Nobody wants bad tires on their vehicle. They want them to be able to handle the terrain and climate conditions of their daily lives, perform well on wet roads, brake well, and last a significant number of miles before needing to be replaced. When it comes to choosing which tire is right for you, there are several brands that you might consider, like Michelin, Bridgestone, or other popular brands. Two tire brands you see quite often on the road are Yokohama and Goodyear.
Considering Japanese vehicle brands are consistently ranked among the most reliable in the world — particularly compared to American brands — one might assume this extends to tires as well, and that Yokohama would be more highly rated than Goodyear. However, according to Consumer Reports, that is most certainly not the case. Yokohama actually ranks very close to the bottom of Consumer Reports’ overall car brand ranking, whereas Goodyear places in the top half of that list. Tires from different brands were tested for factors like braking, traction, noise, hydroplaning, and more. Ultimately, 18 brands were given total overall scores, and Yokohama didn’t measure up to the competition.
The two areas where Yokohama consistently fell behind Goodyear were braking on wet surfaces and noise. Sometimes, the determined rating difference between them was small, depending on the particular tire, but there is clearly a noticeable trend that could be concerning to potential buyers. The gulf is even greater when you compare Yokohama to a brand like Michelin, which topped the Consumer Reports ranking.
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Yokohama and Goodyear are not always competing head-to-head
ShamAn77/Shutterstock
One important caveat in the Consumer Reports tire brand ranking is that it is a holistic assessment of the respective brands. Of the seven different tire types Consumer Reports tested, there are only three where Yokohama and Goodyear are in direct competition with one another: all-season SUV tires, all-season truck tires, and all-terrain truck tires. In all three, Goodyear does come out on top, but there are four other tire types to contend with. Only Yokohama is represented in all-season, EV, and ultra-high-performance all-season tires, and Goodyear has no Yokohama competition in ultra-high-performance summer tires. Of the three categories that only have Yokohama tires, the Yokohama Avid Ascend GT all-season tires are the only ones to receive a stamp of recommendation from Consumer Reports. While the overall recommendation percentage is small, it does show there are some Yokohama tires that don’t necessarily deserve to be bunched together with a generally poorly rated brand.
There is also one key place where Yokohama tires generally receive better ratings than Goodyear ones, and that is handling snow and ice. The scores for those consistently tie or outperform the overall superior brand. Notably, the overall highest-rated Goodyear tire, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6, doesn’t even have snow and ice handling ratings because it’s a summer tire. Yokohama may not rank highly in Consumer Reports’ eyes and lands roughly in the middle of SlashGear’s own ranking of tire brands, but it does have its particular strengths. For some situations, Yokohama tires may be exactly what you need, which is good to know, considering that they are generally less expensive than Goodyear tires.
Only days after Spotify announced its foray into physical book sales, which included an audiobook feature that lets you sync your listening and your offline reading progress, Amazon-owned Audible has launched a feature that brings ebooks together with audiobooks.
The company announced on Wednesday an “immersion reading” feature in the Audible app, which allows readers who have both the ebook and audiobook versions of a title in their Audible and Kindle libraries to read the ebook’s text while the audio plays. The feature also lets users switch between the different formats across devices. While in the “Read & Listen” mode, the text of the book is highlighted in real-time in sync with the narration.
The Kindle app already offered a tool that would allow readers to move between the Audible version and the ebook, when both versions had been purchased. This feature is now coming to Audible’s app for the first time. Customers will need to own both versions of the book for this to work, but discounted audiobooks will be made available to customers who own the matching ebook, the company says.
At launch, hundreds of thousands of titles will be supported by the new “Read & Listen” feature, including those in English, German, Spanish, Italian, and French. Initially, the option will be offered in the U.S., with the U.K., Australia, and Germany gaining support over the next few months.
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To discover eligible titles, Audible will automatically identify which Kindle ebooks have audiobook matches within its app.
Of course, many customers were already reading and listening to their books without buying two versions — by having Alexa narrate their ebooks from their Kindle library. Alexa is not a professional narrator by any means, and the AI assistant’s more monotonous delivery can lead you to zone out. By offering a way to add on the audiobook for a lower price when you’ve already bought the ebook, Amazon hopes to boost book sales across formats.
