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.
Technology
AI needs more power: Offices could be the answer
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If your office cranks up the AC on a hot afternoon, you are part of a much bigger story. Energy demand is climbing fast. Data centers and AI systems are using more electricity than ever. At the same time, extreme weather is putting added stress on the grid. That pressure has utilities looking for relief in an unexpected place. Not a new plant. Not a massive battery installation. Instead, they are turning to buildings that already exist. A Seattle startup called Edo is betting your office can help keep the lights on.
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A BASIC MONTHLY BILL AMERICANS CAN’T DODGE IS BECOMING A MIDTERM FLASH POINT
Seattle startup Edo is helping utilities tap office buildings as virtual power plants, shifting energy use when demand spikes and the grid faces added stress. (alacatr/Getty Images)
What is a virtual power plant?
A virtual power plant, often called a VPP, connects many buildings and devices so they can act like one coordinated energy resource. Instead of generating new electricity, these systems adjust when and how energy gets used.
Here is the idea in plain terms. When demand spikes, a building can temporarily reduce non-essential power use. That might mean cooling a space earlier in the day or delaying equipment that does not need to run right away. Across thousands of buildings, those small shifts add up quickly.
How Edo turns buildings into grid assets
Edo focuses on commercial buildings, which make up a large share of U.S. electricity use. The company installs technology that connects to existing building systems like HVAC, batteries, solar and EV charging. It links these systems through standard communication protocols and manages them from a central platform. That allows everything to work together instead of operating in silos. Edo then maps out where energy is being used and when. From there, building operators get a clearer picture of what can be adjusted without disrupting daily operations.
For example:
- Pre-cooling or pre-heating before peak pricing kicks in
- Charging electric vehicles when electricity is cheaper
- Shifting flexible tasks to off-peak hours
- Sending stored solar energy back to the grid
These changes happen with coordination, not guesswork. Utilities can then tap into that flexibility when demand spikes.
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As AI and data centers drive electricity demand higher, utilities are looking to commercial buildings for fast, flexible grid support instead of waiting on new infrastructure. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Why utilities are paying attention now
This approach solves a real problem. When demand surges, utilities usually face tough choices. They can build new power plants, install large-scale batteries or reduce power through blackouts. All of those options come with high costs or major disruptions. Virtual power plants offer another path. They reduce strain on the grid without building new infrastructure. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, VPPs could provide up to 160 gigawatts of flexible capacity by 2030 if adoption ramps up.
The shift from niche idea to mainstream solution
Virtual power plants have been around for years, mostly in residential settings. Companies like Tesla, Sunrun and EnergyHub already connect home batteries and smart devices.
At the same time, firms like Voltus and CPower Energy focus on large industrial users. Commercial buildings, however, have been largely overlooked. That is where Edo sees opportunity.
Why this matters as AI demand grows
AI is not just a software story. It is an energy story. Massive data centers require huge amounts of electricity. As more companies adopt AI tools, demand will continue to rise.
That makes flexible energy strategies more important than ever. Instead of racing to build new plants, utilities are rethinking how existing power gets used. Virtual power plants are becoming part of that solution.
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OIL CEO URGES NEWSOM TO DO THE ‘MATH’ AS CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR VOWS TO STOP OFFSHORE DRILLING
Edo connects HVAC, batteries, solar and EV charging systems, so office buildings can respond in real time when utilities need relief on the grid. (AJ Watt/Getty Images)
Kurt’s key takeaways
Office buildings are already being used to support the grid. Companies like Edo are working with thousands of properties to adjust energy use in real time when demand spikes. What makes this shift important is how quickly it can scale. Instead of waiting years for new infrastructure, utilities can tap into systems that already exist. As AI demand grows and energy pressure builds, that flexibility could become one of the most practical tools available.
As AI drives up electricity demand, who should take the lead in keeping the grid stable: utilities or the companies using the most power? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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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 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 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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Chatting with AI can feel casual until the question gets personal. Maybe you want to ask about a health concern. Maybe you need help understanding a loan. Or maybe you want career advice without feeling like your question is sitting in a data file somewhere.
That is the idea behind Incognito Chat with Meta AI, a new private chat mode Meta says is coming to WhatsApp and the Meta AI app.
According to Meta, the feature creates a temporary AI conversation that is processed in a secure environment and not saved by default. Meta also says no one, including Meta, can read those conversations.
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META MEDICARE SCAM ADS TARGETING SENIORS FACE SCRUTINY
WhatsApp users may soon get a private AI mode as Meta introduces Incognito Chat, designed for temporary conversations that disappear by default. (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)
How Meta AI Incognito Chat works
Meta says Incognito Chat gives you a private space to talk with Meta AI. When you start one, the conversation becomes temporary. Your messages disappear by default, and Meta says the chat is processed in a way that keeps it invisible to anyone else. The big promise is simple: you can ask sensitive questions without leaving behind a saved AI chat history. Meta says the feature uses Private Processing, a system built on WhatsApp’s privacy technology. In plain terms, Meta says your request goes into a protected server environment where the AI can respond without exposing your messages to Meta, WhatsApp or outside parties.
