1More Aero Wireless Earbuds... Reviewed!

 Shout out to the 1More team for sending these over as quick as they did.

When it comes to the 1More Aero headphones, all I had to see was spatial sound, and I was like... oh heck yeah. So what's the verdict, do they deliver when it comes to that feature? What about the sound quality? I'm glad you asked... or at least I'd envision you asking these things, so... let's find out right now!

Quality + Comfort: In terms of quality, the 1More Aero earbuds have a slender plastic body that widens towards the ear tips... while the lower end runs down just in front of the earlobe. The earbuds are light but sturdy, and the plus about them being light is the lack of additional weight that may cause them to slip out of your ear easier.

I used the smallest ear tips to make sure that I could wear them comfortably during the review, and just like other earbuds... I had to sleep with these on for some ASMR action. The earbuds passed my sleep test, I didn't have to remove them at any point, but... these won't last a full 8 hours. More on this later.

The case of these headphones is also plastic and is a river rock shape that allows you to easily slip it into your pocket. The rechargeable... charging case has a hood-like lid for easy access. Despite it being a lighter case... it's not flimsy, you will have to hold the case with one hand to open the lid with the other. I say that to say you don't have to worry about the earbuds falling out once they're in this case being shoved into your pocket to get cozy with your wallet. By the way, taking these headphones out is a smooth process. 

Love the 1More Evo earbuds, but... taking them out of the case isn't always the easiest for me. I learned to make sure my fingers were extra dry and to push them to the side before lifting. There is no issue with the 1More Aero, you just grab and go.

Sound: When it comes to sound, these earbuds deliver in a balanced way... out of the box. The lows and highs grab my attention the most based on what I'm indulging in. I can't hate on the mids because the voices in shows and movies were nothing to frown at, and calls didn't leave me squinting my eyes while trying to hear what someone was saying on the line.

The subtle sounds hold their own quite well (i.e. I heard the heels of a guy's dress shoes as he approached the stand during an argument in a courtroom scene), which I give a green light in terms of these earbuds serving up a nice ASMR experience (preferably with ANC on). The bass is deep enough to be appreciated and gives a nice punchy thump + boom when the oomph is right.

The 1More Aero earbuds feature 1 ANC level and a passthrough feature as well. When ANC is activated it significantly cuts down on the outside noise unless someone is just talking that loud, but these earbuds are adaptive enough for your needs at this price point. 

If you need to get the scoop on what someone is saying (i.e. the Teens out there rocking earbuds and their parents require their listening ears), you can literally take one of these earbuds out and the other one that's still in your ear will fade away the active noise cancellation (and turns up the passthrough).

This worked great when I was in a studio and needed to hear what someone was saying about a pending event. I didn't look at the features before jumping in (for the most part), because I wanted to get a true first impression... and I love this feature. Once you get done, just put the other earbud back in your ear, and it will smoothly fade right back into ANC mode.

The big feature of these earbuds is the spatial audio, and I couldn't wait to jump in (you have no idea).

Spatial audio is a type of technology that serves up head-related transform function technology (HRTF) via your headphones, and basically gives you 360 degrees of sound.

To be more specific about the spatial audio capabilities of the 1More Aero, they have a built-in gyroscope, dynamic head tracking (think VR), and 3D audio technology. The sound won't change direction while using this feature, so when you turn your head to your left while listening to a voice or sound coming from the front of you, you will now hear the voice or sound more so in your right ear. 

I accessed the spatial audio feature through the 1More app while the earbuds were connected to my phone, and when I switched up and connected them to the office telly, I made sure the DTS TruSurround of the TV was activated. While spatial audio isn't a must for every single audio experience, it's a nice plus for those experiences that take advantage of it.

My audio experience included:

Gerald Albright - What you see is what you get | No spacial audio. I keep going back to this track because the instruments are just... so damn clean and it sounds great.

Rick Ross - Maybach Music 3 | Spatial audio & No spatial audio. I listened to this track with the feature on and off, it features Dolby Atmos, but... I couldn't tell the difference to be honest (at least with these earbuds).

Guns N Roses - Welcome to the Jungle | No spatial audio. By the way... Carrie Underwood did a cover of this in concert, which made me curious of what her performance was like. I won't say that I was surprised, I know she's a singer, but she held her own with the song and it didn't sound like you'd expect a concert experience to sound for the most part. There were parts where she didn't lay in fully the way Axl Rose did in the track but... she did a damn good job (and again, this was in concert where some people are unable to pull off similar results). You can tell that it was authentic too because you could tell that she was reloading (breathing in) to hit you with more when she pulled the mic away, etc. 

Thor: Love and Thunder | Spatial audio.

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law | Spatial audio. She-Hulk didn't present a great deal of spatial audio from
beginning to end that I noticed, but you heard sounds coming from various directions that were a subtle plus (like the guy's shoes I heard as he approached the stand in the courtroom came from the right).

You might scratch your head wondering why I'd turn off the spatial audio for certain experiences, but keep in mind that every bit of audio wasn't created with spatial audio in mind. So when it comes to the music, if you want to hear it the way it was intended to be heard, turn off spatial sound or you will hear it from a certain direction unless they recorded it with some sort of omnidirectional mic that puts you in the center of it all.

