Much of the innovation on true wireless earbuds hasn’t included overall design. Sure, companies have extended battery life and added a slew of new features, but the primary exterior advances have been in reducing size rather than drastically changing the aesthetic. Well, Sony would like to have a word. Today, the company announced one of the most unique sets of true wireless earbuds we’ve seen.

Dubbed the LinkBuds ($180), this tiny set features an entirely open wear style that lets outside noise in by design rather than relying on an ambient sound mode. And Sony didn’t just build something that sits outside of your ear either. The company designed a circular driver that is entirely open in the middle, like a donut. As we’ve seen in the past, the always transparent audio presents a number of challenges to sound quality. Has Sony cracked the code or do the LinkBuds prioritize convenience over audio?

Design

This isn’t the first time Sony has tried its hand at an “open-style concept.” Back in 2017, the company debuted what would become known as the Xperia Ear Duo. These true wireless earbuds featured an open ring that sat outside of your ear canal with all of the necessary tech stored in an attached case that sat behind your lobes. They slid on from the bottom and they looked and felt awkward. Since then, Sony has primarily focused on more “traditional” true wireless earbuds with a component that actually goes inside your ear canal with a silicone or foam tip on the end.

The LinkBuds are a massive advance on the Xperia Ear Duo. True wireless tech has come a long way in the last five years, allowing companies like Sony to drastically reduce the overall size of earbuds. Here, there’s an IPX4-rated two-part design with a tiny dome-shaped housing holding the bulk of the components. Attached to it is an open circle that holds the ring-shaped speaker unit. The entire thing is made of hard plastic, save for the flexible “fit supporters” that help hold the LinkBuds in place.

Billy Steele/Engadget

Unlike the Galaxy Buds Live from Samsung or Bose’s Sport Open Earbuds, the Sony LinkBuds open up in the middle of the driver rather than putting a small speaker outside of your ear and not sealing off the canal. Due to this and the chosen materials, the LinkBuds aren’t as comfortable at the Galaxy Buds Live as there actually is something stuck into the opening of your ear. It’s just not shoved in too far like a typical set of earbuds. I don’t know how you could protect the driver and make that area softer, but a little cushion there would go a long way. And slightly more rigid “fit supporters” may help keep the LinkBuds in place slightly better.

Features and software

As we saw on the WF-1000XM4, Sony isn’t afraid to absolutely pack its true wireless earbuds full of tech, and that continues on the LinkBuds. First, the company opted for a touch-based setup for the controls, only you don’t touch the buds to complete the task. You tap right in front of your ear. A forward-facing motion sensor detects vibrations when you do so, allowing you to play/pause, skip tracks (forwards and backwards), adjust volume or summon a voice assistant. However, only double and triple tap gestures are in play here, so you only get four slots – two per side – to pick your most-needed actions. Thankfully, some folks can skip the voice assistant here as the LinkBuds offer hands-free access to Google Assistant (Android only) and Alexa.

Sony calls the technology Wide Area Tap and it’s remarkably reliable when you’re trying to use it as intended. However, I noticed that whenever I was chewing while listening to music or a podcast, the LinkBuds would often be tricked into thinking I just made some taps. That’s likely due to the protrusion of my jaw as I bite down. You can disable Wide Area Tap entirely if this happens to you, but you’ll have to reach for your phone to control the tunes which isn’t a great alternative.

The company also brought along some of the best features from the WF-1000XM4, including Speak-to-Chat. This tool automatically pauses the audio when you start talking, so you don’t have to awkwardly tap when someone walks up for a quick convo. Sony has refined the feature a bit too, allowing you to choose between three pause lengths (5, 15 or 30 seconds) before the LinkBuds will pick up where you left off. You can now adjust the voice detect sensitivity with automatic, high and low settings. Adaptive Volume Control also returns, the option that can tweak the level if the sound of your environment gets louder, and then go back once things quiet down.

Billy Steele/Engadget

As always, the Sony Headphones Connect app provides a host of handy items. You’ll get battery levels for individual earbuds and the case right up top on the main screen with media and volume controls underneath. Tap over to the Sound tab and you have the option to enable Speak-to-Chat alongside audio presets and manual EQ settings. There’s also the ability to redo the 360 Reality Audio analysis that personalizes sound based on photos of your ears. Lastly, DSEE is an option you can allow to do its thing automatically. As a refresher, DSEE or Digital Sound Enhancement Engine is Sony’s upscaling tech that attempts to improve compressed audio by restoring the “natural, expansive sound” when it’s enabled.

The System tab is the next option over and it’s where you can activate Adaptive Volume Control, customize/disable Wide Area Tap, adjust the automatic power off duration, disable automatic pausing when you remove an earbud and more. One of the Wide Area Tap options will allow you to automatically pick up on Spotify where you left off. Appropriately named Spotify Tap, the feature can also provide a personalized recommendation with an additional tap.

Sound quality

Sony designed a 12mm ring-shaped driver for the LinkBuds. This is how the part that goes into your ear is able to be open in the middle. It also means that a considerable amount of outside noise is coming in at all times. That convenience is the whole idea, but don’t expect flagship-level audio to accompany your environmental murmur or roar. The LinkBuds certainly allow you to tune into both your location and some music or a podcast, but you don’t necessarily get the best of both worlds.

