Accessories

JBL expands 2023 portfolio with a new range of wireless audio products

Three different types of wireless headphones and the speaker for your ultimate party needs

Published

on

Aside from launching the classic-looking Authentics speaker series that are jampacked with fuller audio quality and modern/smarter features, JBL has also expanded their 2023 portfolio with a newer and more updated line of wireless audio products.

Ever-Competitive Audio Finesse

Despite the growing number of brands that make TWS earbuds and wireless headphones, JBL Philippines/Harman APAC have confidently stated that they’re one of the leading brands in this category — even considering Apple as their direct rival.

With that being said, they’ve also unveiled their latest wireless earbuds and headphones offerings.

Open Sesame

First in this list is none other than the JBL Soundgear Sense. Unlike other wireless earbuds, it is an open-ear type of earbuds that have 18.2mm drivers and feature JBL’s OpenSound technology and air conduction so they would still be comfortable to wear while providing zero leakage with whatever you’re listening to.

Its flexible earhooks can rotate and will let you choose between focusing on music or calls, all while still being able to hear the natural sound around you.

JBL Soundgear Sense

Speaking of calls, it’s equipped with four mics to make you sound crystal clear regardless of condition or environment. There’s also a detachable neckband plus IP54 rating to resist dust, rain splashes, or even sweats when working out.

Lastly, it promises a 24-hour battery life (6 hours lonesome+ 18 hours with case). A quick 15-minute charge gives the user additional four hours of music playback. The

On and Over

The other two are JBL’s Live wireless headphones — the 670NC and 770NC.

JBL Live 670NC

If it still ain’t obvious, NC stands for “Noise-Cancelling” as both headphones feature Adaptive Noise Cancellation feature to filter out those unwanted noise and distortion depending on the user’s environment for that uninterrupted, nonstop music playback for hours.

Both headphones also promise a 65-hour battery life (or 50 hours with ANC turned on). These can be fully-charged via USB-C for two hours. A 5-minute “speed charge” provides you enough playback for four hours.

JBL Live 770NC

To avoid the confusion between the two, the 670NC is an on-ear wireless headphones while the 770NC is an over-ear one which provides more comfort and intricate sound performance as it covers the ears completely over the Live 670NC.

Work Hard, Party Harder!

The ultimate speaker for party-loving Filipinos has finally landed on our shores.

For party animals out there who sweep the dance floor with their crazy dance moves (figuratively and literally), the newest JBL PartyBox Ultimate is your bestest bet!

This massive speaker fills in that vast open space — and by that we mean two full basketball courts. If you’re worried about bringing it to and from places, it has an easy-to-grip handle and a set of sturdy wheels to bring the party-focused speakers wherever, whenever.

A party isn’t a party without additional audio inputs though. This speaker is perfect for karaoke enthusiasts and live band performers as you can also connect dual microphones and a guitar to make jamming sessions too.

You’ll enjoy its superior sound quality by having dual tweeters, a pair of subwoofers, plus two drivers and a mid range speaker. To make that sound even better, it features the Original JBL Pro sound technology paired with Dolby Atmos support.

Its seamless audio connectivity also means you can stream music via Bluetooth without interruptions when you need to answer a call privately over Wi-Fi. And speaking of connection, the PartyBox Ultimate can also be configured and connected through various multiple PartyBoxes to widen the range of your party.

And with the JBL One app, not only you can adjust EQ settings, but also those bright lights to embrace the party spirit all day and all night long.

Pricing and Availability

Official pricing of these products weren’t revealed during the event and even after distributing materials to the media.

Stay tuned for updates and make GadgetMatch your daily habit so you wouldn’t miss the official pricing and availability of these products once they are available.

Accessories

CASETiFY Match: Finding the right case for your Galaxy Z8 Series phone

Cases that match your personality

Published

on

CASETiFY cases for Galaxy Z8 series phones

A phone case can be more than protection. It can also be a way to show off your interests, personality, and the little things that make you, well, you.

For our CASETiFY Match for the Galaxy Z8 Series, we asked the team one question: Why was this CASETiFY design your Match?

