Why Are Comply Foam Headphones So Popular?

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Many gamers and music fanatics prefer the use of over-ear headsets or silicon-based inner earbuds because of the high-quality sound on offer. However, such headphones don’t always provide the ultimate experience for several reasons, one of those being the fact they are often uncomfortable during prolonged use. 

Comply foam ear-budded headphones are becoming more and more popular because they’ve been able to solve the problems other headphones haven’t had a chance to. Here are a number of reasons why consumers are now looking toward comply foam earbud headphones for their listening requirements.

1. Comply Foam Headphones Help Isolate External Noise

Many gamers and professionals who use over-ear headphones have access to quality sound, but they don’t always get that quality sound because of external noise that can often interrupt the overall listening experience. With comply foam earbuds, you don’t get that problem because they put sound straight into the ear and prevent any external noise from entering. Comply foam based headphones have been around for years now, but it’s only been within the last few years where consumers have really seen the benefits they provide. 

2. Comfortable Experience

Gamers and music listeners often use headphones for longer periods for their entertainment purposes, but they regret it soon afterward because their ears feel sore. That problem goes away with comply foam earbuds – the soft solutions help improve comfort so consumers can take advantage of them for hours upon hours without experiencing any soreness. Take a look at complyfoam.com to see the comfort benefits such headphone solutions provide. 

3. Durable & Reliable

Bulkier over-ear headphones don’t tend to last long because they’re fragile and are usually only made out of plastic. Comply foam based headphones are compact, simple, and very durable. They do come at a cost, however, but they can always be relied upon to last for years. Therefore, they are a much more cost-effective solution than some of the other headphone solutions on the market. 

4. Flexibility

One of the biggest benefits of comply foam earbuds: they’re very flexible. Everyone has different sized/shaped ears and many headphones on the market don’t provide enough flexibility. However, not only are comply foam earbuds great at isolating external noise, providing a comfortable experience, and last for a long time, but they’re very flexible and provide comfort for different ears of all shapes and sizes. So, if you can’t find a set of headphones that can cater to the needs of your ears, consider comply foam tips today for the ultimate experience that is almost guaranteed to provide comfort.

Conclusion 

Granted, many of the other headphones out there can provide excellent quality sound and comfort, which might suit gamers looking for more out of their experience. Others also provide the over-ear experience which is something music listeners often prefer. However, with comply foam making strides in producing high-quality sound, comfort, and flexibility for all consumers, it could only be a matter of time before comply foam is one of the biggest players in the headphone market.

Thank you all for checking out my articles! Can I help you in some way or another? Let me know below and I’ll be glad to give you a hand!

*by andreascy*

Spotify vs Apple Music; Where Does the Scale Lean?

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

If you are one of those people who cannot live a day without listening to music, chances are that you have done so via a popular streaming music platform. As of late, the two main contenders in the arena seem to be Apple Music and Spotify. 

These streaming services are the present and future of music industry. Each has its own unique advantages; but which one will surpass the other?

Spotify

Spotify is a platform that uses streaming as its means of media acquisition. Streaming is quickly becoming the dominant choice among media consumers. It doesn’t eat up memory on the device, new music is refreshed to the package, and playlists are sharable among friends, and the world, if you wish. Gone are the days of entering a password every time you make a purchase.

Soundtracks and compilation albums have been proven money makers in the music industry. Think of the playlist as a graduated version of the variety CD. These shared playlists benefit the user and composer alike. Every time and artist’s song is played, they get paid for it. Likewise, the user gets to enjoy the music at a fraction of the price, had they downloaded it.

Apple Music

Apple Music has been the dominating force when it comes to media downloads. You have the option to download a single song or an entire album from the 45 million in the iTunes Library, 15 million of which are unavailable to stream though. Also you have the option to get the digital art if you miss the old school days of CD booklets.

Apple has about 1 billion registered users on its network as well as a reputation for continued longevity. Despite iTunes’ staying power, Apple has seen a decline in downloaded albums and songs in 2015 by 16% in nominal terms, according to music industry analyst Mark Mulligan at Canadian Music Week in Toronto. This decline is expected to increase between 25% and 30% this year, nevertheless, iTunes music downloads are still estimated to be worth $600 million in 2019. Does the decline in sales spell the end of iTunes as Apple is preparing an aggressive two-year termination timetable for iTunes store?

