Geek-Guy.com

Category: Gadgets

Murena now sells a ‘deGoogled’ Pixel Tablet

Murena, the French privacy firm that’s forked Android to deliver so-called deGoogled smartphones, has repeated the trick with a tablet. So if you’re keen to get your hands on a shiny Pixel Tablet — but without the usual bundle of Google apps and services — Murena has you covered. The Murena Pixel Tablet runs the…

Level Zero Health banks $6.9M to prove wearable medtech can take the strain out of hormone testing

Level Zero Health, a female-founded medical device startup that’s aiming to break new ground by developing a device for continuous hormone monitoring, has closed an oversubscribed $6.9 million pre-seed funding round despite being only a little over a year old. The startup wants to do away with the need for invasive blood draws and support…

Are your noise-canceling headphones messing with your head?

We all know headphones can be bad for your hearing if you listen to sounds too loudly in such close proximity to your ears. But a BBC report suggests that a new health scare could be emerging around the noise-canceling feature that’s hugely popular in modern earphones. The article considers whether the technology could essentially…

Tim Cook teases Apple product news for February 19 — likely the iPhone SE

Apple CEO Tim Cook took to X Thursday to tease “the newest member of the family,” set to arrive February 19. The safe money is on a fourth generation iPhone SE. The budget-minded handset had previously been tipped for a potential release a week prior, but we got new Beats headphones instead. It’s been three…

Alibaba confirms Apple deal bringing AI features to iPhones in China

Alibaba on Thursday confirmed recent reports of a partnership with Apple that’s set to bring AI features to iPhones sold in China. The deal is an important one for Apple, as iPhone sales have dropped precipitously in the world’s largest smartphone market. The handset experienced an 11% year-over-year drop in China, according to Apple’s most…

Apple brings heart rate monitoring to Powerbeats Pro 2

Apple Tuesday announced the long-awaited debut of Powerbeats Pro 2. The new headphones arrive nearly six years after the original Powerbeats hit the market. The new model maintains the familiar ear hook for workouts, while delivering upgraded sound, better battery life, and a wireless charging case. The earbuds also mark a major next step in…

TikTok influencers are wearing Apple Watches on their ankles

A report from The New York Times over the weekend highlights the small – but apparently growing – trend of users wearing their Apple Watches on their ankles. What’s becoming something of a viral sensation on social platforms like TikTok is the result of a pragmatic decision. Some Apple Watch owners’ wrists are simply too…

Apple could launch a new iPhone SE and PowerBeats Pro 2 on February 11

Apple could launch a new iPhone SE and PowerBeats Pro headphones as early as February 11, according to reporting from Bloomberg. The announcement is likely to be on the smaller side, given that the company has not yet issued invites for either an in-person or virtual event. A new iPhone SE would mark the fourth…

Google is adding digital watermarks to images edited with Magic Editor AI

Google on Thursday announced that effective this week, it will begin adding a digital watermark to images in Photos that are edited with generative AI. The watermark applies specifically to images that are altered using the Reimagine feature found in Magic Editor on Pixel 9 devices. Announced in 2024, Reimagine utilizes generative AI to alter…

Keyboard maker suspends U.S. shipments over Trump tariffs on Chinese goods

The mechanical keyboard maker Qwertykeys announced Wednesday that it has suspended all U.S. product shipments owing to new tariffs levied by the Trump administration. The Guangdong-based outfit cites a February 1 announcement of 10% tariffs on imported Chinese goods as the motivating factor. “This new policy replaces all previous tariff exemptions, including the exemption for…

Amazon reportedly gears up to release next-gen Alexa

Amazon may be gearing up to release a next-gen, AI-powered Alexa experience, according to Reuters. Per the outlet’s report, Amazon plans to preview an upgraded version of Alexa, the company’s smart home assistant that runs on a number of first- and third-party devices, at an event on February 26. The revamped Alexa is said to…

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025: Secure your ticket at this year’s lowest rates

Missed the 2-for-1 deal for TechCrunch Disrupt 2025? No problem! Super Early Bird prices are still available, with savings of up to $1,130 on individual tickets and up to 30% on group passes. These savings are only good until the end of this month. Celebrate 20 years of TechCrunch Disrupt from October 27-29 at Moscone…

OpenAI’s new trademark application hints at humanoid robots, smart jewelry, and more

