On X, Android ecosystem head Sameer Samat posted, “Your wish is our command. Disco icons available on Pixel as of today…Are y’all sure you still want this?”
His post included a screenshot of a Pixel phone fully decked out with sparkly, disco-ball-inspired icons, which looks just as terrible (incredible??) as it sounds.
The new icons are available through Pixel’s relatively new custom icons feature, which allows users to choose from different AI-generated styles for their app icons. Before this, users could only customize their icons by changing their colors to match the phone’s wallpaper and theme.
Image Credits:screenshot of Pixel icons by TechCrunch
The custom icons feature rolled out in March’s Pixel Drop — Google’s term for its periodic feature updates to Pixel phones — introducing app icon templates like a hand-drawn “Scribbles” aesthetic, a gold look called “Treasure,” a colorful, painted style dubbed “Easel,” and others.
Earlier this week, Samat had jokingly tweeted, “Should we make this icon pack happen on Android?” alongside a Chrome icon turned into a disco ball.
Silly as it may be, Google actually made it happen.
Many people had complained about the Spotify icon, calling it ugly, prompting the company to remind them it was just a temporary sitch. “Alright, we know glitter is not for everyone,” the streamer wrote.
Google, seemingly, disagrees. As off-brand as its disco-themed icons are, there’s also something whimsical about turning your whole homescreen into a sparkly landscape of little apps. (And, in case you missed it, the Zillennials are really into whimsy right now, The New York Times reports, describing their “playful response to a difficult world.”)
Upon seeing Google’s release, X user and former Pixly co-founder Race Johsnon quipped, “When your home screen gets bottle service.” Said another, “Omg it’s awful. I’ll take it!”
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
On X, Android ecosystem head Sameer Samat posted, “Your wish is our command. Disco icons available on Pixel as of today…Are y’all sure you still want this?”
His post included a screenshot of a Pixel phone fully decked out with sparkly, disco-ball-inspired icons, which looks just as terrible (incredible??) as it sounds.
The new icons are available through Pixel’s relatively new custom icons feature, which allows users to choose from different AI-generated styles for their app icons. Before this, users could only customize their icons by changing their colors to match the phone’s wallpaper and theme.
Image Credits:screenshot of Pixel icons by TechCrunch
The custom icons feature rolled out in March’s Pixel Drop — Google’s term for its periodic feature updates to Pixel phones — introducing app icon templates like a hand-drawn “Scribbles” aesthetic, a gold look called “Treasure,” a colorful, painted style dubbed “Easel,” and others.
Earlier this week, Samat had jokingly tweeted, “Should we make this icon pack happen on Android?” alongside a Chrome icon turned into a disco ball.
Silly as it may be, Google actually made it happen.
Many people had complained about the Spotify icon, calling it ugly, prompting the company to remind them it was just a temporary sitch. “Alright, we know glitter is not for everyone,” the streamer wrote.
Google, seemingly, disagrees. As off-brand as its disco-themed icons are, there’s also something whimsical about turning your whole homescreen into a sparkly landscape of little apps. (And, in case you missed it, the Zillennials are really into whimsy right now, The New York Times reports, describing their “playful response to a difficult world.”)
Upon seeing Google’s release, X user and former Pixly co-founder Race Johsnon quipped, “When your home screen gets bottle service.” Said another, “Omg it’s awful. I’ll take it!”
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
#Google #glitter #discoball #icons #yall #TechCrunchai icons,Android,disco ball,Google,icons,PIXEL,Spotify">Google goes for the glitter with disco-ball icons: ‘Are y’all sure you still want this?’ | TechCrunch
So bad, it’s good? Google on Friday joined in the disco ball icon fun taking place on home screens everywhere. After Spotify’s temporary new disco ball app icon, released to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary, drew extensive online backlash (and a bit of praise for those who like a little kitsch!), Google decided to get in on the joke and rolled out a custom set of Android app icons sporting a similar disco ball theme.
On X, Android ecosystem head Sameer Samat posted, “Your wish is our command. Disco icons available on Pixel as of today…Are y’all sure you still want this?”
His post included a screenshot of a Pixel phone fully decked out with sparkly, disco-ball-inspired icons, which looks just as terrible (incredible??) as it sounds.
The new icons are available through Pixel’s relatively new custom icons feature, which allows users to choose from different AI-generated styles for their app icons. Before this, users could only customize their icons by changing their colors to match the phone’s wallpaper and theme.
Image Credits:screenshot of Pixel icons by TechCrunch
The custom icons feature rolled out in March’s Pixel Drop — Google’s term for its periodic feature updates to Pixel phones — introducing app icon templates like a hand-drawn “Scribbles” aesthetic, a gold look called “Treasure,” a colorful, painted style dubbed “Easel,” and others.
Earlier this week, Samat had jokingly tweeted, “Should we make this icon pack happen on Android?” alongside a Chrome icon turned into a disco ball.
Silly as it may be, Google actually made it happen.
Many people had complained about the Spotify icon, calling it ugly, prompting the company to remind them it was just a temporary sitch. “Alright, we know glitter is not for everyone,” the streamer wrote.
Google, seemingly, disagrees. As off-brand as its disco-themed icons are, there’s also something whimsical about turning your whole homescreen into a sparkly landscape of little apps. (And, in case you missed it, the Zillennials are really into whimsy right now, The New York Times reports, describing their “playful response to a difficult world.”)
Upon seeing Google’s release, X user and former Pixly co-founder Race Johsnon quipped, “When your home screen gets bottle service.” Said another, “Omg it’s awful. I’ll take it!”
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
So bad, it’s good? Google on Friday joined in the disco ball icon fun taking…
launched the Enco Air 5 Pro TWS earbuds in India, featuring premium audio, robust active noise cancellation, and long battery life. The new earbuds are designed for users who listen to music, attend calls, travel frequently, or stream content daily. Oppo is offering the earbuds in Matte Black and Pearl White.
Oppo Enco Air 5 Pro Specifications and Features
The Enco Air 5 Pro earbuds feature up to 55dB of Active Noise Cancellation for a quieter, more focused listening experience. Oppo claims the earbuds can reduce noise across a broad 5,000Hz frequency range, helping block voices and background sounds more effectively. Adaptive ANC automatically adjusts noise cancellation based on the user’s environment. The earbuds have also received TUV Rheinland certification for high-performance noise cancellation.
Oppo has added a triple-mic system to the earbuds for better call quality. The AI-backed noise cancellation feature focuses on the user’s voice while lowering unwanted environmental sounds. The earbuds are claimed to deliver clearer calls even in windy conditions or busy outdoor areas.
For audio performance, Oppo uses the Enco Air 5 Pro with 12mm titanium-coated drivers to deliver deeper bass, balanced vocals, and detailed sound. Hi-Res Audio certification, as well as the LHDC 5.0, ensure high-quality audio signal transmission. Oppo also features Alive Audio, which provides a broader, richer sound experience for music, streaming, and gaming.
The Enco Air 5 Pro offers up to 54 hours of combined battery life along with the charging case. The earbuds alone can run for up to 13 hours on a single charge with selected settings. Fast charging support is also available, and a 10-minute charge can deliver enough power for long listening sessions. Oppo notes that battery life may vary depending on whether ANC or high-resolution LHDC audio is enabled.
Price and Availability
Oppo has launched the Enco Air 5 Pro in India at a price of Rs 4,999. The earbuds are currently available for pre-order on Oppo India’s official website, with official sales beginning on May 28, 2026.
launched the Enco Air 5 Pro TWS earbuds in India, featuring premium audio, robust active noise cancellation, and long battery life. The new earbuds are designed for users who listen to music, attend calls, travel frequently, or stream content daily. Oppo is offering the earbuds in Matte Black and Pearl White.
Oppo Enco Air 5 Pro Specifications and Features
The Enco Air 5 Pro earbuds feature up to 55dB of Active Noise Cancellation for a quieter, more focused listening experience. Oppo claims the earbuds can reduce noise across a broad 5,000Hz frequency range, helping block voices and background sounds more effectively. Adaptive ANC automatically adjusts noise cancellation based on the user’s environment. The earbuds have also received TUV Rheinland certification for high-performance noise cancellation.
Oppo has added a triple-mic system to the earbuds for better call quality. The AI-backed noise cancellation feature focuses on the user’s voice while lowering unwanted environmental sounds. The earbuds are claimed to deliver clearer calls even in windy conditions or busy outdoor areas.
For audio performance, Oppo uses the Enco Air 5 Pro with 12mm titanium-coated drivers to deliver deeper bass, balanced vocals, and detailed sound. Hi-Res Audio certification, as well as the LHDC 5.0, ensure high-quality audio signal transmission. Oppo also features Alive Audio, which provides a broader, richer sound experience for music, streaming, and gaming.
The Enco Air 5 Pro offers up to 54 hours of combined battery life along with the charging case. The earbuds alone can run for up to 13 hours on a single charge with selected settings. Fast charging support is also available, and a 10-minute charge can deliver enough power for long listening sessions. Oppo notes that battery life may vary depending on whether ANC or high-resolution LHDC audio is enabled.
Price and Availability
Oppo has launched the Enco Air 5 Pro in India at a price of Rs 4,999. The earbuds are currently available for pre-order on Oppo India’s official website, with official sales beginning on May 28, 2026.
#Oppo #Enco #Air #Pro #India #Launch #Price #Features #AvailabilityOppo">Oppo Enco Air 5 Pro India Launch: Price, Features and Availability
Oppo has officially launched the Enco Air 5 Pro TWS earbuds in India, featuring premium audio, robust active noise cancellation, and long battery life. The new earbuds are designed for users who listen to music, attend calls, travel frequently, or stream content daily. Oppo is offering the earbuds in Matte Black and Pearl White.
Oppo Enco Air 5 Pro Specifications and Features
The Enco Air 5 Pro earbuds feature up to 55dB of Active Noise Cancellation for a quieter, more focused listening experience. Oppo claims the earbuds can reduce noise across a broad 5,000Hz frequency range, helping block voices and background sounds more effectively. Adaptive ANC automatically adjusts noise cancellation based on the user’s environment. The earbuds have also received TUV Rheinland certification for high-performance noise cancellation.
Oppo has added a triple-mic system to the earbuds for better call quality. The AI-backed noise cancellation feature focuses on the user’s voice while lowering unwanted environmental sounds. The earbuds are claimed to deliver clearer calls even in windy conditions or busy outdoor areas.
For audio performance, Oppo uses the Enco Air 5 Pro with 12mm titanium-coated drivers to deliver deeper bass, balanced vocals, and detailed sound. Hi-Res Audio certification, as well as the LHDC 5.0, ensure high-quality audio signal transmission. Oppo also features Alive Audio, which provides a broader, richer sound experience for music, streaming, and gaming.
The Enco Air 5 Pro offers up to 54 hours of combined battery life along with the charging case. The earbuds alone can run for up to 13 hours on a single charge with selected settings. Fast charging support is also available, and a 10-minute charge can deliver enough power for long listening sessions. Oppo notes that battery life may vary depending on whether ANC or high-resolution LHDC audio is enabled.
Price and Availability
Oppo has launched the Enco Air 5 Pro in India at a price of Rs 4,999. The earbuds are currently available for pre-order on Oppo India’s official website, with official sales beginning on May 28, 2026.
Oppo has officially launched the Enco Air 5 Pro TWS earbuds in India, featuring premium…
Whenever folks think of the late Satoshi Kon, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the legendary anime director’s films: Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika, and the trippy Paranoia Agent TV show. But what doesn’t get enough love is Dream Fossil and Opus, Kon’s works as a manga creator before he became a household name. Manga, I’d argue, make for the perfect bookend for folks like myself who’ve made his films an annual rewatch to appreciate the full scope of his unique ability to blur the lines between dreams and reality.
While I’d heard of Opus before, I stumbled upon Dream Fossil by complete happenstance while browsing my local bookstore. In the same way, Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 piqued my interest as a collection of short stories before he hit it big with Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man, Dream Fossil: The Complete Stories of Satoshi Kon was the quickest purchase of my life. Why? Well, it’s a collection of fifteen short stories he wrote before he dove into directorial work. As a fan of Kon, whom critically acclaimed directors like Christopher Nolan and Darren Aronofsky have paid homage to (and ripped off, respectively), I was curious to see the kinds of works the auteur wove before stunning the world with his anime. Unsurprisingly, I walked away from the book with a newfound appreciation for Kon, with inklings of ideas he’d revisit in the larger arc of his work, while learning a couple of really cool facts about him I hadn’t connected the dots on before.
If I were to pin down the overall vibe of the 15 short stories in Dream Fossil, I’d say they’re the less-depressing doppelgänger of Paranoia Agent. Sure, there are speculative fiction thrillers in there to showcase his ability to dream up imaginative stories. Key among them are Carve, a tale about two twins gifted with ESP trying to survive in a FUBAR world; Guests, a humorous tale about a family trying their damnedest to ignore that their fancy countryside house is haunted by ghosts; and Toriko, his two-part Akira-esque dystopian story about a rebellious boy running away from robot police in a desperate attempt to avoid being tossed into a rehabilitation center for the crime of buying cigarettes and sneaking liquor from his parents’ cabinet.