Spotify vs Apple Music: the Clash

With music crossing over to the digital, the industry is poised to offer better quality, at a competitive rate. One of the major down sides to having music so readily accessible is that the sound quality suffers a bit. Even on the newest devices the compression technology doesn’t offer the same fidelity and listening quality that a CD does. Although the idea of streaming is still catching on, eventually the growth will plateau. This will give the music industry the chance to introduce ‘premium packages’ in which they can charge a slightly higher fee, for better sound quality. This may seem a tad on the greedy side, but compare this to the days when you were forced to pay $13-$17 dollars for one song, and maybe a few others you might like. When the two are seen side by side, streaming seems like a much more agreeable option.

1. Subscription Plan:

When comparing the subscription prices, Spotify and Apple Music have similar competitive packages. For example if you decide to go with either Spotify Premium or Apple Music Membership, the cost is $9.99 a month (with a 3-month free trial on both platforms), or you can sign up to a Family Plan for $14.99 a month, for up to 6 different people. Most people opt for the $9.99 option, so the actual cost is $120 a year, but that’s still pretty good. Apple Music also offers a Student Membership for $4.99 a month, which is quite cheap considering its benefits.

Another advantage that Spotify has is that you can listen to an entire album the day of its release, rather than just samples. A major downside to this service is that it doesn’t have all songs available. That ends up being true with both services because even Apple Music has a few bands that you won’t be able find in its libraries.

2. Compatibility:

In terms of beating the competition in providing digital services, one major factor comes down to compatibility issues. Spotify adhering to this concern, is compatible with a number of devices and even supports older versions of iOS. It also has native clients for Windows, Android and Linux. A strong advantage, Spotify’s web player will work almost on any operating system. 

Apple on the other hand, has taken a leap of faith by working on different operating systems, including Android. However, it is still not possible for users of older iOS devices to enjoy Apple Music, as it is not supported on iOS 8.4 or less. In addition, Apple Music has the disadvantage of not working on a web player and needs iTunes to play on a desktop. Practically, it is therefore inconvenient to play Apple Music for example when you are not using your own computer and have to install iTunes.

3. Sound Quality:

Music is all about the sound quality, right? Both Spotify and Apple Music bring decent audio quality to your ears. Spotify premium offers an adjustable rate with extreme quality as it calls it reaching a peak at 320 kbps Ogg, whereas Apple Music uses 256 kbps ACC. Hearing the experts’ viewpoint on the matter, findings from a listening study conducted by CNET comparing Spotify and Apple Music audio quality, it seems that Spotify wins this battle over their rivals.

4. Music Discovery:

This list of examining the pros and cons of each music streaming service, would not have been complete without looking into the discovery features of each platform. 

Spotify has a number of options to find songs and artists or albums. Spotify’s “Discover” feature is perhaps not as effective, and does not recommend playlists but only artists, albums and individual tracks. However, its more recent addition “Discover Weekly” is a great way to browse new releases, as it offers a custom playlist of up to 2 hours of the hottest hits each week according to your preferences. There is also the “Now section”, a smart feature which recommends songs based on the time of day and day of the week using a grid instead of Microsoft’s hip tiles. 

Their competitors, Apple Music shares a similar feature with the “For you” screen, a cool layout offering a mosaic of music suggestions inspired by Windows Phone’s live tiles. The feature allows you to find playlists, individual tracks and artists though it might take a bit longer to incorporate your preferences to know what suits you. There is also its “New” section which indicates suggestions of what other Apple Music users are listening to, and current playlists to enhance your music experience. 

Spotify has a “Browse” section serving for similar purposes, yet it seems to have a more user friendly interface with top lists, genres and moods, as well as news.

5. Free Music:

Spotify is an exclusive streaming music service provider of free in-demand music. Users can enjoy any song or album for free, although intermittent ads subsidize the streaming. This free service feature has been heavily criticized by artists who claim that there is little gain money-wise. Nonetheless, Spotify claims that their free service prevents piracy and artists do get compensated through Spotify. 

