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The New York Times crossword puzzle can be tough! If you’re stuck, we’re here to help with a list of today’s clues and answers.

The NYT Mini crossword might be a lot smaller than a normal crossword, but it isn’t easy. If you’re stuck with today’s crossword, we’ve got answers for you here.

Strands is a tricky take on the classic word search from NYT Games. If you’re stuck and cannot solve today’s puzzle, we’ve got help for you here.

Connections is the new puzzle game from the New York Times, and it can be quite difficult. If you need a hand with solving today’s puzzle, we’re here to help.

Trying to solve the Wordle today? If you’re stuck, we’ve got a few hints that will help you keep your Wordle streak alive.

Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, and Thomas Jane headline our picks for the three underrated action movies on Amazon Freevee that you should watch in October.

Another October Prime Day is on the books, but all of the deals haven’t disappeared from Amazon’s site just yet. This year’s Fall Prime Day brought a bunch of discounts on smartphones, speakers, wearables, robot vacuums and more tech, and you can still grab some of the sale prices right now even after the event has officially ended. While it’s possible we see some of these deals come back in a month during Black Friday, it’s a good idea to pick up your top items now if you’re keen on getting some of your holiday shopping done early. Here are the best Prime Day deals you can still get today.

Best Prime Day deals you can still get: Engadget’s top picks

• Apple 9th-gen iPad for $199 ($130 off)

• Apple AirPods Max for $395 ($154 off)

• Apple 13-inch MacBook Air M2 for $749 ($250 off)

• Anker MagGo 3-in-1 foldable charging station for $82.50 (25 percent off with coupon)

• Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant 71426 for $48 (20 percent off)

• Lego Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 for $19 (46 percent off)

• Roku Streaming Stick 4K for $34 ($16 off)

• Sonos Era 100 for $199 ($50 off)

• Marshall Emberton II speaker for $100 ($70 off)

• Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum cleaner for $300 ($119 off)

Best Prime Day Apple deals

Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Apple deals can be hit or miss during Amazon Prime Day, but we saw a number of good ones this time and many of them are still available. Whether you’ve been on the hunt for a new Apple device for yourself or you know you want to pick one up as a gift, you can save a bit of cash if you do so now.

• Apple 10th-gen iPad for $299 ($50 off): The new, baseline iPad updates a familiar device with a fresh design, improved performance, USB-C charging and a better battery life.

• Apple 9th-gen iPad for $199 ($130 off): This model is on its way out, but $200 for an iPad is a solid sale price. This slab has a 10.2-inch display, an A13 Bionic chip and 64GB of storage — plus the antiquated physical Home button.

• Apple AirPods Max for $395 ($154 off): These expensive cans are a much better buy when on sale, and they boast excellent sound quality, good ANC, a luxe design and a solid battery life. They’re available in Lightning or USB-C.

• Apple AirPods 4 for $119 ($10 off): This modest discount has been available for a few weeks now, but it’s still worth highlighting given that Apple only launched its new wireless earbuds last month. We gave the pair a review score of 88, praising its improved fit, comfort and overall sound quality. This model doesn’t include active noise cancellation or wireless charging, however.

• Apple Watch SE (2nd gen, GPS) for $170 ($79 off): The entry-level Apple Watch remains a fine choice for first-time smartwatch buyers, so long as you can live without the larger always-on display and more advanced health features of the pricier Series 10. This is another one of the lowest prices we’ve tracked for the 40mm model; the larger 44mm variant is similarly discounted at $200.

• Apple 13-inch MacBook Air M2 for $749 ($250 off): Despite having a slightly older chipset, the M2 MacBook Air remains a great budget option for most anyone, save those who regularly push their daily driver to the limit with activities like video editing.

• Beats Studio Pro headphones for $170 ($180 off): Beats didn’t totally reinvent the wheel here, but these are much improved over their predecessor with better sound quality, good Transparency Mode and improved voice performance on calls.

Best Prime Day Lego deals

A number of Lego sets are still on sale post October Prime Day. Some of our favorites come from the Star Wars, Super Mario and Harry Potter lineups, and you’ll find savings up to 41 percent on those.

• Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant 71426 for $48 (20 percent off)

• Lego Star Wars: A New Hope Boarding The Tantive IV Fantasy Toy 75387 for $44 (20 percent off)

• Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle and Grounds 76419 for $136 (20 percent off)

• Lego Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 for $19 (46 percent off)

Best Prime Day deals on tech

Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

Yes, Black Friday is right around the corner, but it would be unwise to sleep on these Prime Day tech deals that you can still get today. We’re seeing steep discounts on headphones, TVs, streaming devices, gaming gear and more, making it a good time to pick up something for yourself or cross a few items off your holiday shopping list early.

• Anker MagGo 3-in-1 foldable charging station for $82.50 (25 percent off with coupon): This compact charging station doubles as a power bank for iPhones and can charge up an iPhone, Apple Watch and a pair of AirPods all at the same time.

• Anker GaN Prime 65W 5-in-1 charging station for $50 ($20 off): You get two USB-C ports, one USB-A connector an and extra AC plug in this versatile charging station that includes a wrap-around cable that makes it easier to travel with.

• Anker Soundcore Space A40 wireless earbuds for $59 ($21 off): This is a new record-low price for our favorite budget wireless earbuds, which offer solid ANC, a good sound profile, multi-device connectivity, wireless charging and a comfortable fit.

• Anker PowerConf C200 2K webcam for $50 ($10 off with coupon): One of our top picks for the best webcams, this accessory records 2K video and has dual stereo microphones plus an adjustable field of view.

• Sonos Era 100 for $199 ($50 off): This is one of our favorite smart speakers thanks to its excellent sound quality, Trueplay tuning and Bluetooth support. Plus, if you have two of them, you can pair them for a stellar stereo sound experience.

• Marshall Emberton II speaker for $100 ($70 off): One of our favorite Bluetooth speakers, this model has an attractive, retro design, a pleasant, balanced sound profile and up to 30 hours of battery life.

• Google Pixel 8a for $449 ($50 off): Our top pick for the best midrange smartphone impresses with a 120Hz display, excellent cameras and a strong battery life.

• Roku Streaming Stick 4K for $34 ($16 off): One of our top picks for the best streaming devices, this Roku dongle supports 4K, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision content and provides access to a lot of free content thanks to Roku’s operating system.

• Roku Ultra (2024) for $79 ($21 off): The brand new Ultra is 30 percent faster than the previous model, and it supports Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision and Wi-Fi 6.

• Dyson V15 Detect Plus cordless vacuum cleaner for $696 ($54 off): This version of our top pick in our best cordless vacuum cleaner guide has superior suction power and can handle pet hair without breaking a sweat, plus it has 60 minutes of run time and comes with a number of cleaner-head accessories.

• LG 55-inch C4 evo OLED smart TV for $1,297 ($700 off): LG’s midrange OLED sets, the C4 family includes upgraded Alpha 9 Gen 7 chip, improved brightness and a 144Hz max refresh rate. Most sizes are discounted at the moment.

• Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum cleaner for $300 ($119 off): Shark’s robo-vac can clean both carpet and hard floors well and maps your home while it cleans so you can more easily send it to specific rooms and areas when you want. Its self-emptying base can also hold up to 60 days worth of debris.

• Crucial X9 Pro portable SSD (1TB) for $85 ($10 off): The X9 Pro is the top pick in our guide to the best portable SSDs, combining dependable performance with a rugged compact design. We’ve seen this 1TB model go for much less in previously sales, but it’s sat in the $90 to $100 range for almost all of the past year. This discount marks the lowest price we’ve seen since January.

• Jabra Elite 4 Active for $104 ($16 off): These are some of our favorite headphones for running thanks to their comfortable, IP57-rated design, good sound quality and ANC, multipoint connectivity and solid battery life.

• Ninja DualZone air fryer for $168 ($32 off): This 8-quart model of one of our favorite air fryers can cook two totally different foods at the same time, and you can set it up for both foods to be done cooking at the same time. The larger, 10-quart model is $50 off and down to $200.

