The 'world's lightest' electric bike is not cheap

A company called Budnitz introduced what it says is the "world's lightest" electric bike. It's called the Budnitz Model E. It has a single speed, is made of titanium alloy, and can help riders reach up to 15mph for up to 100 miles. It's custom-made in Vermont and everything you'll need, like cables and a battery, are stuffed in the bike's rear hub.
Riders just have to have their phone mounted on the front of the bike to control its electric motor. There's also the option to include slope sensors that detect when the bike is on a hill and kicks in for extra help.

It starts at $3,950. Oh that's expensive, you say? Well Budnitz has something to say to you on its FAQ page:

Sony’s Signature Walkman and headphones are $5,500 of ridiculous

Like a grand old dinosaur that’s being left behind by the evolution of the tech industry, Sony is in desperate recovery mode here at IFA. The company has new phones, a rather nice pair of noise-canceling headphones, the imminent PS VR, and... a truly outlandish combo of music player and headphones that costs a mighty $5,499.98. I guess there had to be some outlet for Sony’s classic wild-eyed grandeur.

Sony’s new Signature audio series consists of the gold-plated NW-WM1Z Walkman, which weighs in at 455g (1lb) and $3,200, the $2,300 MDR-Z1R closed-back headphones, and a desktop headphone amp whose price I haven’t even dared to look up. First impressions? The portable media player barely qualifies to be called portable. This new 256GB Walkman glints beautifully under IFA’s bright lights, and its hefty case is machined to a perfect finish, but its weight is overwhelming. I simultaneously love it for its looks and hate it for its impracticality. Typical Sony, then!

Who needs practicality when you can have a gold-plated Walkman?

The headphones are a merciful 385g (14oz) and sit very lightly on the head. Their comfort is irreproachable, but I’m a bit more dubious about the need for a four-stranded Kimber Kable to hook Sony’s two new products together. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of the sheer excess on display here, but that’s the sort of thing that wears off rather quickly, leaving people with a setup that’s bulky, heavy, and not nearly mobile enough to be shown off to the maximum number of people.

All that being said, when Sony decides to build a kickass set of headphones, it usually does a pretty good job, and the Z1R do indeed sound dramatic and dynamic. Their bass response goes deep (and may be a little elevated for the sake of a more thrilling sound), while vocals come through forcefully and prominently. I didn’t listen to them long enough to draw firm conclusions, but the WM1Z plus Z1R combo was certainly not laid back — Sony says it wants you to feel the music rather than just hear it, and its tuning appears to be in the service of that goal.

'Sony Signature' is the perfect name for this over-engineered opulence

I’m probably being silly in trying to assess Sony’s Signature series in the usual manner. It’s rather obvious that Sony is aiming to delight fans of its brand and its signature over-engineered opulence. Comparing these against things like the recent $999 Focal Elear misses the point of why you’d buy the Sony set. Getting Sony’s solid-copper, gold-plated Walkman along with its partnering headphones is a rather opulent approach to obtaining a matched set of audio gear. It’s the sort of thing you’d probably dedicate a room — or at least a corner — of your house to. Listening to it would be a ceremony. The UI lag (yes, the Android-based software is slow) would be like waiting for a fine wine to mature.

Lest you think Sony has skimped on any of the construction here, the headphones feature magnesium diaphragms with aluminum-coated edges, sheepskin ear pads, and a titanium headband. A solid block of oxygen-free copper sits beneath the gold veneer of the Walkman, which can play practically every music format, and runs for 26 hours while playing back FLAC files or 11 hours with the highest-quality DSD files.
A lot of the cost of Sony's new Signature series goes into obtaining the best materials and achieving the highest quality. But we'd be kidding ourselves if we thought that would be the reason for people to own a set. This is a pair of extravagant gadgets whose appeal resides in that very extravagance.

What to expect from Sony’s PS4 slim and Neo event

On Wednesday afternoon — just a few short hours after Apple will be making some big announcements of its own — Sony will be holding what it’s calling a "PlayStation meeting" in New York. The company says that it will provide "an update on the PlayStation business and PS4," and it’s widely expected to announce two new versions of the PS4, much like Microsoft did with the Xbox One at E3 this year: a slimmed-down variant of the current console, followed by a tease of a much bigger update.

Though nothing is official just yet, and there will likely be a few surprises, a number of recent leaks and reports give us a pretty solid idea of what will be announced onstage. The Verge will be reporting on the event live from New York, but for now, you can catch up on exactly what to expect below.

Sony has already admitted that the much rumored PS4 Neo — a more powerful version of the console — is in the works. Speaking to the Financial Times ahead of E3, Andrew House, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, explained that Neo would be a more powerful version of the console, with faster processors, improved graphical capabilities, and support for 4K resolution.

That said, it’s not quite a leap to a new generation — the Neo and PS4 are expected to play all of the same games. "It is intended to sit alongside and complement the standard PS4," House explained. "We will be selling both [versions] through the life cycle."