On the other end of the scale, although the impression is that Apple Music does not allow users to listen to songs for free, the reality is that Apple Music is available for free, including the Beats 1 station. This feature is available although interfered by advertising and you can enjoy up to 6 songs per hour. 

6. Voice Control:

As far as apps is concerned, perhaps not surprisingly, Apple has the upper hand. On iOS for instance, only Apple can use Siri with apps, a feature that has been integrated into Apple Music. This digital assistant can handle requests like playing songs, albums or artists, and even locate and play the top playlists from a given year. 

Spotify on the other hand, does not offer this type voice control or digital helper. You can enhance your overall Spotify experience with third-party apps like Vela, yet they are not integrated into iOS.

Conclusion

It’s tempting to look for a winner-looser situation when it comes to rivalry services or software. 

The above comparison, was not meant to be exhaustive. In a perfect world we would just be able to combine the services, and then use it as we saw fit. Some songs that you like may not be on Spotify, and likewise, Apple Music may not have the songs you’re looking for either. There are people who use both services and cherry picking the features they like. People like the convenience of access to songs on the go, as well as being able to download and save them once in a while. Both services have their advantages and disadvantages. Who knows? Maybe soon the companies will merge and then we can enjoy all the benefits. 

Until that happens, the answer to the question of which is better, Spotify or Apple Music, boils down to personal preference. If you like owning your music and having the files physically on your computer, Apple Music is the way to go. If you don’t want to be hindered by computer memory loss and have access to a ton of songs at any time and virtually from any device with decent sound quality and different discover music options, then check out Spotify.

COULD BE OF INTEREST: Best Apps for Music Lovers

We're always around if you have any questions or suggestions. 

*by andreascy*

The History of Voice Recognition Software

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

As you listen to your credit card company's automated phone voice asking you to describe your reason for calling, you probably don't care how the system originated. Why should you? The technology is ubiquitous these days. 

Concerning most technological innovations, the average person simply wants to use them. The newer the toy, the more they want to quickly avail themselves of its promised joy. For commercial entities, it's reduced to how much will the newfangled device contribute to a favorable bottom line.

Stepping Stones

The versatility in speech-recognition devices may be modern, but certain inventive thinkers in Austria, Russia and England were giving form to the concept of mechanical speaking machines as early as the eighteenth century.

For the purpose of voice recognition via electronic equipment, scientists experimenting at Bell Laboratories developed an electronic speech analyzer called a Vocoder in 1928. Homer W. Dudley, the lead scientist, further developed the Vocoder into an electronic synthesizer operated through a keyboard and dubbed it the Voder. Exhibitors from Bell demonstrated the device at the 1939 New York World's Fair. 

The rudiments of modern techniques for speech perception and recognition lay in a talking machine called the Pattern Playback. Built by Franklin S. Cooper and his collaborators at Haskins Laboratories in the late 1940s, the Playback could produce speech sounds from their frequency spectrum. 

The 1950s to the late 1970s saw the creation of the first formant synthesizer, the articulatory synthesizer and concatenative synthesis. These advancements permitted the phonetic quality of vowels to be determined, a major step. Additionally, continuous speech recognition -- eliminating the requirement to pause between words -- began during this period.

In 1988, Apple Computer produced a futuristic video in which the practical application of speech with computers was envisioned. Set for realization in the early 21st century, it defined the ideas of a Speech User Interface and a Multimodal User Interface joined with the representation of intelligent voice-enabled agents.

One underlying contribution to voice recognition not to be overlooked is the Hidden Markov Model. Actually developed in the late 1960s, the HMM permitted researchers to unite diverse sources including language, syntax and acoustics into one probable model. While the technique wasn't sophisticated enough to encompass a wide range of human language characteristics, it did serve as the dominant speech-recognition algorithm during the 1980s. 

Stumbling Blocks

During most of the 20th century, the success of voice recognition researchers was hampered by unsubstantial computing power. Consider that the best available time-sharing system from 1964 to 1983 was the Digital Equipment Corporation's PDP-10, a 36-bit mainframe computer. Still, the system's interactive capability was highly advantageous toward the scientists' goals. The 1990s began to see some of those goals bear fruit.