Expired Prime Day deals

• SanDisk Ultra microSD card (1.5TB) for $90 ($60 off): If you don’t care about performance so much and just want a big chunk of space for as little cash as possible, this deal should work. You’ll have to deal with slower transfer speeds, but the discount takes roughly $20 off this 1.5TB card’s typical going rate in recent months.

• Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones for $300 ($100 off): Our top picks for the best wireless headphones have never been cheaper, and they offer excellent sound quality, ANC, multi-device connectivity and a 30-hour battery life.

• Bose QuietComfort headphones for $199 ($150 off): These are some of our favorite noise-canceling headphones and most of the colorways are on sale right now.

• Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $329 ($100 off): These headphones offer class-leading noise cancellation and they’re a much better buy then normal at this sale price.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-prime-day-deals-you-can-still-get-after-the-october-big-deal-days-sale-apple-anker-sonos-lego-and-more-040010396.html?src=rss

The latest Amazon Prime Day sale is over, but you can still get some decent savings on storage gear right now. If you’re looking to add more space to a camera, tablet or gaming console ahead of Black Friday, we’ve rounded up the best discounts we could find on internal and external SSDs, microSD cards, thumb drives and other storage equipment that you can still get post Amazon October Prime Day.

Best Prime Day SSD deals

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

• SK Hynix Platinum P41 (1TB) for $76 ($19 off MSRP): This matches the lowest price we’ve seen in a year for SK Hynix’s speedy PCIe 4.0 internal SSD. It’s a fine option for PCs or the PlayStation 5 — just note that it doesn’t come with a heatsink.

• WD Black SN850X (2TB) for $143 ($47 off): If you want a similar performing drive but need more capacity, this deal should fit the bill. The SN850X is the top PCIe 4.0 pick in our guide to the best SSDs. This discount isn’t an all-time low, but it’s about $10 to $15 below the 2TB model’s usual going rate over the past several months. The 4TB model is about $45 off at $264 as well, though we’ve seen that one go for much less in the past.

• Crucial P310 (2TB) for $177 ($88 off): The P310 is a small-size SSD for more compact devices like the Steam Deck or ASUS ROG Ally. It uses cheaper QLC memory, not the more performant TLC, but reviews suggest it’ll still run well in something like the Deck. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for the 2TB variant. 

• Crucial X9 Pro portable SSD (1TB) for $85 ($10 off): The X9 Pro is the top pick in our guide to the best portable SSDs, combining dependable performance with a rugged compact design. We’ve seen this 1TB model go for much less in previous sales, but it’s sat in the $90 to $100 range for almost all of the past year. This discount marks the lowest price we’ve tracked since January.

• Kingston XS1000 portable SSD (2TB) for $100 ($40 off): The diminutive Kingston XS1000 is the runner up pick in our guide, and this deal takes about $20 off the 2TB drive’s average street price as of late.

• Lexar SL500 portable SSD (1TB) for $85 ($45 off): This is another USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 model, so most people can safely skip it for a cheaper USB 3.2 Gen 2 SSD or, if you need more performance, a faster USB4 drive. If the SL500 fits into your setup, though, this discount is about $5 to $10 less than the 1TB model’s usual street price.

Best Prime Day microSD card and other storage deals

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

• Samsung Bar Plus USB flash drive (128GB) for $13 ($8 off): The Bar Plus is a basic but dependable thumb drive if all you need is a simple stick to hold and transfer files. It’s typically sold between $15 and $20 over the past year.

• Lexar Professional Silver Plus microSD card (256GB, 2-pack) for $39 ($7.49 off): The Silver Plus is among the faster UHS-I microSD cards on the market (so long as you use an appropriate USB adapter). This discount is an all-time low for a pair of 256GB cards.

• Lexar Professional 1066x microSD card (1TB) for $75 ($70 off): The Professional 1066x is another serviceable (if unspectacular) card we’ve tested for our guide. This deal takes about $15 off the average street price we’ve seen recently for the 1TB model.

• Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card (2TB) for $199 ($50 off): If you want to add 2TB to your Xbox, meanwhile, this is the best price to date for Seagate’s expansion card. There’s little performance difference between this and the C50, so which one is best simply comes down to how much space you need. 

Expired Prime Day storage deals

• Samsung 990 Pro w/ heatsink (4TB) for $266 ($214 off): The Samsung 990 Pro is widely rated as one of the fastest PCIe 4.0 drives on the market. This variant comes with a heatsink, so it’s PS5-ready from the jump, though it’s probably overkill for more casual tasks, and it’s always possible to save cash by adding your own heatsink to a cheaper SSD. That said, if you don’t want to bother with that and you need a ton of space, this is an all-time low.

• Crucial T705 (2TB) for $228 ($172 off): Most people don’t need to pay extra for an ultrafast PCIe 5.0 drive like the T705, but if you have heavy-duty performance needs and you own a compatible motherboard, this is about $45 off the 2TB model’s average going rate.

• SK Hynix Beetle X31 portable SSD (1TB) for $65 ($70 off): The similarly pocketable Beetle X31 should do the job if you only need 1TB of space. This deal comes within a couple bucks of the lowest price we’ve seen and takes about $25 off the drive’s usual street price.

• Crucial X10 Pro portable SSD (2TB) for $147 ($43 off): You need a device that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 to take full advantage of it, but the X10 Pro is essentially a faster version of the X9 Pro above. Again, this discount isn’t an all-time low, but the 2TB model has typically retailed around $190 in recent months.

• SanDisk microSDXC Card for Nintendo Switch (128GB, 2-pack) for $28 ($12 off): SanDisk’s Switch-branded microSD card isn’t the fastest we’ve used, but it’s perfectly suitable for most use cases, and this is a solid value for a two-pack.

• SanDisk Ultra microSD card (1.5TB) for $89 ($61 off): If you don’t care about performance so much and just want a big chunk of space for as little cash as possible, this deal should work. You’ll have to deal with slower transfer speeds, but the discount takes roughly $20 off this 1.5TB card’s typical going rate in recent months.

• WD Black C50 Xbox Expansion Card (1TB) for $121 ($37 off): It’s a pain in the neck, but the only way to fully expand the storage of an Xbox Series X/S is to use a proprietary expansion card such as the C50. This deal isn’t an all-time low, but it’s $10 to $20 cheaper than the typical street prices we’ve seen over the last several months.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/october-prime-day-is-over-but-these-ssd-deals-are-still-available-074908512.html?src=rss

Sony’s line of LinkBuds products has served two key purposes. First, it gave the company a playground to introduce wildly different designs like the donut-shaped first-gen LinkBuds. It also allowed Sony to develop the LinkBuds S, a more traditional set that offered a taste of its flagship 1000X products for $100 less. That model was certainly more compelling than the company’s basic models that go for $120 and below.

Two years after the LinkBuds and LinkBuds S, Sony is back with an all-new model and a revamped version of the original. With the LinkBuds Fit ($200), the company has developed a full-featured, comfy set of earbuds with impressive sound. And on the LinkBuds Open ($200), Sony tweaked its unique open-wear formula by updating some tools. Then there’s the third member of the 2024 LinkBuds trio, the LinkBuds Speaker ($180), which is designed to integrate seamlessly with the two new pairs of earbuds when you return home or to the office. Since Sony introduced these all together, I’ve reviewed them that way, so buckle up because you’re about to get three reviews for the price of one.

LinkBuds Fit

Sony’s LinkBuds S were a low-key hit in 2022. They have some of the great features from the 1000X line, with a similar overall shape, too. Small and comfy, they offer significantly more in terms of sound and tools than most $200 earbuds. With this year’s LinkBuds Fit, Sony has debuted the next progression in its active noise canceling (ANC) LinkBuds.

