OpenAI is buying Jony Ive's secretive device start-up in a $10b deal
The purchase – the largest in OpenAI's history – will provide the company with a dedicated unit for developing AI-powered devices. Acquiring the secretive start-up, named io, also will secure the services of Ive and other former Apple designers who were behind iconic products such as the iPhone.
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Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Nothing's statement headphones sound great and deliver solid value
Earbuds and phones put out so far by British tech firm Nothing follow a formula: eye-grabbing designs, a playful take on controls or interface and a little power sacrifice relative to rivals so they come in at a lower price than you might expect. The new Nothing Headphone 1, the most expensive audio device the company has shipped to date, nails that same formula. For its first over-ear headphones, Nothing collaborated with audio outfit KEF, which handled the tuning. It's clear the in-house audio and design teams also have a great passion for the product, and have grown confident over the past four years of creating various wireless earbuds. These headphones will turn heads, don't look like anything else and deliver really good sound. In keeping with other Nothing devices, Headphone 1 has a transparent finish exposing interlocking panels that give the impression of the underlying tech. In this case, the brand's trademark red square serves as a handy reminder of which side needs to go on your right ear. The flat two-layer design gives an industrial vibe compared with most current headphones, which tend to be rounder and softer, and that's reinforced by the printed text and the idiosyncratic roller and paddle controls (more on those later). The unit I tested is called white, or more accurately two kinds of grey on silver aluminium, with black cushions. At first glance I thought the design was a bit much, with a lot of detail and many different shapes, but I've come to like them. By the time I saw the black versions at Nothing's local launch event, I thought the reduction in contrast made them look too subtle compared with the white. They don't feel as eccentric as they look, with decent cushioning on the headband and cups, a firm but not uncomfortable pressure to keep them on your ears and a smooth adjusting action. The cups can turn inwards to rest naturally if you wear them around your neck. My one physical design complaint isn't actually about the headphones but the hard travel case they come with; the tiny zip puts up a fight to open every single time. Sonically, the sound stage of the Headphone 1 isn't as expansive as you'd expect on more expensive models such as Apple's AirPods Max or the Sonos Ace, but by default the sound is rich, bass is quite present, and everything's clear and well imaged. Dive into the app and you'll find an extensive and detailed equaliser that gives you full control over the sound. There are smart presets and simple settings like a bass boost, which I found brought the lows forward successfully without distorting them or rattling my skull. You can also turn on head-tracking spatial audio, which can be handy for movie watching. Loading In terms of high-resolution support, the Headphone 1 can connect to a supported device via AAC or LDAC, and is certified for 24-bit/96kHz sound. If you prefer a wired connection, the headphones support USB-C and 3.5mm, but they need to be turned on to work, so wired mode won't help you keep listening once the battery's flat.
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
Nothing's statement headphones sound great and deliver solid value
Earbuds and phones put out so far by British tech firm Nothing follow a formula: eye-grabbing designs, a playful take on controls or interface and a little power sacrifice relative to rivals so they come in at a lower price than you might expect. The new Nothing Headphone 1, the most expensive audio device the company has shipped to date, nails that same formula. For its first over-ear headphones, Nothing collaborated with audio outfit KEF, which handled the tuning. It's clear the in-house audio and design teams also have a great passion for the product, and have grown confident over the past four years of creating various wireless earbuds. These headphones will turn heads, don't look like anything else and deliver really good sound. In keeping with other Nothing devices, Headphone 1 has a transparent finish exposing interlocking panels that give the impression of the underlying tech. In this case, the brand's trademark red square serves as a handy reminder of which side needs to go on your right ear. The flat two-layer design gives an industrial vibe compared with most current headphones, which tend to be rounder and softer, and that's reinforced by the printed text and the idiosyncratic roller and paddle controls (more on those later). The unit I tested is called white, or more accurately two kinds of grey on silver aluminium, with black cushions. At first glance I thought the design was a bit much, with a lot of detail and many different shapes, but I've come to like them. By the time I saw the black versions at Nothing's local launch event, I thought the reduction in contrast made them look too subtle compared with the white. They don't feel as eccentric as they look, with decent cushioning on the headband and cups, a firm but not uncomfortable pressure to keep them on your ears and a smooth adjusting action. The cups can turn inwards to rest naturally if you wear them around your neck. My one physical design complaint isn't actually about the headphones but the hard travel case they come with; the tiny zip puts up a fight to open every single time. Sonically, the sound stage of the Headphone 1 isn't as expansive as you'd expect on more expensive models such as Apple's AirPods Max or the Sonos Ace, but by default the sound is rich, bass is quite present, and everything's clear and well imaged. Dive into the app and you'll find an extensive and detailed equaliser that gives you full control over the sound. There are smart presets and simple settings like a bass boost, which I found brought the lows forward successfully without distorting them or rattling my skull. You can also turn on head-tracking spatial audio, which can be handy for movie watching. Loading In terms of high-resolution support, the Headphone 1 can connect to a supported device via AAC or LDAC, and is certified for 24-bit/96kHz sound. If you prefer a wired connection, the headphones support USB-C and 3.5mm, but they need to be turned on to work, so wired mode won't help you keep listening once the battery's flat.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
Faxes to apps: CommSec's 30 years of shaping investing
Fiona Bennett started trading in 1996, calling "sell, sell" into her phone at a morning tea surrounded by fellow mothers. "Everyone was teasing me afterwards," she told AAP. "Most people, especially all the mums, didn't have any idea about investing." At the time, Ms Bennett's husband was overseas and had asked her to sell the shares on his behalf. But she soon began trading for herself. "I was very popular at dinner parties and everybody wanted tips." she said. Ms Bennett collected information through newspapers and word-of-mouth and her trades were done over the phone and using fax machines. "It was really hard to know and, trust me, I had a few losses," she said. Now 65, she was one of CommSec's earliest customers. The online trading platform, parented by the CBA, is this week celebrating its 30th anniversary, having paved the way for Australian investors. In 1997, CommSec became the first Australian broker to launch a share trading website, and in 2008, the first to have its own iPhone trading app. The company now facilitates 40,000 trades per day, worth a total of $575 million. It's a far cry from their opening day in 1995, where a total of four trades were put through, worth $75 each. Market analyst Tom Piotrowski started working for CommSec more than 20 years ago, back when the company's team fitted onto a single floor. He has worked through the vast majority of the biggest days on the ASX, entering the company just after the volatile Y2K period, swiftly followed by the Global Financial Crisis, then most recently the COVID-19 pandemic. "I don't know if it was me turning up that translated to this run of bad luck, but it certainly made it interesting to be a participant in communicating these things to audiences," he said. "It's that type of environment that serves as education for people." The periods acted as catalysts for change according to Mr Piotrowski, who has overcome his camera shyness to feature on television, and social media videos providing information to customers. "I'd never appeared in front of a television camera before I worked with CommSec, that was very obvious to anyone who may have seen my early efforts," he said. "Terror is probably a personal feeling that I experienced quite a bit." CommSec services form just one part of the information now readily available to investors across multiple trading websites and apps. Ms Bennett didn't know any other women who traded when she started, but has noticed a shift with the increase in accessibility. The amount of CommSec investors under 40 have more than doubled over the past 10 years, while the percentage of women who invest has almost tripled over the past five years. "All my children trade, my daughter included," Ms Bennett said. "They're all confident enough to do it, they know what they're doing and they can get more information."