In the box + Features: 

In the box, you get the wireless charging case

1More Aero Earbuds

USB Charging cable

4 Pairs of silicone ear tips (S / M / L / XL)

Features include:

IPX5 Waterproof Protection - Saves your earbuds from low-pressure of water.

Bluetooth 5.2

42dB QuietMax Active Noice Canceling with 40Hz-4000Hz range

450 mAh Case battery (Case & earbuds fully charged give 28 hours of playback)

40 mAh battery gives you 7 hours of playback (which can get you through most of a shift before a recharge

Earbud recharge time 1 hour

Case recharge time 2 hours

By the way, you get a speaker impedance of 32, 10mm dynamic driver, and 12 Studio-grade EQs for your listening pleasure. These earbuds were also tuned by multi-Grammy award winner Luca Bignard.

The Preset EQs include:

Default (balanced)

Bass reducer

Base booster

Acoustic

Classical

Podcast

Deep

Electronic

Hip-Hop

Lounge

Pop

Vocal booster

Play around with these to find your preferred preset, or go with a more custom sound, but another option is just one selection away when needed.

Price:  Pricewise, you can get the 1More Aero earbuds for $109.99, which are $89.99 at the time of this review... which includes a 10W Qi Wireless Charging Pad for free until 11/30/2022 (so you save $30).

Overall, I think these are some solid earbuds that deliver for those who want earbuds to enjoy music and movies without disturbing others around you.

Quality + Comfort 5

Sound 5

In the box + Features 5

Price 5

5 out of 5 Cool Points

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FTS: The NetEase and Blizzard Split will hurt China's gamers

So Blizzard and NetEase weren't able to meet an agreement which ultimately resulted in the companies going their separate ways. The gamers in China will ultimately feel this one. Fingers are kinda pointing in Activision Blizzard's direction on this one.

At times these sorts of things just occur in negotiations, but... a member of the NetEase team wanted us to share with you the reason why the respective organizations could not reach a renewed contractual agreement. Before I deliver this info from the source, Christina Z. (of NetEase) said that they were doing their best to negotiate with Activision Blizzard... in hopes to keep providing great titles to gamers in China, but with today's news... we see that it didn't work out.

I won't say that WoW and StarCraft have replacements that are better or worst, but... there are options out there that we hope gamers are able to enjoy just as much or more if there isn't a change of heart.

I just remember how huge the StarCraft tournaments were alone, so I can only imagine how this will affect the average gamer, but... also those who earn a living through these IPs.

Outside of simply enjoying the games, and earning a living, don't forget about the community around these games. People have gained friends, and fans and some even created families through relationships that happened as a result of the couple's love for select games like StarCraft, etc.

NetEase Announces Non-Renewal of Licenses with Blizzard

 

HANGZHOU, China, Nov. 16, 2022 -- NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES and HKEX: 9999, "NetEase" or the "Company"), one of China's leading internet and online game services providers, today announced that it anticipates that its licenses covering the publication of several titles of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in China will expire in accordance with their terms on January 23, 2023 and will not be renewed.  The affected games are World of Warcraft^®, the StarCraft^® series, Hearthstone^®, Heroes of the Storm^®, Overwatch^® and Diablo III^®.

"We have put in a great deal of effort and tried with our utmost sincerity to negotiate with Activision Blizzard so that we could continue our collaboration and serve the many dedicated players in China. However, there were material differences on key terms and we could not reach an agreement. We hold high regard in our product and operational standards and abide by our commitments to Chinese players.

We are honored to have had the privilege of serving our gamers over the past 14 years and have shared many precious moments with them during that time. We will continue our promise to serve our players well until the last minute. We will make sure our players' data and assets are well protected in all of our games," said William Ding, CEO of NetEase.

The net revenues and net income contribution from these licensed Blizzard games represented low single digits as a percentage of NetEase's total net revenues and net income in 2021 and in the first nine months of 2022. The expiration of such licenses will have no material impact on NetEase's financial results. The co-development and publishing of Diablo^® Immortal™ is covered by a separate long-term agreement and will continue.

 

About NetEase, Inc.

As a leading internet technology company based in China, NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES and HKEX:9999, "NetEase") provides premium online services centered around content creation. With extensive offerings across its expanding gaming ecosystem, the Company develops and operates some of China's most popular and longest-running mobile and PC games. Powered by industry-leading in-house R&D capabilities in China and globally, NetEase creates superior gaming experiences, inspires players, and passionately delivers value for its thriving community worldwide. By infusing play with culture and education with technology, NetEase transforms gaming into a meaningful vehicle to build a more entertaining and enlightened world.

Beyond games, NetEase service offerings include its majority-controlled subsidiaries Youdao (NYSE: DAO), China's leading technology-focused intelligent learning company, and Cloud Music (HKEX: 9899), China's leading online music content community, as well as Yanxuan, NetEase's private label consumer lifestyle brand.