Picnic, the full-color short story Dream Fossil‘s editor’s notes all but declare as the sister tale to Akira, came with the casual mention that Kon was a former assistant to Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo, a fact that makes a lot of sense when I think about their uncannily similar art styles and the themes in their works. We love the goated assistant-to-mentor pipeline in manga.
But my absolute favorite short stories in Dream Fossil were the ones teeming with slice-of-life whimsy. Tales like Summer of Anxiety, where a bike rider strikes up a meet-cute romance with a woman while being chased by her ex.Or Joyful Bell, a story about a mall Santa who spends his night helping a little girl find her way home while she pesters him about getting her a daddy for Christmas. But my favorite of all of Kon’s short stories was Beyond The Sun, an unserious Looney Tunes-like adventure about a nurse giving chase to her elderly patient after her hospital bed unlocks and it becomes the whole town’s problem. Every one of these stories had the magical ability to conjure up a visceral sense of nostalgia, like the heat of the summer sun on my skin as I walked under trees to the school bus in elementary school. And it managed to do so for a time I wasn’t alive for. Mind you, this was Kon before the world really knew what he was about.
While Dream Fossil touches on the latent potential Kon had at the onset of his career, Opus lands with a painful what-if that made me go, “Oh my god, it ends like that?!” out loud at my big age.
Whenever folks think of the big what-if of Kon’s career, they often think of Dream Machine, his proposed fifth film that never came to be before he died in 2010 at the age of 46. But the pang of agony I felt after reading Opus was leagues beyond my everyday misery over the indefinite hiatuses of Ai Yazawa’s Nana and Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond.
Opus, in my humblest opinion, is the most ambitious, experimental story Kon has ever concocted. Like what-if-Paprika-were-a-manga levels of ambition. What’s more, despite its metanarrative premise being pretty common, I’ve never experienced a story quite like Kon’s. Opus follows Chikara Nagai, a famous mangaka on the verge of penning the final page of Resonance, his beloved sci-fi manga. The only problem is that the final page of the manga is stolen by the very character he planned to shockingly kill on that page, leading to Nagai being spirited away into his own series.
Since this is Satoshi Kon we’re talking about, what follows in the manga’s rousing adventure isn’t as clear-cut as Nagai and Satoko, the heroine of Nagai’s manga, teaming up to fetch the final page from her rogue sidekick and save the day. Things are far messier than that. For starters, the fact that Nagai wastes no time revealing that he made Satoko and the world she inhabits—including all the trauma she’s experienced thus far—for entertainment value (and to please his editor) leaves her existentially conflicted about helping him. The manga dives headfirst into how messy their whole arrangement is through imaginative panels that take full advantage of using the medium as a canvas to tell its meta story.
Key among its breathtaking panel work are moments where over-detailed background art gives way to rough outlines of crowd shots and characters mixed with a flood of overlapping panels where characters break reality, diving through a maze of memories and graphic novel volumes like ripping portals through a page.
Witness the stunning remaster of PERFECT BLUE, coming to 4K UHD Steelbook for the first time ever. Packed with tons of extras including interviews & lectures from director Satoshi Kon.
But my big “oh shit” moment with Opus is that its manga never reaches a conclusion. You see, the series was halted so Kon could take a hiatus and make Perfect Blue. That hiatus ended up being permanent and Opus was never completed. Worse yet, it ends on a cliffhanger. Like, I’m talking Berserk-level cliffhanger from when Kentaro Miura passed away. Thankfully, there’s a half step toward a happy ending to the shock I felt in real time flipping through the not-climax of Opus. In the greatest bit of posthumous metanarrative writing I’ve ever seen, the folks at Dark Horse were able to acquire an additional rough chapter that Kon worked on for Opus but never officially released and add it to the end of the manga.
While I won’t give away what happens in the additional chapter, I will say that it goes even further beyond how over-the-top meta Opus already was. It had me guffawing and misty-eyed. But more importantly, it cemented Kon’s legacy as an absolute master of his craft.
Whenever folks think of the late Satoshi Kon, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the legendary anime director’s films: Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika, and the trippy Paranoia Agent TV show. But what doesn’t get enough love is Dream Fossil and Opus, Kon’s works as a manga creator before he became a household name. Manga, I’d argue, make for the perfect bookend for folks like myself who’ve made his films an annual rewatch to appreciate the full scope of his unique ability to blur the lines between dreams and reality.
While I’d heard of Opus before, I stumbled upon Dream Fossil by complete happenstance while browsing my local bookstore. In the same way, Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 piqued my interest as a collection of short stories before he hit it big with Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man, Dream Fossil: The Complete Stories of Satoshi Kon was the quickest purchase of my life. Why? Well, it’s a collection of fifteen short stories he wrote before he dove into directorial work. As a fan of Kon, whom critically acclaimed directors like Christopher Nolan and Darren Aronofsky have paid homage to (and ripped off, respectively), I was curious to see the kinds of works the auteur wove before stunning the world with his anime. Unsurprisingly, I walked away from the book with a newfound appreciation for Kon, with inklings of ideas he’d revisit in the larger arc of his work, while learning a couple of really cool facts about him I hadn’t connected the dots on before.
If I were to pin down the overall vibe of the 15 short stories in Dream Fossil, I’d say they’re the less-depressing doppelgänger of Paranoia Agent. Sure, there are speculative fiction thrillers in there to showcase his ability to dream up imaginative stories. Key among them are Carve, a tale about two twins gifted with ESP trying to survive in a FUBAR world; Guests, a humorous tale about a family trying their damnedest to ignore that their fancy countryside house is haunted by ghosts; and Toriko, his two-part Akira-esque dystopian story about a rebellious boy running away from robot police in a desperate attempt to avoid being tossed into a rehabilitation center for the crime of buying cigarettes and sneaking liquor from his parents’ cabinet.
Picnic, the full-color short story Dream Fossil‘s editor’s notes all but declare as the sister tale to Akira, came with the casual mention that Kon was a former assistant to Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo, a fact that makes a lot of sense when I think about their uncannily similar art styles and the themes in their works. We love the goated assistant-to-mentor pipeline in manga.
But my absolute favorite short stories in Dream Fossil were the ones teeming with slice-of-life whimsy. Tales like Summer of Anxiety, where a bike rider strikes up a meet-cute romance with a woman while being chased by her ex.Or Joyful Bell, a story about a mall Santa who spends his night helping a little girl find her way home while she pesters him about getting her a daddy for Christmas. But my favorite of all of Kon’s short stories was Beyond The Sun, an unserious Looney Tunes-like adventure about a nurse giving chase to her elderly patient after her hospital bed unlocks and it becomes the whole town’s problem. Every one of these stories had the magical ability to conjure up a visceral sense of nostalgia, like the heat of the summer sun on my skin as I walked under trees to the school bus in elementary school. And it managed to do so for a time I wasn’t alive for. Mind you, this was Kon before the world really knew what he was about.
While Dream Fossil touches on the latent potential Kon had at the onset of his career, Opus lands with a painful what-if that made me go, “Oh my god, it ends like that?!” out loud at my big age.
Whenever folks think of the big what-if of Kon’s career, they often think of Dream Machine, his proposed fifth film that never came to be before he died in 2010 at the age of 46. But the pang of agony I felt after reading Opus was leagues beyond my everyday misery over the indefinite hiatuses of Ai Yazawa’s Nana and Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond.
Opus, in my humblest opinion, is the most ambitious, experimental story Kon has ever concocted. Like what-if-Paprika-were-a-manga levels of ambition. What’s more, despite its metanarrative premise being pretty common, I’ve never experienced a story quite like Kon’s. Opus follows Chikara Nagai, a famous mangaka on the verge of penning the final page of Resonance, his beloved sci-fi manga. The only problem is that the final page of the manga is stolen by the very character he planned to shockingly kill on that page, leading to Nagai being spirited away into his own series.
Since this is Satoshi Kon we’re talking about, what follows in the manga’s rousing adventure isn’t as clear-cut as Nagai and Satoko, the heroine of Nagai’s manga, teaming up to fetch the final page from her rogue sidekick and save the day. Things are far messier than that. For starters, the fact that Nagai wastes no time revealing that he made Satoko and the world she inhabits—including all the trauma she’s experienced thus far—for entertainment value (and to please his editor) leaves her existentially conflicted about helping him. The manga dives headfirst into how messy their whole arrangement is through imaginative panels that take full advantage of using the medium as a canvas to tell its meta story.
Key among its breathtaking panel work are moments where over-detailed background art gives way to rough outlines of crowd shots and characters mixed with a flood of overlapping panels where characters break reality, diving through a maze of memories and graphic novel volumes like ripping portals through a page.
Witness the stunning remaster of PERFECT BLUE, coming to 4K UHD Steelbook for the first time ever. Packed with tons of extras including interviews & lectures from director Satoshi Kon.
But my big “oh shit” moment with Opus is that its manga never reaches a conclusion. You see, the series was halted so Kon could take a hiatus and make Perfect Blue. That hiatus ended up being permanent and Opus was never completed. Worse yet, it ends on a cliffhanger. Like, I’m talking Berserk-level cliffhanger from when Kentaro Miura passed away. Thankfully, there’s a half step toward a happy ending to the shock I felt in real time flipping through the not-climax of Opus. In the greatest bit of posthumous metanarrative writing I’ve ever seen, the folks at Dark Horse were able to acquire an additional rough chapter that Kon worked on for Opus but never officially released and add it to the end of the manga.
While I won’t give away what happens in the additional chapter, I will say that it goes even further beyond how over-the-top meta Opus already was. It had me guffawing and misty-eyed. But more importantly, it cemented Kon’s legacy as an absolute master of his craft.
#Satoshi #Kons #Manga #Deserve #Love #Iconic #AnimeDark Horse,Kodansha,Manga,Satoshi Kon">Satoshi Kon’s Manga Deserve Just as Much Love as His Iconic Anime
Whenever folks think of the late Satoshi Kon, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the legendary anime director’s films: Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika, and the trippy Paranoia Agent TV show. But what doesn’t get enough love is Dream Fossil and Opus, Kon’s works as a manga creator before he became a household name. Manga, I’d argue, make for the perfect bookend for folks like myself who’ve made his films an annual rewatch to appreciate the full scope of his unique ability to blur the lines between dreams and reality.
While I’d heard of Opus before, I stumbled upon Dream Fossil by complete happenstance while browsing my local bookstore. In the same way, Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 piqued my interest as a collection of short stories before he hit it big with Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man, Dream Fossil: The Complete Stories of Satoshi Kon was the quickest purchase of my life. Why? Well, it’s a collection of fifteen short stories he wrote before he dove into directorial work. As a fan of Kon, whom critically acclaimed directors like Christopher Nolan and Darren Aronofsky have paid homage to (and ripped off, respectively), I was curious to see the kinds of works the auteur wove before stunning the world with his anime. Unsurprisingly, I walked away from the book with a newfound appreciation for Kon, with inklings of ideas he’d revisit in the larger arc of his work, while learning a couple of really cool facts about him I hadn’t connected the dots on before.
If I were to pin down the overall vibe of the 15 short stories in Dream Fossil, I’d say they’re the less-depressing doppelgänger of Paranoia Agent. Sure, there are speculative fiction thrillers in there to showcase his ability to dream up imaginative stories. Key among them are Carve, a tale about two twins gifted with ESP trying to survive in a FUBAR world; Guests, a humorous tale about a family trying their damnedest to ignore that their fancy countryside house is haunted by ghosts; and Toriko, his two-part Akira-esque dystopian story about a rebellious boy running away from robot police in a desperate attempt to avoid being tossed into a rehabilitation center for the crime of buying cigarettes and sneaking liquor from his parents’ cabinet.
Picnic, the full-color short story Dream Fossil‘s editor’s notes all but declare as the sister tale to Akira, came with the casual mention that Kon was a former assistant to Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo, a fact that makes a lot of sense when I think about their uncannily similar art styles and the themes in their works. We love the goated assistant-to-mentor pipeline in manga.
But my absolute favorite short stories in Dream Fossil were the ones teeming with slice-of-life whimsy. Tales like Summer of Anxiety, where a bike rider strikes up a meet-cute romance with a woman while being chased by her ex.Or Joyful Bell, a story about a mall Santa who spends his night helping a little girl find her way home while she pesters him about getting her a daddy for Christmas. But my favorite of all of Kon’s short stories was Beyond The Sun, an unserious Looney Tunes-like adventure about a nurse giving chase to her elderly patient after her hospital bed unlocks and it becomes the whole town’s problem. Every one of these stories had the magical ability to conjure up a visceral sense of nostalgia, like the heat of the summer sun on my skin as I walked under trees to the school bus in elementary school. And it managed to do so for a time I wasn’t alive for. Mind you, this was Kon before the world really knew what he was about.
While Dream Fossil touches on the latent potential Kon had at the onset of his career, Opus lands with a painful what-if that made me go, “Oh my god, it ends like that?!” out loud at my big age.
