Matt is a Senior Editor at TechCrunch.
Matt Burns is a family man first and attempts to be a writer second. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, only cars eclipse his love of gadgets. He previously wrote for Engadget and EngadgetHD before moving into the party house that is TechCrunch. He learned the retail side of electronics during a six year stint at Circuit City while studying economics at the University of Michigan.
3D printing is still in its infancy. But, to use an overused phrase, it is the future. From home use to enterprise use, 3D printing will continue to grow and break into new areas. With that comes price reductions. So much so that Gartner predicts enterprise-class 3D printers (read: 3D printers not made by hipsters in Brooklyn) will drop under the $2,000 mark by 2016.
The report pegs continued… → Read More
It’s not as compact as an Aeropress, but the Nomad looks like a solid way to get an espresso shot from a small device. The tiny machine, which is currently on Kickstarter, boasts the same principles used in full-sized espresso machines. The Nomad is just a lot smaller, more efficient, and doesn’t require any power making it a portable machine — hence the name.
The company is looking for… → Read More
Don’t be mistaken. GreenLancer, while seemingly just another consulting firm, is a technology company utilizing the cloud for ambitious engineering projects. Instead of hiring a technology firm to plan, say a solar power array, GreenLancer collects all the pertinent data and farms out the work to contractors through its propitiatory and standardized platform. GreenLancer, a Detroit-based… → Read More
BlackBerry’s App World now touts 100,000 BB10 applications. An impressive number for a platform just months old. But out of those 100,000 applications, roughly 20% are Android apps, simply ported over rather than being coded specifically for BlackBerry 10.
This is a win for BlackBerry. It’s a big win. Android or native, it shows that BlackBerry is successfully pulling developers into its fold. → Read More
BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins recently confirmed with CNET that the company would launch a midtier device yet this year and an “exciting” new flagship device could launch around the holidays. “It [the new flagship] takes BlackBerry 10 to another level in terms of the user experience,” he said.
Great! There’s a new BB10 device launching by the end of the year. How’s the Z10 doing, Mr. Heins? → Read More
I don’t see any problem with this.
In short, a West Virginia lawmaker wants to make wearing head mounted displays while driving against the law in his state. The devices would join other banned electronic communication devices like cell phones. The bill, while perhaps a bit laughable at first, is logical and smart. It makes a lot more sense than banning the use of Google Glass in dive bars. → Read More
Watch out, Google. A recently published patent application reveals that Sony’s head mounted display glasses are progressing down the evolutionary path rather nicely. What once amounted to just wide-eyed concepts, this latest patent filing, a continuation patent filed on November 14, 2012, shows that Sony, with perhaps a bit of inspiration for Google Glass, is nearing a practical model. And unlike… → Read More
It’s been said that there aren’t many apps available for Windows 8. I’ve said that on occasion. But that’s not entirely true. According to MetroStoreScanner.com, there are now more than 50,000 apps available for Windows 8 and Windows RT, effectively making me a liar. → Read More
“I pledge allegiance to the logo of corporate marketing in Cupertino. And to the computers for which it stands: One notion, under Jobs, indispensable, for hardware and software for all.” Steve Wozniak, to the Denver Apple Pi Computer Club in 1984.
And that video above is just a funny anecdotes. TUAW reader Vince Patton pointed the Apple fan site to 14 insightful videos he uploaded to YouTube of… → Read More
It’s official: The Samsung Galaxy S4 will support Qi wireless charging but only through an optional backplate. When the Samsung Galaxy S4 launched last week, Engadget spied several Qi wireless charging accessories. This of course lead to wide-eyed speculation since Samsung had forgotten to mention this little tidbit during their elaborate dog and pony show. Thankfully Qi just took to the wires to… → Read More
The Galaxy S 4 is upon us and this is the official Samsung webcast. Of course you can follow along with our liveblog, or, if it floats your boat, watch the live video stream embedded here. → Read More
“Google Reader will not be available after July 1, 2013″, read the popup message on Google Reader this morning. It’s impossible to ignore. It’s right there, in the center of the screen, ensuring you, the loyal user, know that Google is sunsetting Reader in three months. To some, this is a knife in the back, a kick in the shins, a betrayal of biblical proportion. But… → Read More
A routine sever firmware update resulted in an anything but routine outage for Microsoft’s Outlook and Hotmail. On March 12, Outlook.com and Hotmail were unavailable to some users, and as Microsoft details in a blog post, a firmware update caused servers to overheat and go offline for 16 hours. Apparently similar firmware updates had been successfully deployed in the past but something went… → Read More
Shortly after 4:00pm EDT on March 12 some Hotmail users took to Twitter, reporting they couldn’t access their mail. Microsoft responded at 5:35pm confirming the service outage and stating that they were working on restoring the service. Well, it’s been over 12 hours since then, and Microsoft’s email services are still down for some. → Read More
