Android Authority Column Lists Seven Tech Products That Improved a Writer's Life
Android Authority writer names seven devices that improved his life, including Sony WH-1000XM3, Apple TV and WiiM Ultra.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are cited for active noise cancellation. The writer says he is sensitive to external noise and alternates between silence and playlists while working. Although Sony has released three newer generations, he says the XM3 still handles city construction noise and cafe background sound. He also says it supports aptX HD for high-resolution streaming with older digital audio players and dongles that lack LDAC, a standard he says Sony's newest headphones do not support. The ear pads and headband are showing age, and he plans to replace them and keep the headphones for another year or two.
Apple TV is described as a response to smart TV software. The writer says his Samsung TV runs Tizen, his LG OLED runs webOS and his Sony TV runs Google TV, and all three interfaces carry ads and recommendations he does not want. He bought his first Apple TV after an NVIDIA Shield died and has since bought two more. He cites a fast interface, no ads and picture quality he considers possibly slightly better because streaming services appear to deliver a higher-quality stream to Apple TV. With HDMI-CEC, the Apple TV remote's power button turns the TV on and off. He says the remote lacks customizable buttons and the headphone jack found on the Shield TV remote, but he accepts those limits for the set-and-forget setup.
The WiiM Ultra streamer is the third product detailed. The writer says he streams internet radio, Spotify, Tidal and a self-hosted music library, and dislikes notifications interrupting listening; in the evening he switches to bookshelf speakers. He has WiiM Ultra streamers in his study and living room and a WiiM Mini attached to a bedroom soundbar, creating a mesh-connected streaming network that can take different inputs and send them to different outputs. During the day he pairs headphones over LDAC and controls playback through the touchscreen, app or physical remote. A record player in the living room can send vinyl audio to the study streamer so he can listen through headphones in another room. When he disconnects the headphones, playback moves to the bookshelf speakers, and linking the streamers lets music play across his home.
Editor's Summary
The Android Authority article is a first-person account of seven products the writer has kept using rather than a comparative test. It highlights long-term use of older hardware and the value the writer places on noise cancellation, ad-free TV software and multi-room audio.