Instead of ushering in a new generation of game experiences, Neo is meant to appeal to early adopters of tech like 4K and virtual reality. With native 4K support, games will look much better if you happen to have a very expensive 4K TV, while the improved processing power will likely make PlayStation VR games both look better and run smoother compared to the standard PS4. PSVR launches in October, and will support all versions of the PS4. It’s unclear when exactly Neo will launch, but it’s likely to be after PSVR hits store shelves, and probably in 2017.

The upgrades sound a lot like Project Scorpio, Microsoft’s impending upgrade to the Xbox One that adds similar features and will be launching next fall. Scorpio still remains mysterious, however; we don’t know what it looks like or how much it will cost. Hopefully Sony will unveil a bit more of its new console than Microsoft did.

A second, slimmer PS4

Like every PlayStation before it, the PS4 will likely be getting a good deal smaller very soon. And this isn’t just idle gossip: we’ve already seen what looks like the soon-to-be-announced PS4 slim. Images of the device first surfaced in late August, thanks to a posting on auction site Gumtree, and not long after videos began to appear online showing the device in action. (Though most were subsequently removed.

As is the case with most slim redesigns, the new PS4 doesn’t appear to be a massive change. It’s smaller and has rounded corners, but otherwise maintains the same angular look as its predecessor. The big question is whether it will have some added functionality to go along with its new look. With the Xbox One S, Microsoft not only made the console smaller and sleeker, but also added new features like support for 4K video. It even removed the pesky, bulky power supply.

Unfortunately, looks aside, early reports peg the PS4 slim as being largely the same as the base PS4 — so likely not a console that will entice you to upgrade.

A (slightly) upgraded DualShock 4

 

Alongside the leaked images and video of the slim PS4, we’ve also seen what looks to be a new version of the DualShock 4 controller. Though "new" might be overselling it. Based on what we’ve seen, the controller is identical to the previous DualShock 4, but with one slight difference: the colorful light bar is now visible from the front, so you won’t have to turn it around to see lights flash when you’re being chased by police in Grand Theft Auto.

It’s possible that there are some other changes under the hood, such as an improved wireless range, but for the most part, this looks like a slight tweak to an already solid gamepad.

A few new games

The best way to show off gaming hardware is with, you guessed it, games. And so there’s a good chance that Sony will have a handful of new, visually impressive titles that help showcase how good 4K games can really look. Just as likely is a new game or two that highlight how much better VR games run on Neo. Just what those games might be is anybody’s guess, but Sony has a huge range of exclusive franchises that could get the job done. New Ape Escape anyone?

Xiaomi will reportedly begin selling the Mi Box as soon as next month

Xiaomi will make its Mi Box available to US consumers before the end of the year — and possibly as soon as October — according to a report from TechCrunch. Back in May at Google I/O, Xiaomi showed off the latest version of its Mi Box, a 4K set-top box that runs on Android TV. The Chinese company announced that it would make the Mi Box available in the US, but didn't give out an actual date.

 The Mi Box comes with a quad-core ARM processor, 8GB of storage, built-in Google Cast support, and can playback 4K video at 60fps. There's also a gaming controller that you can use to play games on the Android-powered device. The report also states that the Mi Box will likely come in under $100, which may give it a leg up on more expensive set-top boxes like the Roku 4 and Apple TV. Whether or not Xiaomi can garner a fraction of the name recognition of its competitors to make a dent in the holiday quarter is another question altogether.

The glowing green liquid in this Razer–Maingear gaming PC probably won't kill you

Ridiculous gaming computers are nothing new. After all, half the fun of building a small supercomputer that can simulate entire universes is decking it out in glowing lights and swooping chrome accents. The R1 Razer Edition is a recently announced desktop team-up between Razer and Maingear — two of the most well-known gaming hardware companies — and it definitely fits the traditional "over-the-top" bill.
Give other people the impression that your gaming PC is highly radioactive

The most important thing I can tell you about the R1 Razer Edition is that the higher-end models include what Maingear refers to as "fully custom handcrafted liquid cooling," which is apparently assembled by hand by a single man in New Jersey. The cooling comes in the form of a series of bubbling tubes filled with glowing liquid that Maingear claims is simply distilled water, but I assume is far more likely to actually be the ichor of an eldrich god, the radioactive runoff of a Cold War-era space station, or Nickelodeon green slime that likely gives the computer excellent performance at the cost of giving other people the impression that your gaming PC is highly radioactive.