Whenever folks think of the big what-if of Kon’s career, they often think of Dream Machine, his proposed fifth film that never came to be before he died in 2010 at the age of 46. But the pang of agony I felt after reading Opus was leagues beyond my everyday misery over the indefinite hiatuses of Ai Yazawa’s Nana and Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond.
Opus, in my humblest opinion, is the most ambitious, experimental story Kon has ever concocted. Like what-if-Paprika-were-a-manga levels of ambition. What’s more, despite its metanarrative premise being pretty common, I’ve never experienced a story quite like Kon’s. Opus follows Chikara Nagai, a famous mangaka on the verge of penning the final page of Resonance, his beloved sci-fi manga. The only problem is that the final page of the manga is stolen by the very character he planned to shockingly kill on that page, leading to Nagai being spirited away into his own series.
Since this is Satoshi Kon we’re talking about, what follows in the manga’s rousing adventure isn’t as clear-cut as Nagai and Satoko, the heroine of Nagai’s manga, teaming up to fetch the final page from her rogue sidekick and save the day. Things are far messier than that. For starters, the fact that Nagai wastes no time revealing that he made Satoko and the world she inhabits—including all the trauma she’s experienced thus far—for entertainment value (and to please his editor) leaves her existentially conflicted about helping him. The manga dives headfirst into how messy their whole arrangement is through imaginative panels that take full advantage of using the medium as a canvas to tell its meta story.
Key among its breathtaking panel work are moments where over-detailed background art gives way to rough outlines of crowd shots and characters mixed with a flood of overlapping panels where characters break reality, diving through a maze of memories and graphic novel volumes like ripping portals through a page.
Witness the stunning remaster of PERFECT BLUE, coming to 4K UHD Steelbook for the first time ever. Packed with tons of extras including interviews & lectures from director Satoshi Kon.
But my big “oh shit” moment with Opus is that its manga never reaches a conclusion. You see, the series was halted so Kon could take a hiatus and make Perfect Blue. That hiatus ended up being permanent and Opus was never completed. Worse yet, it ends on a cliffhanger. Like, I’m talking Berserk-level cliffhanger from when Kentaro Miura passed away. Thankfully, there’s a half step toward a happy ending to the shock I felt in real time flipping through the not-climax of Opus. In the greatest bit of posthumous metanarrative writing I’ve ever seen, the folks at Dark Horse were able to acquire an additional rough chapter that Kon worked on for Opus but never officially released and add it to the end of the manga.
While I won’t give away what happens in the additional chapter, I will say that it goes even further beyond how over-the-top meta Opus already was. It had me guffawing and misty-eyed. But more importantly, it cemented Kon’s legacy as an absolute master of his craft.
#Satoshi #Kons #Manga #Deserve #Love #Iconic #AnimeDark Horse,Kodansha,Manga,Satoshi Kon
Whenever folks think of the late Satoshi Kon, the first thing that usually comes to mind…
In the midst of our reporting on Nike’s turbulent year, we failed to emphasize one fact: Even as Nike’s corporate leadership flails in a post-Covid world, the company’s shoes and athletic apparel still make up a huge market segment and are still the leading performance models in the industry. Every marathon shoe is just a copy of the iconic Nike Vaporfly, and the Air Force 1 is still one of the top-selling sneakers in the world. You can restock on your own iconic styles with a Nike promo code. Here’s how.
Score 15% Off App Orders With Our Nike Promo Code
Members get rewarded for shopping directly on the Nike app. Once you log on to the app, you’ll automatically become a member. And if you use Nike promo codeAPP15, you’ll get 15% off your first app purchase and free shipping on orders of $50 or more. So whether you’re in the market for a new pair of Air Jordans or some new leggings for training for your next Marathon, you’ll want to take advantage of this deal.
Celebrate With Nike Coupons For Your Birthday and Member Discounts Everyday
Nike offers a 10% birthday discount when you sign up on the website. You must be a Nike member and logged into your Nike account in order to redeem the discount. The minimum purchase is $100 and applies to the first $500 of a qualifying purchase. You can use it in combination with the Nike free shipping promo codes only. Nike members also receive exclusive access to certain products and member-exclusive sales and discount codes.
Remember earlier when I said Nike members get rewarded? Be sure to become a Nike Member before your birthday month to receive a special birthday Nike discount. Not only will you get that birthday perk, but as a Nike member you’ll also get free shipping on orders of $50 or more, a free 60-day Wear Test to ensure the purchase is right for you, and returns with receipts.
Nike Student Discount Code: 10% Off
All students over 16 in the US, whether you’re in high school, college, or a university, get 10% off at Nike, Nike.com. and in the Nike app. To get the Nike discount code, you’ll just need to verify your student status. To do this, you need to fill out a verification form, verify age, and you may need to provide documentation to verify your status. Once your status is successfully verified, you’ll be sent a single-use Nike promo code for 10% off most items. You’ll just need to make sure you’re signed in to your Nike Member profile while using your Nike promo code. This 10% Nike discount code can be used on all sorts of the best Nike apparel and shoes, including the bestselling Nike Vomero Plus men’s running shoes that are full-stack, with ultra-soft max cushioning for enhanced comfort while running.
Nike Discount Programs: Teachers, Military, and Healthcare Works Get 10% Off
There are also other Nike discounts, like 10% off for military and spouses, first responders and medical professionals, and teacher discounts after verification. Check to make sure the items you’re shopping are covered by the discount; certain products, like Nike By You, gift cards, select launch and SNKRS products, and Apple products, are not valid.
Teachers get rewarded with 10% too, just follow the steps for verification status. All military personnel, including active, reservist, veteran, retired US military, and spouses and dependents of active personnel also get 10% off at Nike as a thank you for service. Plus, medical professionals and first responders are also eligible for 10% discounts; that means doctors, nurses, technicians, medical researchers, EMTs, firefighters, and law enforcement.
To get any of these discounts, you’ll need to verify with SheerID, where you’ll receive a single-use promo code that can be used once every seven days. Just be aware, the code expires after two weeks, but you can re-verify your identity to receive a new one.
Get 15% Off the Nike V5 RNR
The Nike V5 RNR just may be the hottest everyday shoe of the season. Stylish enough for streetwear, tough enough to withstand the daily grind, this Y2K inspired shoe has a chunky and lightweight foam midsole. So whether you want a Nike Men’s V5 RNR, women’s, or kid’s, the metallic details and a 3D Swoosh logo blend retro styles with modern sensibilities for an all-around solid shoe.
Trending Nike Styles to Score on Sale Today
Nike still outfits some of the top athletes in the world. If you’re a basketball player, I would say skip the Nike Dunks and get a pair of Kobe Protros like Caitlin Clark. If you’re a runner, Nike recently updated the classic running shoe, the Pegasus. If you’re looking for a low-key street shoe that’s not an Adidas Samba, get the Nike Blazers.
There are tons of Nike’s bestselling shoes on sale right now, including: Nike Dunk Low and Dunk Low Retro SE at 24% off (including multiple under $100 options), 24% off Zoom Vomero 5, 32% off Nike Free Metcon 6, and custom Metcon 10 for as low as $155. Plus, classics are also on sale, with Air Max 270 for up to 30% off, up to 33% off Air Force 1 Low Retro, or Air Force 1 ‘07 LV8 for under $80. Be sure to check out these heavy discounts on tons of Nike styles, from classic to contemporary.
Other Nike Products on Our Radar
Nike got its start as a running company and it still makes the best running apparel on the market. My particular favorites are the firm support, high-waisted ⅞ running leggings (because I’m short) and the running rain jacket, which is also understated enough to wear as an everyday rain jacket.
Be sure to check Nike often, with tons of upcoming launches soon to be released. One we’re most excited about is the Team US Collection, inspired by the upcoming Olympic games, with tons of sick US team Olympic apparel. Another hot new release is the Nike SB Dunk Low Pro x Bronx Girls Skate, a cool design inspired by urban landscapes and skate culture.
Support the US Soccer Team With Official Nike Gear
Show off your soccer pride this season with the Team US Soccer x Nike collab. Merchandise from this showy collaboration includes solid, striped, and patterned jerseys for women, men, and children, as well as replica shorts and jerseys from a multitude of favorite players.
In the midst of our reporting on Nike’s turbulent year, we failed to emphasize one fact: Even as Nike’s corporate leadership flails in a post-Covid world, the company’s shoes and athletic apparel still make up a huge market segment and are still the leading performance models in the industry. Every marathon shoe is just a copy of the iconic Nike Vaporfly, and the Air Force 1 is still one of the top-selling sneakers in the world. You can restock on your own iconic styles with a Nike promo code. Here’s how.
Score 15% Off App Orders With Our Nike Promo Code
Members get rewarded for shopping directly on the Nike app. Once you log on to the app, you’ll automatically become a member. And if you use Nike promo codeAPP15, you’ll get 15% off your first app purchase and free shipping on orders of $50 or more. So whether you’re in the market for a new pair of Air Jordans or some new leggings for training for your next Marathon, you’ll want to take advantage of this deal.
Celebrate With Nike Coupons For Your Birthday and Member Discounts Everyday
Nike offers a 10% birthday discount when you sign up on the website. You must be a Nike member and logged into your Nike account in order to redeem the discount. The minimum purchase is $100 and applies to the first $500 of a qualifying purchase. You can use it in combination with the Nike free shipping promo codes only. Nike members also receive exclusive access to certain products and member-exclusive sales and discount codes.
Remember earlier when I said Nike members get rewarded? Be sure to become a Nike Member before your birthday month to receive a special birthday Nike discount. Not only will you get that birthday perk, but as a Nike member you’ll also get free shipping on orders of $50 or more, a free 60-day Wear Test to ensure the purchase is right for you, and returns with receipts.
Nike Student Discount Code: 10% Off
All students over 16 in the US, whether you’re in high school, college, or a university, get 10% off at Nike, Nike.com. and in the Nike app. To get the Nike discount code, you’ll just need to verify your student status. To do this, you need to fill out a verification form, verify age, and you may need to provide documentation to verify your status. Once your status is successfully verified, you’ll be sent a single-use Nike promo code for 10% off most items. You’ll just need to make sure you’re signed in to your Nike Member profile while using your Nike promo code. This 10% Nike discount code can be used on all sorts of the best Nike apparel and shoes, including the bestselling Nike Vomero Plus men’s running shoes that are full-stack, with ultra-soft max cushioning for enhanced comfort while running.
Nike Discount Programs: Teachers, Military, and Healthcare Works Get 10% Off
There are also other Nike discounts, like 10% off for military and spouses, first responders and medical professionals, and teacher discounts after verification. Check to make sure the items you’re shopping are covered by the discount; certain products, like Nike By You, gift cards, select launch and SNKRS products, and Apple products, are not valid.
Teachers get rewarded with 10% too, just follow the steps for verification status. All military personnel, including active, reservist, veteran, retired US military, and spouses and dependents of active personnel also get 10% off at Nike as a thank you for service. Plus, medical professionals and first responders are also eligible for 10% discounts; that means doctors, nurses, technicians, medical researchers, EMTs, firefighters, and law enforcement.
To get any of these discounts, you’ll need to verify with SheerID, where you’ll receive a single-use promo code that can be used once every seven days. Just be aware, the code expires after two weeks, but you can re-verify your identity to receive a new one.
Get 15% Off the Nike V5 RNR
The Nike V5 RNR just may be the hottest everyday shoe of the season. Stylish enough for streetwear, tough enough to withstand the daily grind, this Y2K inspired shoe has a chunky and lightweight foam midsole. So whether you want a Nike Men’s V5 RNR, women’s, or kid’s, the metallic details and a 3D Swoosh logo blend retro styles with modern sensibilities for an all-around solid shoe.
Trending Nike Styles to Score on Sale Today
Nike still outfits some of the top athletes in the world. If you’re a basketball player, I would say skip the Nike Dunks and get a pair of Kobe Protros like Caitlin Clark. If you’re a runner, Nike recently updated the classic running shoe, the Pegasus. If you’re looking for a low-key street shoe that’s not an Adidas Samba, get the Nike Blazers.
There are tons of Nike’s bestselling shoes on sale right now, including: Nike Dunk Low and Dunk Low Retro SE at 24% off (including multiple under $100 options), 24% off Zoom Vomero 5, 32% off Nike Free Metcon 6, and custom Metcon 10 for as low as $155. Plus, classics are also on sale, with Air Max 270 for up to 30% off, up to 33% off Air Force 1 Low Retro, or Air Force 1 ‘07 LV8 for under $80. Be sure to check out these heavy discounts on tons of Nike styles, from classic to contemporary.
Other Nike Products on Our Radar
Nike got its start as a running company and it still makes the best running apparel on the market. My particular favorites are the firm support, high-waisted ⅞ running leggings (because I’m short) and the running rain jacket, which is also understated enough to wear as an everyday rain jacket.
Be sure to check Nike often, with tons of upcoming launches soon to be released. One we’re most excited about is the Team US Collection, inspired by the upcoming Olympic games, with tons of sick US team Olympic apparel. Another hot new release is the Nike SB Dunk Low Pro x Bronx Girls Skate, a cool design inspired by urban landscapes and skate culture.