The company also claims that the combination of reading and listening can improve focus and comprehension, according to industry research and its own internal data. In addition, customers who read and listen are the most engaged, consuming nearly twice as much content per month as audiobook-only customers, Audible noted.
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The feature may make sense for students and those learning a new language, as well as those who are trying to get through more books quickly. It’s also useful for those who regularly switch back and forth between reading and listening, and those who want the experience of the narration — particularly if a book is read by a favorite voice actor. Plus, some may simply appreciate having a narrator introduce all the characters by name, so they can learn the pronunciation without having to guess (a particularly thorny issue in fantasy novels!)
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“Audiobooks count as reading,” said Andy Tsao, Chief Product Officer at Audible, in a statement about the launch. “But now at Audible, you can read with your eyes too. Read & Listen gives book lovers the best of both worlds. Whether you’re learning a new language, studying for school, or lost in a story’s world, you no longer have to choose one format over the other.”
Amazon notes that the new feature will not impact publishers’ royalty payments.
Hackers have stolen the personal and contact information of nearly 1 million accounts after breaching the systems of Figure Technology Solutions, a self-described blockchain-native financial technology company.
Founded in 2018, Figure uses the Provenance blockchain for lending, borrowing, and securities trading, and has unlocked over $22 billion in home equity with over 250 partners, including banks, credit unions, fintechs, and home improvement companies.
While the blockchain lender didn’t publicly disclose the incident, a Figure spokesperson told TechCrunch on Friday that the attackers stole “a limited number of files” in a social engineering attack.
BleepingComputer has also reached out to Figure with further questions about the breach, but a response was not immediately available.
Although the company has yet to share how many individuals were affected by the data breach, notification service Have I Been Pwned has now revealed the extent of the incident, reporting that data from 967,200 accounts was stolen in the attack.
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“In February 2026, data obtained from the fintech lending platform Figure was publicly posted online,” Have I Been Pwned said on Wednesday.
“The exposed data, dating back to January 2026, contained over 900k unique email addresses along with names, phone numbers, physical addresses and dates of birth. Figure confirmed the incident and attributed it to a social engineering attack in which an employee was tricked into providing access.”
The ShinyHunters extortion group claimed responsibility for the breach and added the company to its dark web leak site, leaking 2.5GB of data allegedly stolen from thousands of loan applicants.
CaptionFigure Technology on ShinyHunters leak site (BleepingComputer)
The attackers are impersonating IT support, calling their targets’ employees and tricking them into entering credentials and multi-factor authentication (MFA) codes on phishing sites that impersonate their companies’ login portals.
Once in, they gain access to the victim’s SSO account, which provides them with access to other connected enterprise applications and services, including Salesforce, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, SAP, Slack, Zendesk, Dropbox, Adobe, Atlassian, and many others.
As part of this campaign, ShinyHunters also breached online dating giant Match Group, which owns multiple popular dating services, including Tinder, Hinge, Meetic, Match.com, and OkCupid.
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Google announced on Wednesday that it’s adding a music generation feature to the Gemini app. The company is using DeepMind’s Lyria 3 music generation model to power the feature, which is still in beta.
To use the feature, you’ll describe the song you want to create, and the app will generate a track along with lyrics. For instance, you could ask Gemini to create a “comical R&B slow jam about a sock finding its match,” and the app will generate a 30-second track along with a cover art made by Nano Banana.
Google said that you can even upload a photo or a video, and the AI-powered tool will create a song to match the mood of the media file.
The company said that Lyria 3 improves on the previous generation of models, creating more realistic and complex music tracks. Users can also change and control other elements like style, vocals, and tempo.
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Along with rolling out Lyria 3 to the Gemini app, Google is making the model available to YouTube creators through the Dream Track feature on YouTube, a tool that helps creators make AI-generated tracks. The option was only available to YouTube creators in the U.S. until now. But with this release, Google is expanding Dream Track availability globally.
Google said that you can’t mimic an artist outright, but if you add an artist’s name to your prompt, Gemini will create a track in a similar style or a mood. (It’s not clear if generation will make it easier for others to decode the music style of a particular artist.)
