Samsung is betting on foldables. The new Galaxy Z Fold 3 will come with IPX8 water resistance, support for the S-pen and an under-display selfie camera. It will be interesting to see how they solved the clarity issue Apple faced with that last one. The front screen will be an adaptive 7.6-inch 120Hz.
The unit is scheduled for release on the Aug 27. The Z Flip 3 5G at 6.7-inch is smaller but with similar features as the big brother. The new Galaxy Watch 4 will be a collaboration between Samsung and Google and has a hybrid operating system called Wear OS 3. There are two versions including a classic that comes with a rotating bezel. The focus is on health and sleep tracking. Finally, there are the new ear buds. They are light and have active noise reduction.
- With the virus that shall not be named running wild again I'm back working from home. Like many around the world, this is not a new thing and using tools like Microsoft Teams is second nature. Missing are the team face-to-face interactions that cannot be replaced with a headset and a camera.
- With the world in lockdown things are moving slowly. Manufacturing has slowed, delivery of products can take weeks extra and some things are just not available. This means people can't make plans or meet targets. There is also no possibility at this time to even predict when things will get back to normal again.
- Worse, in a world where information was more available than ever just a year ago, today it is being suppressed and blocked. Not by countries this time, but by the large social media corporations that have somehow become larger and more powerful than some of the largest nations. Where it ends remains to be seen but the result is that many are now only seeing a small part of a larger story. The trick is to go outside the normal channels and study some bloggers and alternative media organisations. Any good researcher always checks out both sides of any story as the truth is often somewhere between the extremes.
- The emergence of crypto currencies is one area where things are changing. As money becomes harder to find, countries are finding ways to get into the same market, to tax those using the mechanism or to try and take it over so that the power and control stays at what they consider the right levels. A recent bill in the US will require brokers, those who manage the transactions that allow traders to buy, sell or exchange cryptocurrencies, to now collect personal info on the buyers and sellers involved and report this to the Department of Internal Revenue. This is actually worse than a regular transaction. Expect other countries to follow as soon as they can.
- Where is audio going? As covered previously, Apple has now added a hi-res lossless audio music service but for some reason you need third party hardware to listen to it. THX Onyx is once such DAC device that comes as a headphone amplifier. People want the convenience of streaming music and wireless connectivity. Some newer users don't know what a CD is for example. People also want better music quality like 24-bit, 128kHz digital. They want spatial audio giving that surround sound experience.
- The two demands are often at odds. The streaming technologies use compression to remove pieces of the signal. Wireless is typically Bluetooth that has no lossless codecs. For many the difference between lossless and not is indistinguishable because in any noisy environment there is a loss of quality. To listen to a lossless signal for now, you need a wired connection and as mentioned if you want to listen to better than 48kHz with an Apple device you will need a third-party interface.
- The THX Onyx is a USB-powered headphone amp, about 60m long with a 3.5-inch jack at one end and a USB-C at the other. You also get a regular USB adapter. For Apple users, yes, yet another dongle is needed, the Lightning to USB Camera adapter is necessary. Also be aware that headsets with mics will not work for calls on an iPhone, though conferencing apps like Zoom do. On the positive side you can make the playback really loud. The unit supports up to 32-bit, 384kHz input and can scale up to 768kHz if required. You can playback Sony/Philips DSD files but many do not have that format. Meridian MQA is also supported if you have any and there have been doubts cast on that solution anyway. Dolby Atmos can be simulated but nothing is better than that 9.2 speaker set-up. Worth it? At US$200 (6,680 baht) list price it is well under a high-end earbud and you will get good quality sound. The question is whether or not you want a wired solution for your listening experience. I expect there will be more challengers in the market soon.
James Hein is an IT professional of over 30 years' standing. You can contact him at jclhein@gmail.com.