Why this matters for personal AI questions
People already ask AI tools things they may never type into a public search bar. That could include a medical symptom, a financial worry, a relationship issue or a job decision. Those are exactly the kinds of questions where privacy matters most. Incognito Chat is Meta’s answer to a growing concern: AI can be useful, but people may hesitate when the topic feels too sensitive. If Meta’s system works as described, it could make AI feel less risky for those who want help but do not want a permanent record attached to every question.
What makes this different from other incognito modes
Meta is drawing a clear line between its new feature and other “incognito-style” AI modes. The company says some private modes may avoid saving a chat, while the service can still see the question and answer as they move through the system. Meta says Incognito Chat is built differently because conversations are processed in a secure environment that even Meta cannot access. That is a strong claim. It also means users should watch how clearly Meta explains the feature inside WhatsApp and the Meta AI app once it appears. Privacy promises only help when people understand what is happening before they type.
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Meta plans to roll out Incognito Chat for WhatsApp and the Meta AI app, promising private AI conversations processed in a secure environment. (Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Sidechat with Meta AI is also coming
Meta also says another WhatsApp feature called Sidechat is planned for the coming months. Sidechat will let Meta AI help inside a WhatsApp chat while using the context of that conversation. Meta says it will be protected by Private Processing and will avoid disrupting the main chat. That could be useful if you want help writing a reply, summarizing a conversation or understanding what people are discussing. However, it also raises a practical question users will want answered clearly: when is AI looking at chat context, and how obvious will that be?
What this means to you
If you use WhatsApp and already ask AI for help, this could make those conversations feel more comfortable. The feature may be especially useful for sensitive questions you do not want stored in a normal AI chat history. It could also help people who avoid AI because they worry their questions are too personal. However, the feature is still rolling out over the coming months. So you may not see it right away. Also, you should wait to see exactly how Meta labels the feature inside the app and what controls users get at launch.
How to use Meta AI Incognito Chat safely
Once Incognito Chat becomes available, treat it as a privacy upgrade, not a magic shield.
1) Check that you are actually in Incognito Chat
Do not assume every Meta AI conversation is private. Look for the Incognito Chat label before asking anything sensitive.
2) Read the “How it works” screen
Meta says Incognito Chat will explain what happens to your messages. Take a moment to read that screen so you know what is private, what disappears and what is not saved.
3) Avoid sharing unnecessary personal details
Even in a private mode, you can often ask a useful question without giving your full name, address, account number or other identifying details.
4) Be careful with medical and financial advice
AI can explain options, but it should not replace a doctor, lawyer or financial professional when the stakes are high.
5) Review disappearing message behavior
Meta says messages are not stored or saved in chat history. Still, check how the feature explains disappearing messages once it appears on your device.
6) Keep WhatsApp updated
New privacy features often depend on the latest app version.
On iPhone: App Store > tap your profile picture > App Updates > look for WhatsApp. If it appears, tap Update. If it does not appear, no WhatsApp update is currently available.
On Android, go to Google Play Store > profile picture > Manage apps & device > Updates available > Update next to WhatsApp. Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.
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CHINA BLOCKS META AI DEAL OVER SECURITY CONCERNS
Meta says its new Incognito Chat for Meta AI will let WhatsApp users ask sensitive questions in temporary conversations that are not saved by default. (Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Kurt’s key takeaways
AI is becoming the place people go for answers they once saved for a close friend, a search box or a late-night spiral through online forums. That makes privacy a big deal. Meta’s Incognito Chat could be a meaningful step if it gives you a clear, temporary and truly private way to ask sensitive questions. The real test will be how easy it is to find, understand and use.
Would you ask an AI a deeply personal question if the app promised that even the company behind it could not read it? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Its name might be dull and uninspired, but the Philips 24B2D5300 Business Monitor brings a novel feature I’ve never seen on a display before: screens on either side. The design will primarily benefit people who are constantly angling their computer screen so those on both sides of a desk can see it, like a car salesperson walking a buyer through configuration options or a doctor conferring with a patient. But there are some potential co-working applications, too.
Featuring back-to-back 23.8-inch LCD panels with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 120 Hz, the monitor can be connected to one or multiple devices using either a pair of power-delivering USB-C ports, or a pair of HDMI ports. In most scenarios it will be connected to a single computer with the same thing mirrored on both sides, but the dual displays can also be used as two extended displays with one side showing public-facing info and the other for private details. Repositioning the monitor could be tricky since it can’t be mounted to an articulated arm, but its base swivels 180-degrees so you can still spin it around to easily double-check what’s displayed on the other side.
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