Messages in a Bottle

Posted by Meredith Dietz

https://lifehacker.com/tech/ozlo-sleepbuds-review?utm_medium=RSS

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As a chronically light sleeper, I've tried everything from white noise machines to sleeping on the couch. It doesn't help that I 1) live above a noisy Brooklyn bar and 2) share a bed with someone who snores and grinds his teeth. My go-to solution had been wearing my Anker Soundcore headphones with some sort of "deep sleep" playlist, but to be honest, sleeping with over-ear headphones is like trying to nap while wearing a helmet. Uncomfortable, potentially unsafe, and a surefire way to destroy my expensive electronics.

That's what led me to the Ozlo Sleepbuds, currently available for $299. Unlike my AirPod Pros, which are great for daily use but pierce my eardrums when I lie on my side, the Ozlo sleepbuds have a remarkably low profile. The pre-installed ear tips fit perfectly, creating a secure seal without the pressure points that make traditional earbuds a nightmare for side sleepers. Despite their mixed online reviews, I've found that these smart earplugs really do help me sleep deeper (and possibly saved my relationship).

Ozlo Sleepbuds

$299.00 at Amazon

$349.00 Save $50.00

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Shop Now

$299.00 at Amazon

$349.00 Save $50.00

The app experience

Here's where the Ozlo sleepbuds diverge from typical wireless earbuds, and honestly, it's a double-edged sword. Unlike AirPods that connect automatically via Bluetooth, these require opening the Ozlo app like a control center. You'll need to select your soundscape, adjust volume, and set your alarm through the app interface.

Setting up my Ozlo sleepbuds. Credit: Meredith Dietz

Initially, this felt clunky compared to the seamless connectivity we're all used to. But after a few nights, I found myself positively reframing this friction as more of a "ritual." Opening the app, placing the buds in my ears, and selecting a soundscape became a bedtime ritual that signaled to my brain it was time to wind down.

Wearing my sleepbuds through the night

The moment of truth came on my first night testing them against my boyfriend's powerful snoring. I opted for the "ocean tide" sound to lull me to sleep. The audio quality is solid, especially knowing these were created by former Bose engineers.

So: Did these earbuds completely eliminate my partner's snoring? Not entirely—his snores are truly in a league of their own. But the combination of noise blocking and the ocean tide sound significantly reduced my nightly interruptions from constant to few and far between. Most importantly, when I did hear him, it didn't immediately snap me awake. The soundscapes seemed to cushion the noise, making it less startling.

But the street noise from the bar below? Completely gone. The upstairs neighbors walking around? Barely noticeable. These Sleepbuds excel at blocking consistent ambient noise while taking the edge off sudden, disruptive sounds.

Another feature I love is the in-ear personal alarm. Instead of a jarring phone alarm that jolts both you and your partner awake, the Sleepbuds gently vibrate and play a soft tone directly into your ears. My boyfriend has never been woken up by my alarm since I started using them.

Tips and tricks for sleeping with earbuds in

After a few weeks of use, I've discovered several ways to optimize the Sleepbuds experience:

• Find your perfect soundscape: Don't settle for the first one you try. I cycled through several before discovering that rain sounds work better for me than ocean waves or white noise.

• Create a charging routine: Keep the charging case on your nightstand and make putting the buds back a part of your morning routine.

• Experiment with volume levels: I really recommend starting lower than you think you need. Your ears adjust to the soundscape within minutes, and too-loud audio can actually be stimulating rather than relaxing.

• Use the app's sleep timer: If you don't want soundscapes playing all night, set a timer. You might only need the audio to fall asleep, not maintain it.

• Try different sleeping positions: The low profile means you can experiment with side sleeping even if you've never been able to before.

The bottom line

Are the Ozlo Sleepbuds perfect? No. The app dependency isn't ideal, and they won't completely eliminate every noise (I'm looking at you, Greg's snores). But compared to my previous solutions—uncomfortable headphones, potentially unsafe sleeping positions, or relegating myself to the couch—these Sleepbuds rock.

