In this week’s Tech We Crave we focus upon a console that hasn’t even been formally announced yet, with the PS4 Slim currently the talk of the town as a result of premature leaks and early models popping up on eBay and the like. The potentially groundbreaking videoconferencing camera HELLO is also spotlighted, while our Tech of the Week goes to a set of earbuds that effectively allows users to control the volume of the world around them.
Check them all out below:
PS4 Slim
Image Credit: Twitter
The PS4 Slim is Sony’s worst kept secret, with the company having yet to officially unveil the upcoming console (hence the low quality leaked photograph of it above), but with it having been all but confirmed by Eurogamer who posted a now-deleted video showcasing the upcoming system.
Various models of the PS4 Slim are currently floating around on eBay, with a batch of the consoles seemingly having made their way out of Sony’s doors before the company began their official release. It is believed that the console will be unveiled on September 7th, during a Sony event in which the company will also officially debut the upcoming PS4 Neo. It’s highly unlikely that the PS4 Slim will feature upgraded specs, but will instead offer a cheaper and more compact alternative to the PS4. It will ship with 500GB of internal storage, with it expected to launch in September.
HELLO
A useful and high-quality device for both home and office use, the HELLO camera looks to provide users with a premium videoconferencing tool along with a security surveillance camera, providing two highly valued functions in one impressive device.
Boasting a 4K video sensor, four smart microphones, a tilting lens and a quad core processor, the HELLO allows users to stage video conferences from anywhere with a TV or monitor. Connecting to your display via HDMI, with one scan of a QR code from the dedicated HELLO app the camera begins collaborating, allowing you to set up a conference on the fly. The HELLO also provides a variety of other uses, including broadcasting live events via your smartphone or other paired device, monitoring your home remotely and to share files and documents with your co-workers.
HELLO has garnered a great deal of attention on crowdfunding site Kickstarter, with it having earned $226,000 in donations with 15 days of its campaign left to go. Considering that it started with a goal of $30,000, that’s not a number to be sniffed at.
This also means that the HELLO will be able to achieve its stretch goal, which will see it adding support for Skype, Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts and Cisco Webex. The device will retail for an estimated $199, though is currently available to pre-purchase on its Kickstarter page from $149.
Tech of the Week: Here One Earbuds
We featured Doppler Labs’ Here One earbuds all the way back in July 2015, and now a full year later the company has begun shipping the devices to their Kickstarter backers.
The Here One earbuds boast pretty ingenious technology which essentially allows users to alter the volume of the world surrounding them. The buds achieve this by way of an app that allows users to alter the volume of the audio that filters through them, providing a selection of tuners that grants users control over five different frequencies. There are also a number of presets for various different scenarios – for instance, there are “Bus” and “Crowd” filters that work to specifically lower various frequencies in these situations, drowning out the unpleasant noises in the background. A good example of the Here One in action would be at a sports event, with the earbuds allowing you to listen to both the crowd noises during the game alongside the commentary from a radio station.
As its creators state, the Here One effectively lets you “choose what you want to hear and remove what you don’t,” allowing you to stream music, take phone calls and amplify speech while nullifying all surrounding noise. For those who don’t want to spend every morning having to listen to the hustle and bustle of their morning commute, or who regularly attend live events and like the sound of a device that could help amplify their audio experience, the Here One is an attractive and inventive new option.
