The tech revolution you'll want to hear about

Hey, it's Matthew. I have a few gear and gadget recommendations you'll want to hear before it gets too late. [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hi, I’m [Matthew Kronsberg](, and I write primarily about gear and gadgets for Pursuits. Most of the gear I’ve covered this year has fallen under the “want” rather than the “need” end of the spectrum. Think [artisanal scissors]( and [luxury boomboxes](, [puffy jackets]( and [iceless coolers](. Occasionally an item will transcend mere desire and become essential, like the [Männkitchen Pepper Cannon](. (Just listen to Pursuits editor [Chris Rovzar]( or deputy editor [Justin Ocean]( rave about it.) This week my attention turned to two useful—even necessary—categories of gadgets: [writing tablets]( and over-the-counter [hearing aids](. Sennheiser All-Day Clear Slim Source: Sennheiser Let’s start with the second one first. Growing up, I remember my grandfather’s hearing aids: big, beige, expensive and the bane of his existence. When he’d take a call or give me a hug, they’d spew feedback like Jimi Hendrix’s guitar at Woodstock. Invariably, he’d yank them out, stuff them back in his pocket (where they’d still squeal.) We’d then go back to shouting at him while he’d go back to pretending to hear us. Things have been changing—and recently. A little over a year ago, the FDA approved hearing aids for sale over the counter. When I started to explore what was newly available, I was pleased to find that they’re no longer your (or at least my) grandfather’s gizmos. Many are closer to supercharged earbuds, as useful for listening to podcasts and taking calls as they are for hearing a waiter explain that night’s specials. There are also actual earbuds: [Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro](, paired with the iPhone’s accessibility features like “conversation awareness,” can do much of what an over-the-counter hearing aid does. As an Android person, I was blown away by the technology and its implementation. In the near future, Apple is expected to [add new features]( like in-built hearing tests, turning them into full-fledged hearing aids. HP Hearing Pro Source: HP I took loads of hearing tests while working on this. All of the manufacturers featured in the piece offer them to, of course, evaluate your hearing or, more pressingly, see if you need a professional. My hearing was better than I expected, though that probably won't last. [Niels Granholm-Leth](, head of equity research at Carnegie Investment Bank and a longtime follower of the industry, noted that “your hearing ability peaks when you’re 30 years old. And from that time, it actually only gets worse.” Not what I wanted to hear. Companies like Bose, Sennheiser and Sony have also partnered with (or been acquired by) established medical-device manufacturers to produce devices. These collaborations blend manufacturers’ technical and regulatory know-how with brands’ marketing savvy in the service of reaching a new, often younger audience, one that has already done a fair bit of damage to its ears by living since childhood with earphones in (mea culpa.) Denon PerL Pro Earbuds Source: Denon There’s one piece of gear that didn’t make the story that I think you should know about: [Denon’s $349 PerL Pro]( earbuds. The first time you put them in, they do an automated test of your hearing, playing a swooping set of tones and measuring the response from your inner ear. It’s called an otoacoustic emissions test and is the kind of thing that’s used to check the hearing of infants. The results are processed to create your bespoke sound profile, which brings out fullness and detail in music you didn't even realize you were missing. Music comes across impressively full. The only thing worse than my hearing is my handwriting, so it was with some apprehension that I approached testing tablets designed for writing and drawing for this week’s The One. Jabra Enhance Plus Source: Jabra If you’re the kind of person who fills notebooks with musings or legal pads with meeting notes—but then struggles a day later to find that great thought you jotted down, [check out these devices](. They offer the physical and mental benefits of using a pen, but within the searchable, editable world of a digital device. What they all had in common (besides an across-the-board ability to make sense of my scribblings) was the use of easy-on-the-eyes e-ink screens like you’d see on a Kindle. The Boox Tab Ultra C Pro. Photographer: Julia Chesky for Bloomberg Businessweek The one we featured, the [brand new Boox Tab Ultra C Pro](, had something none of the others we tested did: color. But really, it was a close call. This is one where the Competition section of the piece really matters. Here’s what else has caught my eye (and ear) recently [What is this thing? Guess Temu’s weirdest gadgets]( As someone who writes about stuff, my search habits result in an…eclectic set of ads getting delivered to me. The strangest things are invariably from Chinese e-commerce site [Temu](. Global tech news site [Rest of World]( offers a quiz testing your ability to identify 17 of their most inscrutable objects (I got 13 right.) [The Confidential Show with Iggy Pop and Tom Waits]( The most recent episode of [Iggy Pop’s Confidential Show]( on BBC6 reunites him with Tom Waits, perhaps for the first time since they shared a booth in Jim Jarmusch’s 2003 film Coffee and Cigarettes ([streaming now on Max](.) On the show, the pair plays everything from Marian Anderson to Frank Ocean to the Beastie Boys, sounding every bit as gruff and gravelly as you’d expect. It was perhaps the most enjoyable two hours of media I’ve consumed this year. Pure codger bliss. [A new cuisine is born in Peru]( This deeply researched, beautifully told story by Anthony J. Wallace in [Saveur]( documents the political and very human story of the emergence of Venezuelan-Peruvian fusion food in Lima. When I was there this fall, I was blown away by the city’s white hot food scene (it boasts more restaurants on [this year’s World’s 50 Best list]( than any other.) This makes me want to go back for some ají de gallina tequeños immediately. And Bloomberg stories you should read If I can’t travel by hovercraft, I’ll take a hydrofoil. [KISS Avatars Go On Tour After Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons Retire]( [Scientists and Farmers Race to Save the World’s Banana Supply]( [Can This Startup Revive Soviet-Era Hydrofoil Tech?]( [From AI Hot Sauce to Truffle Negronis, Here’s Where World Food Trends Start]( New design newsletter alert! Our friends at CityLab have a new newsletter all about design. [Sign up here](. Help! I still have to shop for: I fielded a few last-minute requests. A bottle for my father-in-law who says he’s a bit bored of bourbon: While American single malt whiskey is still [waiting for its official blessing]( as a category from Uncle Sam, there are some great bottles available now. [Ten Mile’s Little Rest Classic]( is made in New York’s Hudson Valley by a Scottish master distiller. Here’s Bloomberg’s Elin McCoy with [a full list of the best wine and spirits]( to give as gifts for the holidays. Source: Vendors; Background: Getty Images Something creative and a little meditative for my sister: Lego has been releasing some great sets catering to adults who don’t particularly care for [Star Wars]( or [supercars](. Surprisingly, their [botanical sets]( have been a huge hit lately. Try a set of [Tiny Plants](. A chronically late (but very stylish) teenager: Sometimes the best way to make someone conscious of the time is to give them a reason to pay attention to it. This [colorful watch]( inspired by Josef Albers’ Homage to the Square will draw glances not just from the wearer, but from everyone else too. Want more? Here’s Bloomberg Pursuits editor Chris Rovzar’s [compendium of best watches]( to buy as gifts, from $200 to $50,000. New for subscribers: Free article gifting. Bloomberg.com subscribers can now gift up to five free articles a month to anyone you want. Just look for the "Gift this article" button on stories. (Not a subscriber? Unlock limited access and [sign up here](.) 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