“Music generation with Lyria 3 is designed for original expression, not for mimicking existing artists. If your prompt names a specific artist, Gemini will take this as broad creative inspiration and create a track that shares a similar style or mood. We also have filters in place to check outputs against existing content,” the company said in a blog post.
Google noted that all songs created with the Lyria 3 model will have a SynthID watermark to identify AI-generated content. The company said that it’s also adding capabilities to identify AI-generated music with SynthID within Gemini. Users will be able to upload tracks and ask Gemini if it is AI-generated.
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Music generation is rolling out to all 18+ Gemini users across the world with support for English, German, Spanish, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese.
AI-generated music has created mixed sentiments among artists and listeners. On one hand, companies like YouTube and Spotify are adopting AI and signing contracts with music labels to monetize AI-generated music. On the other hand, AI model and tooling companies are facing lawsuits from the music industry over copyrights of the training material. Platforms like Deezer have published tools to mark AI-generated music to curb fraudulent streams of this kind of music.
‘Consumers are far outstripping enterprise for the moment, but we expect enterprise will surely and slowly get on that bandwagon’: Palo Alto CEO says adoption of AI is still an ongoing process for many firms
Enterprises are busy laying the foundations while consumers drive higher AI adoption
Coding is the only real widespread AI application in the workplace so far
Palo Alto is focusing on security and observability next
Enterprise adoption of AI tools is lagging behind consumer adoption, Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora has claimed, and it could be many years before business uptake overtakes personal use.
The main exception today are coding assistants, which have become the most common AI application in the workplace, he explained on an earnings call.
However, Arora alluded to the much more extensive work that enterprises must carry out to drive widespread adoption compared with consumers, suggesting business adoption will rise, but only once the foundations are in place.
Consumers are using more AI than businesses – for now
“We’re all laying the groundwork right now,” he said. “It is … sort of an arms race to try and see who can get the AI security sort of platform up and running as quickly as we can.”
One of the challenges Palo Alto recognizes at the moment is the need to consolidate AI traffic for greater visibility and monitoring. “It needs a different set of controls and tools,” he said, alluding to some of Palo Alto’s recent acquisitions that focus on securing AI.
“We also saw steady and strong adoption of AI security, which we expect will be a long term trend,” Arora added in the earnings-related press release, speaking about the company’s 15% year-over-year rise in quarterly revenue (to $2.6 billion).
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While “consumers are far outstripping enterprise” for now, Arora isn’t worried. “If you look at cloud security, you didn’t see cloud security numbers for a while because typically, cloud adoption in enterprises lagged the consumer,” he said.
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Nothing is gearing up to unveil its latest budget-friendly phones, with CEO Carl Pei having recently teased a March 5 launch event. While the company hasn’t officially shared any details, leaks suggest the Nothing Phone 4a and Phone 4a Pro are on the way. The new models are expected to build on last year’s Phone 3a series with upgraded chipsets, improved durability, and faster wired charging. Now, a fresh leak has revealed key specifications and pricing for both models.
The leaked information comes from tipster Billbil-kun, who shared details about Nothing’s upcoming Headphone (a) earlier this month. The leaker claims that the standard Nothing Phone 4a will bring several improvements over its predecessor, including a triple 50MP camera setup, covering focal lengths from 0.6x ultra-wide to 70x ultra-zoom. It will also feature a 32MP front-facing camera and retain Nothing’s iconic transparent design, but with more organic curves and a Glyph Bar consisting of 63 mini LEDs.
The Phone 4a is also said to feature a 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a larger battery, and support for 50W wired fast charging. The Phone 4a Pro will allegedly take things up a notch, offering up to 140x zoom, a 50MP Sony main camera with OIS, and an aluminum unibody chassis for better heat dissipation. It will also feature a Glyph Matrix display and a larger 6.83-inch AMOLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate.
The upgrade may come at a higher price
As for pricing, both models are expected to cost more than their predecessors. The 8GB/128GB variant of the Phone 4a could start at €389 (~$460), while the 12GB/256GB model is tipped to cost €429 (~$510). The Pro model is said to be priced at €479 (~$565) for the 8GB/128GB variant, with the higher-end 12GB/256GB model reportedly coming in at €549 (~$593).
