Tech / Technology

The Beatles’ AI song ‘Now and Then’ gets a release date

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Members of the The Beatles were able to rerecord a song written and sung by John Lennon thanks to AI. The song ‘Now and Then’ now has a release date forty years after it was recorded.
The Beatles singles covers spread out in a collage

The Beatles broke up decades ago, and there are only two living members, but they’re about to drop a single.

On Thursday, the official Beatles website announced a song called “Now and Then.” But here’s the kicker: the tune was created with AI audio software that captures John Lennon’s vocals.

SEE ALSO:

AI helped make a song on ‘the last Beatles record’, McCartney says

When will ‘Now and Then’ get released?

The new Beatles song will drop on Nov. 2.

John Lennon wrote and record the demo before his assassination in 1980. Previous technological limitations couldn’t separate Lennon’s vocals from the piano, which rendered it unusable for sound engineering. However, AI software developed by director Peter Jackson (and his team behind The Beatles: Get Back) successfully isolated Lennon’s vocals, making it possible for The Beatles to jam in the studio one last time.

Did the Beatles consent to this AI-assisted song?

There have been controversies around the use of AI to create audio deepfakes, namely a song by anonymous creator Ghostwriter who used Drake and The Weeknd’s voices. But much of the outrage stems from a lack of consent. Conversely, the remaining members of the The Beatles were actively involved in bringing this AI-generated song to fruition.

“There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear. It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it. It’s a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023, to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s an exciting thing,” said Paul McCartney.

“It was the closest we’ll ever come to having him back in the room, so it was very emotional for all of us,” Ringo Starr added.

Teased in an interview with McCartney last June, Beatles fans have been anxiously awaiting more details about the song. Lennon had recorded a demo of the song with his vocals and piano in the ’70s, which was eventually given to the remaining members, McCartney, Starr, and George Harrison in the ’90s by Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono. The demo was shelved until Jackson’s docuseries unlocked new possibilities for extracting Lennon’s vocals.

WingNut Films, Jackson’s production company, developed a machine-audio learning (MAL) technology, which de-mixed the audio from the original documentary footage for Get Back. This enabled the filmmakers to isolate and re-mix instrument and vocal audio, including juicy snippets of conversation. By applying MAL technology to the demo, Jackson and his team got the audio quality needed to re-record the song with the remaining members of The Beatles.

Starr and McCartney completed the song in 2022 by adding their own parts and vocals. The song also incorporated guitar recordings from George Harrison who died in 2001.

“If he were here today, Dhani and I know he would have whole-heartedly joined Paul and Ringo in completing the recording of ‘Now And Then,'” Harrison’s widow Olivia said.

Tech / Technology

Elon Musk to employees: In a year, X could replace bank accounts

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In an all hands call with employees, Elon Musk shared his vision of X/Twitter becoming an all-encompassing finance hub.
Elon Musk

Elon Musk plans to turn X, formerly Twitter, into an all-encompassing financial hub that will fully replace the need for banks. And he plans to do it in a year’s time.

Musk shared his ideas in an all-hands call with employees on Thursday. The Verge heard the call’s audio recording and was the first to report it.

Musk plans to pivot X into fintech

Musk shared his ideas about offering several financial services on X before. In fact, he said it in his very first meeting with Twitter employees, but it looks like his ambitions have continued to grow.

“If it involves money. It’ll be on our platform. Money or securities or whatever. So, it’s not just like ‘send $20 to my friend.’ I’m talking about, like, you won’t need a bank account,” he said on Thursday. “It would blow my mind if we don’t have that rolled out by the end of next year.”

It’s no secret that the somewhat hasty rebranding of Twitter harkens back to X.com, Musk’s online banking project that merged with Confinity in 2000, which later became PayPal. And Musk believes his original vision for X.com is still feasible.

“The X/PayPal product roadmap was written by myself and David Sacks actually in July of 2000,” he said. “And for some reason PayPal, once it became eBay, not only did they not implement the rest of the list, but they actually rolled back a bunch of key features, which is crazy.”