Support the US Soccer Team With Official Nike Gear
Show off your soccer pride this season with the Team US Soccer x Nike collab. Merchandise from this showy collaboration includes solid, striped, and patterned jerseys for women, men, and children, as well as replica shorts and jerseys from a multitude of favorite players.
#Top #Nike #Promo #Codescoupons,shopping">Top Nike Promo Codes: 30% Off for May 2026
In the midst of our reporting on Nike’s turbulent year, we failed to emphasize one fact: Even as Nike’s corporate leadership flails in a post-Covid world, the company’s shoes and athletic apparel still make up a huge market segment and are still the leading performance models in the industry. Every marathon shoe is just a copy of the iconic Nike Vaporfly, and the Air Force 1 is still one of the top-selling sneakers in the world. You can restock on your own iconic styles with a Nike promo code. Here’s how.
Score 15% Off App Orders With Our Nike Promo Code
Members get rewarded for shopping directly on the Nike app. Once you log on to the app, you’ll automatically become a member. And if you use Nike promo codeAPP15, you’ll get 15% off your first app purchase and free shipping on orders of $50 or more. So whether you’re in the market for a new pair of Air Jordans or some new leggings for training for your next Marathon, you’ll want to take advantage of this deal.
Celebrate With Nike Coupons For Your Birthday and Member Discounts Everyday
Nike offers a 10% birthday discount when you sign up on the website. You must be a Nike member and logged into your Nike account in order to redeem the discount. The minimum purchase is $100 and applies to the first $500 of a qualifying purchase. You can use it in combination with the Nike free shipping promo codes only. Nike members also receive exclusive access to certain products and member-exclusive sales and discount codes.
Remember earlier when I said Nike members get rewarded? Be sure to become a Nike Member before your birthday month to receive a special birthday Nike discount. Not only will you get that birthday perk, but as a Nike member you’ll also get free shipping on orders of $50 or more, a free 60-day Wear Test to ensure the purchase is right for you, and returns with receipts.
Nike Student Discount Code: 10% Off
All students over 16 in the US, whether you’re in high school, college, or a university, get 10% off at Nike, Nike.com. and in the Nike app. To get the Nike discount code, you’ll just need to verify your student status. To do this, you need to fill out a verification form, verify age, and you may need to provide documentation to verify your status. Once your status is successfully verified, you’ll be sent a single-use Nike promo code for 10% off most items. You’ll just need to make sure you’re signed in to your Nike Member profile while using your Nike promo code. This 10% Nike discount code can be used on all sorts of the best Nike apparel and shoes, including the bestselling Nike Vomero Plus men’s running shoes that are full-stack, with ultra-soft max cushioning for enhanced comfort while running.
Nike Discount Programs: Teachers, Military, and Healthcare Works Get 10% Off
There are also other Nike discounts, like 10% off for military and spouses, first responders and medical professionals, and teacher discounts after verification. Check to make sure the items you’re shopping are covered by the discount; certain products, like Nike By You, gift cards, select launch and SNKRS products, and Apple products, are not valid.
Teachers get rewarded with 10% too, just follow the steps for verification status. All military personnel, including active, reservist, veteran, retired US military, and spouses and dependents of active personnel also get 10% off at Nike as a thank you for service. Plus, medical professionals and first responders are also eligible for 10% discounts; that means doctors, nurses, technicians, medical researchers, EMTs, firefighters, and law enforcement.
To get any of these discounts, you’ll need to verify with SheerID, where you’ll receive a single-use promo code that can be used once every seven days. Just be aware, the code expires after two weeks, but you can re-verify your identity to receive a new one.
Get 15% Off the Nike V5 RNR
The Nike V5 RNR just may be the hottest everyday shoe of the season. Stylish enough for streetwear, tough enough to withstand the daily grind, this Y2K inspired shoe has a chunky and lightweight foam midsole. So whether you want a Nike Men’s V5 RNR, women’s, or kid’s, the metallic details and a 3D Swoosh logo blend retro styles with modern sensibilities for an all-around solid shoe.
Trending Nike Styles to Score on Sale Today
Nike still outfits some of the top athletes in the world. If you’re a basketball player, I would say skip the Nike Dunks and get a pair of Kobe Protros like Caitlin Clark. If you’re a runner, Nike recently updated the classic running shoe, the Pegasus. If you’re looking for a low-key street shoe that’s not an Adidas Samba, get the Nike Blazers.
There are tons of Nike’s bestselling shoes on sale right now, including: Nike Dunk Low and Dunk Low Retro SE at 24% off (including multiple under $100 options), 24% off Zoom Vomero 5, 32% off Nike Free Metcon 6, and custom Metcon 10 for as low as $155. Plus, classics are also on sale, with Air Max 270 for up to 30% off, up to 33% off Air Force 1 Low Retro, or Air Force 1 ‘07 LV8 for under $80. Be sure to check out these heavy discounts on tons of Nike styles, from classic to contemporary.
Other Nike Products on Our Radar
Nike got its start as a running company and it still makes the best running apparel on the market. My particular favorites are the firm support, high-waisted ⅞ running leggings (because I’m short) and the running rain jacket, which is also understated enough to wear as an everyday rain jacket.
Be sure to check Nike often, with tons of upcoming launches soon to be released. One we’re most excited about is the Team US Collection, inspired by the upcoming Olympic games, with tons of sick US team Olympic apparel. Another hot new release is the Nike SB Dunk Low Pro x Bronx Girls Skate, a cool design inspired by urban landscapes and skate culture.
Support the US Soccer Team With Official Nike Gear
Show off your soccer pride this season with the Team US Soccer x Nike collab. Merchandise from this showy collaboration includes solid, striped, and patterned jerseys for women, men, and children, as well as replica shorts and jerseys from a multitude of favorite players.
#Top #Nike #Promo #Codescoupons,shopping
In the midst of our reporting on Nike’s turbulent year, we failed to emphasize one…
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you don’t like to venture out.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
VOCAL
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you don’t like to venture out.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
VOCAL
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
#Wordle #today #answer #hints">Wordle today: The answer and hints for May 22, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you don’t like to venture out.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
VOCAL
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
Previously, the highest-priced Soundcore earbuds (not counting the sleep buds) were the Liberty 4 Pro at $150, but the Liberty 5 Pro are $170 and the Liberty 5 Pro Max are $230. That’s reaching into AirPods Pro 3 territory. Price differences within a product line usually mean different earbud designs, like the open-ear AirPods 4 with ANC versus the sealed AirPods Pro 3. But the Liberty 5 Pro and 5 Pro Max earbuds are exactly the same. They have the same chip, 9.2mm drivers, microphone array, ANC performance, sound profile, battery life, IP55 rating, and overall features. The only difference is the case.
$170
The Good
Incredible call quality
Great ANC
Useful case screen
The Bad
Default sound profile needs tweaking
The 5 Pro case has an angled 0.96-inch TFT screen on the front that can be used to change settings like ANC, sound profiles, speak-to-chat, and Dolby head tracking. Everything that can be done on the screen can be done in the Soundcore app too, so it’s just preference if you want to take out the case or your phone.
The 1.78-inch AMOLED screen for the 5 Pro Max case is on its sliding top. In addition to the capabilities of the 5 Pro case, you can adjust the screen brightness or change the wallpaper, as well as access a feature that sets the 5 Pro Max apart from its less-expensive sibling: a microphone and an AI note-taking app. You can record audio directly to the case, which has 357MB of storage, then transfer it to your phone where you can generate a transcription and summary in the Soundcore app. (It does require a Soundcore account.)
The file can be edited in the Soundcore app or exported (audio as an MP3, and the transcript and summary as .txt, Markdown, .docx, or PDF file). The transcription can differentiate between different speakers and in my testing I found it to be very accurate, both with who was speaking and with what they were saying. If you’re someone who needs to record classes or meetings regularly it’s a useful feature, especially since it doesn’t require your headphones to be in. But beyond the larger screen, it’s the only major thing that sets the 5 Pro Max apart from the 5 Pro.
The 5 Pro Max’s AI note-taker app can be started and controlled directly from the case screen.
The earbuds look similar to the Bose Ultra Earbuds with a wide, chunky outer body, but they don’t feel that way in the ear. As opposed to the bulbous housing of the Bose, the Liberty 5’s housing slims down, allowing for a better fit while also making them easier to hold onto. They’re comfortable and feel very secure, and I was never concerned they would fall out, even when jumping around.
Out of the box, the Liberty 5 sound profile is on the bassy side, causing vocals — especially male vocals — to sound muddy. Snare hits sound dull and there’s sparkle missing from high-end sounds. By choosing your favorite sound clip tuning from a series of seven examples, you can adjust the earbuds to your preferences (there’s also an 8-band EQ if you’d rather use that). It fixed the issues I had with Soundcore’s default profile. There was still good bass response, but the lower mids were cleaned up and the high mids were boosted a bit, causing the whole sound to open up. Nick Drake’s acoustic guitar in “Pink Moon” shimmers more, as do the piano octaves, and his voice doesn’t get swallowed up by the lower guitar register as his voice descends at the end of the chorus vocal line. Compared to the AirPods Pro 3 my Soundcore profile was still heavier on the bass and didn’t have the same high-end response, but I enjoyed my music listening just as much. The Liberty 5 Pro support LDAC for high-res audio from devices that use the codec.
Adaptive noise-canceling performance is comparable to the AirPods Pro 3, and for $80 less, which is great. The Liberty 5 Pro let in a little bit more midrange than the AirPods, but it’s a very small difference. They ably handle low-end drones and will work well for long flights.
The most remarkable feature of the Liberty 5 Pro series, though, is its voice call capability. I have never heard a pair of earbuds or headphones handle ambient noise on a call this well. One time, my very enthusiastic son sang and yelled while jumping up and down in front of me and the person on the other end of the call heard none of it. During another call, arborists fed tree branches into a wood chipper right outside our open apartment window. The person on the other end had no idea.
I have a friend who’s also an audio reviewer, and I call him regularly to test call clarity on headphones and earbuds. He can’t remember the last time I sounded as natural on a call. And this was while a bunch of traffic, with some emergency vehicles, drove past as I walked the neighborhood. To see how they compare to the AirPods Pro 3, I would switch the earbuds without telling him which I was wearing, and he consistently said the Apple buds sounded muddy and more compressed.
The exceptional call quality of the Liberty 5 Pro caught me off guard.
The Liberty 5 Pro buds have a voice-control mode that responds quickly, although it’s not consistent when there’s conversation around you. I tried toggling between noise cancellation modes while my wife was on a Zoom call in the same room, and if she was talking I’d need to speak uncomfortably loudly for modes to change. What’s interesting — and a bit disconcerting — is that there’s no wake word needed. So instead of listening for just an activation phrase, it’s listening for 11 different possible phrases, including “Play Music,” “Volume Up,” “Reject Call,” and “Transparency Mode.”
For the call clarity alone, the Liberty 5 Pro series is an impressive step forward. If you mainly use your earbuds for calls, they are the best earbuds to get. While the AI recording and transcription on the Liberty 5 Pro Max case is interesting, unless you need it regularly, there’s no reason to spend the extra $60 over the Liberty 5 Pro. They have the same ANC performance, same sound profile — which is really good after using the customization questionnaire — and same incredible call quality. $170 might be more than Soundcore earbuds have been in the past, but the improvement is worth it, and if you’re not concerned with staying in Apple’s, Google’s, or Samsung’s ecosystems, the Liberty 5 Pro are an excellent option.
Photography by John Higgins / The Verge
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Previously, the highest-priced Soundcore earbuds (not counting the sleep buds) were the Liberty 4 Pro at $150, but the Liberty 5 Pro are $170 and the Liberty 5 Pro Max are $230. That’s reaching into AirPods Pro 3 territory. Price differences within a product line usually mean different earbud designs, like the open-ear AirPods 4 with ANC versus the sealed AirPods Pro 3. But the Liberty 5 Pro and 5 Pro Max earbuds are exactly the same. They have the same chip, 9.2mm drivers, microphone array, ANC performance, sound profile, battery life, IP55 rating, and overall features. The only difference is the case.
$170
The Good
Incredible call quality
Great ANC
Useful case screen
The Bad
Default sound profile needs tweaking
The 5 Pro case has an angled 0.96-inch TFT screen on the front that can be used to change settings like ANC, sound profiles, speak-to-chat, and Dolby head tracking. Everything that can be done on the screen can be done in the Soundcore app too, so it’s just preference if you want to take out the case or your phone.
The 1.78-inch AMOLED screen for the 5 Pro Max case is on its sliding top. In addition to the capabilities of the 5 Pro case, you can adjust the screen brightness or change the wallpaper, as well as access a feature that sets the 5 Pro Max apart from its less-expensive sibling: a microphone and an AI note-taking app. You can record audio directly to the case, which has 357MB of storage, then transfer it to your phone where you can generate a transcription and summary in the Soundcore app. (It does require a Soundcore account.)
The file can be edited in the Soundcore app or exported (audio as an MP3, and the transcript and summary as .txt, Markdown, .docx, or PDF file). The transcription can differentiate between different speakers and in my testing I found it to be very accurate, both with who was speaking and with what they were saying. If you’re someone who needs to record classes or meetings regularly it’s a useful feature, especially since it doesn’t require your headphones to be in. But beyond the larger screen, it’s the only major thing that sets the 5 Pro Max apart from the 5 Pro.