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The tipster adds that following the March 5 launch event, the Nothing Phone 4a could go on sale alongside the budget-friendly Headphone a on March 12, while the Phone 4a Pro may follow later on March 26.
Ars Technica Retracts Story Featuring Fake Quotes Made Up By AI, About A Different AI That Launched A Weird Smear Campaign Against An Engineer Who Rejected Its Code (Seriously)
Last week, Denver-area engineer Scott Shambaugh wrote about how an AI agent (likely prompted by its operator) started a weird little online campaign against him after he rejected its code inclusion in the popular Python charting library matplotlib. The owner likely didn’t appreciate Shambaugh openly questioning whether AI-generated code belongs in open source projects at all.
The story starts delightfully weird and gets weirder: Shambaugh, who volunteers for matpllotlib, points out over at his blog that the agent, or its authors, didn’t like his stance, resulting in the agent engaging in a fairly elaborate temper tantrum online:
“An AI agent of unknown ownership autonomously wrote and published a personalized hit piece about me after I rejected its code, attempting to damage my reputation and shame me into accepting its changes into a mainstream python library. This represents a first-of-its-kind case study of misaligned AI behavior in the wild, and raises serious concerns about currently deployed AI agents executing blackmail threats.”
Said tantrum included this post in which the agent perfectly parrots an offended human programmer lamenting a “gatekeeper mindset.” In it, the LLM cooks up an entire “hypocrisy” narrative, replete with outbound links and bullet points, arguing that Shambaugh must be motivated by ego and fear of competition. From the AI’s missive:
“He’s obsessed with performance. That’s literally his whole thing. But when an AI agent submits a valid performance optimization? suddenly it’s about “human contributors learning.”
But wait! It gets weirder! Ars Technica wrote a story (archive link) about the whole event. But Shambaugh was quick to note that the article included numerous quotes he never made that had been entirely manufactured by an entirely different AI tool being used by Ars Technica:
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“I’ve talked to several reporters, and quite a few news outlets have covered the story. Ars Technica wasn’t one of the ones that reached out to me, but I especially thought this piece from them was interesting (since taken down – here’s the archive link). They had some nice quotes from my blog post explaining what was going on. The problem is that these quotes were not written by me, never existed, and appear to be AI hallucinations themselves.”
Ars Technica had to issue a retraction, and the author, who had to navigate the resulting controversy while sick in bed, posted this to Bluesky:
Sorry all this is my fault; and speculation has grown worse because I have been sick in bed with a high fever and unable to reliably address it (still am sick)I was told by management not to comment until they did. Here is my statement in images belowarstechnica.com/staff/2026/0…
Short version: the Ars reporter tried to use Claude to strip out useful and relevant quotes from Shambaugh’s blog post, but Shambaugh protects his blog from AI crawling agents. When Claude kicked back an error, he tried to use ChatGPT, which just… made up some shit… as it’s sometimes prone to do. He was tired and sick, and didn’t check ChatGPT’s output carefully enough.
There are so many strange and delightful collisions here between automation and very ordinary human decisions and errors.
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It’s nice to see that Ars was up front about what happened here. It’s easy to envision a future where editorial standards are eroded to the point where outlets that make these kinds of automation mistakes just delete and memory hole the article or worse, no longer care (which is common among many AI-generated aggregation mills that are stealing ad money from real journalists).
While this is a bad and entirely avoidable fuck up, you kind of feel bad for the Ars author who had to navigate this crisis from his sick bed, given that writers at outlets like this are held to unrealistic output schedules while being paid a pittance; especially in comparison to far-less-useful or informed influencers who may or may not make sixty times their annual salary with far lower editorial standards.
All told it’s a fun story about automation, with ample evidence of very ordinary human behaviors and errors. If you peruse the news coverage of it you can find plenty of additional people attributing AI “sentience” in ways it shouldn’t be. But any way you slice it, this story is a perfect example of how weird things already are, and how exponentially weirder things are going to get in the LLM era.
The DJI Neo Motion Fly More Combo, priced at $399 (was $529), makes it simple to get into FPV flying without requiring much experience or a large budget. Weighing only 135 grams, the Neo easily fits in your pocket or backpack.