From Spider-Man fandom and capybara obsession to feline-inspired art and snake motifs, here are the designs that found their way into our team’s everyday carry, plus a couple of bonus picks worth checking out.

Rodneil: A little New York energy for a certified web-head

If it wasn’t obvious enough, I’m a certified web-head. I love anything and everything Spider-Man, especially the iconic red-and-blue motif. Though, if we’re being honest, I’m more partial to the red.

I had my eyes on the Spider-Man suit design for the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and the Spider-Man Mask Snappy Grip Stand. Unfortunately, those designs aren’t available for the Galaxy Z Fold8.

So, I went with a design that gives off a bit of New York energy instead. It still pairs nicely with the Spidey Snappy Grip Stand, letting me bring a little of that Spider-Man vibe to my everyday setup.

V: Keeping it cool with capybaras

I’ve been a capybara stan since 2020, long before the world finally caught up with just how cute and chill these animals are. Seeing them get the recognition they deserve has been a source of much excitement.

Finding cool and cute capybara cases and accessories for the phones I use every day, however, hasn’t always been easy.

That’s where Deville Dewil’s capybara collection comes in. It fills that gap while making my Galaxy Z Fold8 feel like an even more personal accessory.

At this point, I’d like to identify as a capy/bara.

Luigi: A cat design that’s playful without being too loud

There’s no shortage of cat-themed cases out there. If you’re a cat lover like me, chances are you’ve considered one at some point.

The tricky part is finding a design that isn’t too whimsical or loud. I love the little furballs, but I still want something sleek and clean.

CASETiFY’s cat collection speaks to that balance. In particular, this design by Catwheezie blends artistry with a touch of whimsy. It lets me show off my personality without being too flashy.

MJ: A little reputation energy

I’ve always had a soft spot for snake motifs, and CASETiFY’s Transparent Kingsnake case gives me Taylor Swift’s reputation era energy.

I love how snakes symbolize transformation. As someone who’s always evolving and never afraid to reinvent himself, that meaning feels personal.

The black-and-white design also brings a sleek, rebellious edge. Paired with my Galaxy Z Flip8, it’s giving statement accessory with a little bite.

Bonus Match: Sunglasses at Night

Sometimes, keeping it simple is the way to go. The Sunglasses at Night design is tasteful and understated, letting me show off the actual color of my phone without competing with it.

Bonus Match: Pink Weekly Planner

For the girls (and gaes) who plan their days–and life–ahead. And of course, for when they need to keep their Wednesdays pink.

Find your Match

There’s no single way to find a phone case that feels right. It might be a favorite character, an animal you’ve loved for years, a piece of art, or a symbol that means something to you.

For our team, the right CASETiFY design is the one that brings a little more personality to a device we carry every day.

So, which design would be your Match?

Continue Reading

Accessories

Bose acquires Skullcandy

But both are still separate brands.

Published

on

As one of the wisest sages of the 2000s once said, “He was a punk, she did ballet. What more can I say?” Sometimes, opposites attract. Now, two of those opposites in the audio space are coming together: the punk Skullcandy and the ballet-loving Bose.

Today, Bose has announced its acquisition of Skullcandy. The latter will continue to operate as a separate brand but now officially under the Bose umbrella. Although, it’s not a new collaboration as the two brands have previously worked together on devices before. Skullcandy will just have more access to Bose’s technologies moving forward.

Alternatively, Bose will now have access to Skullcandy’s more varied audience. Compared to Bose’s focus on premium products, Skullcandy caters to more alternative lifestyles. Though the brand has since mellowed from its more radical roots, it is still known as one of the alternative brands.

Bose, on the other hand, is still a household name for home audio and noise-cancelling headphones. The new relationship between two polar opposites might be seen as a weird one, but it’s ultimately beneficial to both parties. Besides, both brands were very strong in the 2010s. Keeping both brands going is a boon to audiophiles of the past decade.

SEE ALSO: Sony unveils three premium Walkman music players

Continue Reading

Accessories

Fujifilm’s new instax Pal 2 and Link WIDE 2 make room for more creative memories

A new pocket camera and a collage-making printer join the instax family.