The 5 Pro Max’s AI note-taker app can be started and controlled directly from the case screen.
The earbuds look similar to the Bose Ultra Earbuds with a wide, chunky outer body, but they don’t feel that way in the ear. As opposed to the bulbous housing of the Bose, the Liberty 5’s housing slims down, allowing for a better fit while also making them easier to hold onto. They’re comfortable and feel very secure, and I was never concerned they would fall out, even when jumping around.
Out of the box, the Liberty 5 sound profile is on the bassy side, causing vocals — especially male vocals — to sound muddy. Snare hits sound dull and there’s sparkle missing from high-end sounds. By choosing your favorite sound clip tuning from a series of seven examples, you can adjust the earbuds to your preferences (there’s also an 8-band EQ if you’d rather use that). It fixed the issues I had with Soundcore’s default profile. There was still good bass response, but the lower mids were cleaned up and the high mids were boosted a bit, causing the whole sound to open up. Nick Drake’s acoustic guitar in “Pink Moon” shimmers more, as do the piano octaves, and his voice doesn’t get swallowed up by the lower guitar register as his voice descends at the end of the chorus vocal line. Compared to the AirPods Pro 3 my Soundcore profile was still heavier on the bass and didn’t have the same high-end response, but I enjoyed my music listening just as much. The Liberty 5 Pro support LDAC for high-res audio from devices that use the codec.
Adaptive noise-canceling performance is comparable to the AirPods Pro 3, and for $80 less, which is great. The Liberty 5 Pro let in a little bit more midrange than the AirPods, but it’s a very small difference. They ably handle low-end drones and will work well for long flights.
The most remarkable feature of the Liberty 5 Pro series, though, is its voice call capability. I have never heard a pair of earbuds or headphones handle ambient noise on a call this well. One time, my very enthusiastic son sang and yelled while jumping up and down in front of me and the person on the other end of the call heard none of it. During another call, arborists fed tree branches into a wood chipper right outside our open apartment window. The person on the other end had no idea.
I have a friend who’s also an audio reviewer, and I call him regularly to test call clarity on headphones and earbuds. He can’t remember the last time I sounded as natural on a call. And this was while a bunch of traffic, with some emergency vehicles, drove past as I walked the neighborhood. To see how they compare to the AirPods Pro 3, I would switch the earbuds without telling him which I was wearing, and he consistently said the Apple buds sounded muddy and more compressed.
The exceptional call quality of the Liberty 5 Pro caught me off guard.
The Liberty 5 Pro buds have a voice-control mode that responds quickly, although it’s not consistent when there’s conversation around you. I tried toggling between noise cancellation modes while my wife was on a Zoom call in the same room, and if she was talking I’d need to speak uncomfortably loudly for modes to change. What’s interesting — and a bit disconcerting — is that there’s no wake word needed. So instead of listening for just an activation phrase, it’s listening for 11 different possible phrases, including “Play Music,” “Volume Up,” “Reject Call,” and “Transparency Mode.”
For the call clarity alone, the Liberty 5 Pro series is an impressive step forward. If you mainly use your earbuds for calls, they are the best earbuds to get. While the AI recording and transcription on the Liberty 5 Pro Max case is interesting, unless you need it regularly, there’s no reason to spend the extra $60 over the Liberty 5 Pro. They have the same ANC performance, same sound profile — which is really good after using the customization questionnaire — and same incredible call quality. $170 might be more than Soundcore earbuds have been in the past, but the improvement is worth it, and if you’re not concerned with staying in Apple’s, Google’s, or Samsung’s ecosystems, the Liberty 5 Pro are an excellent option.
Photography by John Higgins / The Verge
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John Higgins
#Ankers #earbuds #call #quality #ridiculously #goodHeadphone Reviews,Reviews,Tech">Anker’s new earbuds’ call quality is ridiculously good
Soundcore, Anker’s audio brand, has mostly lived in the budget-to-midrange world, but with its new Liberty 5 Pro earbuds, it’s aiming at the big guys. The two new earbuds — the Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max — use Anker’s new Thus chip, which has more processing power than previous Soundcore earbuds to try and compete with the chips found in Apple, Sony, and Bose products. And that extra processing power gives the Liberty 5 Pro the best in-call noise canceling I’ve heard in any earbuds.
Previously, the highest-priced Soundcore earbuds (not counting the sleep buds) were the Liberty 4 Pro at $150, but the Liberty 5 Pro are $170 and the Liberty 5 Pro Max are $230. That’s reaching into AirPods Pro 3 territory. Price differences within a product line usually mean different earbud designs, like the open-ear AirPods 4 with ANC versus the sealed AirPods Pro 3. But the Liberty 5 Pro and 5 Pro Max earbuds are exactly the same. They have the same chip, 9.2mm drivers, microphone array, ANC performance, sound profile, battery life, IP55 rating, and overall features. The only difference is the case.
$170
The Good
Incredible call quality
Great ANC
Useful case screen
The Bad
Default sound profile needs tweaking
The 5 Pro case has an angled 0.96-inch TFT screen on the front that can be used to change settings like ANC, sound profiles, speak-to-chat, and Dolby head tracking. Everything that can be done on the screen can be done in the Soundcore app too, so it’s just preference if you want to take out the case or your phone.
The 1.78-inch AMOLED screen for the 5 Pro Max case is on its sliding top. In addition to the capabilities of the 5 Pro case, you can adjust the screen brightness or change the wallpaper, as well as access a feature that sets the 5 Pro Max apart from its less-expensive sibling: a microphone and an AI note-taking app. You can record audio directly to the case, which has 357MB of storage, then transfer it to your phone where you can generate a transcription and summary in the Soundcore app. (It does require a Soundcore account.)
The file can be edited in the Soundcore app or exported (audio as an MP3, and the transcript and summary as .txt, Markdown, .docx, or PDF file). The transcription can differentiate between different speakers and in my testing I found it to be very accurate, both with who was speaking and with what they were saying. If you’re someone who needs to record classes or meetings regularly it’s a useful feature, especially since it doesn’t require your headphones to be in. But beyond the larger screen, it’s the only major thing that sets the 5 Pro Max apart from the 5 Pro.
The 5 Pro Max’s AI note-taker app can be started and controlled directly from the case screen.
The earbuds look similar to the Bose Ultra Earbuds with a wide, chunky outer body, but they don’t feel that way in the ear. As opposed to the bulbous housing of the Bose, the Liberty 5’s housing slims down, allowing for a better fit while also making them easier to hold onto. They’re comfortable and feel very secure, and I was never concerned they would fall out, even when jumping around.
Out of the box, the Liberty 5 sound profile is on the bassy side, causing vocals — especially male vocals — to sound muddy. Snare hits sound dull and there’s sparkle missing from high-end sounds. By choosing your favorite sound clip tuning from a series of seven examples, you can adjust the earbuds to your preferences (there’s also an 8-band EQ if you’d rather use that). It fixed the issues I had with Soundcore’s default profile. There was still good bass response, but the lower mids were cleaned up and the high mids were boosted a bit, causing the whole sound to open up. Nick Drake’s acoustic guitar in “Pink Moon” shimmers more, as do the piano octaves, and his voice doesn’t get swallowed up by the lower guitar register as his voice descends at the end of the chorus vocal line. Compared to the AirPods Pro 3 my Soundcore profile was still heavier on the bass and didn’t have the same high-end response, but I enjoyed my music listening just as much. The Liberty 5 Pro support LDAC for high-res audio from devices that use the codec.
Adaptive noise-canceling performance is comparable to the AirPods Pro 3, and for $80 less, which is great. The Liberty 5 Pro let in a little bit more midrange than the AirPods, but it’s a very small difference. They ably handle low-end drones and will work well for long flights.
The most remarkable feature of the Liberty 5 Pro series, though, is its voice call capability. I have never heard a pair of earbuds or headphones handle ambient noise on a call this well. One time, my very enthusiastic son sang and yelled while jumping up and down in front of me and the person on the other end of the call heard none of it. During another call, arborists fed tree branches into a wood chipper right outside our open apartment window. The person on the other end had no idea.
I have a friend who’s also an audio reviewer, and I call him regularly to test call clarity on headphones and earbuds. He can’t remember the last time I sounded as natural on a call. And this was while a bunch of traffic, with some emergency vehicles, drove past as I walked the neighborhood. To see how they compare to the AirPods Pro 3, I would switch the earbuds without telling him which I was wearing, and he consistently said the Apple buds sounded muddy and more compressed.
The exceptional call quality of the Liberty 5 Pro caught me off guard.
The Liberty 5 Pro buds have a voice-control mode that responds quickly, although it’s not consistent when there’s conversation around you. I tried toggling between noise cancellation modes while my wife was on a Zoom call in the same room, and if she was talking I’d need to speak uncomfortably loudly for modes to change. What’s interesting — and a bit disconcerting — is that there’s no wake word needed. So instead of listening for just an activation phrase, it’s listening for 11 different possible phrases, including “Play Music,” “Volume Up,” “Reject Call,” and “Transparency Mode.”
For the call clarity alone, the Liberty 5 Pro series is an impressive step forward. If you mainly use your earbuds for calls, they are the best earbuds to get. While the AI recording and transcription on the Liberty 5 Pro Max case is interesting, unless you need it regularly, there’s no reason to spend the extra $60 over the Liberty 5 Pro. They have the same ANC performance, same sound profile — which is really good after using the customization questionnaire — and same incredible call quality. $170 might be more than Soundcore earbuds have been in the past, but the improvement is worth it, and if you’re not concerned with staying in Apple’s, Google’s, or Samsung’s ecosystems, the Liberty 5 Pro are an excellent option.
Photography by John Higgins / The Verge
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Soundcore, Anker’s audio brand, has mostly lived in the budget-to-midrange world, but with its new…
Watch out, Suno. Spotify on Thursday announced it has partnered with Universal Music Group (UMG) to allow fans to use generative AI technology to create covers and remixes of their favorite songs. The tool will launch as a paid add-on available only to Spotify’s Premium subscribers and will offer a revenue share with participating artists for the AI-generated music based on their work.
The company did not share pricing or a launch date for the new tool, only that the two companies had come to a licensing agreement. However, Spotify had teased its plans last year, noting that it was working with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, Merlin, and Believe to develop artist-first AI products.
The AI tools would be created through “upfront agreements, not by asking for forgiveness later,” Spotify said at the time, an obvious swipe at other players in the space, like Suno.
Among the principles Spotify outlined: artists and rightsholders should be able to choose if and how they participate in AI tools, and if they do, they should be fairly compensated.
“Solving hard problems for music is what Spotify does, and fan-made covers and remixes are next. What we’re building is grounded in consent, credit, and compensation for the artists and songwriters that take part,” said Spotify co-CEO Alex Norström, in a statement about the UMG agreement. “Through each technological transformation, we have worked together with Sir Lucian [Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group] and his team to evolve the music ecosystem into a richer, more beneficial experience for fans and a more rewarding outcome for artists and songwriters.”
UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge, meanwhile, touted the development as a way for artists to deepen their fan relationships while also creating additional revenue opportunities. There’s no word yet on which UMG artists have agreed to participate.
While services like Suno and Udio have been pioneers in the AI music space, they moved forward on shaky legal ground when building their AI music-making tools. Unsurprisingly, the major labels quickly sued. In November, Suno ended up settling a $500 million lawsuit with Warner Music Group, which came shortly after Universal Music Group (UMG) had settled its own suit with Udio.
Seeing demand for this type of activity from consumers, Spotify went straight to the labels for a deal of its own. UMG may be the first of many label partnerships to come, though the company didn’t outright say so.
Watch out, Suno. Spotify on Thursday announced it has partnered with Universal Music Group (UMG) to allow fans to use generative AI technology to create covers and remixes of their favorite songs. The tool will launch as a paid add-on available only to Spotify’s Premium subscribers and will offer a revenue share with participating artists for the AI-generated music based on their work.
The company did not share pricing or a launch date for the new tool, only that the two companies had come to a licensing agreement. However, Spotify had teased its plans last year, noting that it was working with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, Merlin, and Believe to develop artist-first AI products.
The AI tools would be created through “upfront agreements, not by asking for forgiveness later,” Spotify said at the time, an obvious swipe at other players in the space, like Suno.
Among the principles Spotify outlined: artists and rightsholders should be able to choose if and how they participate in AI tools, and if they do, they should be fairly compensated.
“Solving hard problems for music is what Spotify does, and fan-made covers and remixes are next. What we’re building is grounded in consent, credit, and compensation for the artists and songwriters that take part,” said Spotify co-CEO Alex Norström, in a statement about the UMG agreement. “Through each technological transformation, we have worked together with Sir Lucian [Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group] and his team to evolve the music ecosystem into a richer, more beneficial experience for fans and a more rewarding outcome for artists and songwriters.”
UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge, meanwhile, touted the development as a way for artists to deepen their fan relationships while also creating additional revenue opportunities. There’s no word yet on which UMG artists have agreed to participate.
