CATEGORIES

CHINA DEMANDS INDIA RESCIND APP BAN AMID BORDER TENSION

China on Wednesday demanded India rescind a ban on more Chinese mobile phone apps amid tension between Beijing and other governments over technology and security.

EUROPE SIGNS $102M DEAL TO BRING SPACE TRASH HOME

The European Space Agency says it is signing a 86 million-euro ($102 million) contract with a Swiss start-up company to bring a large piece of orbital trash back to Earth.

US-EUROPEAN OCEAN MONITORING SATELLITE LAUNCHES INTO ORBIT

A U.S.-European satellite designed to extend a decades-long measurement of global sea surface heights was launched into Earth orbit from California last Saturday.

GLOBAL TECH GIANTS THREATEN TO LEAVE PAKISTAN OVER NEW RULES

Internet and technology companies have threatened to leave Pakistan after the government granted blanket powers to authorities to censor digital content, a move critics say was aimed at curtailing freedom of expression in the conservative Islamic nation.

DETROIT RESIDENTS CONCERNED ABOUT TRAFFIC CAMERA EXPANSION

Detroit officials’ plan to install 200 more traffic light-mounted cameras at city intersections is facing community resistance amid privacy and racial discrimination concerns.

BEST BUY REPORTS 3Q RESULTS THAT EXCEED WALL STREET VIEWS

Best Buy Co. reported fiscal third-quarter results that blew through analysts’ expectations as the nation’s largest consumer electronics retailer enjoyed surging demand for items like home theater and appliances that help people learn, cook, work and connect in their homes during the pandemic.

UNCHANGED FROM EARLY ESTIMATE, US ECONOMY GREW 33.1% IN Q3

The second of three estimates on U.S. growth for the July-September quarter was unchanged at a record pace of 33.1%. But a resurgence in the coronavirus is expected to slow growth sharply in the current quarter with some economists even raising the specter of a double-dip recession.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, SELL: RETAILERS WANT YOU TO WATCH AND SHOP

When Jenna Powell gets in front of a camera, she can sell $10,000 worth of sparkly dresses and tie-dye hoodies in 40 minutes.

LEFT FOR DEAD, TWICE, RADIOSHACK GETS ANOTHER SHOT ONLINE

RadioShack, a fixture at the mall for decades, has been pulled from brink of death, again.

BUSINESS: APPLE POSITIONS iPHONE 12 AS A CORPORATE MUST-HAVE

Critics labeled the iPhone 12 Apple’s biggest leap forward in years, with analysts suggesting that the Cupertino company will shift close to 70 million units before the end of 2020. As if the iPhone 12 range wasn’t popular enough, Apple has announced a partnership with carrier Verizon to make iPhone the most compelling business smartphone, offering 5G on the go.

CHINA LAUNCHES MISSION TO BRING BACK MATERIAL FROM MOON

China launched an ambitious mission on Tuesday to bring back rocks and debris from the moon’s surface for the first time in more than 40 years — an undertaking that could boost human understanding of the moon and of the solar system more generally.

ALIBABA CEO SAYS REGULATIONS FOR INTERNET FIRMS 'NECESSARY'

The chairman and CEO of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group praised Chinese regulators in a possible attempt to repair ties after the stock market debut of its former financial services arm was suspended following criticism of them by billionaire Alibaba founder Jack Ma.

SPACEX CAPSULE WITH 4 ASTRONAUTS REACHES SPACE STATION

SpaceX’s newly launched capsule with four astronauts arrived Monday at the International Space Station, their new home until spring.

SORRY, GRINCH. VIRUS WON'T STOP NORAD FROM TRACKING SANTA

Children of the world can rest easy. The global pandemic won’t stop them from tracking Santa Claus’ progress as he delivers gifts around the globe on Christmas Eve.

EU AUDITORS: ANTITRUST PROBES TOO SLOW TO CURB TECH GIANTS

The EU’s efforts to rein in the power of big tech companies such as Google and Facebook through antitrust investigations have taken too long, dulling their effectiveness, a report said Thursday.

