Earphones worth the cost; new Samsung phone has iris scanning

Etymotic invented noise-isolating in-ear earphones, which means the earpieces fit in your ear, making a seal to keep out ambient noise.

The ER4SR and the ER4XR look like their earlier siblings, but the earpieces are now all metal, and the cables are now detachable and replaceable — giving them a very long life.

They also provide very accurate sound. The only con is that they're expensive, but music sounds different when you find a really great pair of earphones.

Etymotic says the earphones offer 98 percent noise isolation. Etymotic includes two sizes of three-flange tips plus two pairs of foam tips. You'll want to take your time and try each tip to determine which will create the best combination of good seal and comfortable fit.

Etymotic also has partnered with local audiologists to offer custom-fit earpieces.

So, why are there two models? The XR and SR are identical with the exception of their sound profile. The SR stands for Studio Reference. These are the ones to have if you want the most accurate music playback, recommended for those who love acoustic or symphonic music.

The XR stands for Extended Response, which means a bit more presence of bass sound.

Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 is the latest and greatest of its large-screen phones. This 5.7-inch, stylus-toting smartphone boasts a bevy of new features including advanced security through iris scanning, a whole lot of storage and an edge-to-edge display that Samsung promises will blow users away.

The Note 7, like its predecessors, has impressive specs and is aimed squarely at power users who want their smartphones to be the ultimate productivity machine. The most notable difference between the Note 7 and Samsung's other premium phones is 64 GB of storage, which is double the standard on the Galaxy S7. With an SD card, the Note 7 has up to 256 GB of storage. With a 5.7-inch display, the Note 7 is also larger than Apple's 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus. The Note 7 has the same processor and camera sensors as the S7 and S7 Edge. The phone goes on sale Aug. 19. Preorders are being taken now.