Earbuds

A team of scientists exploring low-cost alternative for hearing aids has turned to Apple’s AirPods as a potential solution, assessing them alongside conventional hearing aids and finding they stack up surprisingly well.

Checking the hearing of newborns can be challenging, in that the infants can't tell you which sounds they do or don't hear. A new system offers an inexpensive solution to that problem, by utilizing a smartphone, earbuds and a simple microphone.

While it's handy to be able to control our devices via voice commands, speaking those commands out loud can be problematic. The EarCommand system offers an alternative, as it "reads" users' silently mouthed words by monitoring their ear canal.

It's a brave move to launch a pair of noise-canceling true-wireless earphones on the same day that Apple announces an update to its mighty AirPods Pro buds, but that exactly what audio titan Bose has done with the QuietComfort Earbuds II.

Apple has introduced its second-generation Airpods Pros, which feature touch controls for convenient access to audio and phone calls, while an extended battery life extends the listening time in between charges.

JBL has plonked a new pair of buds into the wireless listening pond with an interesting point of difference, arriving inside what's billed as the world's first smart charging case to place extra functionality at your fingertips.

Samsung has today launched the latest generation of its folding smartphones. The Fold4 and Flip4 handset are joined on the Unpacked event stage by 5th-gen smartwatches – which debuts a new Pro model – and a new pair of true-wireless earphones.

LG has announced the latest Tone Free true wireless earphones, including a flagship pair that combine active noise cancellation with head-tracking spatial audio for an immersive mobile listening experience.

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have used Bluetooth earbuds and a deep learning AI system to diagnose three common ear conditions with a simple, non-invasive audio test that uses a sonar-like audio chirp to map out the ear structure.

Back in 2016, Rock Jaw unveiled an interesting pair of headphones that offered listeners the choice of a closed-back or open-back audio experience from the same over-ear cans. Now JBL is doing something similar with true wireless earphones.

It's been just six years since the very first true wireless earphones jumped from movie fiction to reality, but now they're everywhere. One notable manufacturer absence has been German audio veterans Beyerdynamic, until now.

Sleeping while wired up with an EEG cap would be hard enough here on Earth, but can you imagine trying to do so in the zero-gravity environment of outer space? It could be quite awkward, which is why an earbud has been designed to do the same job.