Overall, the sound is a bit flat and compressed across genres. Chaotic metal like Every Time I DIe’s Radical is subdued, largely because the booming bass and dynamic details in the instruments are both restrained. The bluegrass stylings of Punch Brothers and other acoustic styles sound pretty good, but hip-hop is a mess. The bass on albums like Kendrik Lamar’s DAMN. almost pops instead of bumping. During my tests, I noticed the sound is actually pretty good if I push the LinkBuds further into my ear canals. The problem is they don’t stay here and it’s very uncomfortable. In the spot where the earbuds sit on their own for me, in accordance with Sony’s wear directions, the sound is just… there… for some genres.

Billy Steele/Engadget

LinkBuds support Sony’s 360 Reality Audio. If you’re unfamiliar, the format is designed to be more immersive, with simulated positioning of sound sources and instruments “around” the listener. The issue has always been that content is limited and accessing it requires a hifi music subscription from the likes of Amazon, Tidal or Deezer. Similar to other devices, 360RA tracks on LinkBuds are noticeably louder and have more presence than the same songs on Apple Music and other services. To me they sound better, but I will admit the open nature of these earbuds doesn’t exactly lend itself to listening in spatial audio. It's an experience best reserved for over-ear headphones or properly equipped speakers.

There’s no ANC here, but not countering noise is the whole point.. Sony made the LinkBuds for constant use, linking “online and offline worlds – hence the name. There’s no effort given to trying to block out the world around, but rather to enable you to be ever present by design. You can counter distractions with volume here, but even then you’ll still be subject to them even when you’re listening to music or a podcast. So if you want earbuds that will help you silence the roar so you can focus or relax, these aren’t them. And again, they aren’t meant to be.

When it comes to calls, Sony says “precise voice pickup technology” employs signal processing and a noise reduction algorithm to quiet ambient rumbling and focus on your speech. Lots of companies make claims about call quality that ultimately don’t pan out, but Sony comes through. Constant background roar like a white noise machine is cut out almost entirely as are distractions like TV dialogue. You still sound like you’re on speakerphone to the person on the other end, but at least the rumble of the room on your end won’t be as much of an issue.

Battery life

Sony promises up to five and a half hours on the LinkBuds themselves, with another 12 hours in the charging case. During my tests, I managed almost six hours of use before having to dock the earbuds, consistently getting around 30 minutes more than advertised. There’s no wireless charging here, but a 10-minute plug-in will give you 90 minutes of use. Honestly, the charging case for the LinkBuds is so small, I’d rather that component remain compact than for Sony to make it larger to fit any Qi-compatible bits.

The competition

Sony isn’t the only company to try the open fit concept on true wireless earbuds. Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live have an “open type” design that covers your ears, but everything sits on the outside. This model is equipped with ANC, though it doesn’t offer robust sound blocking since your ear canal isn’t sealed off. Audio also isn’t the best, especially at high volumes. However, you get the added comfort of not having something shoved in your ear at all. Combine that with always-on Bixby, wireless charging, iOS integration and customizable controls, and you’ve got a decent set of earbuds. If you can live with the bean jokes, the going rate is around $100.

Another recent take on the open-ear idea are the Bose Sport Open Earbuds. These have a behind-the-ear hook design similar to the Powerbeats Pro and other fitness buds. Despite good battery life, reliable controls and the inherent merits of an open design, these earbuds don’t come with a charging case (it's more of a dock) and you can’t really customize them to your needs. What’s more, the hard plastic construction means they’re not very comfortable and the design actually hinders sound quality to a degree. Plus, they’re more expensive than Sony’s LinkBuds at $199.

Wrap-up

Sony largely succeeded at what it set out to do: It built a set of true wireless earbuds that offers transparent audio by design rather than relying on microphones to pipe in ambient sound. Indeed, the LinkBuds blend your music, podcasts or videos with whatever is going on around you. There are certainly benefits for this, whether it be the ability to be less of a jerk in the office or to stay safe outdoors.

Even with all of the handy tech Sony packs in, earbuds need to be comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time, and the area around the unique ring-shaped drivers is simply too hard to be accommodating. Consistent audio performance would make a big difference, too. For now, the LinkBuds are an interesting product that could be more compelling with some refinements. Hopefully Sony will do just that, because I’m very much looking forward to version 2.0.

The LinkBuds are available to order today from Amazon and Best Buy in grey and white color options for $180.

In late 2020, Google bought the company Neverware, which had made a name for itself thanks to a product called CloudReady that let individual users or large organizations turn old Windows PCs and Macs into Chrome OS devices. The idea was that if you had aging hardware that wasn’t running Windows or macOS as well as it used to, you could get more life out of it by using it as a Chromebook. CloudReady continued to be available after Google bought Neverware, but today we’re getting our first look at an updated version of the product that’s been in the works for the last year or so.