Published

on

Seeing a memory take shape beyond your screen changes how it feels. A favorite photo becomes a print you can tuck into a journal or pin beside your desk, and the everyday moments you capture get a little more room to live.

That was the spirit of Fujifilm’s instax Playhou2e launch in Makati, where visual artist Jill Arteche brought her signature illustrations into the event space.

Her artwork surrounded the latest additions to the instax family, the instax Pal 2 and instax Link WIDE 2. Both devices treat photography as a form of personal expression, from the snapshots you take throughout the day to the printed memories you want to keep close.

A pocket-sized camera that goes wherever you do

The original instax Pal made the case for carrying a camera without a full-sized setup. Its successor, the instax Pal 2, builds on that with a refreshed design and improved image quality.

The palm-sized camera is built for everyday adventures and can capture angles that are awkward to get with a smartphone. Its compact body also makes it easy to bring along if you like documenting your day as it happens.

Fujifilm gave the Pal 2 a semi-matte finish. A new monitor on top lets you review shots right after you take them, and the added viewfinder, control dial, and lever give it a more tactile feel to shoot with.

The specs have moved up, too. The Pal 2 captures 10-megapixel images, double the original’s five megapixels, and its internal storage holds up to 100 images compared with 50 before. A separately sold microSD card adds more room.

The creative options are where the Pal 2 gets playful. It offers 30 effects, so you can give images different moods without editing each one from scratch. Its instax Animation mode strings up to 10 consecutive shots into a flipbook-style animated video.

Transferring your photos is straightforward. The Pal 2 supports wireless Bluetooth transfers, and a USB Type-C connection offers faster transfers to compatible smartphones. From there, you can edit the images and post them to social media or keep them in your camera roll.

Because the Pal 2 is part of the instax ecosystem, its digital photos can also be printed on instant film through compatible instax printers. That means you can shoot first and decide later which moments deserve a physical copy.

Turning your camera roll into something worth keeping

Taking photos is only half the fun. The other half is deciding what to do with the hundreds of images that pile up on our phones.

The instax Link WIDE 2 is Fujifilm’s answer for anyone who collects travel photos or documents celebrations. As the brand’s WIDE-format smartphone printer, it prints at twice the image area of the instax mini format, which leaves more space for group photos and landscapes.

Its biggest new feature is Photo Mixer, which builds scrapbook-style collages from multiple images you pick in the dedicated app. Instead of printing a single photo, you can combine highlights from a trip or a gathering into one larger keepsake.

The app suggests layouts based on your chosen photos and adjusts image sizes, angles, text placement, and fonts to keep the design cohesive. You can then add your own text and stamps. A cutout function identifies people and objects in your photos so you can layer them into the collage.

With Photo Mixer, printing becomes part of the creative process, and your camera roll turns into material for building a visual record of an experience in a single print.

The Link WIDE 2 also gets a design refresh, with two-tone finishes in Duo Beige and Duo Blue. The light and dark surfaces give it a polished look on a shelf or desk, and an illuminated instax logo glows while it prints.

Connectivity has expanded, too. Beyond smartphones and tablets, the printer works with PCs, Fujifilm X Series cameras, and the instax Pal 2, so digital artwork and other compatible images can become physical prints.

A more personal way to keep your memories

The instax Pal 2 and Link WIDE 2 share the idea that photography is a way to express yourself. The Pal 2 makes it easy to capture moments as they happen, and the Link WIDE 2 gives those images a place in the physical world.

Jill Arteche’s artwork at the launch backed that idea up. Her illustrations filled the space with personality and showed how photos and art can make an environment feel more personal. The event also made a case for revisiting and reinterpreting the images we collect.

Taking a photo takes seconds, and printing one can make the memory feel more special. The instax Pal 2 and Link WIDE 2 bring that into everyday life and give your snapshots room for creativity, from the moment you press the shutter to the moment you find a place for the print.


In the Philippines, the Fujifilm instax Pal 2 retails for PhP 10,599, while the Fujifilm instax Link WIDE 2 is priced at PhP 10,999. Both devices are now available on Fujifilm’s authorized stores and retailers nationwide.

Continue Reading

Trending