Anker designed the Soundcore C50i, priced at $39.99 (was $70), with one goal in mind: cater to users who prefer not to use standard earbuds that push well down into their ear canals and generate an unpleasant pressure or isolation feeling. They designed these clip-on headphones to rest gently over the ear, with a flexible piece that hinges into place and stays put whether you’re jogging or working out.

The Memory Titanium bit inside the clip provides a firm but not too tight grasp, while the entire thing weighs only slightly more than 5 grams, thus feeling invisible after a few minutes. Sweat and light drizzle are no match for the IP55 certification, which allows it to withstand daily wear without complaint. Those 12mm drivers are positioned close to the ear canal, delivering powerful bass and a maximum volume of 86 decibels. Tracks have clean mids and treble, which draws the voices out of the mix. Beats have some tremendous kick, and guitars and pianos maintain their tone. There may be some sharpness at maximum volume, but the overall balance sounds well enough for most listening. The sound coming out is low enough that you may have a conversation next to you without being overheard.

Sale

Soundcore C50i by Anker Open Ear Earbuds, Clip-On Headphones Over Ear for Running Workout, 12mm Drivers…

• Open Ear Earbuds Over Ear for Running & Gym: Clip-on design sits comfortably over your ear without blocking the ear canal. Perfect for running…
• FlexiClip Design, Secure Fit: Memory titanium FlexiClip adapts to any ear shape for all-day comfort. Ultra-lightweight and stable—won’t fall off…
• Powerful Bass, 12mm Drivers: Custom 12mm drivers deliver deep bass and 86dB max output. Clear, loud sound for gym workouts and running—superior…

Battery life is 7 hours on a single charge, and topping them out in the case gives you 28 hours, while a mere 10 minutes in the case yields 2 full hours. People who wear them all day at work or on a long commute report no ear fatigue, even after hours. There are actual controls on each bud, so you can just flip them to adjust the volume or make a call without messing around. Two microphones combined with basic AI magic ensure that your voice is clear on calls regardless of where you are, whether inside a café or on a windy street. Background noise fades away, and your voice remains full and clear. The multipoint pairing allows for easy switching between a phone and a laptop, eliminating the need for repeated setup steps.

The free companion has basic equalization and other useful features like as real-time translation for over a hundred languages. You may also add some background sound to fill in the calm intervals. Bluetooth 6.0 maintains a stable connection in most scenarios.

The new release adds automated replication, support for newer VMware vSphere and Proxmox versions, and modern authentication for faster, safer recovery.

Sparks, Nevada – April 3rd, 2026 – NAKIVO Inc., trusted by over 16,000 organizations in 191 countries, announced the general availability of NAKIVO Backup & Replication v11.2, focused on fast, reliable, and proactive data protection.

As ransomware attacks evolve and downtime costs rise, v11.2 provides IT teams with tools to quicken recovery, support next-generation infrastructure, and maintain secure data protection without added complexity.

Automated Real-Time Replication

At the core of v11.2 is an automated real-time replication engine. It keeps replica VMs synchronized with production workloads, allowing organizations to fail over to a recent replica within minutes after hardware failures, ransomware, or human error.

For businesses where every minute of downtime carries measurable financial or reputational consequences, this capability closes one of the most dangerous blind spots in traditional backup strategies: The window between the last scheduled job and the moment of failure.

Support for VMware vSphere 9 and Proxmox VE 9.0 and 9.1

Keeping your backup stack aligned with hypervisor versions is mission-critical for teams managing VMware, Proxmox, or hybrid environments. NAKIVO Backup & Replication v11.2 addresses that directly while also tightening security and laying the groundwork for faster disaster recovery.

Full VMware vSphere 9 Support

The most significant update for VMware administrators: v11.2 delivers complete, production-ready support for vSphere 9, including vCenter Server 9.0.1.0, ESXi 9.0.1.0, and VDDK 9.0.1.0.

Earlier builds introduced initial compatibility, but v11.2 provides full readiness, enabling teams to upgrade their VMware infrastructure with confidence that NAKIVO will operate without disrupting existing jobs.

