Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
Zume will provide food trucks for &pizza
Zume first made waves by entering the scene as a robotic pizza company. Since then, however, the SF Bay Area startup has taken pains to demonstrate that it has its sights set on a loftier goal of prov
Apple Watch Series 5 review
Apple’s iPhones numbers may have suffered in recent years, but when it comes to smartwatches, the company remains utterly dominant. Recent figures from Counterpoint put Apple Watch growth at 48% yea
Natural lighting is the key to Apple’s remodeled Fifth Ave. store
When it opened in 2006, Apple’s Fifth Avenue flagship quickly became a top destination for New York City residents and tourists, alike. The big, glass cube was a radical departure from prior electro
Roboticist and YouTube star Simone Giertz is coming to Disrupt SF (Oct. 2-4)
Here’s a fun thing to look forward to next month. Simone Giertz, she of the shitty robots fame, will be appearing onstage at Disrupt SF (October 2-4) at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The U.S.
After conquering smartphones, PopSocket sets its sights on beverages
In its first half-decade of existence, PopSocket has grown into one of the most popular — and imitated — smartphone accessories on the market. In 2018 alone, the company generated $90 million in p
Ten questions for 2020 presidential candidate John Delaney
In November 2020, America will go to the polls to vote in perhaps the most consequential election in a generation. The winner will lead the country amid great social, economic and ecological unrest. T
Simbe raises a $26M Series A for its retail inventory robot
San Francisco-based robotics startup Simbe just announced a $26 million Series A. The round was led by Venrock and features Future Shape, Valo Ventures and Activant Capital. The company is one of seve
Razer made a case for cooling iPhones while gaming
Razer’s efforts to build a game-centric smartphone haven’t exactly caught the world on fire just yet. Still, mobile gaming is a huge business poised to get even bigger, with services from big name
What the iPhone 11 says about Apple’s present — and future
No matter how much polish and Apple magic the company put on today’s big event, there was one unshakable truth that colored the goings-on: phones just aren’t selling like they used to. And unlike
Apple Watch Series 5 hands-on
The new Apple Watch is even harder to distinguish from its predecessor than the new iPhone. Given the fact that Fitbit’s smartwatches appear more and more Apple-like with every new generation, howev
iPhone 11 Pro hands-on
More than any other iPhone event in recent memory, today’s big launch was content-first. Apple began the show with several gaming demos from Arcade, before moving along to TV+ premieres. The new
Live from Apple’s iPhone 11 event
The moment is finally here, Apple fans. This morning at 10AM PT/1PM ET, the company will unveil the latest version of the iPhone. You can read up on all of the latest rumors here (or watch this handy
Fitbit Versa 2 review
The Versa didn’t single-handedly save Fitbit, but it gave the struggling wearable company a way forward. The smartwatch demonstrated the potential for life beyond the fitness tracker. It also proved
Google Nest Hub Max review
There were two standout features I really appreciated off the bat about the original Nest (nee Google Home) Hub: its compact size and its lack of camera. The new Nest Max has decidedly neither of thos
Joi Ito resigns as MIT Media Lab head in wake of Jeffrey Epstein reporting
Joichi Ito, the embattled director of the M.I.T. Media Lab, has stepped down according to a statement by MIT’s president, L. Rafael Reif. The news was first reported by The New York Times, whic
Lenovo slims down its Google smart display
Before there was the Nest Home — heck, before there was even the Google Home Hub — there was the Lenovo Smart Display. The smart screen was far and away the nicest of the original Google Assistant
After announcing Galaxy Fold release date, Samsung cancels older preorders
The good news: Samsung says it has addressed the early problems with the Galaxy Fold and finally has a release date (in Korea at least). The bad news: The company is canceling the first round of U.S.
What to expect from Apple’s September 10 iPhone event
Here’s what we know for sure: Apple’s holding a big event on its campus at 10AM PT on September 10. Here’s what we almost certainly know for sure: The iPhone 11 will launch with a new camera con
TCL adopts Tempow’s multi-device Bluetooth streaming tech
Here’s an interesting bit of news out of IFA today. TCL this morning announced a deal with Tempow that will bring the French company’s clever Bluetooth streaming protocol to its forthcoming Plex f
Sonos gets portable
This is the Sonos that many have no doubt been waiting for. With the Move, the premium audio company is finally getting into the portable Bluetooth speaker market — but is doing so in a way that is