Technologies

Shokz OpenFit Earbuds Aren’t Bone-Conduction Headphones — and They’re Better for It

Shokz’ first true-wireless earbuds, the OpenFit, eschew the company’s trademark bone-conduction technology.

Shokz, the company formerly known as AfterShokz, has been the leader in bone-conduction headphones. Models like the OpenRun Pro, which deliver sound to your ear through your cheekbones, are popular with runners and bikers who like to leave their ears open for safety reasons. But Shokz’s new OpenFit model is the company’s first true-wireless earbuds. They have an open design that fire sound into your ears using custom speaker drivers, which Shokz dubs «air conduction» technology. The OpenFit earbuds are available for order now in beige and black for $180 at Shokz.com and Amazon.

I’ve been using the new buds for a couple of weeks and have been impressed by how lightweight (8.3 grams) and comfortable they are — they have one of the best ear-hook designs I’ve tried (Shokz calls it a Dolphin Arc ear hook). It’s soft and offers just the right amount of flexibility to conform to the shape of your ear, with «dual-layered liquid silicone that provides a pliable fit,» according to Shokz. The earbuds also sound quite good for open earbuds, though not quite as good as Cleer’s new Arc 2 Open Ear Sport earbuds ($190) that also have an ear-hook design.

The Shokz OpenFit are Shokz first true-wireless earbuds

One of the big issues with bone-conduction headphones technology is that it just doesn’t work all that well for music listening because bone-conduction headphones just can’t deliver truly full sound with enough bass, though Shokz has done its best to improve performance on the low end. In moving to this type of open design with more traditional speaker technology, albeit the kind that Shokz says is patented, you’re now able to get a much less compromised listening experience. Shokz says the OpenFit uses DirectPitch technology along with Shokz OpenBass, the company’s proprietary low-frequency enhancement algorithm, «to carry low-frequency vibrations directly toward your ear without covering it.»

You do get significantly fuller sound compared to bone-conduction headphones. Bass performance still doesn’t quite measure up to what you get from even a good set of $50 noise-isolation earbuds with ear tips that seal off your ears. And despite all the fancy digital processing, I encountered some bad distortion when I played Depeche Mode’s Behind the Wheel track on both Spotify and Qobuz, which was a little weird. (I did have an early review sample, so I suspect we’ll see some firmware upgrades.)

The Shokz’ bone-conduction headphones I’ve tested previously have typically performed well for making cell phone calls with good noise reduction. The OpenFit also delivers on that front. I made some calls in the noisy streets of New York and the earbuds did a good job reducing background noise, though I should note that — because they’re open earbuds — if you’re in a noisy environment, they let sound into your ears so it can be harder for you to hear callers. The same goes for listening to music and other audio — outside noise competes with what you’re listening to and makes it harder to hear. Also, these do leak sound, so people can hear what you’re listening to in quieter environments like an open office. And finally, there’s no multipoint Bluetooth pairing that would allow you to pair two devices simultaneously to the buds and easily switch audio between the devices. Other Shokz headphones have multipoint Bluetooth pairing.

As I said, I’ve been generally impressed with these new Shokz buds and they’ve been a pleasure to wear and can be used as everyday earbuds as well as sports buds. I ran with them without a problem — they stayed on my ears well — and they’re IP54 dust and water-resistant (meaning they’re splashproof). I also thought the touch controls worked pretty well (though there are no volume controls on the buds) and the case was nicely designed. It’s bigger than many earbuds cases but relatively compact for sports earbuds with integrated ear hooks. It’s much slimmer than the case for the Beats Powerbeats Pro, for example.

The Cleer Arc 2 Sport buds offer a little better clarity and fuller bass but the Shokz OpenFit are more comfortable to wear. Both models are pretty pricey, but these types of open earbuds continue to improve, particularly in the sound department. Bose was one of the first to produce a premium set of open ear-hook style earbuds with its Open Sport Earbuds, but they were discontinued earlier this year. In many ways, the Shokz OpenFit are what the Bose Open Sport should have been, as Bose prides itself on creating comfortable headphones. The Open Sport Earbuds fell short there but these Shokz don’t.