All core capabilities are fully operational under vSphere 9:

• Agentless image-based backup and replication using Changed Block Tracking (CBT) for efficient, low-impact incrementals
• Instant VM recovery to restore workloads in minutes, not hours
• Granular file-level and application-object recovery for Exchange and SQL workloads, without restoring the entire VM
• Built-in DR orchestration with failover, failback, and non-disruptive testing via Site Recovery
• Ransomware resilience through immutable backups, AES-256 encryption, air-gapped copies, and pre-recovery malware scanning
• Fast, deduplicated, compressed backups to minimize storage footprint across repositories

For organizations tracking the licensing shift away from standalone vSphere Standard and Enterprise Plus editions toward VMware vSphere Foundation 9.0, this update ensures NAKIVO keeps pace with where VMware is heading.

Proxmox VE 9.0 Support, with 9.1 Already in Scope

NAKIVO’s Proxmox support continues to mature. v11.2 brings full compatibility with Proxmox VE 9.0, and support for Proxmox VE 9.1 is already built in, letting Proxmox environments upgrade without risking protection gaps.

For environments running Proxmox at the edge, in cost-sensitive production, or as a VMware alternative, the full feature set includes:

• Agentless host-level backup and replication with no guest agents required, keeping VM overhead minimal
• Block-level incrementals via native change tracking, matching the efficiency of CBT in VMware environments
• Instant VM and file-level recovery for rapid restoration of individual machines or specific files
• Automated verification with screenshot confirmation to validate recoverability without manual intervention
• Immutable backups on S3-compatible and object storage targets, including AWS S3, Wasabi, Azure Blob, and Backblaze B2
• AES-256 encryption at source, in transit, and at rest with air-gapped copy options via tape or detached storage

For hybrid environments running VMware and Proxmox side by side, NAKIVO’s unified management interface provides a single workflow that covers both platforms, which matters as infrastructure grows in complexity.

Ransomware Defense Across the Board

Ransomware protection in v11.2 is integrated into the architecture rather than isolated as a single feature. Immutability is supported across a wide range of targets, including AWS S3, Wasabi, Azure Blob, Backblaze B2, HPE StoreOnce, NEC HYDRAstor, and Dell EMC Data Domain. Pre-recovery malware scanning catches threats before they re-enter production. Air-gapped options — tape, detached USB, or offline NAS — provide a last line of defense when network-connected copies are compromised.

“Our priority is to give customers a smooth and secure path forward as their environments evolve,” said Bruce Talley, CEO of NAKIVO. “v11.2 focuses on compatibility, security, and consistent performance as virtualization platforms advance.“

Matt Mitchell, Web Developer at SEHD at the University of Colorado Denver, said: “With NAKIVO Backup & Replication, I can recover VMware VMs within 10 minutes. With data deduplication, we were able to decrease storage space by 80%.“

OAuth 2.0: Secure Email Notifications by Default

v11.2 introduces native OAuth 2.0 authentication for email notifications, replacing the deprecated basic authentication that major providers like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are actively phasing out.

The shift to token-based authentication removes stored plain-text credentials from the equation, delivering a meaningful compliance and security improvement, particularly for organizations under regulatory scrutiny.

HPE StoreOnce users gain full support for VSA Gen 5, improving deduplication appliance integration and repository performance. The platform has also been updated to Java SE 24 and the latest Spring Framework, delivering stability improvements, security patches, and incremental gains in backup and restore throughput — benefits that compound over time in high-frequency backup environments.

Enhanced MSP Direct Connect for Multi-Tenant Management

Managed service providers running multi-tenant environments gain efficiency through enhanced MSP Direct Connect. The updated interface provides single-pane visibility across multiple tenants, reducing overhead and accelerating response times.

For MSPs scaling their service portfolios, this improvement directly supports growth without a proportional increase in administrative burden.

The Bottom Line

NAKIVO Backup & Replication v11.2 is an operationally important release. It removes the compatibility friction that holds teams back from upgrading infrastructure, strengthens ransomware resilience, and tightens security in areas that are easy to overlook until they become a problem. For VMware administrators preparing for a vSphere 9 migration, Proxmox environments approaching a version upgrade, or any organization seeking to enhance recovery capabilities, v11.2 provides a robust foundation for operational stability.

Availability

NAKIVO Backup & Replication v11.2 is available now. Organizations can download the fully featured free trial at nakivo.com.