In other words, loans, debit cards, savings – as well as the ability for users to send money to each other regardless of where they are – may all be under X’s umbrella one day.

In a recent blog post, CEO Linda Yaccarino briefly mentioned payments. “We want money on X to flow as freely as information and conversation. We have already secured first money transmitter licenses in several states, and we are moving toward launching a global payment system – more soon,” she wrote.

SEE ALSO:

Musk tanked Twitter in 12 months. Let that sink in.

Musk’s ideas don’t sound that otherworldly when you consider services such as WeChat, a China-based social media platform that also offers money transfers, payments, and other financial services. But it might be a tall order given that X’s daily active users are reportedly plummeting. Additionally, convincing users to switch to its paid tier has been challenging.

X claims that Premium subscribers spend three times longer on the platform than non-subscribers. Perhaps tellingly, the company doesn’t mention how many Premium subscribers have signed up so far.

Tech / Technology

Best headphones for under £100

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The best cheap headphones for under £100, including models from Sony and JBL.
A pair of green headphones on a green and pink background

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

What are the true essentials that every modern person needs? Water, food, oxygen, and oh yeah, a cracking set of headphones. Indeed, you can’t put a price on a great pair of headphones. Except for when you’re working on a budget. Sometimes you just have to put a price on them. In this case, £100 or less.

There is a common trap that a lot of shoppers fall into with headphones: The (false) notion that you need to spend big to get the best technology. Sure, you probably have a better guarantee with the most expensive devices from the biggest brands, but that doesn’t mean quality can’t be found at a more reasonable price point.

Switched-on shoppers will find deals on tech, including laptops, desktops, smartphones, and more, with just a little know-how. See below: You’ll also find great-sounding, tech-savvy headphones at low prices — without comprising on quality.

What’s the best headphones brand?

There are plenty of brands out there — from household name manufacturers to lesser-known audio wizards — offering big sound, total comfort, and serious style. You already know the big-name players such as Philips, Sony, Bose, and Apple. And sticking to the top brands always has plus points. You know you’re getting the best. There are however lots of other brands to consider. There’s great value and surprisingly good spec on offer from smaller brand names like JBL.

What are the most important headphones features?

Choosing a pair of affordable headphones doesn’t mean simply knowing where to get the lowest prices. It means knowing the key features and the spec that best suits your lifestyle and listening habits. Consider whether you prefer old school wired headphones or something that’s wireless and Bluetooth-equipped. Other features to research include built-in microphones for making calls, or apps that allow you to control the music levels and other functions. Also, check out what kind of drivers the headphones offer. Drivers are little bits of tech that convert electronic signals into sound. The best performing drivers within this price point are between 30mm-50mm. Look for performance across the range of frequencies — the highs, mids, and lows.

What is noise cancellation?

This is another important feature in up-to-date headphones. It’s pretty much as it sounds — a feature built into headphones that keeps out external noise, allowing you to fully immerse yourself into the music distraction-free. There are two basic kinds of noise cancellation: Passive and active noise cancelling.

Passive noise cancellation is achieved by the design and build of the headphones, which physically blocks out noise. This might include large over-ear cups that create a seal which prevents external sound seeping through.

Active noise cancellation (ANC) uses a system of small microphones which pick up in-coming sounds and create anti-noise sound waves to cancel them out. Advanced variations include noise cancelling which adapts to your surroundings — or can even be customised — and a transparency mode which allows certain sounds to bleed through, so you can tune back in to reality or have a conversation IRL.

Do closed-back or open-back headphones sound better?

“Closed-back” and “open-back” are other terms you may have come across. Closed-back headphones have hard-shell ear cups which direct the sound towards your ears and keep out external noise. They’re best for listening on-the move or in busy places. Open-back headphones have ventilation — usually with a mesh design on the ear cup — which allows sound to go both ways. This causes sound leakage both ways, but creates a more natural, realistic sound.

To the untrained ear, open-back sounds like a cheap alternative. But the open-back design is usually reserved for top, audiophile-friendly models because the sound is actually superior — closer to listening to a stereo or even a band playing live. At this price point, however, closed-back are more common.