If I'm choosing between traditional foam earplugs, regular earbuds, or these specialized sleep buds, I'd pick the Ozlo Sleepbuds every time. My only concern? I'm becoming so dependent that I'll have trouble sleeping without them. But honestly, if that's the price for consistently good sleep in a noisy city apartment with a snoring partner, I'll take it.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/ozlo-sleepbuds-review?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Michelle Ehrhardt

https://lifehacker.com/tech/iphone-17-camera-has-important-design-flaw?utm_medium=RSS

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Folks are finally starting to get their iPhone 17s, and now that the new phones are in the hands of people who don’t work for Apple, flaws are starting to come to light. Specifically, durability testers are saying that you might want to slap a case on your new phone.

Most notably, it turns out that the iPhone 17 Pro has a major flaw with its camera bump. While the lenses themselves are fine, the edges on the raised camera “plateau” (as Apple is calling it) can apparently get scuffed just by hanging out in the same bag or pocket as household items like coins or keys. That’s according to testing by reliable YouTube reviewer Zack Nelson, or JerryRigEverything, who bemoaned Apple’s decision to avoid adding a chamfer or other protective barrier around the camera bump.

“I think it was intentional,” the YouTuber says in his video. “So it looks cooler.”

According to Nelson, the scratches probably have to do with Apple’s decision to move back to anodized aluminum for this model, as opposed to the titanium the company started using with the iPhone 15 Pro. Aluminum provides better cooling, and strong scratch resistance anywhere that the anodizing process adheres to, but the catch is that without chamfers, those corners tend to get missed during the anodizing bath.

For instance, when Nelson tried to scratch the flat parts of the plateau (as well as the rest of the back of the phone), it only produced dust that could be easily wiped off, good as new. But those camera plateau corners remained permanently chipped, even after wiping.

This follows a similar report from Bloomberg, which noted that display models of both the blue iPhone 17 Pro and black iPhone Air seemed especially prone to scratches, as well as posts from users, pointing out scratches across all colors and multiple models of the new iPhones, especially after being attached to MagSafe accessories. While it’s possible that some of these scratches could be wiped away, as shown in Nelson’s video, those around the corners look particularly nasty, and I’m not just talking about the camera plateau.

How to stop scratches on your iPhone 17

While it’s certainly not ideal that your bare iPhone could be susceptible to scratches, there is a simple solution—slap a case on it. That’ll hide your fancy Apple branding, sure, but it will also ensure your phone doesn’t take the brunt of your keys or loose quarters, and add a barrier around those camera plateau edges. 

This year, Apple has three case options, including a clear plastic, silicone, and a new fabric style case called TechWoven. In testing by YouTuber Arun Maini, or Mrwhosetheboss, the clear case was easily susceptible to scratches by simple household objects, but all other options held up well. That’s a relief for anyone who was burned by Apple’s previous fabric case, FineWoven, which also had its own scratch-related drama when it debuted alongside the iPhone 15 line.

Alternatively, you could go third-party. In that case, you’ve got plenty of options. Lifehacker sister publication CNET has praised Otterbox in the past, which I can also attest to by personal experience. For a more premium look, you could also go for Nomad’s leather cases, which I can also give a personal recommendation to.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/iphone-17-camera-has-important-design-flaw?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Stephen Johnson

https://lifehacker.com/entertainment/current-trends-explained-d4vd?utm_medium=RSS

This week's tour of the world of young people careens around like an out-of-control bullet train. Everyone's talking about a pop star with a body in his trunk, a dental trend powered by TikTok, astrology-based beauty tutorials, and a football stat hound's ultimate rabbit hole. It’s a lot to take in.

Who is D4vd and why was there a body in his trunk?

Everyone under a certain age is talking about the singer D4vd, and it's not because he has a new album out. On September 8, Los Angeles police discovered a body in the trunk of an abandoned Tesla registered to David Anthony Burke, the birth name of the 20-year-old musician. The body was later identified as the remains of Celeste Rivas, who was reported missing from her home in Riverside on April 5, 2024, when she was just 13 years old.

