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Dyson has announced its second pair of over-the-ear headphones—and its first that doesn’t look like a high-tech gimp mask.
Dyson calls the new cans OnTrac. which is not to be confused with the shipping company of the same name and spelling. Unlike the Dyson Zone headphones before them, the OnTrac headphones are not connected to an air purifier that wraps around your mouth and makes you look like you’re cosplaying a cyborg. Dyson describes the OnTrac as “audio-only” headphones just to make the distinction clear.
These are expensive headphones, aimed at audiophiles and anyone willing to throw upwards of $500 at some nice cushy sound cannons. The OnTrac's design is also extremely customizable; Dyson is letting users swap out ear cushions and the outer caps of the earcups to change their colors. At launch there will be only four color options, but Dyson says more choices will be coming later. The company says the headphones will have many of the hallmarks of a modern premium headset, including noise canceling that can reduce up to 40 decibels of noise. Dyson says the OnTrac also will come with a truly insane battery life of 55 hours under normal use.
The OnTrac headphones aren’t for sale yet, and Dyson hasn’t indicated when they will be. But once they’re available, they’ll start at $500, with some customizations driving the price up from there.
Here’s some other consumer tech news from this week.
Prime Now, Pay Later
Congratulations to everyone who bought those cheaper AirPods on Amazon this week. You’ve helped make 2024 Prime Day the biggest Prime Day ever. Amazon hoovered up $14.2 billion in sales during the two-day deals event. That's a sizable bump over its 2023 sale, which garnered a meager $12 billion.
Amazon Prime Day sales were higher than ever, in part thanks to the proliferation of buy-now, pay-later plans. According to Adobe Analytics, people bought more than $1 billion worth of stuff via these delayed-payment plans. That’s great for Apple, and anyone who’s happy with their shiny new 65-inch OLED TV, but it's worth noting that BNPL plans come with hidden dangers that can lure people into overextending their debt.
Pixel Peek
After a bunch of details leaked about Google’s new phones, the company decided to simply just show its upcoming Pixel to the world. In a post on X, Google revealed the first official look at its Pixel 9 Pro. Google teased the phone’s integration with the company’s Gemini AI software and said that more details about the phone lineup will be coming August 13. (Expect these Pixels to be filled to the brim with AI, if Google’s recent product announcements have given us any hint.)
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On Google’s website, there are product images for the Pixel 9 Pro and the upcoming Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The 9 Pro Fold is the second foldable phone from Google, following last year’s Pixel Fold.
Now, Don’t Get All Emotional
For as long as technology has been around, people have worried about it taking the place of humans. Never has that anxiety been more prevalent—and closer to reality—than the generative AI era we find ourselves in. The chatbots haven’t taken over quite yet, but they’re quickly closing the gap of that uncanny valley. Especially when people can train them to lie—or even insist they’re actually human.
This week, WIRED’s Gadget Lab podcast is about what happens when the chatbots say they’re human, and how it might change how we talk to each other.