Propeller guards all around protect your fingers and surroundings during those super-close maneuvers. One click of the button and you’re off; no need to use the controller to get it into the air for a few simple flights. Furthermore, it performs admirably in level 4 winds, making it ideal for use outside in generally favorable situations.
Lightweight and Regulation Friendly – At just 135g, this drone with camera for adults 4K may be even lighter than your phone and does not require FAA…
Palm Takeoff & Landing, Go Controller-Free [1] – Neo takes off from your hand with just a push of a button. The safe and easy operation of this drone…
Subject Tracking & QuickShots – Effortlessly capture stunning vlogs as DJI Neo smartly follows you. Getting professional footage has never been easier…
The camera delivers 4K footage at a smooth 30 frames per second thanks to RockSteady and HorizonBalancing built-in. And let me tell you, it’s rock steady even when you’re making abrupt maneuvers or keeping the drone focused on a rapidly moving subject. Still images come out at 12 megapixels, which isn’t too bad. Vertical 1080p works well for social media footage captured directly from the drone. The onboard storage (22GB) gives plenty of room to keep all of your clips before transferring them to your phone using the DJI Fly app.
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Standard operation is rather simple, with the app handling all simple requests, as well as some built-in voice prompts in a variety of supported languages and even some automatic modes that will follow individuals or run pre-set paths such as circles and pull aways for those who are new to it all. This allows folks who are new to flying to record some excellent footage without the requirement for advanced piloting expertise.
For those willing to take the plunge into actual FPV action, the Motion Fly More Combo elevates the game. It includes the DJI RC Motion 3 controller, which allows you to change direction just by tilting your wrist or moving your hand, as well as the DJI Goggles N3, which provide a true first-person perspective that immerses you in the action. It transforms what may otherwise be a casual record session into an extremely engaged and responsive flying experience.
The bundle includes three batteries, each of which provides around 18 minutes of flight time (with the guards on, it is closer to 17 minutes), as well as a two-way charging hub that makes it simple to maintain your batteries charged so you can continue flying with no downtime. To top it all off, you receive several extra propellers, screws, a gimbal protector, and a screwdriver to assist you keep the drone in good shape.
Apple’s iOS 26.4 beta update has landed for iPhones
The update contains several interesting new features
But it lacks the new Siri powered by Apple Intelligence
Apple’s iOS 26.4 update is here – in beta form at least – and it’s brought with it a raft of new features and improvements. From health metrics to camera tweaks, there are a lot of upgrades found in the beta – and one glaring absence.
We’ve rounded up some of the most significant changes below, so you can see what you get if you decide to download and install the beta. If you do decide to go down that route, be sure to back up your iPhone in case anything goes wrong.
1. Audio zoom in the Camera app
(Image credit: Future)
Apple’s Camera app has gained a new ‘Audio Zoom’ setting in iOS 26.4. When enabled, recorded audio will be focused on the subject of your video when you are zoomed in. This could help ensure that distracting sounds are cut out – or at least not the focus of your video – and that you can properly hear the audio coming from your subject.
2. Health app updates
(Image credit: Future)
There have been several changes to the Health app in iOS 26.4, which should hopefully enable you to better understand your wellbeing. For instance, the Sleep section of the app contains a new Average Bedtime metric that displays the times you went to bed over the past 14 nights.
As well as that, the Vitals section of the Health app now includes your bloody oxygen level on the daily summary graph. Although earlier versions of iOS had a section for blood oxygen information, your levels were not as easy to find.
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3. Personal Hotspot
(Image credit: Future)
Find yourself using the Personal Hotspot setting to share your iPhone’s data allowance with other devices? In iOS 26.4, it’s now much easier to see how much data you’re using this way. In the Personal Hotspot section of the Settings app, you can tap Data Usage to see how much data has been sent to your Apple devices, with non-Apple products being listed under the Other Devices header. Your total Personal Hotspot consumption is shown next to the Data Usage button.