Last Friday, AI startup OpenAI filed a new application to trademark products associated with its brand — “OpenAI” — with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Normally, this wouldn’t be newsworthy. Companies file for trademarks all the time. But in the application, OpenAI hints at new product lines both nearer-term and of a more…

Apple will pay $20M to settle Watch battery swelling suit, ‘denies wrongdoing’

Apple has agreed to pay $20 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit over battery swelling on the Apple Watch. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 2019, the suit alleges that the problem affected the first four Apple Watch models. Battery swelling is pretty much what it sounds like:…

Apple Intelligence will support more languages from April

Apple’s AI suite, Apple Intelligence, will soon be available in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and simplified Chinese, along with localized English versions for India and Singapore. During the company’s Q4 2024 quarterly results call on Thursday, CEO Tim Cook said that the company will roll out support for these additional languages in…

Smartwatch pioneer and Kickstarter darling Pebble is returning in a new form

Four years after launching the (then) most lucrative crowdfunding campaign in Kickstarter’s history, Pebble abruptly ended. The hardware startup closed 2016 by filing for insolvency, before being sold off to Fitbit. The fitness-tracking giant built much of the Ionic smartwatch with help from former Pebblers, along with the company’s pioneering software stack. The first Apple…

Fitbit fined $12M over Ionic smartwatch burns

Fitbit has settled with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) over a longstanding defeat that caused some wearers to sustain burns. The deal finds the Google-owned fitness company paying a $12.25 million penalty for the issues surround its Ionic smartwatch. The issue dates back to 2018, continuing on into 2020. Fitbit agreed to recall…

Android 16’s first beta version brings iOS-style live notifications

After releasing two developer beta versions last year, Google introduced the first public beta for Android 16 on Thursday. New features include live updates on the lock screen (like Live Activities on iOS), Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec for high-quality video recording, and a framework for developers to make their apps adaptable for different screen…

Roli releases a 49-key educational keyboard and generative AI play

Roli on Thursday announced its latest educational product at the NAAM audio show in Anaheim. The simply named Roli Piano builds on products like the Roli Airwave and Piano M, more than doubling the latter’s key count to 49. The Piano is much like its predecessor in most ways, with MIDI keys that light up…

Google buys part of HTC’s XR business for $250 million

Google has agreed to acquire a part of HTC’s extended reality (XR) business for $250 million, expanding its push into virtual and augmented reality hardware following the recent launch of its Android XR platform. The deal involves transferring some of the HTC VIVE engineering staff to Google and granting non-exclusive intellectual property rights, according to…

Samsung Unpacked: Samsung’s Galaxy S25 will support Content Credentials to identify AI-generated images

Another tidbit just dropped following Wednesday’s Samsung Unpacked event. This one comes courtesy of Adobe, which notes that the new Galaxy S25 line will be the first handsets to support the Content Credentials standard, aimed at labeling AI-generated content as such. The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) group — of which Samsung is…

Samsung Galaxy S25 line compared

Samsung revealed three new additions to its Galaxy smartphone line at Samsung Unpacked 2025 on Wednesday. The news didn’t bring too many surprises, as the line maintains its usual tiered system with the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra. The news finds the hardware in line with the rest of the mobile industry…

Samsung’s AI-focused Galaxy S25 Ultra ships February 7 for $1,300

Samsung on Wednesday announced the latest additions to its Galaxy S flagship smartphone line at the company’s annual Samsung Unpacked 2025. As suspected, the defining characteristic of the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra is the company’s continued focus on mobile AI — a fact that hardly distinguishes the consumer electronics giant from the rest…

Samsung Unpacked 2025: Here’s how to watch and what we expect

The biggest reveal from CES press conference may well have been another press conference. The hardware giant closed out the main event by teasing the company’s upcoming show. The next Samsung Unpacked event is set for today at 10 a.m. PT, 1 p.m. ET. As with all recent Unpacked events, the big show will be…

Samsung Unpacked 2025: Here’s how to watch and what we expect

The biggest reveal from last week’s Samsung CES press conference may well have been another press conference. The hardware giant closed out the main event by teasing the company’s upcoming show. The next Samsung Unpacked event is set for Wednesday at 10 a.m. PT. As with all recent Unpacked events, next week’s big show will…

Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S25 on January 22 — here’s what we expect

The biggest reveal from last week’s Samsung CES press conference may well have been another press conference. The hardware giant closed out the main event by teasing the company’s upcoming show. The next Samsung Unpacked event is set for January 22 at 10 a.m. PT. As with all recent Unpackeds, next week’s big show will…