Listen for It

Technological capabilities became more versatile. Computers were gaining in popularity with the consumer public. Manufacturers were trying to outdo each other in offering faster systems. A monumental development in speech recognition came from Carnegie Mellon University in 1992. Under the leadership of Xuedong Huang, a CMU research team created the SPHINX-11 system. Not only was the system capable of a 5,000 word speaker-independent recognition, it also boasted a mere five percent error rate.

During the 1990s, the first commercially successful speech recognition programs were also introduced. The typical system's vocabulary was more expansive than that of the average human. Dragon Systems was a leading technology with its multiple professional dragon products. It became Nuance via Scansoft's purchase in 2005. Initially, Apple licensed software from Nuance to give voice to its digital assistant Siri.

SEE ALSO: How to Easily Edit and Rename Voice Recordings in iOS

Advanced voice recognition is now commonplace in diverse channels. Its usage is a reality of the 21st century.

*by andreascy*

Trending Tech Accessories Taken for Granted

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

It’s the year 2015. No flying cars, moon base, or teleportation technology. Anyone familiar with the 20th century’s pop culture projections of the future are a little disappointed. Alas, not everything tech we hoped to exist by now has failed to appear. When it comes to personal and personalized gadgets and gizmos available to 21st century consumers, the human race has done pretty well for itself. The digital revolution has helped everything from touchscreens to voice command make the leap from fiction to reality. We haven’t sent someone to Mars yet, but we can simulate it via downloadable app. 

For anyone bummed out about the chances of a working hover board appearing in their lifetime it’s time to appreciate what you do have. Here’s a list of impressive technology either ten feet away from you right now, or five years away from being ten feet away from you:

Headphones/Earbuds 

Ear gear has been around for a long time, no lie. The recent fashion flare-up involving “high quality” headphones illustrates how this taken for granted technology has come a long way. Not too long ago it exhausted a part-time paycheck or two to acquire headphones capable of reproducing great sound without letting everyone around you know what’s on the playlist. These days we’re able to isolate ourselves inside an album, movie, or viral video while riding packed public transit for less than $50 for a good pair of earbuds. Or you can opt for the $500 pair of headphones if you want...the technology is impressive either way.

Flash Drives

Like portable personal audio, the ability to physically transport digital data is nothing new. And it may even seem old-fashioned thanks to the cloud. But once again, we’re failing to marvel at one of the more magnificent inventions of our time. In terms of data volume, physical size, and versatility, nothing beats the flash drive. Not to mention they’re tangible, and thus have become a bit of a fashion accessory. Thanks to things like 3D printing people can now buy flash drives in bulk from companies capable of building them into custom shapes and figures. The result is an array of normal everyday objects capable of being hidden data mines. That’s futuristic for you.

Smart Stuff

It seems like only yesterday we were flipping open our cellular phones, winding our watches, and owning a dozen different other pieces of technology to do an equal number of tasks. The iPhone debuted eight years ago and we’re already over the all-in-one, touch-operated, voice-activated, pocket sized computers we carry in our pockets and purses. Now we have the dawn of the smartwatch; a little anticlimactic considering the wonders of the smartphone, but the stuff of science fiction nonetheless.

Drones

Does anyone appreciate the potential of drone technology? Maybe because the consumer drone industry is still in its infancy, but that’s partly because consumers aren't taking advantage of this amazing technology. We associate drones with spooky government stuff, and that’s a legitimate connection, yet drone technology can be so much more. It can be used to remotely chaperone children walking to school by themselves, or deployed to monitor a stolen car. We hear the word “drone” and picture a faceless killing machine, but the ability to essentially combine RC and smart technology together is a wonderful thing for society, whether we know it now or not.

We’re well into the 21st century now. Glance around and it doesn't really feel like it, but looks can be deceiving. Humans are easily bored and constantly eyeing the next big thing. Every once in awhile we need to stop and appreciate the technological gifts we’ve been fortunate enough to live to experience. For billions of people they were only the stuff of dreams.

CHECK ALSO: 10 Gadgets that Will Make your Life so Much Easier

Thanks for reading! Looking for feedback.

*by andreascy*