The Acer C7 Chromebook is now a bit more powerful. With the RAM doubled to 4GB, the latest flavor of Acer’s inexpensive but still tasty Chromebook should be able to handle a few more simultaneous tasks. Plus, the new model ships with a 6 cell battery able to last 6 hours rather than the 4 cell found in the original. Too bad Acer couldn’t manage these upgrades without inflating the price from a… → Read More
Geeks rejoice! Hot off exciting news from SXSW, Google just confirmed via the Google Glass G+ page that Glass will, of course, work with prescription lenses — that is, in future models. The design is still in the works. Apparently the Explorer Edition is not compatible with custom lenses, but Google says to expect the new design this year. → Read More
Spoiler: The video shows SpaceX’s 100-foot-tall Grasshopper rocket blasting off, hovering in the air for about 30 seconds and then descending back to terra firma. And it’s set to Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire. That’s it. There’s no drama, fireworks or anything shocking, but it’s still absurdly important and totally worth watching. → Read More
Remember 2005 when the name TiVo meant something? It was a synonymous with DVRs. Crappy Comcast boxes were called TiVos because consumers didn’t know any better. TiVo subscribers were locked into the TiVo lifestyle by a sort of Stockholm syndrome, fulling willing to pay the huge retail cost of a TiVo and then a relatively high monthly fee to use the system. TiVo apparently didn’t get the notice. → Read More
Procrastination is a hell of a drug. Don’t let it ruin your life. And, for the purpose of this post, don’t let procrastination cost you money. Today, Friday, March  8th, is the last day for the Disrupt NY early bird tickets. Today is the last day that you can score tickets at a hefty discount. Today! → Read More
Hungry for a blue Raspberry Pi, anyone? RS Components has just that. With a blue board, blue casing, and a certificate of authenticity, this limited Model B Revision 2 is a great way to celebrate the Pi’s 1st birthday. Too bad you can’t just buy it. → Read More
If these leaked screenshots are the real deal, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S IV will feature a rather innovative way to scroll. Called “Smart scroll” the phone can apparently scroll based on a user’s head angle. This will work in browsers and emails. Novelty? Probably. Innovation? Absolutely. → Read More
Just months after relocating from San Francisco to Detroit, Stik is relaunching its Facebook-powered recommendation service and announcing a new round of funding. The $2.3 million Series A round was co-lead by Detroit Venture Partners and North Coast Technology Investors. Draper Associates, First Step Fund, MEDC and Automation Alley also participated in the round. Stik originally launched in 2010… → Read More
Logitech just took to the wires to announce an “organizational alignment” that will closely focus on new “strategic priorities”. This “alignment to the strategic priorities” will save Logitech approximately $16 to $18 million in operating expenses this year alone but requires a “workforce reduction”. So, you know, “layoffs”. → Read More
Surface Pro fanboys? Take notice. Your hot little tablet will soon be the runner-up in the ever-growing category of “incredibly expensive Windows 8 tablets aimed at a tiny, but rabid demographic”.
Razer just announced that the Edge and Edge Pro gaming tablet will ship in late March, with the startup accepting orders starting on March 1st. → Read More
They’re cute. They’re bouncy. And they’re angry. Introducing “Angry Birds Toons”. Seriously.
Rovio has long teased the existence of Angry Birds cartoon series but held most of the details secret. Well, all will be revealed come March 16th, when the first episode premieres. → Read More
HP is late to the tablet game, but definitely not out. At $169, the HP Slate 7 is a sure thing. It’s a guaranteed win for HP even if it doesn’t outsell the competition.
HP just announced the Slate 7. There is nothing particularly special about it. It costs $169, has a dual-core 1.6GHz SoC, and a 16×9 display with a rather thick plastic bezel. In short, it’s a cheap tablet. Remove the HP logo on… → Read More
This is it! Today, Monday, February 25, is the very last day to submit applications to Disrupt NY’s Startup Battlefield. They have to be submitted and completed by 11:59 PST tonight. Stop procrastinating and get those apps in. → Read More
Startup Battlefield is the heart and soul of Disrupt. It’s one of the best platforms in the world to launch your startup, and we’re looking for the very best startups to feature at Disrupt NY this April. But applications are due this Monday. They have to be submitted and completed by February 25th at 11:59 PST. You need to get cracking. → Read More
The time is nigh. Startup Battlefield applications need to be submitted and completed by Monday, February 25th. We’re looking for the very best startups to launch on Disrupt NY’s stage, but first you have to apply. By Monday. That’s five days from now. → Read More
Google is slowly pulling down Google Glass’ veil of secrecy. With each announcement, the company reveals a bit more of its secrets. This time around, the video above shows Google Glass’ UI in real world situations — you know, real world as in jumping from a plane and swinging on a trapeze. Forget about the wide-eyed concept videos; this is the real deal.
Get ready for even more Glasshole… → Read More
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