What are the best headphones for under £100?

You could go and hunt down the best value headphones that the internet has to offer, but — fortunately for you — we’re absolute gluttons for audio-based punishment. We’ve done the hard work of tracking down the best headphones that go easy on your bank balance. Just choose the pair that sounds good.

These are the best headphones for under £100 in 2023.

Tech / Technology

Best wireless headphones for TV in 2023 (UK)

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The best wireless headphones for watching TV, including popular models from top brands like Sony and Bose.
Wireless headphones

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

There’s no doubt that watching TV is one of the all-time great hobbies. Who doesn’t love a good session in front of the box after a hard day’s work? But sometimes your home life can get in the way of your TV time. So, if you’re a proud TV addict, you need a pair of good headphones.

You might live in a busy household where people are constantly in and out, playing loudly around you, or are working on their own activities and hobbies. Simply put, your family or housemates might annoy the hell out of you when you’re trying enjoy your latest Netflix obsession. Or maybe you annoy them with your loud TV watching.

Thank goodness, then, for wireless headphones. Wireless headphones make it possible to fully immerse into a show or movie without bothering people around you.

Do you need headphones for watching TV?

Reasons for having headphones for the TV can vary. Perhaps viewers are hard of hearing, or maybe you don’t want to disturb everyone else in the house. In the day and age of everyone having different devices — often in the same room — it makes sense to have headphones for the TV. Even if you’re not using them all the time. And, hey, there’s always the option of getting a pair that double up for TV and everyday use.

What should you look for when buying headphones for the TV?

Sound is important when you’re buying any pair of headphones, but if you’re buying specifically for watching TV, you’ll need to consider the sort of things you’ll be watching. Will you need heavy bass for the rumbling carnage of action movies? Or nuanced detail for quieter, pensive moments? Or maybe all-round, un-fussy performance for casually watching sport and comedy?

If you’re relaxing in front of the TV, chances are you don’t want to actually be connected to the TV — what you need are wireless headphones.

What’s best, Bluetooth or radio frequency technology?

Most wireless headphones are Bluetooth-enabled, the standard technology these days for hooking your headphones to a smart device. It might be standard, but this is not necessarily the best tech for wirelessly watching TV. There might be some lag between what you’re watching on the screen and what you hear in your headphones, which means the picture and sound might be slightly out of sync. Bluetooth is a good option for podcasts or music on your smartphone or laptop, but it’s not always the best for watching TV.

Believe it or not, headphones that use old school radio frequency technology (RF) are excellent for watching TV because lag or latency is minuscule and virtually seamless between picture and audio. This doesn’t mean there aren’t good Bluetooth options out there, but it’s something to consider when shopping.

What are Bluetooth codecs?

If you do want to buy a Bluetooth-enabled set of headphones, check out which codecs they support. These encode and decode digital audio signals. Codecs decode at a specific bitrate, which determines whether the headphones have a high or low latency (AKA lag), which is measured in milliseconds. High latency means your picture and sound may be out of sync.

Look out for headphones with low latency that support Qaulcomm’s aptX codecs, which are generally rated as the best codecs for streaming video content or hooking up to a TV.

Do you need noise cancelling headphones to watch TV?

Ultimately, it’s down to personal preference but if you want a totally immersive experience, noise cancelling headphones will block out the world and put you right at the centre of a movie or show.

There are two kinds of noise cancellation — passive and active noise cancelling. Passive noise cancellation is achieved by the design and build of the headphones, which physically block out noise. Active noise cancellation (usually called ANC) uses a system of small microphones which pick up incoming sounds and create anti-noise sound waves to cancel them out.

What are the best headphones for watching TV?

If that seems like a lot of information to take in, don’t worry, because we’ve scoured the reviews and have come up with a list of your best options for watching TV. We’ve lined up all the best wireless headphones for watching your favourite show or movie, including popular devices from top brands like Sony and Bose.

There should be something for everyone and every budget in this list. We recommend taking your time and considering everything that has made the cut. Weigh these headphones up against your priorities and a favourite should emerge.

These are the best wireless headphones for watching TV in 2023.