Articles by Ted Kritsonis

Smart assistants like Amazon Alexa are becoming more popular than ever, and headphone makers are jumping onboard to offer it as a signature built-in feature. They’re growing in number and variance, but the Sony WH1000XM3 stand out because of the combination of comfort, sound quality and versatility in bringing Alexa into the fold.

Best Overall: Sony WH1000XM3

Sony really should look into different nomenclature for its headphones, but this collection of letters and numbers has etched itself into audio circles as a force to be reckoned with. That it can make a good pair of headphones isn’t surprising, considering Sony’s pedigree for sound, but they’re also effective in a variety of ways.

The excellent active noise-canceling (ANC) performance is augmented further by the custom sound options via Sony’s Connect app. These headphones aren’t a one-size-fits-all from a sonic perspective, even if their lightweight frame and comfy earpads make wearing them feel like they are, but they com…

Qualcomm, which owns the aptX Bluetooth codec, describes aptX Low Latency as “audio that keeps up.” The implication is that sound will be in sync with whatever you’re watching on a screen, which is critical if you’re watching a show, movie, or playing a game. The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9 stands out as the best aptX LL headphones because they offer excellent all-around sound quality, fantastic comfort, and superb battery life.

Best Overall: Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9 (3rd Gen)

Bang & Olufsen first launched the Beoplay H9 in 2017, and the headphones have now entered their third generation. They have a number of features you would expect for the price, including a premium build and comfortable fit, though are probably a little overpriced when considering competitors offer the same for less. However, many of those competitors don’t support aptX Low Latency, putting these in unique territory for viewing content without sync issues.

It reduces the delay to a maximum of 40 …

Your smartphone’s camera does a lot of work to make your photos look the way they do. Onboard software takes the data from the image sensor and processes it to create the photo you see when you preview it right after shooting it. RAW photos are, much like their namesake, totally raw and devoid of any processing.

Shooting in RAW gives you the ultimate freedom to handle the processing side of the equation yourself. Editing these images provides the flexibility to get more out of them than you might otherwise get from the software itself. Here’s how to do that.

What makes a file RAW

When a phone saves a photo as a JPEG, it does all the processing and compresses it at the same time. A RAW file is both unprocessed and uncompressed, so what you have is the raw data that the image sensor recorded. This is why file sizes are several times larger than they would be as JPEGs, and why they look so dull and desaturated when you first see them. Because these files also save in formats like DNG…

Enjoy the in-car apps you need without the hassle.

Android Auto went through a makeover in 2019, and the new-look platform has been a big improvement ever since. Starting with the app launcher that lays out apps in a grid, plus a new font that’s easier to read at a glance — especially if you’re using Android Auto on a non-touchscreen head unit. Here’s how to find your way around every time you look at it.

Getting around the Android Auto interface

The most important visual point of the interface is the app drawer because it holds several functional implications. The top four apps on the first line are anchored there like a “dock” specifically designated for maps, music and phone. You can select which music apps you prefer to use, in case YouTube Music and Podcasts aren’t your preferred choices, but it will usually pin the ones you use most on its own.

Below that are all the other apps you have that are compatible with the platform. Some of those listed below, like Calendar…