Geek-Guy.com

Category: Hardware

Meta is building Oakley smart glasses for athletes: report

Meta’s Reality Labs is expanding its lineup of AI smart glasses with a new pair of Oakley-branded spectacles targeted at athletes, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Bloomberg reports the new smart glasses, with which Meta seeks to capitalize on the Ray-Ban Meta’s success, will be based on Oakley’s Sphaera glasses, and will shift the camera…

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…

Symbotic set to take over Walmart’s robotics business

Walmart and Symbotic announced a deal Tuesday that would find the Massachusetts robotics firm taking control of the mega-retailer’s automation business. Symbotic is paying $200 million in cash for the program, plus up to $350 million in “additional contingent consideration,” depending on how the deal shakes out. The relationship is more partnership than straight acquisition,…

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…

Biden administration adds 14 additional Chinese firms to trade blacklist

Days after pushing for sweeping AI chip export restriction, the Biden administration has added an additional 14 Chinese companies to its restricted trade list. This brings the full list up to 25 names, according to reporting from The Associate Press. Sophgo is, perhaps, the highest profile addition. An entity of Bitmain, the firm sparked international…

Nintendo Switch 2 could be announced this week: The rumors (and facts) so far

With CES 2025 finally in the rearview, it’s time to move on to the next round of big hardware announcements. Rumors have emerged over the last few weeks, pointing to an imminent announcement for the next-generation of Nintendo’s wildly successful hybrid Switch console. In particular, word from industry stalwart Eurogamer (among others) pegs a January…

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…

Biden administration proposes sweeping new restrictions on exporting AI chips

With a week left in office, President Joe Biden introduced a new set of guidelines and restrictions for exporting U.S.-made AI chips. On Monday the administration announced its Interim Final Rule on AI diffusion. This ruling is meant to “provide clarity to allied and partner nations about how they can benefit from AI” and streamline…

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…

These startups are making smarter canes for people with visual impairments

The white cane for the 21st century. While many tech companies have increasingly worked to make technology more accessible for the blind and visually impaired, canes haven’t benefitted much from these advances. London-born WeWalk takes a more traditional approach to the white cane. Beyond the bulkier handle, not much sets the company’s product apart visually…

New OpenAI job listings reveal its robotics plans

OpenAI disbanded its robotics department. Then, it brought it back. Now, through a social media post from its hardware director and newly published job descriptions, OpenAI is revealing more about its plans for the revived team. In a post on X on Friday, Caitlin Kalinowski, who joined OpenAI to lead hardware last November from Meta’s…

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…

CES 2025: The weirdest tech products and claims from this year’s event

CES 2025 is in full swing. While the conference features reveals from tech powerhouses like Nvidia, Samsung, and Toyota, there are also some very strange product concepts and announcements circulating on the show floor. We’ve compiled the weirdest, silliest, and most eyebrow-raising products from CES 2025. A robotic cat that cools down your coffee for…

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 U.S. has a new cybersecurity safety label for smart devices

The White House this week announced a new label for internet-connected devices, the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, intended to help consumers make more-informed decisions about the cybersecurity of products they bring into their homes. To earn the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, which is being administered by the Federal Communications Commission, companies have to test their…

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…

CES 2025: The weirdest tech products and claims from this year’s event

CES 2025 is in full swing. While the conference features reveals from tech powerhouses like Nvidia, Samsung, and Toyota, there are also some very strange product concepts and announcements circulating on the show floor. We’ve compiled the weirdest, silliest, and most eyebrow-raising products from CES 2025. A robotic cat that cools down your coffee for…

Astrohaus launches a mechanical keyboard for writers

Astrohaus has cornered a very specific niche. The Michigan-based startup builds hardware for writers looking to eliminate distractions. It’s really tough finishing up that novel when Instagram exists, after all. While the company has made its name bucking most tech trends, however, its latest offering has found a bandwagon to jump onto. Announced at CES…

Halliday’s $489 smart glasses beam a tiny screen to your eye

Walk up to someone wearing a pair of Halliday’s smart glasses, and you might not notice they’re looking at smartphone notifications, live language translations, or advice from an AI assistant. The only giveaway is the tiny green dot of light on their eyeball. Wearables startup Halliday launched a pair of smart glasses at CES 2025…

This basketball robot uses AI to rebound the ball after you shoot

Like anything in life, the secret to becoming Steph Curry or Sabrina Ionescu is practice, practice, and more practice. You practice when it’s too hot, too cold, you’re tired, or you’re sick. Finding a willing one-on-one partner through all of that is, however, another question entirely. The good news is that later this year, you…