Resources:

About NAKIVO

NAKIVO is a US-based corporation dedicated to delivering the ultimate backup, ransomware protection, and disaster recovery solution for virtual, physical, cloud, and SaaS environments. Over 16,000 customers in 191 countries trust NAKIVO with protecting their data, including global brands like Coca-Cola, Honda, Siemens, and Cisco.

Visit: www.nakivo.com

Sponsored and written by NAKIVO.

There are headphones that people remember, and then there are the ones that never really leave the conversation. The AKG K1000 belongs in that second group. Alongside the Sony MDR-R10 and HiFiMAN HE-6, it set a standard that still holds up under scrutiny. Years later, all three continue to command serious money on the used market, not because they are rare, but because very few modern designs have matched what they got right.

Most attempts to revisit that level of performance have missed the mark. HiFiMAN has reworked the HE-6 and chased the R10 formula with uneven results, and while the MySphere 3.2 clearly draws inspiration from the K1000, it plays in a different lane at roughly $4,000 to $6,000 depending on configuration and market. The K1000 has been left alone. Until now. At AXPONA 2026, Apos is stepping in with something that aims directly at one of the most iconic designs in personal audio. That alone makes this more than just another product launch.

AKG’s Fall and the K1000 That Refused to Follow the Rules

Sadly, AKG today is a shell of what it once was. After being absorbed into Harman and eventually folded deeper into Samsung’s ecosystem, the brand lost much of the identity that made it matter in the first place. Some of the talent behind those earlier designs walked away and formed Austrian Audio, which tells you everything you need to know about how that transition went. What followed was a slow dilution. Models were revised, repositioned, or quietly dropped, and the through line that defined AKG through the 1990s and early 2000s became harder to recognize.

Those who spent time with the AKG that gave us the K240, K612, K712, and K553 know exactly what that meant. There was a consistency to the design language and tuning. You could spot them across the room and you could usually tell what you were listening to within a few minutes.

The K1000 never fit into that mold. It arrived earlier, in the late 1980s, and looked like it came from a completely different company. It was not really a headphone. It was closer to a pair of miniature loudspeakers suspended next to your ears. The drivers sat inside rectangular frames, hinged to a headband, allowing you to adjust the angle and distance from your ears. Open air in every direction. No seal. No isolation. Just space.

That design is exactly why people still talk about it. For some, it looks completely impractical. For others, that open geometry is the entire point. It creates a presentation that feels less like something clamped to your head and more like sound existing around you. But there was a cost to doing it that way. If it behaved like a speaker, it demanded to be powered like one.

The K1000 had a real appetite for power, and when it was released, the kind of dedicated headphone amplifiers we have today did not exist. So owners got creative. Most ran them straight off speaker taps from integrated amplifiers and receivers just to get them to wake up. It was inconvenient, sometimes risky, and absolutely necessary.

Despite the unusual design and the need for serious power, the K1000 has not lost its grip on the market. If anything, it has tightened it. A quick scan shows listings pushing toward $2,000 and beyond, with active bids not far behind. That is not casual interest. That is sustained demand for something that has not been available for decades.

Part of that comes down to how few were made. AKG produced roughly 10,000 units in total, split between earlier and later runs that listeners still argue about. The earlier version is often associated with a fuller low end and tends to command the highest prices. The later production models are easier to find by comparison, but not by much, and they still sell for well above their original retail price when they surface.

That imbalance tells the story. There are far more people looking for a K1000 than there are owners willing to part with one. Supply is fixed. Interest is not. That gap has been sitting there for years, waiting for someone to take a serious swing at it.

Apos K1K Steps In with a Modern Take on an Unfinished Story

APOS Audio is taking a real swing at it. Their new K1K is not a clone of the original, but it clearly draws from the same playbook. Recreating something like this was never going to be straightforward. Much of the original knowledge is gone, and tracking down details from a model developed in Vienna decades ago meant reverse engineering existing units and speaking with people who have long since moved on. That kind of effort shows in the final direction. This is not a cosmetic tribute. It is an attempt to understand what made the original work and build from there.

My first time with the K1K came at AXPONA in the APOS Audio room. In the hand, it feels familiar but not dated. On the head, it leans into what made the original compelling. The presentation is open and speaker like, with a sense of space that most headphones still struggle to replicate. More importantly, it captures the weight and impact that defined the earlier version without sounding thin or clinical. That balance is not easy to get right but APOS seems to have found a good balance so far based on the sample at the show.

