspiration for its latest hardware, it's hard not to look at these and immediately see electronic milk cartons.

There are two versions of the CMF Speaker Se …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Google’s Pixel Buds update will put them to sleep along with you

7 October 2026 at 14:01
A hands-on photo of Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds.
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are getting all of the new features. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Google has detailed an update bringing a slew of new features to its Pixel Buds 2A and Pro 2, which the company says are rolling out now. The new features were first teased in August.

The biggest update is Pixel Watch-powered sleep detection, rolling out to both pairs of earbuds. If you're wearing a Pixel Watch, the buds will now react when you fall asleep, by pausing music, silencing notifications, and turning off touch controls.

Several other updates are also coming to both the Buds 2A and Pro. Tap-to-mute allows you to mute or unmute your microphone with a quick tap during calls, though only when also using a Pixel phone, and you can n …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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