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,…

Nvidia CEO says his AI chips are improving faster than Moore’s Law

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says the performance of his company’s AI chips is advancing faster than historical rates set by Moore’s Law, the rubric that drove computing progress for decades. “Our systems are progressing way faster than Moore’s Law,” said Huang in an interview with TechCrunch on Tuesday, the morning after he delivered a keynote…

CES 2025 Day 1: Honda, BMW, X’s victory lap, and the first show floor gadget reveals

CES 2025 is officially underway in Las Vegas. Monday’s press day saw keynotes from Samsung, Nvidia, Toyota, and Sony, among others, while Tuesday was all about the exciting new gadgets on the show floor. TechCrunch reporters are on the ground giving you the latest reveals at the conference.  Below, you’ll find a list of the…

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…

Nvidia is helping humanoid robots learn through Apple Vision Pro instruction

Robotics have been a foundational element of Nvidia’s stratospheric growth in recent years. When the chip maker announced GR00T in March of last year, it was heralded as a watershed moment from humanoid robotics. Most of the category’s biggest names were available from launch, including, 1X Technologies, Agility Robotics, Apptronik, Boston Dynamics, Figure AI, Fourier…

CES 2025 Press Day: Everything Nvidia, Sony, Toyota, Samsung announced, and more

CES 2025, the annual consumer tech conference held in Las Vegas, is here. TechCrunch reporters are on the ground giving you the latest announcements and reveals at the conference. Today is Press Day, which features keynotes from the biggest players, including Samsung, Nvidia, Toyota, Sony, and more. Below, you’ll find a list of the biggest…

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…

AMD unveils new chips for laptops, desktops, and gaming handhelds at CES 2025

At CES 2025 in Las Vegas, AMD unveiled a slew of new chips destined for devices ranging from desktops to gaming handhelds. AMD is riding high coming into this year’s CES. The company commanded a 28.7% share of the desktop CPU segment in Q3 2024, up 9.6 percentage points compared to the same quarter the…

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,…

Therabody launches Coach, an AI-powered digital recovery app

Therabody, the maker of popular massage guns and other wellness devices, announced at CES 2025 that it’s launching an AI-powered digital recovery app called Coach by Therabody. While Therabody’s flagship app is designed to give you easy-to-follow proprietary routines, Coach takes recovery and wellness a step further by using data to understand users’ current needs.…

Nvidia’s Project Digits is a ‘personal AI supercomputer’

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nvidia unveiled Project Digits, a “personal AI supercomputer” that provides access to the company’s Grace Blackwell hardware platform in a compact form factor. Designed for AI researchers, data scientists, and students, Project Digits packs Nvidia’s new GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, which delivers up to a petaflop of…

Qualcomm brings its Snapdragon X chips to mid-range Windows laptops and desktops

Qualcomm is making a move for the mid-range PC market with a new system-on-chip. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Qualcomm unveiled Snapdragon X, the latest chip in its Snapdragon X Series of PC processors. The company claims that the chip, built on a 4nm fabrication process, delivers up to “multi-day” battery life…

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…

Soliddd is building smart glasses for people with macular degeneration

For the past several years, the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center have been lousy with AR/VR/XR smart glasses. While the some of the biggest names in tech, like Apple and Google, have struggled to gain traction in the category, accessible tech remains relatively unexplored. There’s a lot of work to be done in…

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…

Elvie unveils an app-controlled smart bouncer that transforms into a bassinet at CES 2025

Elvie, a female-founded hardware startup, has unveiled a new app-controlled smart bouncer that gently transforms into a bassinet — while the baby is still in it. With the new Elvie Rise, announced at CES 2025 on Monday, parents and caregivers don’t have to move their baby between soothing, sleep, and play products.  The startup is…

Withings’ Omnia is a full-size body-scanning health mirror

The Omnia is still very much in concept mode — a phenomenon popular in the automotive world that has since spilled over into consumer electronics. That is to say that Withings’ splashiest product of CES 2025 may never be a product. Among other things, a body-scanning smart mirror would likely be cost prohibitive for consumers.…

Samsung brings live translate to its TVs at CES 2025

At CES 2025, Samsung announced that it’s bringing a popular feature from the company’s phones and tablets to its TVs. Live Translate does what it says on the box, offering users real-time translation for live broadcasts. The feature will work in seven different languages — though it’s not entirely clear which at the time of…

Circular unveils its next gen Ring 2 with ECG functionality and AFib detection at CES 2025

Smart ring maker Circular announced its next-gen Ring 2 with ECG (electrocardiogram) functionality and AFib (atrial fibrillation) detection at CES 2025 Unveiled on Sunday in Las Vegas. The wearable is set to go on sale in February or Mach for $380. The ring’s ECG capability and FDA-cleared AFib detection will gives users the ability to…