It’s called Chrome OS Flex, and it’s a rebuilt version of CloudReady that was built internally with access to all of Google’s code and resources. The idea behind Chrome OS Flex is the same: you can visit a website, quickly make a Chrome OS image on a USB drive, and then run that on a PC or Mac. If you decide that you’re ready to wipe the computer, you can then replace the existing OS with Chrome OS and use the computer as a full-fledged Chromebook. 

Anyone can try Chrome OS Flex today, but Google is positioning the product more towards businesses and education institutions — something that the company already focuses on with Chrome OS more broadly. As such, one of the big benefits of Chrome OS Flex is that IT departments can manage the devices just like any other Chrome OS hardware. Flex can be deployed over a network to multiple devices, and IT departments can manage everything through Google’s Admin console. Once Flex is installed, those devices can be managed in the same way any other Chrome OS hardware is, so IT departments can deploy specific software installs or permissions. 

Chrome OS Flex is also more capable than the CloudReady product it will eventually replace. It uses the same code base as Chrome OS, and Flex devices will get software updates simultaneously (before, Neverware had to wait for Google to push out a Chrome OS update and then make it work with CloudReady). Flex also has access to the Google Assistant, a feature built into most popular Chromebooks these days and something CloudReady didn’t offer before.

While Google is focusing Flex on businesses and education, anyone can try it. You just need to visit this site to create a bootable Chrome OS Flex instance on a USB drive and go from there. As this is early access software, though, you’ll probably want to do it on a computer that isn’t your main device. Google’s making the process of creating a bootable drive built right into the Chrome browser, too — the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension already lets you make Chrome OS recovery media, and now a Flex install will be one of the available options. 

One thing Google is being clear about is that this Chrome OS Flex launch is an “early access” product. They want people to try it and give feedback, but are noting that there may be bugs that still need to be squashed. A full, final release of Chrome OS Flex is planned for Q2 this year. For now, Google will continue offering the stable version of CloudReady; once Chrome OS Flex is final, CloudReady users will be transitioned over to Flex.

We've seen bits and pieces of Google's Smart Canvas platform trickle out since it was announced last May, and now, we're getting a look at a few more features coming today and in the next few weeks. The company is unveiling a set of updates for Google Docs, Sheets and Workspace that will make it easier for you and your teammates to work on the same files together.

After rolling out the "universal @ menu" last year, Google is now expanding the available building blocks that you can add to a doc. The company already released blocks for People and Meeting Notes, the latter of which lets you quickly insert automatically generated dates, meeting names, attendees and notes from your calendar events, Soon, you'll see options for email drafts and Maps. 

The latter is fairly self-explanatory — you can embed a Google Maps link and when you click on it, a snippet shows up on the right column in the same page, giving you a preview of the area, as well as directions and traffic info. Just as you can in the Maps app, you can also send directions to your phone through this snippet.

Google

Meanwhile, the new email draft building block lets you compose a message within a box in your Doc, and allows your collaborators to view and tweak your addressees, subject line and letter copy. Those with edit permissions can even send the emails by clicking the envelope icon to the top left of the block, and a small window will pop up with the contents exported to Gmail. The message will be sent from the email of the collaborator who clicked on the icon. Google said the email drafts building block will be available "in the coming weeks."

Because this new format of collaboration will allow people to embed multiple files into one, it's important to get a preview of every document within one page instead of having to open each to see what it contains. Of course, you could use informative titles, but a document summary can provide helpful details like "budget breakdown table here." Today, Google is adding automatically-generated summaries in Docs to make adding a summary to a document preview a little easier. When you click the Summary field, an AI-generated suggestion appears in the box, similar to Google's sentence completion suggestions, and you can hit tab to accept it. 

Google

Since you can also already pull in slides and sheets to a document via the @ menu, it'd be a little inaccurate to think of Docs as a specific file type with a set canvas. Google's building blocks are very similar to how Microsoft's Fluid Framework is doing away with file formats and refocusing around the idea of a "free-flowing canvas." 

But Google also wants to move its Workspace apps out of the confines of the traditional desktop view. It also unveiled today a "pageless format." Starting today, Workspace users will no longer see page boundaries in Docs. Instead of a white paper-like canvas flanked by gray space, the entire page will be white, and your content won't be broken up by page breaks. Those who prefer the traditional demarcations can still switch back to a paginated view.

Google

In addition, the canvas will automatically resize to fit the width of the screen you're working on, whether it's a laptop, an external monitor or your phone. The content in your document will rearrange itself accordingly so you won't have to deal with endless horizontal scrollbars just because you're working while in transit.

Finally, those who often use formulas in Sheets may find the upcoming "formula corrections" feature useful. Like the already available "formula suggestions," this tool will help catch errors and troubleshoot your formulas. It will be available "in the coming weeks."

If you're not already a Google Workspace user, you can sign up for free and check out these new collaborative features when they roll out to the basic tiers. For now, between Google and Microsoft's tools, it looks like collaborative online work is going to get better, just in time for the hybrid workforce.

The long-awaited PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Cyberpunk 2077 are out now. CD Projekt Red previously planned to release the new versions last year, but delayed them until early 2022. Those who own the game on PS4 and Xbox One will get a free upgrade to the respective current-gen version.

