Bang & Olufsen’s latest speaker is a $5,800 aluminum soundbar

Bang & Olufsen just announced a new luxury speaker that costs a pretty penny. The Beosound Premiere is a soundbar made from aluminum that’s priced at $5,800.

It’s visually striking, with the company referring to the soundbar as a “piece of art.” The aluminum chassis looks to be seamless, with a gorgeous matte satin finish. The up-firing tweeter has been placed directly in the center to draw the eye and there are plenty of lights placed throughout. There are lots of little details here, including 1,925 bespoke perforations to pay tribute to the company’s founding year.

“This is not merely a product; it is a curated experience,” the company wrote. “Beosound Premiere redefines the category.”

As for sound, there are ten custom-engineered drivers that assist with spatial audio by firing upwards. This allows “sound to unfold around the listener from all angles” and “enhances clarity in dialogue and delivers deep, powerful bass.” It integrates with Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 and can be paired with additional Bang & Olufsen speakers via the company’s proprietary Beolink Surround technology.

The soundbar also features a new patent-pending technology called Wide Stage. This uses a custom-designed algorithm to create the illusion of having additional speakers, making the “soundstage wider and taller than it is.” All of this stuff combines for an immersive listening experience.

There’s also some kind of special integration with LG OLED C and G series TVs, but the company didn’t get into what that entails. We reached out to Bang & Olufsen for clarification. It’s worth noting that the soundbar can work with any TV or audio source.

Bang & Olufsen

The Beosound Premiere is available in a trio of colorways, with the natural aluminum model releasing first in December. The gold one comes out in February, followed by a black soundbar in March. All models ship with a stand that enables both wall-mounting and tabletop placement. Again, the Premiere costs $5,800.

That high-end sticker price has become a hallmark of Bang & Olufsen. The company recently announced earbuds that cost $1,500 and a marble-adjacent speaker that’s so expensive that the price isn’t listed publicly.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/bang–olufsens-latest-speaker-is-a-5800-aluminum-soundbar-163524028.html?src=rss 

Discord gives parents more insight into their teens’ activity through Family Center

Discord has been trying to strike a balance between affording teen users their privacy and allowing for parental oversight. Over the next week, the platform is rolling out some updates for its Family Center with the aim of helping parents gain more understanding of what their teens are doing on Discord, while giving them the ability to manage certain settings. 

Parents and guardians were already able to see an overview of some of their teens’ Discord activity. Now, they’ll be able to view all purchases for the previous seven days; exactly how long teens have spent in voice and video calls across direct messages, servers and group DMs; and the five users and servers that a teen has called and messaged most often over the last week.

Teens will have the option to notify a guardian when they report another user or a piece of content to Discord. The guardian will receive an email telling them that their teen filed a report but not the details. The idea behind that is to have a conversation about the report and for the guardian to lend their support.

In addition, Discord is adding guardian-managed settings to Family Center. These include the ability to determine who can DM a teen and if sensitive content filters are enabled. Guardians will have access to some data privacy controls too.

Discord said it designed the updates with teens in mind and to make sure they can maintain their independence while having the parental support they might need. Guardians can’t see the content of messages that their teens send. Teens can also view the same information as their guardians in Family Center. 

To use Family Center, guardians and teens need to link their accounts. They can do so by going to User Settings > Family Center in the Discord app.

As with other social platforms, Discord is under the spotlight when it comes to the safety of young users. Earlier this year, New Jersey’s attorney general sued Discord, claiming that it “misled parents about the efficacy of its safety controls and obscured the risks children faced when using the application.” 

Australia, meanwhile, is considering banning children under 16 from using Discord. Starting on December 10, the country will prohibit Reddit, Kick, Facebook, X, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram from allowing under 16s to use their platforms.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/discord-gives-parents-more-insight-into-their-teens-activity-through-family-center-170000419.html?src=rss 

Google adds an AI Mode shortcut to Chrome on mobile

Well, I suppose it was only a matter of time, but Google is making AI Mode harder to avoid. In the US, the company has begun rolling out an update for Chrome on Android and iOS that adds an AI Mode shortcut to the browser’s new tab page. It’s predominantly featured, appearing right below the browser’s signature search bar.