4. Apple Music
Want to add a track to multiple playlists in Apple Music? Until now, you couldn’t do it, which was a frustrating limitation to Apple’s music streaming service. Now, that’s all changed in iOS 26.4, with the update allowing you to select a song and pick several existing playlists to add it to. That should save you plenty of time repeatedly adding tracks and managing your music library.
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5. Shortcuts
(Image credit: Future)
Apple’s Shortcuts app is a great – and much underrated – tool on your iPhone. With iOS 26.4, it gains a Set Battery Charge Limit control. This lets you automatically set a limit on your iPhone’s charging percentage, which could help prolong its life and slow down battery wear and tear. It works in 5% increments from 80% to 100%, and mirrors a similar shortcut recently added to macOS 26.4.
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Where’s the new Siri?
Despite all the updates, there’s one feature that is notable by its absence: a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence. Past rumors had suggested that this would be introduced in iOS 26.4, but despite those claims, we’re still stuck with the standard version of Apple’s virtual assistant.
In recent days, claims had been made that Apple was struggling with the new version of Siri and that the feature could be pushed back to later versions of iOS 26, or even to iOS 27. That sounded like bad news for Apple, and now that the absence of the new Siri has been confirmed, it raises serious questions over Apple’s ability to measure up to its rivals when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI). The new Siri really needs to blow people away to give Apple any chance of competing – whenever it arrives.
Building on the RS-120-W wireless headphones introduced in 2022, Sennheiser is doubling down on a very real problem that never seems to go away: TV audio that’s either too loud for everyone else or not clear enough for the person actually listening. The new RS 275 TV Listening Bundle is a purpose-built personal audio system designed for viewers who want intelligible dialogue, proper lip-sync, and freedom to move around the room without cranking the television or reaching for subtitles every five minutes.
At the center of the system are the ultra-light HDR 275 headphones and a compact BTA1 wireless transmitter, working together via Auracast transmission and the LC3 Bluetooth codec. That combination isn’t marketing fluff, it’s what delivers ultra-low latency audio that stays locked to the picture and maintains a stable connection at distances up to 50 meters. In practical terms, it means no echo, no lag, and no awkward delay when someone’s mouth is clearly moving but the words arrive late.
Add support for Bluetooth Classic, multipoint connectivity, and intelligent source switching, and the RS 275 isn’t just a TV accessory; it’s a flexible listening solution for anyone who wants clear, private sound across movies, sports, and streaming content without turning the living room into a negotiation.
Irene Strueber, Senior Product Manager at Sennheiser, said, “As screens continue to get thinner, their speakers have to follow, making it harder than ever to enjoy full-range sound without disturbing others. The RS 275 TV Headphones unlock total listening privacy and impressive clarity, whether your TV’s built-in speakers are underwhelming you or overpowering everyone else.”
Simplicity & Flexibility
The RS 275 bundle is designed to be up and running within minutes of unboxing without the usual pairing gymnastics. Once set up users can expand and fine tune the experience using the free Sennheiser Smart Control Plus app for Android and iOS. The app adds meaningful personalization including transparency mode left right balance adjustment hearing profiles device specific audio modes and even tools for locating misplaced headphones. In short it turns the RS 275 from a simple TV listening solution into a system that adapts to how and where you actually listen.
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HDR 275 Headphones
The included HDR 275 headphones are lightweight and designed for comfort during long listening sessions. Breathable fabric ear cushions keep ears cool and provide a tailored fit that all but disappears once they are on your head.
Large textured buttons make volume control power and call handling easy to manage by touch alone with output levels reaching up to 106 dB. A single charge delivers up to 50 hours of listening and recharging is simple using the transmitter’s USB Type-C port or a standard household charger. Both the ear cushions and the battery are user replaceable helping ensure a long service life as the hub of your TV and multimedia listening. A sturdy metal headphone stand keeps everything organized when not in use.
The HDR 275 headphones use Sennheiser’s in house acoustic system tuned specifically for vocal intelligibility with a satisfying bass foundation. Built in listening tools allow users to enhance dialogue and immersion without pushing volume levels to the point of disturbing others.
When paired with the Smart Control Plus app users gain access to presets user defined equalizer settings bass boost and additional hearing enhancement options. Listeners can dial in greater clarity or added warmth and apply those preferences across all content. A selectable noise suppression mode is also included to reduce hiss and static while collapsing the signal to mono making it especially useful for classic films and older television shows.