MBL NOBLE SERIES N31 CD PLAYER–D/A PROCESSOR

In Stereophile’s February 2018 issue,1 I reviewed the MBL Noble Line N31, a baroque-styled CD player and D/A processor from German manufacturer MBL.2

Gryphon Essence Mono

POWER AMPLIFIER

LOOKING BACK AT FLEETWOOD MAC

TWO REISSUES SHOW THAT THE BAND WAS GREAT BEFORE IT WAS FAMOUS.

SAT's remarkable XD1 record-player system

Let’s begin by discussing what SAT’s XD1 Record Player System is not: It is not a Technics SP-10R in a sci-fi–inspired plinth—although the XD1’s engine does begin life as the SP-10R’s basic drive system, which is stripped down to a handful of essential components, reimagined, reengineered, and rebuilt to much higher mechanical standards.

GOLDENEAR BRX

When I first started writing for Stereophile, John Atkinson brought me a speaker to review. The shipping box was really beat, and it had some other reviewer’s name on the UPS label. After a few days of trying to get it to sound good, I speculated that John and at least one other reviewer already knew this speaker did not sound good. Flummoxed, I wrote JA a simple email (he likes simple emails), “Is this a test?” He replied, “Everything is a test.”

Deja Lou

It’s déjà vu all over again in New York City. 1988: The bankrupt Fear City NYC of the 1970s had given way to the go-go ’80s, with many missing the fruits of the Wall Street boom. AIDS ravaged the city, unabated, and a rash of violence and crime fueled by the crack-cocaine epidemic made for a grim underbelly of urban blight and neglect.

CANADA: PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO

I was shocked and greatly saddened by the news of the passing, at age 68, of Brian W. Russell, president and co-founder (along with his brother Chris) of Bryston Ltd. Established in 1973, Bryston’s first product was a power amplifier for the professional market.

The First Watt F8

I spent my childhood summers on the Reichert family farm near Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, where, inside the red 1880s barn, my uncle Harold played 78rpm records for his cows.

Something's coming

So, what’s “this thing of ours”?

Empty Desks: Coronavirus Robs US Classrooms Of Teachers

In July, fourth-grade teacher Susanne Michael was ecstatic as she celebrated the adoption of a former student from a troubled home and two of the girl’s brothers. For the festivities, Michael dressed them and her other children in matching T-shirts that read “Gotcha FOREVER.”

PFIZER: COVID-19 SHOT 95% EFFECTIVE, SEEKING CLEARANCE SOON

Pfizer said this week that new test results show its coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective, is safe and also protects older people most at risk of dying — the last data needed to seek emergency use of limited shot supplies as the catastrophic outbreak worsens across the globe.

MAZDA NO. 1 IN CONSUMER REPORTS 2020 AUTO RELIABILITY SURVEY

Mazda beat traditional winners Lexus and Toyota to win top honors as the most dependable auto brand in Consumer Reports’ annual reliability survey.

Alta Audio Alyssa

At first look, our November 2020 review of the standmount loudspeaker ($5000/pair) from Alta Audio1 appeared to be a thorough vindication of the Stereophile method of reviewing, combining measurements with a subjective listening journal. John Atkinson’s measurements were generally fine, but he uncovered “strong discontinuities in the impedance traces at 174Hz and 291Hz [that] imply the presence of resonances.” They could only be internal airspace resonances, since he found the Alyssa’s cabinet to be admirably inert.

HUAWEI SELLING HONOR PHONE BRAND IN FACE OF US SANCTIONS

Chinese tech giant Huawei is selling its budget-price Honor smartphone brand in an effort to rescue the struggling business from damaging U.S. sanctions imposed on its parent company.

Apple To Cut App Stor Fees as Legal Scrutiny Intensifies

Apple will cut its app store commissions in half for most developers beginning next year amid an intensifying debate about whether the iPhone maker has been using the fees to unfairly fatten its profits and stifle rivals competing against its own music, video, and other subscription services.