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FTS: It's morphin time as Eidos Shanghai become Gearbox Studio Shanghai

GEARBOX ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES NEW SHANGHAI STUDIO

The company’s first expansion into Asia brings in local talent to work on award-winning games portfolio

 

FRISCO, Texas – November 15, 2022 – Eidos Shanghai is now Gearbox Studio Shanghai, according to news released today by Gearbox Entertainment. This will be Gearbox’s first expansion into Asia—an important market in the company’s long-term growth strategy. Gigi Ning, who previously led Eidos Shanghai, will continue leading the studio as General Manager and report into Gearbox Publishing San Francisco.

 

Gearbox Studio Shanghai brings years of local experience to the Gearbox family, with the team supporting numerous AAA franchises since their original inception in 2008. This experience, alongside a proven track record of hyper-localized marketing efforts, puts Gearbox Studio Shanghai in a strong position to provide immediate and meaningful support to multiple titles across the Gearbox portfolio.

“China is a hotbed of industry talent, and I’m confident Gearbox Studio Shanghai will be instrumental in our vision for international growth here at Gearbox,” said Yoon Im, president of Gearbox Publishing San Francisco. “With this addition, we greatly enhance our ability to engage with players in the Chinese market and work directly with local up-and-coming development studios.”

 

The team at Gearbox Studio Shanghai will join in Gearbox’s mission to entertain the world. Like all Gearbox team members, the employees in the new Shanghai studio will experience a dedication to creating an anti-crunch culture and competitive benefits.

“Bringing Gearbox’s vision and creative spirit to our local community is a goal we’re ready to take on,” said Gigi Ning, general manager of Gearbox Studio Shanghai. “Gearbox has so many fantastic stories to tell, and we’re excited to share those with the players here in China.” 

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Brinks Push Pull Rotate Knob + Deadbolt... Reviewed!

Many thanks to the Brinks team for supplying the Lingdingham Keyed Entry Knob & the Weldon Single Cylinder Deadbolt. Are they useful? Well, let's jump in and find out... after this unboxing!

Design & Quality: Design-wise (as seen in the unboxing), the Lindingham Keyed Entry Knob is a similar design to the Weldon Single Cylinder Deadbolt. 

There are other models that give you the ability to gain entry to your home or office via the Push Pull Rotate options, but I had to go with these options because they look great and fit the style I like.

The deadbolt looks sweet, but... I'd be lying if I said I didn't go with the deadbolt based on the Lingdingham doorknob. It's not your typical door knob design, it gives you almost that handle shape but it still maintains the knob design.

I like this design because it looks cool, but... it's also useful. Both the knob and deadbolt have this bezel-like design going around the main area (granted one is round and the other is square). It's a very nice touch, and in terms of quality, you can see it in the products. The contents as seen in the unboxing also include additional things like an anti-pry shield and reinforcement plates.

By the way, you can get these door locks in 4 colors: Satin Nickel (the ones I went with), Polished Brass, Tuscan Bronze, and Polished Chrome.

Ease of installation: Outside of adding the reinforcement plate and the mounting plate, you're basically installing your doorknob and deadbolt as usual. It's a smooth process. Follow the instructions (down to the point where it instructs you to leave screws loose until later in the installation), and you're good.

Usefulness: Outside of the standard uses for a doorknob and deadbolt, the ability to push + pull + rotate is useful in more ways than one. For example, let's say you're carrying quite a few things in both hands and you can't twist the door knob in order to open it. The push feature allows you to gain entry without the need to do anything else.

No need to worry about food and beverages being spilled when you can do this. If you're doing a team lift and someone closed the door, all you have to do is push the door knob. The same applies to dirty hands. The pull feature works the same way when exiting your home or office, just give it a pull, which is another reason why I love the shape of this particular doorknob.

All you have to do is access that lip and give it a pull, even if it's with your wrist. No hate on the standard round door knob (I know some of you prefer the traditional look, but... the shape of this one is similar to that handle design mentioned above and even allows for you to twist the door knob if you desire by simply pushing down on the extended area to rotate it. I love functional design.

These door locks will get a ton of use, not because they're simply door locks (duh of the day) but because you can often find me trying to access a door with a bunch of food and drinks when I don't have the extra hands.

Even deadbolts like the Weldon model make it easier to lock because one side of the thumb turn is longer than the other... so all you have to do is shift it with your knuckle or something when your hands aren't free.

Price: Pricewise, you're looking at $55 for the Brinks Push Pull Rotate Lindingham Entry Knob, and $64 for the Brinks Weldon Deadbolt. There are certainly all sorts of doorknobs and deadbolts in this price range, higher and lower, so do the research and also ask yourself if you value things like an anti-pry shield, an anti-drill plate, anti-pick, and anti-bump spool pins for increased security. If you aren't familiar with bump lock picking, this is something to certainly beware of.

The price might make some of you lean back, but regardless of what options you go with (in all seriousness)... think about who and what you're trying to protect behind those door locks.

Overall, these are some great options for door locks... because they're useful (that's the main thing for me), but it doesn't hurt that they look good and carry a limited lifetime warranty.

Design & Quality 5

Ease of Installation 5

Usefulness 5

Price 5

5 out of 5 Cool Points

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