DJI Flip is a $439, fully foldable camera drone

Four short months after introducing the truly palm-size Neo, DJI is back with another pint-sized consumer drone. The Flip continues the drone giant’s interest in foldable form factors, with a quartet of propeller guards that essentially stack up, for maximum portability. The new Flip continues to blur the lines in DJI’s existing consumer portfolio, combing…

Sonos CEO Patrick Spence is leaving following app update disaster

Some changes at Sonos. Patrick Spence, the company’s chief executive officer (pictured above), is leaving the company after eight years in the job. Tom Conrad, the co-founder of Pandora and a Sonos board member, is stepping in as interim CEO starting today. 2024 has been a complicated year for the speaker manufacturer. The company released…

The new Atari handheld knows its market

CES isn’t much of a gaming show. Every year, however, a few notable products slip through the news deluge. Created in collaboration with My Arcade, Gamestation Go fits the bill. The handheld sports a 7-inch display and comes preloaded with north of 200 titles from various Atari generations. Of course, simply being portable game emulator…

This security system shoots paintballs at intruders

Doorbell cameras are standard fare these days. More and more people have invested in connected security systemss, as the technology has become both cheaper and more user friendly. There’s one important thing these system won’t do, however: shoot people and animals with paintballs. That is, however, pretty much the Eve PaintCam’s whole M.O. Carrying the…

These are CES 2025’s least repairable and sustainable gadgets, according to iFixit

The Razzies, the Darwins — not all awards are good. Sure, CES is a time to celebrate the year’s weirdest and most wonderful consumer electronic, but thankfully we’ve got iFixit around to throw a little cold water on the fair. As we enter the penultimate day of the event, the repair stalwart presents its “Worst…

DoorBox debuts its new and improved smart delivery box at CES 2025

Millions of packages stolen each year. DoorBox aims to change how packages are delivered with its smart package box that features a theft-proof design with live camera feeds and an alarm that activates automatically if the box is tampered with.  After selling 2,000 units of its initial version, which offered manual functionality, the startup unveiled…

Doublepoint launches free Apple Watch app to control devices with hand gestures

Finnish startup Doublepoint launched its free app, WowMouse, for the Apple Watch this week at CES 2025. The app uses the wearable’s sensors, compass, and accelerometer to turn your hand into a mouse that can control devices through hand gestures. The Apple Watch already uses a similar technology for the double tap feature it released…

The LiberLive C1 stringless instrument isn’t a guitar, and that’s fine

I’m old enough to remember musicians getting angry over Guitar Hero. But they always seemed to be missing the point. Nobody was seriously suggesting that a video game controller would replace an instrument that’s been going strong since the 15th century. Guitar Hero was a fun game, and if it persuaded a new generation to…

Tonal’s new strength training system arrives with refreshed hardware and new workouts

The post-pandemic years haven’t been especially kind to connected fitness. As bigger names like Peloton and Mirror have struggled, however, plenty of smaller firms like Tonal are still going strong. At CES 2025 on Wednesday, the Bay Area firm announced the arrival of its new strength training system, fittingly named Tonal 2. At its core,…

Former Huami employees launch SATELLAI, a satellite pet tracker, at CES 2025

With the smart pet wearable market estimated at $1.72 million in 2024, a new startup in the pet tech space is entering the scene with a dog tracker and collar that can directly link with satellite tracking without needing an LTE signal. At CES 2025, SATELLAI presented its pet tracker and smart collar, which include…

SteamOS expands to other gaming handhelds with the Lenovo Legion Go S

SteamOS is slowly becoming an alternative to Windows for handheld gaming devices. After launching the Steam Deck with SteamOS, its own operating system, Valve is now partnering with third-party manufacturers so that they can release gaming handhelds with SteamOS support. On Tuesday, Lenovo unveiled the Legion Go S at CES 2025. Unlike its predecessor, the…

Ultrahuman stakes a claim to luxury smart rings with trio of 18K gold and pt950 platinum bands

Smart ring maker Ultrahuman took the wraps off a trio of extra shiny high-tech trinkets at CES 2025 on Tuesday, adding a premium jewelry collection to its range of wellness wearables. It’s given the Ring line the brand name Rare, a neat verbal echo of the company’s mainstream smart ring, the Ring Air. The Indian…

