Logitech has unveiled some new wireless (and wired) earbuds with some unique features designed for business professionals. The key product is the Zone True Wireless Earbuds, which the company says are the first to be certified by the three major video conferencing platforms: Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. Another unique feature is support for not just Bluetooth, but Logitech's wireless USB receiver as well, so that they'll work with almost any smartphone or computer — and let you flip easily between devices.

The wireless buds come with active noise cancellation (ANC) and a noise cancelling mic, allowing for high-quality sound on calls, Logitech claims. And unlike bulky wireless headsets designed for businesses (like Logitech's own Zone models), they're designed to provide a "stylish look" when you're on a Zoom or other conference call. Logitech also promises "double the battery life of leading consumer devices," though that's a meaningless statement without a figure to back it up. 

Logitech

"Current wireless solutions force consumers to compromise between either traditional headsets that are not aesthetically suited for video calling, or sub-optimal audio performance," said Logitech VP Scott Wharton. The audio quality remains to be heard and reviewed, of course, but they're certainly nicer looking than most business headsets. 

Along with the Zone True Wireless model, Logitech also debuted the Zone Wired Earbuds "for professionals and teams who want a professional-grade, plug-and-play option," the company said. They can connect to your computer or mobile device via USB-C, USB-A and 3.5mm connectors.

The Zone True Wireless Earbuds will be available in two colors, graphite and rose, but won't come cheap at $299. The Zone Wired Earbuds, meanwhile, run $99. Both arrive globally in the fall of 2021. 

A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) officer has recommended that workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama hold a new election because Amazon broke US labor laws, the New York Times has reported. It's still only a preliminary ruling, but provides hope that workers may still be able to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).

Last April, worker's at the fulfillment center voted against unionization by a margin of more than two to one. Following the vote, however, the RWDSU alleged that Amazon won because it “interfered” with the rights of its employees "to vote in a free and fair election; a right protected under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act."

The RWDSU filed 23 objections in total, including one complaint that Amazon had a ballot collection box installed in an employee parking lot “without authorization” from the NLRB’s regional director. It noted that the box was placed under the view of Amazon security cameras, creating "an impression of surveillance."

The NLRB officer sided with the union, saying Amazon violated US labor laws. "Throughout the NLRB hearing, we heard compelling evidence how Amazon tried to illegally interfere with and intimidate workers as they sought to exercise their right to form a union," said union president Stuart Appelbaum in a statement. "We support the hearing officer’s recommendation that the NLRB set aside the election results and direct a new election."

Amazon, however, said it would dispute the decision and take steps to ensure that the initial vote held. "Our employees had a chance to be heard during a noisy time when all types of voices were weighing into the national debate, and at the end of the day, they voted overwhelmingly in favor of a direct connection with their managers,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. “Their voice should be heard above all else, and we plan to appeal to ensure that happens.”

The decision doesn't yet have any legal force until a full ruling is made by the NLRB's acting regional director, something that could take up to a month. During that time, parties will be able to file exceptions. 

Since the Bessemer vote, Amazon's situation has caught the attention of the Teamsters union, which created a special division to focus on organizing Amazon's delivery drivers. Amazon has been criticized for the working conditions of drivers and warehouse workers alike, along with its union-busting efforts that were exposed in a New York Times report earlier this year. 

Square has announced that it plans to pay $29 billion in stock for Afterpay, an Australian service that lets you pay for purchases over time with no interest, The Verge has reported. Square, led by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has already purchased a majority stake in Tidal and launched a new Bitcoin business in 2021. 

In a press release, Square called Afterpay "the pioneering global 'buy now, pay later' (BNPL) platform." Afterpay notes that it has over 16 million customers worldwide and services nearly 100,000 resellers across retail markets like "fashion, homewares, beauty, sporting goods and more." 

"The addition of Afterpay to Cash App will strengthen our growing networks of consumers around the world, while supporting consumers with flexible, responsible payment options," said Square's Brian Grassadonia. "Afterpay will help deepen and reinforce the connections between our Cash App and Seller ecosystems, and accelerate our ability to offer a rich suite of commerce capabilities to Cash App customers."

Afterpay, like other increasingly popular BNPL services (including Affirm, Klarna and Uplift), allows customers to pay over time without interest. To make money, they charge retailers a fee (4 to 6 percent), promising to connect them with a desirable demographic and assume all financial risk. In Square's press release, Afterpay also said it can help "drive repeat purchases [and] increase average transaction sizes." 

One of the world's largest retailers, Apple, is reportedly planning to offer its own buy now, pay later type program directly to consumers. Much like PayPal's "Pay in 4" service, "Apple Pay in 4" would allow Apple Wallet users to stretch purchases out to four payments, interest-free. Square's purchase of Afterpay, meanwhile, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022. 