While services like Suno and Udio have been pioneers in the AI music space, they moved forward on shaky legal ground when building their AI music-making tools. Unsurprisingly, the major labels quickly sued. In November, Suno ended up settling a $500 million lawsuit with Warner Music Group, which came shortly after Universal Music Group (UMG) had settled its own suit with Udio.
Seeing demand for this type of activity from consumers, Spotify went straight to the labels for a deal of its own. UMG may be the first of many label partnerships to come, though the company didn’t outright say so.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
#Spotify #Universal #Music #strike #deal #allowing #fanmade #covers #remixes #TechCrunchSpotify,AI,ai music,universal music group">Spotify and Universal Music strike deal allowing fan-made AI covers and remixes | TechCrunch
Watch out, Suno. Spotify on Thursday announced it has partnered with Universal Music Group (UMG) to allow fans to use generative AI technology to create covers and remixes of their favorite songs. The tool will launch as a paid add-on available only to Spotify’s Premium subscribers and will offer a revenue share with participating artists for the AI-generated music based on their work.
The company did not share pricing or a launch date for the new tool, only that the two companies had come to a licensing agreement. However, Spotify had teased its plans last year, noting that it was working with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, Merlin, and Believe to develop artist-first AI products.
The AI tools would be created through “upfront agreements, not by asking for forgiveness later,” Spotify said at the time, an obvious swipe at other players in the space, like Suno.
Among the principles Spotify outlined: artists and rightsholders should be able to choose if and how they participate in AI tools, and if they do, they should be fairly compensated.
“Solving hard problems for music is what Spotify does, and fan-made covers and remixes are next. What we’re building is grounded in consent, credit, and compensation for the artists and songwriters that take part,” said Spotify co-CEO Alex Norström, in a statement about the UMG agreement. “Through each technological transformation, we have worked together with Sir Lucian [Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group] and his team to evolve the music ecosystem into a richer, more beneficial experience for fans and a more rewarding outcome for artists and songwriters.”
UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge, meanwhile, touted the development as a way for artists to deepen their fan relationships while also creating additional revenue opportunities. There’s no word yet on which UMG artists have agreed to participate.
While services like Suno and Udio have been pioneers in the AI music space, they moved forward on shaky legal ground when building their AI music-making tools. Unsurprisingly, the major labels quickly sued. In November, Suno ended up settling a $500 million lawsuit with Warner Music Group, which came shortly after Universal Music Group (UMG) had settled its own suit with Udio.
Seeing demand for this type of activity from consumers, Spotify went straight to the labels for a deal of its own. UMG may be the first of many label partnerships to come, though the company didn’t outright say so.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
#Spotify #Universal #Music #strike #deal #allowing #fanmade #covers #remixes #TechCrunchSpotify,AI,ai music,universal music group
Watch out, Suno. Spotify on Thursday announced it has partnered with Universal Music Group (UMG)…
KRAFTON has officially rolled out the BGMI 4.4 update in India as the game celebrates its 5th anniversary in the country. The latest update introduces more than just new gameplay content, as it focuses heavily on creativity, community participation, collaborations, and anniversary celebrations. With features like the BGMI Design Contest Spin, players are now becoming part of the game’s development journey, showing how BGMI is slowly evolving into a larger entertainment and creator platform.
The BGMI Design Contest Spin is a new event that runs from June 16 to July 17, 2026. Through this event, players can collect seven cosmetic items created by members of the BGMI community. One of the special rewards in Spin is Fortune Teller AWM skin. By introducing cosmetics designed by gamers as premium products, BGMI pays closer attention to the creativity of its community.
Glacier Spin and Mummy Crate
The popular Glacier Spin event is set to return to BGMI from May 26 to June 1, 2026. The main attraction of the event is the M416 skin, which has become known as the most famous weapon skin in BGMI over time. Players will also get one final chance to use the UC option during this Spin event. Before BGMI turns 5 in India, KRAFTON will also introduce the AKM Glacier skin in the Classic Crate for a limited time.
As part of the BGMI 4.4 update, the Mummy Crate event is returning with several exclusive cosmetic rewards. The highlight of the event is the new Chaosphage Set and the Chaos Calamity AWM skin. Popular returning skins, including Psychophage and Inferno Fiend, will also make a comeback for players. Apart from this, the Spartan King Gold Spin will feature an upgradeable M1 Garand skin along with other returning Gold skins in BGMI.
Hero’s Crown Theme Mode Explained
Hero’s Crown is the latest themed mode arriving in BGMI through the 4.4 update. The mode draws inspiration from Greek mythology and introduces a floating location called Crown’s Abode. Inside the mode, players can experience both PvP battles against other teams and PvE gameplay through boss encounters. One of the main attractions is the Helios boss fight, where players can earn Glory points by completing various trials and objectives. The update also adds mythology-themed weapons and new gameplay activities.
Furthermore, the Dinoground Theme Mode is expected to launch in BGMI with the 4.4 update for the first time. It has been reported by KRAFTON that the Dinoground Theme Mode will only be available in the Erangel map of the game.
New Brand and Creator Collaborations Arrive in BGMI 4.4
With the recent update, KRAFTON is enhancing its collaborations with BGMI and international and local companies. Players will be able to ride unique vehicles created in collaboration with Ford Motor Company and Harley-Davidson.
Alongside the vehicle collaborations, BGMI is also adding creator voice packs to the game. Bhuvan Bam’s voice pack will launch through a Spin event, while Ravi Gupta will receive his own QV Spin event later in the update cycle. These additions highlight BGMI’s growing focus on entertainment and creator-driven content.
BGMI 4.4 Update: Key Dates and Events
May 20: Ford Collaboration and Hellenistic Theme Mode launch; Eid Mubarak Login Event begins
May 22: Blue Lock Collaboration launches
May 26: Glacier Spin launches with UC option (through June 1)
May 27: Spartan King Gold Spin launches; Festival Special DSB begins
May 28: Toxic Exchange Event begins
May 29: Harley-Davidson Special Crate and Buddy Spin launch
Jun 2: Toxic Voice Pack Crate launches
Jun 5: Gemini’s Favor Blessing Gold Spin launches (through September 1)
Jun 8: Dinoground Theme Mode – first-ever BGMI release on Erangel
Jun 25: 5th Anniversary Exchange Event begins on Erangel and Livik
Jun 28: AKM Glacier in Classic Crate (through July 2)
Jul 1 & 5: 5th Anniversary Fireworks Display – 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM IST
Jul 2: BGMI 5th Anniversary
Jul 3: Mummy Crate launches (through September 1)
As BGMI completes five years in India on July 2, 2026, KRAFTON is preparing several anniversary-themed activities for players. The company stated that the game has surpassed 260 million downloads in India over the past five years. Players will be able to join the 5th Anniversary Exchange Event to collect rewards and special anniversary items. Fireworks celebrations scheduled for July 1 and July 5 will further add to the in-game festivities.
KRAFTON has officially rolled out the BGMI 4.4 update in India as the game celebrates its 5th anniversary in the country. The latest update introduces more than just new gameplay content, as it focuses heavily on creativity, community participation, collaborations, and anniversary celebrations. With features like the BGMI Design Contest Spin, players are now becoming part of the game’s development journey, showing how BGMI is slowly evolving into a larger entertainment and creator platform.
The BGMI Design Contest Spin is a new event that runs from June 16 to July 17, 2026. Through this event, players can collect seven cosmetic items created by members of the BGMI community. One of the special rewards in Spin is Fortune Teller AWM skin. By introducing cosmetics designed by gamers as premium products, BGMI pays closer attention to the creativity of its community.
Glacier Spin and Mummy Crate
The popular Glacier Spin event is set to return to BGMI from May 26 to June 1, 2026. The main attraction of the event is the M416 skin, which has become known as the most famous weapon skin in BGMI over time. Players will also get one final chance to use the UC option during this Spin event. Before BGMI turns 5 in India, KRAFTON will also introduce the AKM Glacier skin in the Classic Crate for a limited time.
As part of the BGMI 4.4 update, the Mummy Crate event is returning with several exclusive cosmetic rewards. The highlight of the event is the new Chaosphage Set and the Chaos Calamity AWM skin. Popular returning skins, including Psychophage and Inferno Fiend, will also make a comeback for players. Apart from this, the Spartan King Gold Spin will feature an upgradeable M1 Garand skin along with other returning Gold skins in BGMI.
Hero’s Crown Theme Mode Explained
Hero’s Crown is the latest themed mode arriving in BGMI through the 4.4 update. The mode draws inspiration from Greek mythology and introduces a floating location called Crown’s Abode. Inside the mode, players can experience both PvP battles against other teams and PvE gameplay through boss encounters. One of the main attractions is the Helios boss fight, where players can earn Glory points by completing various trials and objectives. The update also adds mythology-themed weapons and new gameplay activities.
Furthermore, the Dinoground Theme Mode is expected to launch in BGMI with the 4.4 update for the first time. It has been reported by KRAFTON that the Dinoground Theme Mode will only be available in the Erangel map of the game.
New Brand and Creator Collaborations Arrive in BGMI 4.4
With the recent update, KRAFTON is enhancing its collaborations with BGMI and international and local companies. Players will be able to ride unique vehicles created in collaboration with Ford Motor Company and Harley-Davidson.
Alongside the vehicle collaborations, BGMI is also adding creator voice packs to the game. Bhuvan Bam’s voice pack will launch through a Spin event, while Ravi Gupta will receive his own QV Spin event later in the update cycle. These additions highlight BGMI’s growing focus on entertainment and creator-driven content.
BGMI 4.4 Update: Key Dates and Events
May 20: Ford Collaboration and Hellenistic Theme Mode launch; Eid Mubarak Login Event begins
May 22: Blue Lock Collaboration launches
May 26: Glacier Spin launches with UC option (through June 1)
May 27: Spartan King Gold Spin launches; Festival Special DSB begins
May 28: Toxic Exchange Event begins
May 29: Harley-Davidson Special Crate and Buddy Spin launch
Jun 2: Toxic Voice Pack Crate launches
Jun 5: Gemini’s Favor Blessing Gold Spin launches (through September 1)
Jun 8: Dinoground Theme Mode – first-ever BGMI release on Erangel
Jun 25: 5th Anniversary Exchange Event begins on Erangel and Livik
Jun 28: AKM Glacier in Classic Crate (through July 2)
Jul 1 & 5: 5th Anniversary Fireworks Display – 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM IST
Jul 2: BGMI 5th Anniversary
Jul 3: Mummy Crate launches (through September 1)
As BGMI completes five years in India on July 2, 2026, KRAFTON is preparing several anniversary-themed activities for players. The company stated that the game has surpassed 260 million downloads in India over the past five years. Players will be able to join the 5th Anniversary Exchange Event to collect rewards and special anniversary items. Fireworks celebrations scheduled for July 1 and July 5 will further add to the in-game festivities.
#BGMI #Update #Glacier #M416 #Mummy #Crate #Dinoground #FeaturesBGMI,Krafton">BGMI 4.4 Update: Glacier M416, Mummy Crate, Dinoground & All New Features
KRAFTON has officially rolled out the BGMI 4.4 update in India as the game celebrates its 5th anniversary in the country. The latest update introduces more than just new gameplay content, as it focuses heavily on creativity, community participation, collaborations, and anniversary celebrations. With features like the BGMI Design Contest Spin, players are now becoming part of the game’s development journey, showing how BGMI is slowly evolving into a larger entertainment and creator platform.
The BGMI Design Contest Spin is a new event that runs from June 16 to July 17, 2026. Through this event, players can collect seven cosmetic items created by members of the BGMI community. One of the special rewards in Spin is Fortune Teller AWM skin. By introducing cosmetics designed by gamers as premium products, BGMI pays closer attention to the creativity of its community.
Glacier Spin and Mummy Crate
The popular Glacier Spin event is set to return to BGMI from May 26 to June 1, 2026. The main attraction of the event is the M416 skin, which has become known as the most famous weapon skin in BGMI over time. Players will also get one final chance to use the UC option during this Spin event. Before BGMI turns 5 in India, KRAFTON will also introduce the AKM Glacier skin in the Classic Crate for a limited time.
As part of the BGMI 4.4 update, the Mummy Crate event is returning with several exclusive cosmetic rewards. The highlight of the event is the new Chaosphage Set and the Chaos Calamity AWM skin. Popular returning skins, including Psychophage and Inferno Fiend, will also make a comeback for players. Apart from this, the Spartan King Gold Spin will feature an upgradeable M1 Garand skin along with other returning Gold skins in BGMI.
Hero’s Crown Theme Mode Explained
Hero’s Crown is the latest themed mode arriving in BGMI through the 4.4 update. The mode draws inspiration from Greek mythology and introduces a floating location called Crown’s Abode. Inside the mode, players can experience both PvP battles against other teams and PvE gameplay through boss encounters. One of the main attractions is the Helios boss fight, where players can earn Glory points by completing various trials and objectives. The update also adds mythology-themed weapons and new gameplay activities.