Players can expect faster loading, dynamic scaling and other visual and technical upgrades. The PS5 version takes advantage of the DualSense controller's haptic feedback, built-in speaker and adaptive trigger functions, as well as activity cards and 3D audio.

There are performance and ray-tracing modes on PS5 and Xbox Series X. In performance mode, the game will run in 4K at 60 frames per second with expected rare, small framerate drops, with medium/half-res SSR (Screen Space Reflection) quality. With ray-tracing on, the framerate will drop to 30 fps with SSR quality at high/half-res. On Xbox Series S, the game will run in 1440p at 30fps.

The current-gen editions are arriving 14 months after Cyberpunk 2077's tumultuous debut. There were widespread reports of the game running poorly on PS4 and Xbox One, so much so that Sony yanked Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store. Both it and Microsoft offered refunds to any player who wanted one. The game stayed off of Sony's digital storefront for six months — CDPR has rolled out a laundry list of bug fixes since Cyberpunk 2077's debut. Here's hoping things go much more smoothly for PS5 and Series X/S players this time.

CD Projekt Red

Along with the current-gen update, patch 1.5 includes updates for all platforms, including previous-gen consoles, PC and Stadia. The perk system has been overhauled Perk points will all be unassigned, so players can revamp their build based on the new skill trees. 

Enemies are smarter and it's easier for them to find cover. Crowds should be more responsive to aggressive actions you carry out — some bystanders might even attack you if they're threatened — though it seems these changes won't apply to PS4 or Xbox One. Driving should be better to, with better braking and suspension, and all bikes will have glowing wheel wells players can switch on. Completing missions will mean more cash in your pocket and cars won't cost as much. There are new guns and attachments to check out as well (though I'm not sure they can beat running around Night City with a sword).

CDPR is adding more character customization options, including an increased range of makeup options. Also, players will at long last be able to change how their version of V looks mid-game. You'll be able to rent apartments (or home bases) in other parts of the city and change the look of your living space too. 

There's much more going on in this patch, including tweaks to relationships, the loot system and economy; an option to walk slowly; and more poses for Johnny Silverhand. There's a Spanish voiceover support in the Americas, but only on the current-gen consoles. CDPR is leaving some changes for players to discover by themselves.

The patch is around 50 GB on Xbox and PC. PS5 owners will need to download the new version of the game manually from the PlayStation Store, and they'll be able to transfer one of their save files.

Newcomers will be able to check out a fairly meaty chunk of the game on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S without paying anything, as there's a five-hour trial available. Your progress will carry over to the full game. Cyberpunk 2077 is currently 50 percent off on the Xbox store and GOG.

Epic Games has rolled out the latest Fortnite patch, which gives players more ways to control their character as they pursue a Victory Crown. The game now supports gyro and flick stick controls on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PS5, Android and PC (but not, unfortunately, Xbox). Although gyro controls were already available on Switch and Android, Epic says the latest iteration is more robust.

The studio worked with input specialist Julian “Jibb” Smart on the updated gyro options. When the setting is enabled, you'll be able to move the camera by physically moving the controller. It should make Fortnite more accessible, while some players may find the gyro option improves their aim (they can, for instance, use the right stick for most camera movement and make finer adjustments with gyro aiming).

The feature works in tandem with flick stick control. That setting, which is only available when gyro is enabled, will flick the camera in a certain direction when you point the right stick that way. You'll need to use the gyro controls to aim up or down, since pulling the stick back will snap the camera 180 degrees to look behind you. 

Players will find both options in the Touch and Motion tab of the settings. They'll be able to, for instance, enable gyro functions only while aiming and tweak factors like sensitivity.

The 19.30 patch brings in some other changes. All players will now load directly into the Battle Royale lobby when they boot up the game. They'll need to go to the Discover screen to access the Save the World and Creative modes. It's a smart move, since Battle Royale is why most people come to Fortnite, and Epic knows where its bread is buttered. Elsewhere, Armored Walls will have vanished from Supply Drops in competitive playlists.

The patch isn't the only Fortnite news on the horizon this week. Nathan Drake and Chloe Frazer from the Uncharted series will hit the Item Shop on Thursday, the day before the Uncharted movie opens in North America.

Audio-Technica is looking to up the battery-life ante with its latest true wireless earbuds. The company says the high-capacity battery in the ATH-CKS50TW can deliver 20 hours of continuous playback, or 15 hours with active noise cancellation (ANC) switched on. Add the charging case to the mix, and Audio-Technica claims you'll get up to 50 hours of on-the-go use. The company says that you'll get up to 90 minutes of listening time with ANC off after 10 minutes of charging the earbuds in the case.

The earbuds are lightweight and deliver "deep, powerful bass" thanks to 9mm HD TWS drivers, according to Audio-Technica. They're Sony 360 Reality Audio certified, so you should get the intended experience while listening to music that's formatted for the spatial audio tech.There's a low-latency mode, which should reduce audio lag when streaming video and playing games, as well as a passthrough mode. This, the company says, will lower the volume and let you hear ambient sound while enhancing vocal bandwidth.