With Stadia becoming available on Chromecast with Google TV in June, a bundle with the streaming dongle and a Stadia Controller made a lot of sense. At the time, Google offered the two at a special discount that was set to expire yesterday, but there's good news: it's now a permanent bundle that's even cheaper than before, as 9To5Google reports. 

With Google's Play and Watch with Google TV Package, you can pick up Chromecast with Google TV ($50 alone) and the Stadia Controller ($69) for $100, or $19 off the regular price — a bit better than the $17.25 discount offered earlier. If you prefer a hard connection, you can also get the Chromecast ethernet adapter for $10 more, for an additional $10 off.  

If you're okay with older hardware, Google is also offering the older Chromecast Ultra in a bundle with the Stadia Controller for $80. The Chromecast Ultra is no longer sold by itself, so this is likely going to be a limited-time offer. 

With the addition of a remote, Chromecast with Google TV went from being an also-ran streaming device to one of the best out there. It's far easier to navigate than before thanks to the new Google TV interface and works with Google Assistant for voice control. The Stadia Controller, meanwhile, works seamlessly with Chromecast and Google-powered TVs and runs over WiFi, allowing for minimal latency.  

Dish Network is finally offering HBO, Cinemax and HBO Max to its subscribers after kicking HBO off its network nearly three years ago. It's the first time Dish subscribers will be able to watch HBO shows like Mare of Easttown and Euphoria since the carriage dispute began on October 31st, 2018. However, the new agreement doesn't cover Dish subsidiary Sling TV's distribution of HBO or HBO Max. 

When Dish removed HBO and Cinemax channels, it accused then-parent AT&T of using HBO as an "economic weapon." At that time, HBO was only a straight cable station, but AT&T launched HBO Max as a Netflix-like streaming service in July of 2019. With the situation now resolved, Dish becomes the last major pay TV distributor to add HBO Max to its lineup. 

The resolution follows a major shakeup with HBO's parent, WarnerMedia. In May 2021, AT&T announced that it was spinning off that division and merging it with Discovery in a $43 billion deal. That effectively removed a conflict of interest as AT&T is a direct competitor to Dish in the satellite video service provider space. The parties haven't disclosed the terms of the new agreement. 

With an accord now in pace, Dish customers get a free 10-day free of HBO and Cinemax from Aug. 6-15. Dish users can subscribe to the HBO Max ad-free plan for $12 rather than the regular price of $15 per month for up to 12 months if they act before Oct. 27, 2021. They'll get HBO Max access on supported devices like iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV and Fire TV, along with live channels including HBO, HBO Family and HBO Signature. Dish TV customers can also get Cinemax for $10 per month.

After making a return to the mid-range with its RX 6700 XT GPU, AMD has launched its 1080p flagship, the RX 6600 XT. A successor to the excellent and popular RX 5600 XT card, the new model has considerably more power on tap with 9.6 teraflops of RDNA 2 performance, compared to 7.19 teraflops for the last model. Not only that, but it offers 8GB of GDDR6 RAM, compared to 6GB for its predecessor. 

In fact, the RX 6600 XT seems to deliver about the same amount of performance as the RX 5700 XT (9.75 teraflops) and just slightly less than the GPU in the PS5, at least on paper. Since the RX 5700 XT was offered as a 1440p-capable card (and the PS5 can handle 4K), it doesn't seem a stretch to say that the new model will at least be decent at 1440p gaming. 

However, AMD is marketing this card as a "new standard for 1080p," saying that it has up to a 1.7 times uplift over the last generation for games like Doom Eternal for 1080p gaming. AMD noted that around two-third of monitors shipped are still 1080p, so that's still the norm for PC gaming. 

Other specs include 32 compute units (compared to 40 on the RX 6700 XT), a 2359 MHz game clock and 160W power consumption with a single 8 pin power connector. AMD also touts custom features like Radeon Boost for higher frame rates and Radeon Anti-Lag for improved latency.

The main new feature with the 6000-series GPUs, however, is ray-tracing. That feature allows for higher resolutions (1440p and 4K) while still maintaining decent frame rates and allowing for more realistic images. Don't expect too much from the RX 6600 XT, however, as the RX 6700 XT struggled in ray-tracing tests compared to NVIDIA rivals in our review — and the RX 6600 XT has lower specs all around. 

Still, it looks pretty impressive otherwise for a budget-level 1080p card. We'll soon see a raft of models from ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, ASRock, Sapphire and others, though we still don't know the prices, or release date. The RX 5600 XT had a suggested retail of $300, but as we all know, street prices were much, much higher than that thanks to the current global GPU shortage. 