Furthermore, the Dinoground Theme Mode is expected to launch in BGMI with the 4.4 update for the first time. It has been reported by KRAFTON that the Dinoground Theme Mode will only be available in the Erangel map of the game.
New Brand and Creator Collaborations Arrive in BGMI 4.4
With the recent update, KRAFTON is enhancing its collaborations with BGMI and international and local companies. Players will be able to ride unique vehicles created in collaboration with Ford Motor Company and Harley-Davidson.
Alongside the vehicle collaborations, BGMI is also adding creator voice packs to the game. Bhuvan Bam’s voice pack will launch through a Spin event, while Ravi Gupta will receive his own QV Spin event later in the update cycle. These additions highlight BGMI’s growing focus on entertainment and creator-driven content.
BGMI 4.4 Update: Key Dates and Events
May 20: Ford Collaboration and Hellenistic Theme Mode launch; Eid Mubarak Login Event begins
May 22: Blue Lock Collaboration launches
May 26: Glacier Spin launches with UC option (through June 1)
May 27: Spartan King Gold Spin launches; Festival Special DSB begins
May 28: Toxic Exchange Event begins
May 29: Harley-Davidson Special Crate and Buddy Spin launch
Jun 2: Toxic Voice Pack Crate launches
Jun 5: Gemini’s Favor Blessing Gold Spin launches (through September 1)
Jun 8: Dinoground Theme Mode – first-ever BGMI release on Erangel
Jun 25: 5th Anniversary Exchange Event begins on Erangel and Livik
Jun 28: AKM Glacier in Classic Crate (through July 2)
Jul 1 & 5: 5th Anniversary Fireworks Display – 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM IST
Jul 2: BGMI 5th Anniversary
Jul 3: Mummy Crate launches (through September 1)
As BGMI completes five years in India on July 2, 2026, KRAFTON is preparing several anniversary-themed activities for players. The company stated that the game has surpassed 260 million downloads in India over the past five years. Players will be able to join the 5th Anniversary Exchange Event to collect rewards and special anniversary items. Fireworks celebrations scheduled for July 1 and July 5 will further add to the in-game festivities.
KRAFTON has officially rolled out the BGMI 4.4 update in India as the game celebrates…
When there was social media chatter on Monday about an AI-written short story supposedly having won a “prestigious literary prize,” I opted not to blog about it. I hadn’t heard of the Commonwealth Prize, so how prestigious was it really? Plus, there was nothing even close to proof of what was being alleged—just some complaints, and people trying to prove their point with extremely fallible AI detectors.
And if you’ve gotten this far into a blog post about a short story, you might as well read the short story and form your own opinion. It’s called The Serpent in the Grove, and credited to the author Jamir Nazir. It’s not paywalled, and is available on the Granta website.
How did you feel when you read the sentence, “Outside, little Puttie – three years old, sun-dark, bright-eyed – chased a yard fowl through dust, his laughter like water over pebbles”? I’m guessing you scoffed, perceiving many AI tropes. You might have sensed these even if you came to the story cold, but then again you might not have. Be honest: you probably wouldn’t have read a short story today at all if there were no scandal.
But here’s a section that seems less likely to have been written by AI:
Puttie, carrying his father in shoulders and his mother in steadiness, walks there when work shatters him. He stops short of the ring out of respect turned habit. He listens: the brook language of leaves, sun’s thin hiss, a creak where wood learns to pretend to be a board and is tired of pretending.
This is too stylized and playful with grammar to be a typical AI output. But what does that mean exactly to someone who thinks an AI model wrote the story? Does it disprove the whole notion of AI authorship? Does it just mean the human author embellished certain parts? Or do you maybe feel like you could get an AI model to write like that, particularly if you fed it an example?
Sigrid Rausing, the publisher of Granta, released a puzzling, ambiguous statement about the AI accusations, writing, in part, “It may be that the judges have now awarded a prize to an instance of AI plagiarism – we don’t yet know, and perhaps we never will know.” But her statement also says she fed the story into Claude, and it zeroed in on the more human-seeming parts, saying they contain “off-shape specificity” and that AI could potentially have been used to “elaborate around” those parts.
But then again, wow, truly who cares what Claude thinks about this?
The director-general of the foundation that administers the Commonwealth Prize, Razmi Farook, spoke to the New York Times, and also kept things pretty ambiguous, saying her organization has, “taken stock of the comments,” and that there’d been some internal soul-searching “to see if we feel that our process to date has been robust enough.” While her foundation is “confident in the rigor” of its AI-checking process, they note that this is an “evolving technological environment.”
There are now other stories on the Granta website being accused of AI plagiarism online, and Granta has added a note to all the Commonwealth Prize winners, saying in part, “The suggestion that writers have submitted material not authentically their own is a charge we take seriously, but until definite evidence comes to light we will keep these stories on our website.”
But despite some early accusations to the contrary, Jamir Nazir does appear to be a real person, based in Trinidad and Tobago. If he did use AI to write the story, the “prestigious” award paid more in prestige than money. He got £2,500 for his trouble, since he was the Caribbean regional prizewinner. The all-around winner, who gets £5,000, won’t be announced until June 30.
From the intensity of the discussions online, particularly on book subreddits, it does seem like, eventually, someone is going to track down Nazir and get him to either confess or write a legal affidavit signed in blood swearing he wrote it all himself.
At any rate, it’s doubtful the people who are upset about this are going to get the vindication they want. Even if Nazir is guilty, he can just deny, or—more in keeping with what people in this situation tend to do—claim he took suggestions here and there from an LLM, but that he’s still the true author.
In the meantime people sure have a lot of strong opinions about a short story. And if the truth is that Nazir just kinda writes like an LLM, what a way to find out.
When there was social media chatter on Monday about an AI-written short story supposedly having won a “prestigious literary prize,” I opted not to blog about it. I hadn’t heard of the Commonwealth Prize, so how prestigious was it really? Plus, there was nothing even close to proof of what was being alleged—just some complaints, and people trying to prove their point with extremely fallible AI detectors.
And if you’ve gotten this far into a blog post about a short story, you might as well read the short story and form your own opinion. It’s called The Serpent in the Grove, and credited to the author Jamir Nazir. It’s not paywalled, and is available on the Granta website.
How did you feel when you read the sentence, “Outside, little Puttie – three years old, sun-dark, bright-eyed – chased a yard fowl through dust, his laughter like water over pebbles”? I’m guessing you scoffed, perceiving many AI tropes. You might have sensed these even if you came to the story cold, but then again you might not have. Be honest: you probably wouldn’t have read a short story today at all if there were no scandal.
But here’s a section that seems less likely to have been written by AI:
Puttie, carrying his father in shoulders and his mother in steadiness, walks there when work shatters him. He stops short of the ring out of respect turned habit. He listens: the brook language of leaves, sun’s thin hiss, a creak where wood learns to pretend to be a board and is tired of pretending.
This is too stylized and playful with grammar to be a typical AI output. But what does that mean exactly to someone who thinks an AI model wrote the story? Does it disprove the whole notion of AI authorship? Does it just mean the human author embellished certain parts? Or do you maybe feel like you could get an AI model to write like that, particularly if you fed it an example?
Sigrid Rausing, the publisher of Granta, released a puzzling, ambiguous statement about the AI accusations, writing, in part, “It may be that the judges have now awarded a prize to an instance of AI plagiarism – we don’t yet know, and perhaps we never will know.” But her statement also says she fed the story into Claude, and it zeroed in on the more human-seeming parts, saying they contain “off-shape specificity” and that AI could potentially have been used to “elaborate around” those parts.
But then again, wow, truly who cares what Claude thinks about this?
The director-general of the foundation that administers the Commonwealth Prize, Razmi Farook, spoke to the New York Times, and also kept things pretty ambiguous, saying her organization has, “taken stock of the comments,” and that there’d been some internal soul-searching “to see if we feel that our process to date has been robust enough.” While her foundation is “confident in the rigor” of its AI-checking process, they note that this is an “evolving technological environment.”
There are now other stories on the Granta website being accused of AI plagiarism online, and Granta has added a note to all the Commonwealth Prize winners, saying in part, “The suggestion that writers have submitted material not authentically their own is a charge we take seriously, but until definite evidence comes to light we will keep these stories on our website.”
But despite some early accusations to the contrary, Jamir Nazir does appear to be a real person, based in Trinidad and Tobago. If he did use AI to write the story, the “prestigious” award paid more in prestige than money. He got £2,500 for his trouble, since he was the Caribbean regional prizewinner. The all-around winner, who gets £5,000, won’t be announced until June 30.
From the intensity of the discussions online, particularly on book subreddits, it does seem like, eventually, someone is going to track down Nazir and get him to either confess or write a legal affidavit signed in blood swearing he wrote it all himself.
At any rate, it’s doubtful the people who are upset about this are going to get the vindication they want. Even if Nazir is guilty, he can just deny, or—more in keeping with what people in this situation tend to do—claim he took suggestions here and there from an LLM, but that he’s still the true author.
In the meantime people sure have a lot of strong opinions about a short story. And if the truth is that Nazir just kinda writes like an LLM, what a way to find out.
#Scandal #Supposedly #AIWritten #AwardWinning #Short #Story #TroublingArtificial intelligence,Fiction,literature">The Scandal Over a Supposedly AI-Written, Award-Winning Short Story Is Troubling. Or Just Mean?
When there was social media chatter on Monday about an AI-written short story supposedly having won a “prestigious literary prize,” I opted not to blog about it. I hadn’t heard of the Commonwealth Prize, so how prestigious was it really? Plus, there was nothing even close to proof of what was being alleged—just some complaints, and people trying to prove their point with extremely fallible AI detectors.
And if you’ve gotten this far into a blog post about a short story, you might as well read the short story and form your own opinion. It’s called The Serpent in the Grove, and credited to the author Jamir Nazir. It’s not paywalled, and is available on the Granta website.
How did you feel when you read the sentence, “Outside, little Puttie – three years old, sun-dark, bright-eyed – chased a yard fowl through dust, his laughter like water over pebbles”? I’m guessing you scoffed, perceiving many AI tropes. You might have sensed these even if you came to the story cold, but then again you might not have. Be honest: you probably wouldn’t have read a short story today at all if there were no scandal.
But here’s a section that seems less likely to have been written by AI:
Puttie, carrying his father in shoulders and his mother in steadiness, walks there when work shatters him. He stops short of the ring out of respect turned habit. He listens: the brook language of leaves, sun’s thin hiss, a creak where wood learns to pretend to be a board and is tired of pretending.
This is too stylized and playful with grammar to be a typical AI output. But what does that mean exactly to someone who thinks an AI model wrote the story? Does it disprove the whole notion of AI authorship? Does it just mean the human author embellished certain parts? Or do you maybe feel like you could get an AI model to write like that, particularly if you fed it an example?
Sigrid Rausing, the publisher of Granta, released a puzzling, ambiguous statement about the AI accusations, writing, in part, “It may be that the judges have now awarded a prize to an instance of AI plagiarism – we don’t yet know, and perhaps we never will know.” But her statement also says she fed the story into Claude, and it zeroed in on the more human-seeming parts, saying they contain “off-shape specificity” and that AI could potentially have been used to “elaborate around” those parts.
But then again, wow, truly who cares what Claude thinks about this?
The director-general of the foundation that administers the Commonwealth Prize, Razmi Farook, spoke to the New York Times, and also kept things pretty ambiguous, saying her organization has, “taken stock of the comments,” and that there’d been some internal soul-searching “to see if we feel that our process to date has been robust enough.” While her foundation is “confident in the rigor” of its AI-checking process, they note that this is an “evolving technological environment.”
There are now other stories on the Granta website being accused of AI plagiarism online, and Granta has added a note to all the Commonwealth Prize winners, saying in part, “The suggestion that writers have submitted material not authentically their own is a charge we take seriously, but until definite evidence comes to light we will keep these stories on our website.”
But despite some early accusations to the contrary, Jamir Nazir does appear to be a real person, based in Trinidad and Tobago. If he did use AI to write the story, the “prestigious” award paid more in prestige than money. He got £2,500 for his trouble, since he was the Caribbean regional prizewinner. The all-around winner, who gets £5,000, won’t be announced until June 30.
From the intensity of the discussions online, particularly on book subreddits, it does seem like, eventually, someone is going to track down Nazir and get him to either confess or write a legal affidavit signed in blood swearing he wrote it all himself.
At any rate, it’s doubtful the people who are upset about this are going to get the vindication they want. Even if Nazir is guilty, he can just deny, or—more in keeping with what people in this situation tend to do—claim he took suggestions here and there from an LLM, but that he’s still the true author.
In the meantime people sure have a lot of strong opinions about a short story. And if the truth is that Nazir just kinda writes like an LLM, what a way to find out.
Recently, the wellness brand has expanded beyond its flagship wheels into recovery gear. The lineup now includes powered rolling massagers (which I’ve been using a lot lately for back pain relief), TENS units, and even a full massage table (Chirp Contour) that I’m currently testing (stay tuned for the full review). Where Chirp stands out from heavyweights like Hyperice and Therabody is in its simplicity and value. The products tend to focus on doing one thing well rather than piling on features you may never use. Chirp promos and discounts run frequently on the Chirp website, and we have Chirp discount codes, so you can get an even better deal on recovery gear that’s already reasonably priced.