This is the option for people who prefer a closed design and a secure fit. Sony completely redesigned the LinkBuds Fit, aiming for the optimum shape for most people. To get there, the company made the main housing a lot smaller, as the whole thing tucks almost entirely into your ear. There’s a so-called Air Cushion silicon support wing that’s hollow instead of solid. This allows more flexibility, and honestly it’s more comfortable since you can tuck it into the ridges of your ears however you need to. The combination of the smaller size and the Air Cushion make the LinkBuds Fit some of the most comfy in-ears I’ve tested. Even though they plug your ears closed, they never become a burden, even after hours of constant use.

One of the best things about the LinkBuds S was the impressive sound quality for the price. That continues on the LinkBuds Fit as Sony offers balanced tuning right out of the box. There’s crisp highs, ample mid range and snappy bass throughout most genres, even with more restrained, country-tinged rock like Jason Isbell’s Live from the Ryman, Vol. 2. Plus, the company’s DSEE Extreme upscaling can help restore some audio quality lost over compression for Bluetooth streaming. Audio presets and a 5-band EQ are here for adjustments, but I didn’t even think about using them.

The sonic abilities of the LinkBuds Fit are on full display with BONES UK’s Soft. The crunchy guitars, droning bass lines and punchy kick drum provide a full, deep soundstage for the textured vocals to float across. And for a bass-heavy experience, the synth-heavy tune “Generator” from Justice’s Hyperdrama is a loud, pulsing track with a big low-end thump while the keys still cut through on top. Interestingly, there’s nuance to the bassy beats on the LinkBuds Fit, rather than just a one-note rhythm. All of these sound improvements are due in part to the earbuds inheriting the Dynamic Driver X and Integrated Processor V2 audio chip from the 1000X. There’s more enveloping sound on the WF-1000XM5, but not by much, as Sony has closed the gap between its flagship model and the LinkBuds line – for now.

Billy Steele for Engadget

Features like Adaptive Sound Control, multipoint Bluetooth and Speak to Chat make their return on the LinkBuds Fit from the LinksBuds S. But Sony has gone well beyond those with a host of new conveniences. The company took a page from Apple’s book and now allows you to answer or reject calls by nodding or shaking your head. There’s also a built-in voice control that doesn’t require your phone’s assistant, something akin to what Bose offers on the new QuietComfort Earbuds. And because the earbuds are so small, there aren’t onboard touch controls. Instead, Sony employs the Wide Area Tap gestures from the original open-design LinkBuds. They work really well, but I will never be comfortable tapping my upper cheek to make adjustments.

Perhaps the only area where the LinkBuds Fit fall well short of the WF-1000XM5 is ANC performance. I’d call this active noise reduction more than cancellation. You’ll get some relief from constant sources like white noise machines or a raucous fan, but these earbuds don’t silence them. They also struggle mightily with human voices, so if you sit near a chatty coworker, you’ll have to crank up the volume to compensate.

For calls, the LinkBuds Fit will give you better-than-average voice clarity, which means you’ll sound better than if you’re on speakerphone. The earbuds also do a decent job of blocking background noise, although I noticed a slight delay in them picking up sounds that began during calls. Sony also boasts that this model has its “best ambient sound,” and while I’m not ready to bestow that honor, the audio mode does have a natural quality that makes it pleasant to use. Plus, a new Auto Ambient Sound feature can automatically adjust the level of transparency when you encounter a noisy environment.

With the LinkBuds Fit, Sony says you can expect up to five and a half hours with ANC on and 21 hours total when you factor in the case. There are a lot of advanced features at work here, and those have an impact on power consumption. With the volume at a comfortable 75-80 percent, I only managed around four hours and 45 minutes. That’s with noise-canceling active as well as Voice Control, Speak to Chat and DSEE Extreme all enabled. The good news is that Sony offers a tool called Auto Battery Save that will disable the latter three tools, as well as any EQ tweaks, to conserve power. This will extend things beyond the 5.5-hour mark, but not by a ton.

The LinkBuds Fit are a massive advancement over the LinkBuds S. In fact, they’re some of the best earbuds Sony has ever made. But they aren’t without a few significant faults. My primary gripe is ANC performance, and though it’s the only one, it’s a biggie. Like it usually does on the 1000X line, Sony has packed in a ton of features here, and for the most part they work as advertised. It’s clear the company is taking notes from the competition with the Apple-esque head gestures and automatic sound adjustments, in addition to the Bose-like built-in assistant. But, somehow, Sony managed to innovate and keep the price tag exactly the same as the LinkBuds S.