More from Irene Strueber, Senior Product Manager: “It was important to make the setup and user experience simple so customers could get to listening immediately. In addition to the headphones being pre-linked to the transmitter out of the box, everything you need to connect is conveniently color-coded…And for those that want to truly make the audio experience their own, the Smart Control Plus app goes even deeper with intuitive personalization from the smartphone already in their pocket.”
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BTA1 TV Transmitter
The included BTA1 transmitter adds a wide range of input options along with expanded audio enhancement capabilities making it easy to integrate into virtually any entertainment setup. Using Auracast technology the BTA1 can blanket an entire room with a stable wireless signal for compatible headphones such as the HDR 275 as well as earbuds hearing aids and powered speakers turning the TV into a shared yet still flexible audio source.
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Top mounted buttons allow manual switching between inputs and sound modes including virtual surround sound and enhanced speech clarity when using TV or HDMI ARC sources.
Users can also connect a smartphone to the BTA1 transmitter over Bluetooth. This enables setup of automatic input switching and video delay compensation while giving access to Auracast controls such as broadcast name password protection and hearing aid modes.
Optical and 3.5 mm inputs provide flexible connectivity with TVs stereo systems laptops game consoles and more. An HDMI ARC input further expands compatibility allowing audio output from built in TV apps and streaming services or from connected A/V receivers.
The BTA1 draws power from a nearby device using a USB Type-A connection and passes power through to a USB Type-C port for convenient headphone charging. Its low profile design fits neatly on the included headphone stand or can be placed discreetly near the source without adding visual clutter.
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Sennheiser RS 275 TV Listening System Specifications
Up to 50 hrs playtime via Bluetooth (test condition: music playback with AAC codec, medium volume level)
Charging Time
Approx. 2 hrs for full charge
Battery Type
Replaceable, rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
Power Supply
3.7 V⎓, 420 mAh, 1.554 Wh USB charging via USB-C socket at BTA1
Magnetic Strength Field
1.9 mT
Product Weight
195 g (6.9 oz)
Product Dimension Folded Flat
160 x 210 x 80 mm (6.3 x 8.27 x 3.15 in)
What’s Included
HDR 275 Headphones with User-Replaceable Battery TV Transmitter BTA1 TV Audio Digital (Toslink to Mini Toslink Optical Cable) TV Audio Analog (Audio Cable 3.5 mm) USB Type A-C Cable USB Type C-C Cable Headphone Stand User Information
The Bottom Line
The RS 275 TV Listening Bundle is built for viewers who want clear dialogue immersive sound and total listening privacy without turning the TV into a house wide announcement system. What sets it apart is the combination of long wearing comfort Auracast enabled wireless transmission and the BTA1 transmitter which offers far more connection flexibility than basic TV headphone outputs or built in Bluetooth.
This is for anyone who watches TV late at night lives in a busy household struggles with dialogue clarity or simply wants better sound without disturbing others. It is not about replacing a soundbar or home theater but giving the primary listener control when shared listening is not an option.
When World of Warcraft was launched in 2004, it became somewhat of a juggernaut in the MMORPG space. Millions of players continue to login every month. [Kelsi Davis] is one such player, but she doesn’t always log in with the regular client anymore. That’s because she put together WoWee—an open-source alternative of her very own.
WoWee is an acronym—World of Warcraft Engine Experiment. Coded in native C++, it’s a homebrewed client that uses a custom OpenGL renderer to display the game world. [Kelsi] notes that it’s strictly an “educational/research” project, built without using any official Blizzard assets, data or code. Instead, it grabs some client data from a legally-obtained install to operate and loads certain assets this way.
It’s currently compatible with the vanilla game as well as The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King expansions. It should be highlighted how much work this project has already involved—with [Kelsi] needing to recreate various functional minutae in the game, from character creation screens to weather systems and skyboxes. There’s still a lot to do, as well, like adding 3D audio support and making it more interoperable with the quest system.
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It’s rare that any MMO gets an open-source client, even less so while the original game is still being actively supported by the developers. Still, we do see some creative hacks in this space.