The online speculation is that D4vd was in a relationship with Rivas, but that has yet to be confirmed. The singer has reportedly been cooperating with authorities, no cause of death has been determined, and no charges have yet been filed.

If you're wondering who D4vd is, you're not alone: The singer's rise to fame is a quintessentially Generation Z story. His career began with online fame gained through posting Fortnite videos online, but YouTube removed his content for using copyrighted music. At the suggestion of his mom, D4vd began recording original songs using free iPhone tools, which he posted to SoundCloud. The end result was a recording contract, an album, and a couple of songs with over 1.5 billion plays on Spotify.

D4vd's biggest hit, "Romantic Homicide" mixes the pop music of the 1970s with 1990s-style lo-fi production, and it's actually good. But D4vd's lyrics are chilling given later developments. "I killed you and I didn't even regret it," he sings on the track, "I can't believe I said it, but it's true."

But just because you write a song about killing your lover doesn't mean you're guilty of it. In any case, the story is dark, tragic, and developing, and D4vd is innocent until proven guilty.

Hot Generation Z trend: veneers

Yeah, it's a mood shift to go from murder to teeth, but such is the nature of life in 2025. Anyway, the newest dental trend among younger people is veneers. Whether it's speculation that Gen Z super-celebrity Mr.Beast is rocking a set of artificial choppers, the 250,000 videos posted to TikTok's #veneers tag, or the below deep-dive on the topic from venerable YouTuber Papa Meat, false fronts are very of-the-moment.

Maybe the fascination comes from the straight, white teeth of influencers. Maybe it's hyper-awareness of teeth caused by taking too many selfies. Or maybe it's because veneers are sort of funny. Choose your own explanation.

Hot Generation Z trend: astrological makeup

I'm fascinated with makeup trends and pop occultism, so I'm glad makeup influencers are bringing my two interests together on TikTok. The new hotness among makeup influencers is the “rising sign" beauty trend, where the makeup you wear is determined by your astrological sign.

In astrology, your "rising sign" supposedly represents how other people see you. So if your rising sign is Scorpio, you might go with a look that's "intense, dark, and dramatic." If Gemini is rising, you want to go "playful and vibrant."

I don't understand how the position of the stars at the time you were born could possibly inform the makeup choices you make next Thursday, but if combining mysticism with style choices makes it a little easier for people to slog through another day, I'm in favor.

First AI-animated feature film in production

We all knew it was going to happen eventually, and now it has: OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, announced today that it's producing the first feature film animated solely through artificial intelligence. Critterz, a feature-length version of the AI-made short film above, has a $30 million budget, and production will be finished in nine months, an impossibly short time-frame for a traditionally animated or CGI film. Critterz's animation may be AI, but its script and voice acting are being done the old-fashioned way—by professional Hollywood actors and writers who will gladly let OpenAI pay them a lot of money for making funny voices.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Open AI hopes to premiere Critterz at the Cannes Film Festival, presumably in 2027. Whether anyone wants to see an AI-animated movie remains to be seen. It sounds like a terrible idea to me, but I'm not the target demographic. Anyway, you can check out the first teaser/promo video here.

Viral video of the week: Scorigami returns

Leave it to Gen Z to come up with a new way to enjoy football. "Scorigami" is a term coined by writer/YouTuber John Bois that describes an NFL final score that has never happened before in the league's history. YouTube channel Secret Base is in the middle of a four-part examination of the phenomenon that starts with the first ever NFL football game played in 1922 and continues to the present, seen through the lens of "this is the only time any two pro teams have ended a game with this score."

The series is equal parts sports, history, comedy, and statistics, with fascinating digressions and side trips to explore things like how the NFL owes its entire existence to a random guy's truck breaking down in Texas at the turn of the century and how it's possible—extremely unlikely, but still possible—to score a single point in a football game. In other words, it's the kind of documentary that would be rejected by ESPN for being too math-y and rejected by PBS for being too sporty, but is able to find a home and hundreds of thousands of viewers because YouTube exists.

https://lifehacker.com/entertainment/current-trends-explained-d4vd?utm_medium=RSS