Withings launches BPM Vision, a $130 home blood pressure monitor, at CES 2025

Withings has made a name for itself by making clinical grade health technologies accessible to consumer. This week at CES 2025, the firm revealed two new products that fit the description nicely, one hardware and one software. BPM Vision is the more notable. It’s a travel size home blood pressure monitor, complete with interchangeable arm…

Kombu is changing the way we make our ‘booch’ with its modern kombucha brewer

Kombucha, a fermented tea that has been around for thousands of years and was once considered a niche health drink, is currently experiencing a surge in popularity as more consumers look for gut-friendly beverages. However, this fizzy drink isn’t exactly cheap, and home brewing can be messy, overly complicated, and time-consuming. Additionally, the supplies needed…

Acer’s new gaming handheld is ridiculously large

Acer unveiled two new gaming handhelds at CES 2025. The company clearly believes that bigger always means better, as it is pushing the physical limits of gaming handhelds with an enormous 10.95-inch display. Named the Nitro Blaze 11, the device comes with an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor — a CPU originally designed for laptops…

Anker shows off its solar beach umbrella at CES 2025

At CES 2025, Anker unveiled its first solar umbrella, designed to charge electronic devices — like coolers or phones — while outdoors. The new umbrella is part of Anker’s SOLIX lineup, which includes energy-efficient products like portable power stations and solar generators intended for powering home appliances during blackouts and emergencies. Though many solar-powered beach…

Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S25 on January 22

In what as an otherwise uneventful CES 2025 press conference, Samsung on Monday announced January 22 as the date for its next Unpacked event. The timing lines up with earlier reporting. The event, which is being livestreamed through Samsung’s site, will almost certainly serve as a launching pad for the company’s latest flagship, the Galaxy…

Samsung says its home robot, Ballie, will roll out this year

Tech companies love rolling a robot out onstage. These systems serve as shorthand for consumer electronics brands branching out into more bleeding-edge category. On occasion we get an Amazon Astro or Sony Aibo that actually hit in the market in some form. More often than not, however, the robots only exist in the land of…

Will.i.am is flogging electronics again

Will.i.am’s history with consumer tech has been — let’s just say “spotty.” The musician/entrepreneur loves gadgets, this much we can say for certain. For his latest trick, the Black Eyed Pea is returning at LG’s “Experiential Architect” in conjunction with CES 2025. What does such a role entail? Suggesting ideas for Bluetooth speakers and headphones,…

Bird Buddy expands into insects with Wonder line

Bird Buddy’s smart bird feeders are a perfect confluence of different consumer technologies. Breakthroughs in security cameras, AI, and solar charging have converged into a terrific little product that has captured public imagination. At CES 2025, the startup’s creators announced an expansion into another wing of the animal kingdom. Wonder is a new sub-brand bringing…

Kidde’s new smoke detectors have Ring technology built in

Amazon announced a partnership with Kidde at CES 2025 on Monday that brings its Ring technology to the home safety stalwart’s smoke alarms. There will be multiple versions of the hybrid smoke and CO2 detectors, ranging in price from $55 to $75. As a longtime owner of a Nest Protect, I can confidently say that…

This fuzzy, purse-mounted robot is designed to ‘delight bystanders’

Best known for its Qooba cat pillow, Yukai Engineering has made a name for itself with some of the strangest little robots around. Who could forget, for example, Amagami Ham Ham, whose sole purpose is to gnaw on fingers, offering a “somewhat pleasing sensation.” At CES 2025, Yukai unveiled its latest, Mirumi, and it follows…

Roborock’s Roomba competitor gets a robot arm

iRobot’s on-going financial crisis aside, the world of robot vacuums is still humming along. At CES Sunday, Roborock announced the Saros Z70. The Roomba competitor showcases what the company believes will be the next big step in robovac evolution: an arm. The idea of mounting a a manipulator is no doubt as old as robot…

These MagSafe earbuds snap on to the back of an iPhone

We’ve seen a handful of AirPod-charging iPhone battery cases come and go over the years. Artronic’s new earbuds take a different approach, with a slim charging case that snaps directly to the back of MagSafe-compatible phones. The Komutr buds were announced on Friday, a few days ahead of their CES 2025 debut. In a sea…

Apple might be working on a smart doorbell

There’s been a lot of reporting in recent months around Apple’s efforts to expand its footprint in customers’ homes with in-development products like a wall-mounted smart home hub. According to a new report in Bloomberg, that strategy could also include a smart doorbell. This doorbell would use Apple’s FaceID technology to scan people’s faces as…

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