LinkBuds Open

The original LinkBuds were wonderfully weird. After years of very normal-looking earbuds (besides the Xperia Ear Duo), Sony took a big swing in early 2022 with the donut-shaped, open design model that sought to provide all-day wear while keeping your earbuds unobstructed from your environment. They were different, but they were unique, with their own drizzle of Sony’s special sauce. However, overall comfort was a big issue, and one the company sought to remedy on the follow-up with the LinkBuds Open.

To start, Sony reduced the overall size of the IPX4-rated LinkBuds Open. Like the LinkBuds Fit, this model also has the Air Cushion silicon support that’s more flexible. That’s a big improvement from the small hump meant to stabilize the first version that didn’t offer much added support. Unfortunately though, the casing for the ring-shaped driver that sits in your ear is still hard plastic. After about 45 minutes, it became uncomfortable, and after several hours it was downright unbearable. On the bright side, the cheek-based Wide Area Tap controls are back and they’re reliable, if not slightly awkward.

Sony made two key adjustments to improve the sound quality on the LinkBuds Open. First, it built a revamped ring-shaped driver and paired it with the Integrated Processor V2 chip from the 1000X line. These two changes make for louder sound and richer bass, according to Sony. And the claim holds up. You’ll only need around 65-70 percent volume, unless you suffer from some degree of hearing loss. And there is more pronounced low-end tone, though you’ll have to coax it out with an EQ tweak.

By default, the stock tuning is heavily reliant on treble, which means vocals tend to overpower most of the mix. However, Sony’s EQ tools actually help balance things out, and adding more mids and bass makes the LinkBuds Open’s sound profile more well-rounded. After this adjustment, the kick drum thumps under vocals and guitars, an improvement over the default sound profile for Better Lovers’ thunderous, crunching single “A White Horse Covered In Blood.”

Billy Steele for Engadget

Like it did with the LinkBuds Fit, Sony brought over a lot of the handy tools from the 1000X earbuds to the Open. Those include multipoint Bluetooth and Speak to Chat, but Adaptive Sound Control automation isn’t here. Sony did add its voice assistant, Adaptive Volume Control and head-gesture recognition for answering calls. The company also offers a fit check via your phone’s camera, something it’s done for other products to check your positioning for 360 Reality Audio. Most of these work well, though in my experience Speak to Chat is still tripped up when I coughed or cleared my throat. And it seemed to be even more sensitive on the LinkBuds Open than other models I’ve tested.

Thanks to the design, the LinkBuds Open are nice to wear during calls since, well, you can hear yourself. However, the quality of your voice on the other end isn’t as clear as what I encountered on the LinkBuds Fit. It will get the job done, but I did sound slightly muffled. And background noise, while subdued, is noticeable at times when I’m talking.

Sony says you should be able to eke out eight hours of use on the LinkBuds Open, a significant improvement over the five and a half hours on the first LinkBuds. Indeed, I had no trouble hitting that number during my tests with DSEE Auto and other power-taxing tools enabled. If you find yourself in a pinch, Sony devised a faster quick charge solution that gives you an hour of use in three minutes. What’s more, Auto Battery Save from the LinkBuds Fit is in play here, automatically disabling advanced features when you hit 20 percent battery to extend listening time.

The LinkBuds Open offer some improvements over the first-gen model, but Sony hasn’t addressed an inherent issue with the design. Simply put, they aren’t comfortable to wear for longer than a few minutes and that will be a problem for a lot of people. I understand the outer shell around the ring driver has to be robust enough to protect it, but there needs to be even the slightest bit of cushioning to relieve the pressure. If Sony fixes that, it will have a more compelling product rather than a novelty.

LinkBuds Speaker

The LinkBuds Speaker is an unexpected part of the new LinkBuds lineup. It’s a small Bluetooth speaker that’s designed to be your go-to device when you’re stationary, and is equipped with several features that sync with the LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open in a bid to make your life easier – at least in terms of listening to music or podcasts.