There are still details to come. Final specifications have not been released and pricing was not locked at press time, but APOS indicated that it will land close to the original MSRP. Adjusted for today, that puts it in a very different position relative to what the market is charging for used K1000 units. If they stick that landing, it could shift the conversation quickly. Production is expected to begin late 2026 or early 2027, and based on what I heard, this is one to watch closely.

Keep an eye on the APOS Audio K1K page for updates as more details are released: https://apos.audio/products/apos-x-community-k1k-earspeakers

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The Artemis II astronauts are settling back into life on Earth, but we’re not quite tired yet of hearing about their amazing journey. There’s a new PBS documentary now streaming on YouTube that dives into the Artemis program and the latest efforts to send humans to the moon again. Also this week, NASA shared some awesome images of a comet flying into the sun, the nonprofit American Rivers released its annual report on the most endangered rivers in the US and ESA posted a throwback image of Mars to highlight some interesting changes down on the surface. Here are the science stories that caught our attention this week.

A comet grazes too close to the sun

Earlier this month, a recently discovered comet made a close approach to the sun — but it couldn’t handle the heat. NASA has shared incredible images of the encounter that took place on April 4, showing the comet exploding into dust as it swings around our star. As NASA notes in a social media post, this was “its first and last observed flyby of the Sun.”

The comet, C/2026 A1 (also known as MAPS) was first spotted on January 13 of this year. As it neared the sun, it was observed by a slew of instruments: NASA and ESA’s SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft, NASA’s STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) and NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere). This allowed for views of its passage from multiple angles. Seen in a narrow-field coronagraph view captured by SOHO, the comet appears to plunge directly into the sun. But, the wide view from NASA’s STEREO shows it actually swinging closely around the sun before breaking apart.

MAPS was one of a family of comets aptly called Kreutz sungrazing comets, and according to Karl Battams, the principal investigator for SOHO’s coronagraph, its destruction occurred likely several hours before what would have been its closest approach.

Potomac named most endangered river in the US

The nonprofit conservation organization American Rivers has released its 2026 report on the most endangered rivers in the country, and data centers play a major role in the status of its top pick. According to American Rivers, the Potomac River is the most endangered in the US due both to the threat of sewage pollution from aging pipe systems and the “unprecedented surge in data center development” in its vicinity.

The Potomac River basin spans parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC. In January, the catastrophic failure of the Potomac Interceptor wastewater pipe in Montgomery County, Maryland dumped hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River and the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal, causing bacteria levels to hit over 4,000 times the safe recreational limit at sites closest to the incident, according to the report. The Potomac Interceptor is over 60 years old, and is just one of many in the region that is at or past the 50-year service life, American Rivers notes.

On top of that, data center development in places like Virginia and Maryland has skyrocketed, which could put a strain on local water and energy sources. Data centers also have potential to cause further pollution to the river.

“The region currently has over 300 data centers and is on track to have a total of about 1,000 centers occupying roughly 200 million square feet of buildings — enough to cover 3,472 football fields — on an estimated 20,000 acres of land,” the report explains. “These facilities pose a significant and growing threat to both water quality and water quantity, yet are being approved without meaningful transparency, regulatory review, and assessment of cumulative impacts.”

The organization is calling for Congress to reauthorize infrastructure funding bills so aging systems can be upgraded, and for regulators in these states to require transparency about data centers’ resource use, along with comprehensive environmental assessments before development plans are approved.

Mars ash: then vs now

The European Space Agency this week shared a look at how a region on Mars has changed since it was observed by NASA’s Viking orbiters way back in 1976. New images captured by ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft show how dark volcanic ash has encroached upon a swath of land in an area known as the Utopia Planitia basin. If you visit the blog post, you’ll find a side by side comparison of images from the two time periods.

It’s a rare example of an observable change on the surface of the red planet that’s occurred over such a short period of time, ESA notes. The agency explains, “The spread of the ash over the last 50 years has two possible explanations: either it has been picked up and moved about by martian winds, or the ochre dust that previously covered the dark ash has been blown away.”

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