This week on The Wrap, we’ll take a peek at some rumours for the next iPhone, Galaxy Note, Pixel, and more, and look at a pair of earphones you can only use in the day. All that in five minutes.
Transcript
For the week ending June 21, this is The Wrap, Australia’s fastest technology roundup, and if you happen to follow technology like we do, you know that it’s always changing. Every week, there’s a new pair of headphones, a new phone, a new computer, some cables, a tablet, and so much more. Gadgets and technology are constantly changing, and it can be hard to keep up.
Good thing you’ve got us, because that’s what we’ll do: wrap up the week of tech in the time it takes to order and drink that cup of coffee.
And this week, the gadget announcements haven’t been as major as they normally are. There’s no big Apple or Samsung or Google announcement, but there are a lot of rumours.
For instance, if you haven’t been swayed by a new phone this year, waiting might just pay off. Don’t get us wrong, there have been some great phones already, but the year is only half over, and the second half could just get something newer and more exciting.
In August, there’s probably going to be a new Samsung or three, as the company puts the finishing touches on the rumoured Galaxy Note 10, which will likely come in a few versions. It’s rumoured to have new cameras and 5G, and could be launched alongside a revitalised and most important fixed Galaxy Fold. That foldable phone revolution is still waiting to happen, and Samsung could still be the first.
Wait until September, and you should expect a new iPhone or three, with the iPhone 11 expected, and whatever the iPhone XR2 plans to be. Expect that one to be called the XR2 or the 10R2. Or something else. We could be completely wrong.
What is feeling right are the rumours about the cameras, with three expected on the flagship, two on the R, and low light possibly as good as what we saw on the P30 Pro, because it’s nice to see in the dark.
We don’t expect 5G, though, because that’s not proving to be the best at launch.
Finally, there’s October, and that’s when you can expect the Huawei Mate 30 Pro — because we doubt Huawei is done — and Google’s Pixel 4, which is now rumoured to come in three models: small, medium, and large. It’ll be the Goldilocks of phones, with one for every size.
That’s the phone news for the week, but it’s not the only news.
There are things happening across the tech world this week, with shake ups in various places.
Take Amazon’s Kindle. It’s not the only way to read books on a gadget, but it’ll be the first eReader that isn’t a tablet or phone to get tone adjustment technology. That means as the day becomes night, the 2019 Amazon Kindle can change the colour of its light and make the screen seem warmer, which is better for your eyes.
That’s coming in the Kindle Oasis in July, with a similar approach handled by LiFX, which makes smart lightbulbs.
You probably already know the Philips Hue lightbulbs, and you might have seen the IKEA Tradfri, but LiFX is an Australian take on smart lighting, and lately they’ve been improving their lightbulbs to support the same tonal shifts in daylight. That means the light you switch on earlier in the day will look a little different later on, and for the benefit of your eyes, and your long term health.
It’s not the only gadget with health goals in mind. This week, Upright released version two of its Upright Go, a digital posture focused gadget that buzzes your back when you slouch. And you know when you’re slouching. Your mum told you not to. Well this gadget reminds you with a gentle vibrating nudge.
Your mum’s also probably worried about your ears, and if you listen to music loudly, she has every reason to be.
This week, we checked out the Bose Frames, a rather unique pair of earphones that don’t really plug sound into your ears at all. Rather, they’re a pair of sunglasses that have two speakers built into the arms, wirelessly talking to your phone and playing music.
In essence, they’re a bit of a gimmick, and while that might be true, they sound surprisingly good for a gimmick. Almost too good. You wear the Bose Frames just like a typical pair of sunnies, but they’re a $300 pair that also act as headphones, and outside of a lacklustre bass, they sound great.
Our problems with the Bose Frames comes from battery life and ease of use. There’s just under four hours of battery life, and they rely on a special charge cable, so if you forgot to bring it, too bad.
They also won’t take prescription lenses, making them just a bit of a problem if you wear glasses already. Well, that’s not completely true. They do take prescription lenses, but you have to void your warranty to do so, which is probably the strangest concept for a pair of glasses.
We need to stress that the Bose Frames are better than we expected, and even include a cute little augmented reality approach built in audio.
But Bose needs to work out the kinks. Mainly the battery life and the whole lens support. Not to mention looking like an idiot wearing sunglasses at night.
That’s a whole thing on its own. We don’t have the time to get through that, because you’ve been listening to The Wrap, Australia’s fastest technology roundup.
The Wrap appears every Friday at Podcast One and Apple Podcasts. We’ll be back next week for more tech in five.
Until then, have a great week. We’ll see you next time on The Wrap. Take care.