The earbuds have multipoint support, so you can connect them to your phone and tablet or computer at the same time, and JIS/IEC protection from splashes, which Audio-Technica says is equivalent to an IPX4 rating. Other features include fast pairing on Android, the option to use one earbud at a time and customizable button assignments.

Audio-Technica is promising seriously impressive battery life with this model. The company's products typically deliversolid sound quality as well, so the ATH-CKS50TW could be well worth checking out. You might not need to wait long to put Audio-Technica's claims to the test either. The ATH-CKS50TW earbuds are available today in the UK and EU for £150/€169. The company didn't share US pricing or availability in advance.

Logitech’s Mevo Start cameras were built for live streaming. I don’t mean webcam conference calls or video that you can record and edit (though you can do both of those things with the Start). These are live streaming cameras, first and foremost, aimed at the growing number of creators on YouTube, Twitch and elsewhere.

The Mevo Start 3-pack kit ($1,000) consists of three streaming cameras that connect together wirelessly through the companion Multicam app. With the ability to instantly switch and stream between three different camera angles, it has the potential to overhaul how streamers broadcast. Until now, that has usually demanded thousands of dollars of equipment, along with significant expertise.

If you have a strong internet connection, some practice live streaming and, to be honest, a lot of patience during the setup, this could change how you stream. It could also lower the barrier to entry – so I thought I would test it out. Am I willing to make the leap from my camera, PC and OBS setup to three tiny wireless cameras?

Mat Smith/ Engadget

Let’s start with the Mevo Start itself. It’s a solid camera small enough to slip into a trouser or jacket pocket. On the back, it has inputs for mics, USB-C for both charging devices and being charged itself, and a microSD slot too. The unit has a nice matte finish (sadly, yes it’s a fingerprint magnet), and a rubberized power button at the back that’s easy to find without having to look. The 3-pack consists of, yes, three of them, with USB-C charging cables. From there, it’s all down to you to figure things out, which for many, will mean tripods, plural, and microSD cards if you want to record footage of each individual camera. Oh and also a standalone mic if you want to improve the audio quality.

I’m not going to dig too deep into the minutiae of sound and image quality, but the camera mics will pick up everything around you, so most users will need a mic for decent audio talking to the camera – especially in busy environments.

Unless you’re stepping up from a webcam to the Mevo Start, you’ll probably notice a dip in image quality compared to streaming from a flagship phone or digital camera. Streaming resolution on the Start tops out at 1080p at 30 frames per second, which is a little disappointing when we’re starting to get comfortable with 4K content, but also because that means any digital zooming (well, cropping – more on that later), is going to lead to even grainier video. Conversely, this means less heavy lifting for your internet connection, which is a good thing.

While it is not the most high-fidelity streaming option, the Start aims for versatility over specialization. And let’s not forget: the eye-catching feature is this multi-camera setup. There’s nothing quite at this price (and level of accessibility) for a multi-camera streaming setup. Normally it would cost far more than $1,000 to offer a comparable camera ‘studio’ capable of live broadcasting online.

Logitech has made some sensible choices with the Start specifications, too. Each camera can record and stream for up to six hours without the need to be plugged into a power source. This means less cable calculus when packing the cameras and also offers you greater freedom when you’re rigging up the cameras. I balanced one on top of my kitchen cabinet, pointing down as I prepared vegetables for a meal.

The Start also has a very slight light hood around the camera lens to help reduce light flare, while the thread for tripods fits two different types of stands. Logitech has thought about these cameras from the perspective of a stream.

But maybe it should have thought a little more: My first afternoons with these cameras were so frustrating, I wanted to give up.

Once you’ve downloaded the Mevo MultiCam app, you’ll then need to individually download firmware updates to each camera… if your phone or tablet deigns to register the existence of each camera. For me, it led to a frustrating loop of a camera being detected and trying to corral it into a firmware update before it suddenly disappeared from the Bluetooth ether. This part ended up taking hours, turning into days. (Well, a couple of afternoons.)

It was the first sign that consistency is the biggest issue with the Mevo camera setup. And while I could give the product the benefit of the doubt, live streams are fraught at the best of times. I’ve done countless streams for Engadget, flanked by professionals who make sure I’m not screwing things up. I’ve never disappeared from an Engadget livestream, but I can’t say the same of my week of stream attempts with Mevo Start. But before I relive that horror, what is the Mevo Start capable of? I was pleasantly surprised to discover: a lot.

The Mevo app has an auto-director mode that will switch between the cameras without you having to tap on your phone. Better still, you can choose to prioritize one camera and adjust how long the robo-director holds a shot before switching. You can even pick the kind of transition used, from immediate cuts through to slide swipes and other gentler changes. Alas, no star swipe.

It’s these elegant touches that elevate a plain stream into something a little slicker. You can also crop the video on each camera, helping to cut out, say, a messy corner of your apartment, or just offer up a closer look at whatever you’re cooking or crafting.

