Andrew_OSU

foljs said:

The Jabra Elite 85h ANC headphones are subtly designed and hide some seriously smart features, such as automatically pausing playback when removed, as well as having a dedicated button to call for a digital assistant.

How are these features which are either trivial or have been available for years on competitors "seriously smart"?

Those are just two features of the much larger list of smart features we talk about below. And yes, many have had some of these features, but few -- if any -- have baked them all together. Most headphones still rely on an on/off button instead of automatically turning on/off when opened. Most have a Siri/Google Assistant button but only a couple have support for Alexa right on the headphones. Many have ANC but only two that we've tested have been better than the ANC. here. With a cray 8 mics it also is able to have the best call audio quality we've tested. The smart mode feature that automatically changes modes between private, ANC, and HearThrough is also quite unique. Pausing music when removed -- while a feature often found in earbuds -- is also rarely seen in over-ear headphones.

Combined, this is a lot of smart features in a single product. Jabra spent a lot of time focusing on these smart features to help set itself apart and I think it was largely successful combining existing features, and making unique ones of their own.

TrueNorth said:

“Best...but better”? You’re destroying the English language. 

Nah, there are liberties with headlines for stylistic purposes. The MW07 headphones were the best we had tried. These take those best-in-class headphones and made them even better. So they are everything those were, and more. The best -- but now even better.

rotateleftbyte said:

An attachable tag on some devices, like a keyring, makes sense

And when these tags get hacked? Having one on your keyring tells the car thieves exactly where in the house your car keys are located. Just to make make your car so much easier to steal then! Good one Apple.

There are already car thieves intercepting the signals from your key fob and even going as far as triggering it into life. I put my keys into a metal tin when I'm at home so I don't need one of these but plenty of people just chuck them on a table. If a thief knows where the keys are then they can get in, grab the keys and drive off before you know it.

Quite a few things to unpack here.

First, these things are already happening. You can't say "Good one Apple" like they invented the idea of Bluetooth trackers. There are over 6,000 on Amazon. Apple is taking the concept and making it better and more secure than it is now. So actually, yes. Good one Apple. Thank you for making this more secure.

Second, Apple has a genuine interest in consumer privacy. You can be that all these location details will be kept securely on-device.

You also already trust Apple with your personal location as well as the location of your phone, Airpods, Mac, etc. If you trust Apple with those, it isn't far off to trust Apple with the location of your keys.

Lastly, this is still Bluetooth. if someone would "hack" this device, which isn't really possible the way you are proposing, they'd have to be in proximity to the device. So they would have to be within a hundred feet or so to pick up the signal. if they are that close and want your keys, they could just look on your counter, or watch you to see where you put them down. They are keys -- people don't exactly hide them.

Basically, these aren't legitimate concerns that consumers need to worry about. If a thief is trying to steal your car keys, there are far easier ways than trying to hack Apple's system to see them on the counter, plus, consumers trust Apple with much more sensitive data as it is.

pscooter63 said:

To the author:

Size and speed is nice, but safety is of prime consideration.  Remember that fairly famous teardown of the original iPhone charger (from righto.com) that concluded its electrical engineering design was second to none?

I know you're enthusiastic about this new geegaw, but is there any independent check on its comparative electrical design robustness?

RAVPower is well-established company that focuses almost entirely on charging technology. This isn't a no-name brand we found in an ally but a highly reputable brand that takes this very seriously. I am always very skeptical of poor chargers but I trust this one with my own gear.

CG said:

It sure would be nice if they added the ability to put an Apple TV to sleep via HomeKit. This would also turn off my TV and receiver through HDMI-CEC. Any indication that might be in the works?

This is absolutely doable here in iOS 13