“This will let you ask more complex, multi-part questions, and then dive even deeper into a topic with follow-up questions and relevant links,” the company said of the update. In the near future, Google plans to bring the shortcut to 160 additional countries, with support for other languages — including Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese — on the way as well. 

Google introduced AI Mode at the start of March when it previewed the feature through its Labs program. Since then, it has been aggressively rolling out AI Mode in nearly every market it operates, beginning this past May at I/O 2025 May when the company made the chatbot available to all US users.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-adds-an-ai-mode-shortcut-to-chrome-on-mobile-170042622.html?src=rss 

Early Black Friday deals include the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold for $300 off

November is here, which means gift giving season is right around the corner, as is Black Friday. The latter, though, may feel like it’s already here thanks to all the deals you can already get right now. A few of the best ones are on Google devices, namely the latest Google flagship smartphones.

Take the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which has only been out since late August. It’s now down to $1,499 from $1,799 — a 17 percent discount. This deal is available at both Amazon and Best Buy, and seems to be the first big markdown on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Notably, this deal is on the 256GB model, but the 512GB and 1TB Pixel 10 Pro Folds are also $300 off.

We gave the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold an 88 in our review, thanks to its improved durability, with an IP68 rating. It also has upgraded software and multitasking, along with Pixelsnap charging. Plus, we found it has the “best cameras of any flexible phone.” One of our biggest gripes is the price — though this discount certainly helps. It’s also quite a bulky device and can feel pretty heavy. 

Other Google phones are also on sale for Black Friday right now. The Pixel 10 Pro has dropped to a record low of $749, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL with a whopping 1TB of storage is also cheaper than ever at $1,249.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/early-black-friday-deals-include-the-google-pixel-10-pro-fold-for-300-off-123036490.html?src=rss 

Teenage Engineering made a reggae-inspired sampler, complete with a weird microphone for vocals

Teenage Engineering just revealed the EP-40 Riddim sampler. This reggae-inspired groovebox is another redesign of the pre-existing EP-133 KO II sampler. It has the same square body and button-based workflow, but there are several changes here.

First of all, the entire exterior has been redesigned to make that reggae theme really pop. It’s green and off-white, with fun fonts aplenty. The thing just screams “play me,” much like the original KO II.

Perhaps the biggest internal feature is the addition of an actual synth engine called Supertone. The previous models in this series were just samplers. The company promises that this engine can deliver thick bass sounds and classic leads. It also offers access to a dub-inspired siren mode that’s pressure sensitive. It oscillates faster the harder you press it.

The machine also boasts double the storage and an additional main effect. All told, there are seven main effects and 12 punch-in effects. These have all been inspired by reggae tunes. It comes pre-loaded with hundreds of samples which have also primarily been pulled from the genre.

This isn’t just for reggae, as sounds are sounds and people can do whatever they want with them. Also, it’s really easy to load your own samples into this machine via a web tool. I’ve used the tool often with the original KO II and it truly is drag-and-drop.

Teenage Engineering

There’s one final fascinating element here. The sampler ships with something called the EP-2350 Ting microphone. This handheld mic resembles something out of a CB radio and is “lo-fi by design.” It features four voice-changing effects, including one that combines echo and spring reverb. This is an essential effect for dub reggae vocals. In theory, this microphone could be used with other devices, but it’s only available as a combo pack with the Riddim.

Everything else is in line with the KO II. It has a speaker that’ll likely be pretty crappy, but also plenty of inputs and outputs. It operates via AA batteries and there are 12 buttons to trigger samples.

The Riddim is slightly more expensive than its counterparts, at $329. However, this does include the aforementioned Ting microphone. It’s available right now for purchase.