As the camera maxes out at 1080p, the more you crop, the more fidelity you will lose on your stream, which really limits the usefulness of the feature. While no one streams in 4K, if these cameras had 4K you’d at least be able to crop in without losing too much quality. In the same settings menu, you can adjust the degree of latency you want to use. High latency means that your feed will be held up a little longer before it’s streamed to viewers, ensuring a more consistent connection and – hopefully – video feed. There’s also a low-latency option if you’re extremely confident in your web connection, and this will ensure the video stays closer to real-time.

You can fine-tune the cameras further, with profiles for outdoor lighting and even an HDR toggle. There are also some stylistic profiles for vivid high-contrast, grayscale and more, adding more flexibility depending on your own lighting setup, location or simply artistic tastes.

There’s even a degree of editing available through overlays, where you can add lower third text (like you’ll see most TV news shows, and a lot of YouTube streams) or even introductory full-screen text to your video stream. It’s simplistic but it’s built into the app – it’s easy.

So there is a lot to praise in the Start kit, but then you, well, start using it. The main test for me was to see how easy it was to stream directly to YouTube. The first issue I encountered is one every new streamer will struggle with: you need over 1,000 subscribers to your YouTube channel in order to enable a simple connection. As I didn’t want to mess up Engadget’s official channel cooking up a storm with tempeh (with hindsight, I could have made an unlisted stream), instead I had to use the Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP). And go a little mad.

Once your camera angles are in place and your connection looks stable, you can tap the live button on the app. This will take you through to all the livestream options, including platforms YouTube, Facebook and Vimeo. The RTMP option is all the way to the right of these options, which is tough to find on a phone.

Mat Smith/ Engadget

While you can set up everything on a single device, but I’d suggest having a laptop or something else internet-connected nearby for setting up your streams on YouTube, as you may find yourself flitting between a web browser (needed to tinker with YouTube Studio settings not available on the app) and Mevo multicam app a little too much.

Tap on RTMP, and you can set up the hooks for YouTube to pick up at its end. Other notes that might help you: Server URL and Stream URL are different things, don’t mix them up. Also don’t expect your stream to go instantly live. My Start camera stream typically took a minute to buffer or settle into a feed that the public could watch. What’s frustrating is that YouTube Studio’s interface shows a buffering window, regardless of whether your stream is live or not. I would have to check the shareable link to the stream to check if I was even live. The “live” labels on the Mevo app itself are not accurate.

The multicam app was mostly responsive and did what I expected it to do, but it was also fussy. Swap between one too many apps (remember how I initially tried to adjust my Youtube settings on Safari on the same phone?), and the connection will cut out. Absent-mindedly lock your screen, and again, the stream is lost. I think it’s common sense that you probably didn’t want to cut a livestream connection if you locked your phone. Or maybe I’m making excuses for myself. It’s probably a little of both.

Despite having a healthy internet connection and keeping in close proximity to the cameras, I lost my stream a few times for reasons I’ll never know. And that’s a shame, as there’s so much potential in this Mevo camera trio.

While I’ve touched on some of the settings you can access on the cameras, there’s further flexibility inside the app. You can tweak frame rate, suppress echo and even choose the bitrate and recording format for your backup recording, all of which will be stored on your iOS or Android device. I like that these backup files are neatly stored in one place.

Mat Smith/ Engadget

For beginners or streamers looking to upgrade their streaming style, there are a few bumps on the road to a flawless multicam setup. Mevo does offer a glimpse at an effortless solution – it’s definitely streamlined many of the processes, and the jack-of-all-trades specs mean that this could be the ideal setup for upgraded live music streams, community projects or simply to add polish to existing livestreams. You will have to consider consistency though. My experience has been mixed, but others have fared better. There’s also a vibrant user community across both Facebook and Reddit that was able to help me when things went wrong. Hopefully, there’s a future Mevo camera in the works that’s a little more stable and polished. And maybe 4K capable.

Epson has unveiled a new long-throw laser projector that delivers a claimed "zero compromise" 4K picture thanks to a 3-LCD chip system with new pixel shifting technology. The Pro Cinema 4K PRO-UHD LS12000 also comes with an HDMI 2.1 port, promising 4K gaming at up to 120 frames per second.

Epson stands out from other projector manufacturers by using its own 3-chip LCD system rather than single DLP chips from Texas Instruments. That generally results in better color fidelity and none of the annoying "rainbow effect" of DLP projectors, but less perceived 4K resolution.

It has apparently solved that problem with what it calls "precision shift glass plate technology." As with other models, it uses three LCDs for red, green and blue, with each limited to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. However, the shift glass plate system runs at a high refresh rate and accurately shifts pixels "to display a 3,840 x 2,160, 8.29-million-pixel image," the company said. 

The laser light source, meanwhile, pumps out up to 2,700 lumens and lasts for up to 20,000 hours. It also allows for deeper blacks with a claimed contrast ratio of over 2,500,000:1. There's no sign of Dolby Vision, but it does offer HDR10, HLG and HDR10+, with the latter supported on Hulu, Amazon Prime and YouTube, but not Netflix. 

It should be one of the best gaming projectors, as well, with the aforementioned 120 Hz refresh rate, lag input below 20 milliseconds, 1080p upscaling and relatively high brightness. The Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 4K PRO-UHD projector is now available for $5,00 — expensive, yes, but a relative bargain compared to comparable 3-chip 4K projectors from Sony, JVC and others.