Timekettle’s new earbuds offer real-time translation on calls

Timekettle unveiled its latest earbuds, the W4 Pro, this week at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. The product aims to up the ante on the startup’s focus by bringing real-time two-way translation to phone and video calls. The earbuds will automatically begin translating calls in 40 different languages, without any input from the user. Predictably, there…

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…

United Airlines accelerates its Starlink rollout, with first commercial flight planned for spring

A few months ago, United Airlines announced its deal with Starlink to offer in-flight internet access for its passengers. At the time, the airline said it would start testing the new service in early 2024 and then offer it on passenger flights later in the year. United has now accelerated this timeline a bit, with…

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…

How to watch CES 2025’s press conferences

CES 2025 kicks off January 7. The annual Las Vegas event sets the tone for the year’s consumer electronics and automotive industries. As always, TechCrunch will be there, sniffing stories from the most exciting startups and tech giants. If you really want a piece of the action without paying for the hotel and flight, many…

CES 2025: What to expect from the year’s first and biggest tech show

CES 2025 officially kicks off in Las Vegas on Tuesday morning, running through the end of the day on January 10. The “official” dates are specific to when the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center is open to attendees, and ultimately belie the show’s true duration. A pair of press days kick off Sunday…

ByteDance appears to be skirting US restrictions to buy Nvidia chips: report

TikTok parent company ByteDance has big plans to buy Nvidia chips in 2025 — despite U.S. restrictions. ByteDance plans to spend $7 billion on the chips in 2025, according to reporting from The Information, citing inside sources. If ByteDance follows through, it will become one of the world’s top owners of Nvidia chips, despite U.S. efforts…

Nvidia completes acquisition of AI infrastructure startup Run:ai

Nvidia has completed its acquisition of Run:ai, an Israeli startup that helps manage and optimize AI hardware infrastructure. As part of the merger, Run:ai said its software, which currently only works with Nvidia products, will be open sourced, meaning Nvidia rivals like AMD and Intel will be able to adapt it for their hardware. “We…

How to watch CES 2025’s press conferences

CES kicks off January 7. The annual Las Vegas event sets the tone of the year’s consumer electronics and automotive industries. As always, TechCrunch will be there, sniffing stories from the most exciting startups and tech giants. If you really want a piece of the action without paying for the hotel and flight, many of…

Watch Boston Dynamics’ electric Atlas do a backflip

A little early holiday surprise from Boston Dynamics this week, as Santa suit-wearing electric Atlas performs a backflip. The feat occurs about 13 minutes into a new video, showcasing yet another trick in the humanoid robot’s arsenal. It’s worth noting that – unlike with humans – a robot performing a backflip isn’t necessarily more complicated…

Proton’s device aims to help those with kidney disease, and cut heart failure risks

People with chronic kidney disease, or those at risk of heart failure, are greatly affected by potassium imbalances in the body. These can even be life-threatening. While wearable glucose monitors are now commonplace and have transformed the lives of diabetes patients, potassium monitoring is in its infancy as it’s hard to do. Now, startups are…

Eero’s Outdoor 7 long-distance mesh unit solved our yearslong Wi-Fi quandary in 10 minutes

So far in life, I haven’t needed be a “mesh guy.” A well chosen and carefully placed Wi-Fi router has worked fine in our modest abodes, but one particular situation has resisted simple solutions until Eero put out a device in November seemingly made exactly for the purpose. This won’t be a thorough examination of…

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…

Oura closes $200M round, bringing its valuation to $5.2B

Smart ring maker Oura announced on Thursday that it has closed a $200 million Series D funding round, bringing the company’s valuation to $5.2 billion. The round included participation from Fidelity Management and glucose device maker Dexcom. Oura says the new capital will allow it to expand its product offerings and further invest in product, science,…

After raising $26M, Hyme Energy signs global deal to scale thermal storage

With lithium battery storage too weak for many industries, companies are desperately looking elsewhere for energy storage. Molten-salt batteries offer high energy and power density, and can work for long periods. Now, Denmark’s Hyme Energy — which has raised $26 million to date — has signed a deal which could see its technology scale to…

Amazon Fire TV introduces ‘Dual Audio’ feature for simultaneous listening via hearing aids and TV speakers

Amazon announced on Wednesday new accessibility features for Fire TV, including a notable “Dual Audio” capability for the newly launched Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series, which was unveiled in November. The new feature allows one user to listen through a hearing aid while others in the same room can enjoy audio through the TV’s built-in…

WordPress Appliance - Powered by TurnKey Linux