Save up to 67% on Chirp Products With Daily Deals
I like checking Chirp’s Daily Deals page because the exclusive offers rotate frequently, and you can save as much as 67%. I’ve spotted the Chirp Wheel XR 3-Pack on there, but you’ll also find different versions of the wheel, along with storage accessories. Some wheels skip the pressure-point nodes, which can feel better if you’re focusing on improving spinal mobility and flexibility rather than digging into stubborn knots. If the Chirp RPM Mini pops up at a special discount, it’s worth considering for your first purchase. It’s essentially an electric roller that kneads muscles more gently than most percussive massage guns; it also comes with a carrying case, so you can toss it in a bag and take it with you.
Get a Free Chirp Wheel+ Deep Tissue 2-Pack When You Spend $99 or More
Spend $99 or more, and Chirp will throw in a complimentary Chirp Wheel+ Deep Tissue 2-Pack, which retails for $75. The bundle includes two wheels: a 6-inch Deep Tissue Wheel designed for larger muscle groups and a 4-inch Focus Wheel meant to target trigger points in the neck and other small areas. You’ll need to sign up for the email newsletter to claim the freebie before adding it to your order.
Get Free Shipping on Chirp Orders Over $75
Chirp customers receive free shipping on U.S. orders over $75, and the perk stacks with the brand’s daily deals and most codes. If you time it right, you can shave a decent chunk off the final price. No promo code at checkout required.
Chirp Discount Code: Select Customers Can Get 15% Off
Chirp offers a 15% discount to certain groups through an online verification process. That includes: active-duty military personnel, veterans, and their dependents; first responders and law enforcement officers; medical professionals and healthcare workers; and teachers and academic administrators at any grade level.
Get up to 50% Off Refurbished Chirp Products
If you’re looking to save money, check out Chirp’s refurbished collection. These open-box units may show minor cosmetic wear from previous use, but they’re still fully functional. Inventory changes frequently, and the best deals tend to sell out fast, so it’s worth snagging as soon as it’s available. Keep in mind that refurbished items can’t be returned. Any other order you place sitewide is covered by a 30-day return policy.
Recently, the wellness brand has expanded beyond its flagship wheels into recovery gear. The lineup now includes powered rolling massagers (which I’ve been using a lot lately for back pain relief), TENS units, and even a full massage table (Chirp Contour) that I’m currently testing (stay tuned for the full review). Where Chirp stands out from heavyweights like Hyperice and Therabody is in its simplicity and value. The products tend to focus on doing one thing well rather than piling on features you may never use. Chirp promos and discounts run frequently on the Chirp website, and we have Chirp discount codes, so you can get an even better deal on recovery gear that’s already reasonably priced.
Save up to 67% on Chirp Products With Daily Deals
I like checking Chirp’s Daily Deals page because the exclusive offers rotate frequently, and you can save as much as 67%. I’ve spotted the Chirp Wheel XR 3-Pack on there, but you’ll also find different versions of the wheel, along with storage accessories. Some wheels skip the pressure-point nodes, which can feel better if you’re focusing on improving spinal mobility and flexibility rather than digging into stubborn knots. If the Chirp RPM Mini pops up at a special discount, it’s worth considering for your first purchase. It’s essentially an electric roller that kneads muscles more gently than most percussive massage guns; it also comes with a carrying case, so you can toss it in a bag and take it with you.
Get a Free Chirp Wheel+ Deep Tissue 2-Pack When You Spend $99 or More
Spend $99 or more, and Chirp will throw in a complimentary Chirp Wheel+ Deep Tissue 2-Pack, which retails for $75. The bundle includes two wheels: a 6-inch Deep Tissue Wheel designed for larger muscle groups and a 4-inch Focus Wheel meant to target trigger points in the neck and other small areas. You’ll need to sign up for the email newsletter to claim the freebie before adding it to your order.
Get Free Shipping on Chirp Orders Over $75
Chirp customers receive free shipping on U.S. orders over $75, and the perk stacks with the brand’s daily deals and most codes. If you time it right, you can shave a decent chunk off the final price. No promo code at checkout required.
Chirp Discount Code: Select Customers Can Get 15% Off
Chirp offers a 15% discount to certain groups through an online verification process. That includes: active-duty military personnel, veterans, and their dependents; first responders and law enforcement officers; medical professionals and healthcare workers; and teachers and academic administrators at any grade level.
Get up to 50% Off Refurbished Chirp Products
If you’re looking to save money, check out Chirp’s refurbished collection. These open-box units may show minor cosmetic wear from previous use, but they’re still fully functional. Inventory changes frequently, and the best deals tend to sell out fast, so it’s worth snagging as soon as it’s available. Keep in mind that refurbished items can’t be returned. Any other order you place sitewide is covered by a 30-day return policy.
#Top #Chirp #Discount #Codescoupons,shopping">Top Chirp Discount Codes: Up to 67% Off
Chirp reinvented the wheel—or at least one type, the yoga wheel. Chirp Wheels are effective in relieving upper and lower back pain, sciatica, and tension headaches. WIRED contributor Hannah Singleton has said the Chirp Wheel XR-3 Pack has even helped undo her tech neck and alleviate her brain fog.
Recently, the wellness brand has expanded beyond its flagship wheels into recovery gear. The lineup now includes powered rolling massagers (which I’ve been using a lot lately for back pain relief), TENS units, and even a full massage table (Chirp Contour) that I’m currently testing (stay tuned for the full review). Where Chirp stands out from heavyweights like Hyperice and Therabody is in its simplicity and value. The products tend to focus on doing one thing well rather than piling on features you may never use. Chirp promos and discounts run frequently on the Chirp website, and we have Chirp discount codes, so you can get an even better deal on recovery gear that’s already reasonably priced.
Save up to 67% on Chirp Products With Daily Deals
I like checking Chirp’s Daily Deals page because the exclusive offers rotate frequently, and you can save as much as 67%. I’ve spotted the Chirp Wheel XR 3-Pack on there, but you’ll also find different versions of the wheel, along with storage accessories. Some wheels skip the pressure-point nodes, which can feel better if you’re focusing on improving spinal mobility and flexibility rather than digging into stubborn knots. If the Chirp RPM Mini pops up at a special discount, it’s worth considering for your first purchase. It’s essentially an electric roller that kneads muscles more gently than most percussive massage guns; it also comes with a carrying case, so you can toss it in a bag and take it with you.
Get a Free Chirp Wheel+ Deep Tissue 2-Pack When You Spend $99 or More
Spend $99 or more, and Chirp will throw in a complimentary Chirp Wheel+ Deep Tissue 2-Pack, which retails for $75. The bundle includes two wheels: a 6-inch Deep Tissue Wheel designed for larger muscle groups and a 4-inch Focus Wheel meant to target trigger points in the neck and other small areas. You’ll need to sign up for the email newsletter to claim the freebie before adding it to your order.
Get Free Shipping on Chirp Orders Over $75
Chirp customers receive free shipping on U.S. orders over $75, and the perk stacks with the brand’s daily deals and most codes. If you time it right, you can shave a decent chunk off the final price. No promo code at checkout required.
Chirp Discount Code: Select Customers Can Get 15% Off
Chirp offers a 15% discount to certain groups through an online verification process. That includes: active-duty military personnel, veterans, and their dependents; first responders and law enforcement officers; medical professionals and healthcare workers; and teachers and academic administrators at any grade level.
Get up to 50% Off Refurbished Chirp Products
If you’re looking to save money, check out Chirp’s refurbished collection. These open-box units may show minor cosmetic wear from previous use, but they’re still fully functional. Inventory changes frequently, and the best deals tend to sell out fast, so it’s worth snagging as soon as it’s available. Keep in mind that refurbished items can’t be returned. Any other order you place sitewide is covered by a 30-day return policy.
#Top #Chirp #Discount #Codescoupons,shopping
Chirp reinvented the wheel—or at least one type, the yoga wheel. Chirp Wheels are effective…
![Spotify and Universal Music strike deal allowing fan-made AI covers and remixes | TechCrunch
Watch out, Suno. Spotify on Thursday announced it has partnered with Universal Music Group (UMG) to allow fans to use generative AI technology to create covers and remixes of their favorite songs. The tool will launch as a paid add-on available only to Spotify’s Premium subscribers and will offer a revenue share with participating artists for the AI-generated music based on their work.
The company did not share pricing or a launch date for the new tool, only that the two companies had come to a licensing agreement. However, Spotify had teased its plans last year, noting that it was working with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, Merlin, and Believe to develop artist-first AI products.
The AI tools would be created through “upfront agreements, not by asking for forgiveness later,” Spotify said at the time, an obvious swipe at other players in the space, like Suno.
Among the principles Spotify outlined: artists and rightsholders should be able to choose if and how they participate in AI tools, and if they do, they should be fairly compensated.
“Solving hard problems for music is what Spotify does, and fan-made covers and remixes are next. What we’re building is grounded in consent, credit, and compensation for the artists and songwriters that take part,” said Spotify co-CEO Alex Norström, in a statement about the UMG agreement. “Through each technological transformation, we have worked together with Sir Lucian [Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group] and his team to evolve the music ecosystem into a richer, more beneficial experience for fans and a more rewarding outcome for artists and songwriters.”
UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge, meanwhile, touted the development as a way for artists to deepen their fan relationships while also creating additional revenue opportunities. There’s no word yet on which UMG artists have agreed to participate.
While services like Suno and Udio have been pioneers in the AI music space, they moved forward on shaky legal ground when building their AI music-making tools. Unsurprisingly, the major labels quickly sued. In November, Suno ended up settling a 0 million lawsuit with Warner Music Group, which came shortly after Universal Music Group (UMG) had settled its own suit with Udio.
Today, Suno is still facing copyright claims from UMG and Sony Music, among others. Udio, meanwhile, has settled with Warner Music and UMG, but is still working to settle with Sony.
Seeing demand for this type of activity from consumers, Spotify went straight to the labels for a deal of its own. UMG may be the first of many label partnerships to come, though the company didn’t outright say so.
The news was shared amid a slew of Investor Day announcements from Spotify on Thursday, which also included an AI-powered audiobook creation tool, AI-powered features for podcasters, a desktop app to produce personal podcasts via AI, and reserved concert tickets for top fans.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.#Spotify #Universal #Music #strike #deal #allowing #fanmade #covers #remixes #TechCrunchSpotify,AI,ai music,universal music group](https://i3.wp.com/techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/spotify-app-GettyImages-1689920063-e1702479483636.jpeg?resize=1200%2C676&ssl=1 "Spotify and Universal Music strike deal allowing fan-made AI covers and remixes | TechCrunch
Watch out, Suno. Spotify on Thursday announced it has partnered with Universal Music Group (UMG) to allow fans to use generative AI technology to create covers and remixes of their favorite songs. The tool will launch as a paid add-on available only to Spotify’s Premium subscribers and will offer a revenue share with participating artists for the AI-generated music based on their work.
The company did not share pricing or a launch date for the new tool, only that the two companies had come to a licensing agreement. However, Spotify had teased its plans last year, noting that it was working with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, Merlin, and Believe to develop artist-first AI products.
The AI tools would be created through “upfront agreements, not by asking for forgiveness later,” Spotify said at the time, an obvious swipe at other players in the space, like Suno.
Among the principles Spotify outlined: artists and rightsholders should be able to choose if and how they participate in AI tools, and if they do, they should be fairly compensated.
“Solving hard problems for music is what Spotify does, and fan-made covers and remixes are next. What we’re building is grounded in consent, credit, and compensation for the artists and songwriters that take part,” said Spotify co-CEO Alex Norström, in a statement about the UMG agreement. “Through each technological transformation, we have worked together with Sir Lucian [Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group] and his team to evolve the music ecosystem into a richer, more beneficial experience for fans and a more rewarding outcome for artists and songwriters.”
UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge, meanwhile, touted the development as a way for artists to deepen their fan relationships while also creating additional revenue opportunities. There’s no word yet on which UMG artists have agreed to participate.
While services like Suno and Udio have been pioneers in the AI music space, they moved forward on shaky legal ground when building their AI music-making tools. Unsurprisingly, the major labels quickly sued. In November, Suno ended up settling a 0 million lawsuit with Warner Music Group, which came shortly after Universal Music Group (UMG) had settled its own suit with Udio.
Today, Suno is still facing copyright claims from UMG and Sony Music, among others. Udio, meanwhile, has settled with Warner Music and UMG, but is still working to settle with Sony.
Seeing demand for this type of activity from consumers, Spotify went straight to the labels for a deal of its own. UMG may be the first of many label partnerships to come, though the company didn’t outright say so.
The news was shared amid a slew of Investor Day announcements from Spotify on Thursday, which also included an AI-powered audiobook creation tool, AI-powered features for podcasters, a desktop app to produce personal podcasts via AI, and reserved concert tickets for top fans.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.#Spotify #Universal #Music #strike #deal #allowing #fanmade #covers #remixes #TechCrunchSpotify,AI,ai music,universal music group")