Available as a customizable build, the R1 Razer Edition starts at $999 for the most basic (read: boring) model, but can easily be amped up with the inclusion of the aforementioned custom cooling system, glowing LED lights, and bespoke power supply cable sleeves. The actual breakdown of the partnership comes down to Razer supplying the case design and Chroma lighting systems, while Maingear adds the hardware know-how for actually building the PC.
The R1 Razer Edition starts at $999 for the most basic, boring model
And of course, all the actual computer parts can be selected to your specification, with options for RAM, different graphics cards, processors, LED color, coolant color, power supply, motherboard, and more. The most expensive build I could cobble together topping out at about $13,618.99 for a computer (which, at that price, should ideally be able to run a backup copy of the simulation from The Matrix.)
The R1 Razer Edition can be ordered from Maingear's website, with computers shipping as early as the end of September, depending on the level of customization in your build. Just don't drink the coolant.

Microsoft is reportedly working on a Slack competitor

Microsoft is taking Slack head on, and reportedly doing it under the Skype umbrella. According to MSPowerUser, the software giant is developing new messaging software that closely mirrors Slack functionality. The new effort is called Skype Teams, and it promises to cater to the the same large teams and newsrooms that already use Slack every day, while also leveraging Skype’s core feature set.

Skype Teams, per MSPowerUser, looks very much like Slack, in that it features both channels and private messaging for groups, as well as file-sharing and fun things like emojis and GIFs:

In addition, the new service will feature Threaded Conversations, where users can respond directly to a comment a la Facebook threads. Users will also be able to start video chats both within channels and in private messages.

Microsoft has already released a Slack competitor in its overhauled SharePoint app, which launched this past spring. That app brought the 15-year-old service into the mobile era, allowing users to manage content and documents on the go. But with Slack currently at a $3.8 billion valuation, Microsoft is wise to push hard to stay relevant when it comes to team productivity.

Bragi’s new wireless earbuds are simpler and a lot cheaper

One of the first companies to venture into the world of making truly wireless earbuds has revealed a second generation product. Bragi, the company that turned $3.3 million of Kickstarter funding into the Dash, just announced a new pair of wireless earbuds simply called the Headphone. The Headphone is based on the Dash in many ways — the new earbuds sport the same size, overall design, and basic function — but they're cheaper and much simpler. Bragi will sell the Headphone in retail channels for $149 this November, but you can preorder them starting today for $119.

You can use the Headphone to take or make phone calls and activate your phone’s voice assistant, they allow for basic streaming music playback (though there's no onboard storage this time around), and they swap the Dash's touch controls for physical buttons. The Headphone has the Dash’s audio pass-through feature, where you can hear the outside world in your headphones, but there’s no fitness tracking, and the carrying case doesn’t recharge the earbuds when you stow them away. As Bragi CEO Nikolaj Hviid put it to The Verge: “the Headphone is a racing bike, where the Dash is much more like a Formula 1 car.”

The benefits of taking the Dash and dumbing it down a bit are threefold, and the first is that dramatic price cut. (Backers of the Dash Kickstarter will also get an extra $20 off, bringing the price down to $99.) Second, the Headphone will be capable of squeezing twice the life — six hours — out of the same 100 mAh battery found in the Dash. Third, the Bluetooth connection between the earbuds and your phone should be stronger, according to Bragi.

It’s a big deal if Bragi solved the Bluetooth problem — but that’s a big if

Better battery life and a lower sticker price seem like luxuries compared to the prospect of an improved (or even reliable) Bluetooth connection. Tenuous Bluetooth connections are the problem that has most consistently plagued the first generation of truly wireless earbuds. It’s the kind of problem that kills the whole idea of the product in the first place, but it was one that startups were willing to roll with if it meant beating the likes of Jabra, Samsung, or even Apple to market.

Bragi was no exception. While the company went out of its way to replace the Bluetooth connection that syncs the two earbuds together (it chose a hearing aid technology called Near Field Magnetic Induction instead), Bragi still used Bluetooth for the phone-to-earbud connection. This led to hiccups in the audio streaming during my time with the Dash, especially when the phone was in my pocket or out of the line of sight. Hviid says that Bragi was able to use everything it learned from the Dash about this problem to fix the experience on the Headphone, but we’ll have to get our hands on the new product to make that call for ourselves.

The other problem Bragi ran into with the Dash was production delays. Bragi says that the Headphone is supposed to start shipping in early November, but Hviid told me that the company isn’t starting production until October — a tight turnaround, even for a company with one product under its belt.

There’s also a new firmware update for the Dash

In addition to the Headphone, Bragi also announced another firmware update to the Dash today. The company promises that this update — version 2.1 — will improve the accuracy of the Dash’s heart rate tracking, as well as improve the Bluetooth connection. It follows the 2.0 update issued this past summer, which made the Dash louder and allowed for better fitness tracking. With 2.1, Hviid said the company has been working for months to work around the consequences of having a lot of radios in a very small headset. “All of these components, it’s a huge amount of components, and they disturb the Bluetooth range,” Hviid said. “But most people will see remarkable improvements with 2.1. We’re actually very proud of what we’ve done.”

Hviid was careful to note that customers shouldn’t expect software updates like these for the Headphone. “The Dash is a computer, the Headphone is a headphone,” he said.