MonoNeon’s colourful take on the Beosound A9 speaker

Photos: Bang & Olufsen

Bang & Olufsen has collaborated with another world-renowned artist to reimagine its iconic Beosound A9 speaker. After David Lynch, the Danish audio brand has tapped Grammy Award-winning bassist MonoNeon for a limited-edition design that reflects his unique musical and artistic vision.

MonoNeon is known for his avant-garde playing style and his vibrant wardrobe that often features patchwork, embroidery, and a bright palette. He wanted the speaker to represent chords on canvas, and he achieved that by covering the A9, which already resembles a canvas on an easel, with a trippy floral pattern that has a retro-futuristic vibe.

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Swarovski Optik’s AX Visio: The AI-powered binoculars for bird lovers

Photo: Swarovski Optik

If you love birdwatching, you might want to check out the world’s first AI-supported binoculars. Swarovski Optik, an Austrian company, introduced the AX Visio at the CES 2024. The AX Visio is a smart device that can recognize more than 9,000 species of birds in real time, using advanced technology and high-quality optics.

The AX Visio has an integrated operating and object-recognition system and a neural processing unit that can identify birds based on their appearance and location. It also has a built-in GPS and a camera that can take photos and videos of the birds at 13-megapixel or 1080p resolution. You can wirelessly transfer the images and videos to the Swarovski Optik Outdoor app on your phone.

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Masimo turned a patent lawsuit into a smartwatch opportunity

Image: Masimo

A patent infringement lawsuit from Masimo forced Apple to remove blood oxygen monitoring on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. And the medical tech company took the opportunity to launch its own smartwatch. The Masimo Freedom is designed to measure blood oxygen and other vital signs with high accuracy.

The Masimo Freedom isn't its first consumer-grade device. Unlike the more health-centric Masimo W1, the Freedom aims to appeal to a wider audience, including a smart design and features like notifications. But it still focuses on health tracking, using Masimo’s advanced sensor and digital signal processing technology.

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Baracoda BMind smart mirror uses AI to help manage your moods

Photo: Baracoda

If you've ever looked at a mirror and said self-affirmation statements to it, you might be interested in this new product from Baracoda. The BMind smart mirror uses generative artificial intelligence to supposedly determine your mood so it can offer affirmations, visuals, and others to improve it. It uses AI and natural language processing to analyze the expressions, gestures, and tone of whoever is looking into the mirror. It'll then adapt to your mood and provide things like light therapy sessions, guided meditations, and self-affirmations. The goal is to improve your mood and better manage stress.

The technology works using the CareOS platform. It allows third-party providers to connect apps for the display within the mirror's interface. The BMind smart mirror comes with features like an omnidirectional microphone for voice detection, a 4K UHD camera, and Face ID for security.

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