The term "sugar daddy" entered the lexicon in force back in 2015 when a massive data breach exposed a list of clients on the dating app Ashley Madison. Now, we're hearing about it again via Google's latest Play store policy update, as Android Police has reported. As part of new restrictions on sexual content, it's banning what it calls "compensated sexual relationships (i.e. sugar dating)," effective September 1st, 2021.

If you weren't aware, a "sugar daddy" is someone (a wealthy, older man, usually) who is willing to spend money in exchange for sexual favors. A quick scan shows that there are plenty of sugar daddy style apps on Play, including a number that are literally called "Sugar Daddy." Others have names like Elite Millionaire Singles, SeekingArrangement and Spoil.

Spoil spells it out pretty clearly, as PhoneArena notes. "Here you can find other wealthy sugar daddies who are looking for a discreet arrangement, and you can also meet other attractive girls who are looking for generous men," the description reads. Presumably, this app and all the others will be removed by September 1st, though as with any other Android app, they would still be available via sideloading. 

In its latest earnings release, Samsung confirmed that it will release new foldable smartphones soon and attempt to make the category "mainstream." It also showed that it doesn't need mobile to make money, as it boosted earnings by 20 percent to 63.67 trillion won ($55.56 billion) and saw an operating profit of 12.57 trillion won ($11 billion). That's despite the fact that its mobile division saw revenue fall over the previous quarter due to component shortages and COVID-related factory issues. 

As you might expect given the current shortage, Samsung's chip business dominated its earnings this quarter, accounting for more than a third of total revenue and over half its profits. That was helped by price increases in categories like memory and display panels. The company's consumer electronics division also saw growth thanks to premium TV sales and appliances. 

While the mobile division fell off due to weaker seasonal demand, a component shortage and COVID-related closures at its Vietnam factories, the company did make some interesting comments about the business. It said it would "solidify its leadership in the premium [mobile] statement by mainstreaming the foldable category" — meaning we might see cheaper foldable phones in the near future. 

Samsung revealed that it's working on new under-screen camera technology, as well. It also confirmed that it would introduce new foldable products soon, likely referring to its August 11th event in which its expected to announce follow-ups to the Z Flip and Z Fold 2. 

Rumors swirled last week that LG would start selling iPhones in some of its South Korean stores, since it has stopped producing its own smartphones,. Now, LG has confirmed that it will start selling iPhones and other Apple products next month, ZDNet has reported. 

LG and Samsung agreed in 2018 to only sell their own smartphones at their respective stores so they wouldn't compete with smaller phone distributors. As such, when LG started to consider selling iPhones, it reportedly faced resistance from a smartphone reseller trade organization. Now that it has stopped making its own phones, however, that group has reportedly signed a new contract that allows LG to sell phones from other manufacturers. 

On top of selling iPhones starting next month, LG will reportedly sell the Watch and other Apple products. The company has 400 stores in South Korea, so the move could provide a significant boost to Apple. It could be to the detriment of Apple's arch-rival Samsung, though, which has essentially had the local smartphone market to itself since LG dropped out. 

Apple supposedly started negotiating with LG to sell phones in its retail spaces after the Korean company announced it would end production of its own devices. Both Samsung and Apple have been offering to pay LG smartphone owners up to 150,000 won ($135) to trade in their phones. 

Last week, news leaked out that Rivian was planning to build a second US manufacturing plant for its electric vehicles and batteries, and now more details have leaked out. The company plans to invest $5 billion initially in the second plant, dubbed Project Tera, with construction slated to start in the fall of 2021, according to Reuters. The aim is to begin production by the second quarter of 2023. 

The second plant will reportedly include a 50 gigawatt-hour (GWh) battery cell production operation and a product and technology center. There's no word on where it'll be built, but the company is reportedly looking at land east of Mesa, Arizona, near Gold Canyon, according to Reuters' sources. Rivian Chief Executive R.J. Scaringe has reportedly spoken with Arizona Governor Doug Ducey about the project.

Rivian previously acknowledged that it's looking to expand. “The company has recognized that future production and product plans will not be fully met by the current capacity at Rivian’s Normal, Illinois facility,” it said in the document seen by Reuters. 

The plant would supposedly support around 10,000 jobs, though many of those could come indirectly. For a startup that has so far not produced a single vehicle, however, the investment and job figures would be impressive. Rivian is backed by Ford, Amazon and other companies and could reportedly soar to a $50 billion value in a possible public listing later this year, according to Reuters' previous story.