OM Digital Solutions has unveiled the Micro Four Thirds OM-1, its first mirrorless camera since purchasing Olympus. It packs a new sensor and technology that gives it a big leap in performance over the last flagship Olympus models and could be the last Olympus-branded model you'll see. 

Marking the 50th anniversary of the original OM film SLR, the OM-1 offers some big improvements over the E-M1 Mark III. That starts with the stacked, backside illuminate 20.4-megapixel Live MOS sensor with a "quad pixel" AF arrangement using four photodiodes per pixel. With the higher-speed readout and updated TruePic X processor, it can shoot RAW photos at speeds of up to 50 fps in electronic shutter mode with phase-detect autofocus enabled (with supported PRO series lenses), or 120 fps with AF locked. 

OLYMPUS CORP.

With the stacked design, you'll also see far less rolling shutter when shooting in electronic mode. That's a good thing, as speeds go down considerably to 10 fps with the mechanical shutter. Unfortunately, you can only capture up to 139 RAW images at a time with the mechanical shutter, or just 96 RAW images at 50 fps — less than 2 seconds of shooting. Those speeds are no doubt limited by OM's choice to use dual SD UHS-II card slots, rather than something faster like CFexpress. 

Though the OM-1 is mainly aimed at wildlife photographers, it can handle more detailed images as well thanks to the High Res Shot mode. That allows you to capture 50-megapixel images handheld in just five seconds, or 80-megapixel images on a tripod. Other modes include live ND to simulate long exposures, HDR, and focus stacking, which delivers an image where everything is in focus.

OLYMPUS CORP.

The AF is considerably improved in terms of AI smarts, as well. OM says that its latest face and eye-detect algorithms are much more responsive, and it now detects cars, airplane and trains on top of people, birds and animals. It also has a new subject tracking feature that's completely separate from face and eye detection. 

The OM-1 has big improvements in terms of video, as well. You can now shoot 4K (UHD or DCI) at up to 60 fps, in either 8-bit H.264 or 10-bit H.265 modes. The latter works either in OM-Log mode for improved dynamic range, or HLG mode for HDR work. Better still, the OM-1 can output 12-bit Apple ProRes RAW video at up to 60 fps to an Atomos Ninja V or Ninja V+ external recorder, supposedly without any subsampling (pixel binning). 

OM Digital Systems

Other feature include 8 stops of in-body image stabilization with supported lenses (7 stops without), high-end build quality with an outstanding IP53 camera rating against dust, water, and freezing conditions, a redesigned menu system, 5.76 million dot 120 HZ electronic viewfinder and battery that delivers 520 shots on a charge (CIPA rated) and 90 minutes of video recording. It has a fully articulating 1.62 million dot rear display that should make this camera ideal for vlogging.  

The OM-1 looks to be a strong rival to Panasonic's GH5-II Micro Four Thirds camera, offering faster shooting speeds and superior phase-detect autofocus, while matching up well in terms of video. It remains to be seen how it will stack up against the upcoming Panasonic GH6, however, which is set to be launched on February 21st at 8PM ET. 

The OM Digital's OM-1 is now available on pre-order for $2,200, with delivery set for early March. Olympus also unveiled a pair of new lenses, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro II ($1,000) and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4 PRO ($900). 

The last time we looked at one of HP's premium Spectre x360 convertible notebooks, we were blown away by its style, powerful hardware and excellent keyboard. But that was just a 13-inch model — what if HP took all of that goodness and put it in a massive 16-inch laptop? That's basically what the company is offering with its new Spectre x360 16. It's big. It's beautiful. And this time, it comes equipped with NVIDIA's new RTX 3050 GPU. If you're looking for a notebook with a large screen that can also handle a bit of gaming and creative work, the x360 16 is a compelling option.

Strangely enough, HP doesn't really have much competition when it comes to powerful, large-screened convertibles. Dell hasn't updated the XPS 15 2-in-1 in years, and LG's comparable Grams strive for lightness more than power. It could be that other companies were scared away by having heavy notebooks with rotating screens — the 4.4-pound x360 16 is downright hefty compared to the 3-pound 13-inch model. But it's not too far off from the 4.3-pound MacBook Pro 16. If you're looking for a large display, you've probably already relegated yourself to carrying around a heavy machine. (And at least it's lighter than the XPS 17, which clocks in at up to 5.5 pounds!)

Design wise, the Spectre x360 16 is more glam than Dell's minimalist XPS line. Both companies went for sleek, all-metal cases, but HP's hardware features metallic accents along its edges (even the hinges get some bling). The Spectre line used to lean more heavily into a bejeweled look, but now HP is trying to tone things down while also delivering some style. Little things, like the case's cut off corners and the slightly softer edges, give the x360 16 an artisanal quality. It doesn't look like a cookie-cutter PC, and that’s the point.