This is the second off-kilter rebrand of the KO II. Teenage Engineering already released the EP-1320 Medieval, which is filled with samples of screaming peasants, flutes and Gregorian chants. The menus were also completely in Latin which, dear readers, made it very hard to use for this dumb American.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/teenage-engineering-made-a-reggae-inspired-sampler-complete-with-a-weird-microphone-for-vocals-173812774.html?src=rss 

Get the Red Carpet Look with Ouros Jewels

There’s a huge shift happening on the red carpet, and it’s making Hollywood sparkle bigger, brighter, and more ethically than ever before. Forget the old rules; today’s stars are shaping new ideas of what luxury can represent. Sustainability and luxury can shine side by side. Why the conscious switch? These diamonds closely resemble mined diamonds…

There’s a huge shift happening on the red carpet, and it’s making Hollywood sparkle bigger, brighter, and more ethically than ever before. Forget the old rules; today’s stars are shaping new ideas of what luxury can represent. Sustainability and luxury can shine side by side. Why the conscious switch? These diamonds closely resemble mined diamonds… 

Netflix is reportedly going big on video podcasts for 2026

2026 is seemingly going to be the year that Netflix gets aggressive with podcasting. We already knew that the streamer will start licensing video podcasts from Spotify Studios and The Ringer in the new year, and according to a new report, agents at leading talent agencies are being sounded out ahead of a Q1 push.

Sources have told The Hollywood Reporter that Netflix has sent “dozens of requests” to agents at WME, UTA and CAA as it looks to add more video podcasts to the platform. The plan is that the company launches its video podcast offering in early 2026, by which time it wants to have a library of shows with existing audiences.

This comes after Bloomberg reported this week that Netflix is also in licensing talks with iHeartMedia, which is one of the largest podcasts publishers in the world and makes shows like Stuff You Should Know and The Breakfast Club. According to Bloomberg’s sources, Netflix wants an exclusivity deal that would mean featured shows would no longer be uploaded to YouTube. The latter is Spotify’s biggest rival in the space, and passed one billion monthly active podcast viewers at the start of 2025.

The Spotify deal Netflix penned last month includes nine sports podcasts at launch, among them The Bill Simmons Podcast and The Zach Lowe Show. Other video podcasts coming to the streaming service include Serial Killers and The Ringer’s The Rewatchables.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-is-reportedly-going-big-on-video-podcasts-for-2026-133025499.html?src=rss 

You can now stream PS5 games you own over the cloud on the PlayStation Portal

Slowly but surely, Sony has been transforming the initially limited PlayStation Portal into a viable handheld for PS5 gamers, albeit only those with a solid internet connection. What launched as a strictly remote play device eventually got unlocked for cloud streaming, with PS Plus Premium members able to play select Game Catalog games without needing to connect to a PS5. And from today, you can also stream select digital PS5 games that you own.

Again, you’ll need to have a PS Plus Premium membership to take advantage of the new features, but once signed up to the most expensive tier of Sony’s subscription service you’ll be able to stream the likes of Astro Bot, Borderlands 4, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Ghost of Yotei, which are among the the thousands of games supported at launch.

You could, of course, already play all of these games on the Portal over remote play from your PS5. But now that the device has been untethered from the main console, it gets a bit closer to the dedicated go-anywhere PlayStation handheld everyone wants. That’s provided you have a decent enough Wi-Fi connection to get a good quality stream.

Alongside the new cloud streaming functionality, the Portal has a new home screen that adds a search tab for quickly finding games that are available to stream. The latest update also adds 3D audio support for supported games on both remote play and cloud streams when using wired headphones or one of Sony’s proprietary PlayStation Link headsets. You can also now add a passcode lock to the device, while a new network status screen is available in the Quick menu.

Sony now allows you to make in-game purchases while streaming games over the cloud without leaving a session, and if you have a friend playing the same game you’re streaming, you can receive invites and join their game from the Quick menu.

Sony seems intent on the PlayStation Portal plugging the gap between now and and the arrival of the PS6, which could reportedly arrive in the next two years alongside a powerful complementary handheld device that might beat out the ROG Xbox Ally X in the specs department.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/you-can-now-stream-ps5-games-you-own-over-the-cloud-on-the-playstation-portal-135025829.html?src=rss 

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