The LinkBuds Speaker won’t win any design awards, but that’s par for the course with small Bluetooth speakers. Up top are volume and playback controls which you can also use to start music from select streaming services with one tap (Amazon Music, Spotify and Endel). There’s also a microphone for calls, if you’re okay with a no-frills speakerphone option. Around back, the power button sits at the bottom just above a USB-C charging port. There’s also an attached loop here so you can hang the LinkBuds Speaker on a hook or carabiner. That USB-C port is technically the backup charging method though, since the IPX4-rated speaker comes with a charging cradle that connects via metal contacts on the bottom.

Inside, Sony paired one of its X-balanced woofers with a single tweeter and a passive radiator. The company says this combo provides “well-balanced” and “pleasant and clear sound” that’s tuned so it isn’t exhausting to listen to for long periods of time. In the end, the LinkBuds Speaker suffers a similar fate to comparable Bluetooth devices with a lack of overall fidelity. While it’s true the treble is bright, clean and punchy, the bass is restrained and the mid-range is lacking right out of the box. There are no audio presets to assist you there, but Sony does offer a full 5-band EQ for adjustments, along with a separate Clear Bass slider. You can save changes as custom settings for future use, if you hit on something you like.

After I made the necessary tweaks to address the sonic shortcomings, the speaker sounded slightly better, but there was still a lack of crisp detail some of the competition offers (like the Beats Pill). The only place you’ll notice decent clarity is in the vocals and top end of the EQ. And for outdoor use, you’ll be glad the high end is more pronounced so you can better understand the lyrics in the open air.

Billy Steele for Engadget

The LinkBuds Speaker works with Sony’s new Sound Connect app for access to various settings. There’s one key feature I’ll discuss since it’s unique to this device. First, the app allows you to set up routines so that your music starts at specific times during the day. There’s also an automatic switching element to this that works with the LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open, along with additional support for the LinkBuds S, WF-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM5. All of this is managed in the Auto Play section of the app.

Once you sync a set of earbuds or headphones with the LinkBuds Speaker, Sony’s app walks you through the process of setting up morning and bedtime routines. Right now though, those are the only two options, which is frustrating since I need to adjust things throughout the day too. You can set them to any time you want, but they’ll still be labeled “Get Ready” and “Bedtime.” Oddly enough, Apple Music is listed on Auto Play, but Amazon Music isn’t – which is different from the one-tap play setup. Here, you can have the speaker pick up where you left off from your chosen music service or you can have a specific playlist or album set for those two times.

After a routine is set, any music will automatically swap from the speaker to earbuds or headphones when you put them on, and vice versa when you take them off. It works really well, quickly making the change and gradually increasing the volume on the speaker so you’re not blasted from the start. In the mornings, the speaker will even announce the date, time and weather if you want it to (and grant it exact location access). You can also have the device tell you the time on the hour. Lastly, the speaker stays in low-power mode when it’s not in use, which is what allows you to swap the audio when you’re in range.

Sony promises up to 25 hours of battery life on the LinkBuds Speaker, if you have the volume set to “level 23.” Since that’s 23 out of 100, that’s not really a viable scenario. For comfortable, casual listening, you’ll want something around 60 percent – or level 60 in Sony-speak, I guess. At maximum volume, which is deafening, the speaker supposed to last up to six hours. I wouldn’t recommend anything above about 80 percent though, because the pronounced treble starts to cancel out everything else in the mix from that point upwards.

I can see avid users of Sony’s earbuds and headphones enjoying the LinkBuds Speaker’s routines and automatic switching. However, there’s much better audio quality from the competition, and in a few cases it’s available for less than the $180 Sony is asking for. I’d like to see Sony incorporate this type of hand-off feature in a speaker designed for your living room or office. With something that’s bigger and offers better sound performance, the company would have a more compelling package for a LinkBuds sidekick.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/sony-linkbuds-fit-and-linkbuds-open-review-two-designs-one-clear-champ-134529932.html?src=rss