Like many 16-inch notebooks we've seen recently, the x360 replaces a 15-inch model. HP was able to fit a larger display into a similarly sized case by reducing bezel sizes and moving toward a taller 16-by-10 aspect ratio. That results in a screen that's 22 millimeters taller, with 11 percent more vertical viewing area, according to HP. Our review unit featured a 4K+ OLED monitor that looked simply beautiful, no matter what I was looking at (though I'm a sucker for OLED's deep black levels and eye-popping colors). There are also 3K+ LED screens available if you don't want to pay a premium for OLED.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Unfortunately, the x360 doesn't support HDR and Dolby Vision like Dell's XPS line, or a fast 120Hz refresh rate like we saw on the Surface Laptop Studio. For some, not having those features may be a dealbreaker, especially if you plan to watch a lot of HDR video, or if you're intrigued by the smoothness of having a high refresh rate display. But if you're upgrading from an older PC, the x360's screen will still be a significant step up.

HP's convertible hinge makes it easy to flip open the x360 16 one-handed. Rotating it around into a tent or tablet mode takes a bit more effort, due to the sheer size of the system. Just like every convertible PC, the tent formation is a nice way to prop up the x360 if you're just lounging in bed. You can also flip the keyboard upside down to make the display prop up on its own, which could be helpful if you just need an additional screen alongside a desktop. I didn't find the x360's tablet mode very useful, though; it's just way too heavy to hold up for long, and it's simply awkward to use. But really, having a larger screen for productivity work and Netflix binging makes up for that.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Speaking of work, typing up this review on the x360 made me fall in love with HP's full-sized keyboard even more than I did with the 13-inch model. It's wide enough for me to spread my fingers out comfortably, and there's a satisfying amount of travel to every key. It’s like a concert piano just begging to be played. My only complaint is that it's a bit non-standard: there's a fingerprint sensor instead of a right Control key, as well as an assortment of specialized function keys to figure out. On the plus side, the touchpad is now 39 percent larger, and it still feels incredibly smooth and reliable.

Our review unit was the top-end $2,030 configuration: You get an Intel Core i7-11390H processor (there's no 12th-gen support yet), 16GB of RAM, NVIDIA's RTX 3050 GPU and a 1TB NVMe SSD with 32GB of Intel Optane memory. The x360 had no trouble with basic productivity tasks — not a surprise given its hardware — and I appreciated just how peppy it made Windows 11 feel. It opened apps up swiftly, and it didn't show any signs of slowdown as I piled on more and more browser tabs.

The only disappointing thing was its disk speeds. According to the ATTO bench, it had average write speeds of around 2 GB/s, and read speeds that were significantly slower than most notebooks we see today. That's honestly surprising for an NVMe drive, so we've asked HP if there's some sort of driver bug hindering performance.

When it comes to general system benchmarks, the x360 16 scored similarly to last year's Surface Laptop 4 15 and ASUS's ZenBook Duo. I expected higher numbers, though, as it has a more powerful GPU than either of those systems. That RTX 3050 is the lowest-end entry among NVIDIA's current offerings, but it's still better than what you'd get with Intel's integrated Xe graphics. It was also serviceable for basic 1080p gaming: I had no trouble playing a few rounds of Halo Infinite with medium graphics settings. The x360 16 is a solid option if you'd like to play a few titles once in a while, perhaps during a dull work trip when you don’t want to lug around a heavier gaming notebook.

Big screens come with huge energy demands, though, so I wasn’t surprised when the x360 only lasted 10 hours and 55 minutes during our battery test. HP claims it’ll go for up to 17 hours with mixed use performance, but it’s unclear how they tested that. Our benchmark relies on looping an HD video, so it’s not exactly stressful. I wouldn’t expect a 16-inch notebook to easily reach the 15 hours of battery life we’ve seen on smaller machines, and the x360 still offers enough juice to power through a workday.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Being flexible in more ways than one is a major selling point for convertibles. The x360 16 is equally at home while you're curled up in bed as it is in a business meeting. The included stylus, which magnetically attaches to the side of the laptop, is also helpful for jotting down notes and simple illustrations. And, given just how important video calls are these days, the x360 is also well equipped with a 5-megapixel webcam and a few software features to beautify your face. It's certainly a step up from the 720p cameras we've seen over the last few years. For the privacy conscious, you can also physically block the camera by hitting a function key, as well as disable the microphone.

Unlike many other style-focused notebooks, HP also includes a wealth of ports, including two USB-C connections, a USB Type-A port (in a nifty drop-down slot), a full-sized HDMI socket and a microSD card slot. And yes, the headphone jack is still there too; HP isn't giving up on it like Dell has with the new XPS 13 Plus. While the x360 can be charged over USB-C, it ships with an AC adapter that plugs in over a barrel connection.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

As much as I love our review model's OLED screen, the better x360 16 deal is the LED-equipped $1,700 model with the same CPU, RAM and RTX 3050 GPU. It has a smaller 512GB SSD, but you can always upgrade that down the line. If you're less concerned about gaming performance, the entry-level $1,500 model drops the RTX 3050 for Intel's Xe graphics.

As the only big-screen convertible game in town, HP could have easily phoned it in with the Spectre x360 16. Instead, it’s given us a powerful premium notebook that can do some gaming amid a flurry of Zoom calls, and look good while doing it.