OpenFit Open-Ear true wireless earbuds specs, according to Shokz

Ear cushion core is engineered with a dual-layered liquid silicone that gives a pliable fit for every ear shape
18x11mm customized dynamic driver unit that is built with an ultralight composite diaphragm comprised of two parts. The inner dome-shaped cap is made of a high-strength, ultralight carbon fiber
Bluetooth 5.2
Battery life: 7 hours of listening time on a single charge and three extra charges in charging case
Charge time: Charge the earbuds with the charging case: 60 minutes; empty case with charging cable: 120 minutes
Quick charge: 5 minutes’ charging provides an hour of listening time
Weight: 8.3 grams per earbud (charging case weighs 57 grams)
IP rating: IP54 water-resistant (charging case is not waterproof)
AI call noise cancellation technology to ensure call quality
Touch controls
Use the Shokz App to select your favorite EQ modes and button functions
Available in beige and black for $180 at Shokz.com and Amazon

Technologies

Wisconsin Reverses Decision to Ban VPNs in Age-Verification Bill

The law would have required websites to block VPN users from accessing «harmful material.»

Following a wave of criticism, Wisconsin lawmakers have decided not to include a ban on VPN services in their age-verification law, making its way through the state legislature.

Wisconsin Senate Bill 130 (and its sister Assembly Bill 105), introduced in March 2025, aims to prohibit businesses from «publishing or distributing material harmful to minors» unless there is a reasonable «method to verify the age of individuals attempting to access the website.»

One provision would have required businesses to bar people from accessing their sites via «a virtual private network system or virtual private network provider.»

A VPN lets you access the internet via an encrypted connection, enabling you to bypass firewalls and unblock geographically restricted websites and streaming content. While using a VPN, your IP address and physical location are masked, and your internet service provider doesn’t know which websites you visit.

Wisconsin state Sen. Van Wanggaard moved to delete that provision in the legislation, thereby releasing VPNs from any liability. The state assembly agreed to remove the VPN ban, and the bill now awaits Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’s signature.

Rindala Alajaji, associate director of state affairs at the digital freedom nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation, says Wisconsin’s U-turn is «great news.»

«This shows the power of public advocacy and pushback,» Alajaji says. «Politicians heard the VPN users who shared their worries and fears, and the experts who explained how the ban wouldn’t work.»

Earlier this week, the EFF had written an open letter arguing that the draft laws did not «meaningfully advance the goal of keeping young people safe online.» The EFF said that blocking VPNs would harm many groups that rely on that software for private and secure internet connections, including «businesses, universities, journalists and ordinary citizens,» and that «many law enforcement professionals, veterans and small business owners rely on VPNs to safely use the internet.»

VPNs can also help you get around age-verification laws — for instance, if you live in a state or country that requires age verification to access certain material, you can use a VPN to make it look like you live elsewhere, thereby gaining access to that material. As age-restriction laws increase around the US, VPN use has also increased. However, many people are using free VPNs, which are fertile ground for cybercriminals.

In its letter to Wisconsin lawmakers prior to the reversal, the EFF argued that it is «unworkable» to require websites to block VPN users from accessing adult content. The EFF said such sites cannot «reliably determine» where a VPN customer lives — it could be any US state or even other countries.

«As a result, covered websites would face an impossible choice: either block all VPN users everywhere, disrupting access for millions of people nationwide, or cease offering services in Wisconsin altogether,» the EFF wrote.

Wisconsin is not the only state to consider VPN bans to prevent access to adult material. Last year, Michigan introduced the Anticorruption of Public Morals Act, which would ban all use of VPNs. If passed, it would force ISPs to detect and block VPN usage and also ban the sale of VPNs in the state. Fines could reach $500,000.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 21 #720

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Feb. 21, No. 720.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be easy for those who pursue a certain hobby. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: The beer necessities.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Cheers!

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

MALE, TREAT, STEAM, TEAM, MOVE, LOVE, ROVE, ROVER, SPEAR, PEAR

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

HOPS, WATER, MALT, YEAST, BARLEY, SUGAR, WHEAT, FLAVOR

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is HOMEBREW. To find it, start with the H that’s three letters to the right on the top row, and wind down.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 21, #986

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Feb. 21 #986.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle features another of those purple categories where you need to look for hidden words inside of other words. It can be a real stumper. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Rookies don’t have this.

Green group hint: Call the roll.

Blue group hint: How’d you do today?

Purple group hint: Vroom-vroom, but with a twist.