Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
Smartphone sales expected to get a slight bump in 2020
Last year saw global smartphone sales decline for the first time since analysts started tracking such things. In Gartner’s case, that comprises a full 11 years, as figures dropped 2% for 2019. Follo
Filmic’s DoubleTake app brings simultaneous camera shooting to the iPhone 11
Filmic had a solid cameo at the iPhone launch event in Cupertino last September. Such an appearance is always a vote of confidence from Apple. In this particular case, the company was most interested
Boston Dynamics’ new and former CEOs discuss the future of the robotics pioneer
After more than a quarter century, Boston Dynamics has a new CEO. The transition (which quietly occurred late last year), saw founder Marc Raibert step aside to become chairman, as longtime employee R
The Pentagon pushes back on Huawei ban in bid for ‘balance’
Huawei may have just found itself an ally in the most unexpected of places. According to a new report out of The Wall Street Journal, both the Defense and Treasury Departments are pushing back on a Co
Boston Dynamics’ Spot gets an SDK and co-starring role in an Adam Savage video
This next year will be one of the most important since Boston Dynamics was founded back in 1992. After changing hands from Google to SoftBank, the robot maker is getting more aggressive about commerci
Boston Dynamics appoints its first-ever new CEO
After more than a quarter-century spent developing some of the industry’s most iconic and advanced machines, Boston Dynamics is a company in the midst of a profound transformation. This week, the Wa
The Apple Watch hits the gym with Connected program
Wrist-worn fitness trackers tend to do a fine job when exercising outdoors. For those glued to gym equipment, however, things get trickier. GPS can’t really do its job detecting distances, and machi
2020 will be a moment of truth for foldable devices
Phones were not the centerpiece at the recently wrapped Consumer Electronics Show; I’ll probably repeat this point a few more times over the course of this piece, just so we’re clear. This is due,
Huawei’s answer to life after Google Maps? TomTom
Losing access to Google software and services understandably threw Huawei for a loop. The Chinese hardware giant has clearly been working on a contingency plan to deal with the loss of access to thing
As retail robotics heats up, Berkshire Grey raises $263M
In recent years, the retail category has become one of the biggest and best-funded robotics categories — particularly when coupled with connected verticals like warehouse fulfillment and logistics.
Diligent’s Vivian Chu and Labrador’s Mike Dooley will discuss assistive robotics at TC Sessions: Robotics+AI
Too often the world of robotics seems to be a solution in search of a problem. Assistive robotics, on the other hand, are among one of the primary real-world tasks existing technology can seemingly ad
Can a $350 headband deliver better sleep?
Sleep is the next battleground on which the war for wearable health will be waged. Smartwatch and fitness band makers have been dipping their collective toes in the water for a few years now, but ther
TRI-AD’s James Kuffner and Max Bajracharya are coming to TC Sessions: Robotics+AI 2020
With the Tokyo Summer Olympics rapidly approaching, 2020 is shaping up to be a big year for TRI-AD (Toyota Research Institute – Advanced Development). Opened in 2018, the research wing is devote
Mojo Vision’s AR contact lenses are very cool, but many questions remain
Companies keep trying to make glassholes happen. Understandably. After the smartphone and the wrist, the face is the next local battlefield for computational space, if decades of science fiction movie
Crowdfunded hardware startups are breathing fresh life into music making
I love music. Seriously, it’s one of the few things that brings solace in this cold, lonely world. Want to go deep on Joni Mitchell, William Onyeabor or Pablo Casals? I’m game. Yes, I worked at mu
Companies take baby steps toward home robots at CES
“I think there are fewer fake robots this year.” I spoke to a lot of roboticists and robot-adjacent folks at this year’s CES, but that comment from Labrador Systems co-funder/CEO Mike Dooley sum
Dear Spotify, add rabbits to your pet playlists
If there’s one thing I know, it’s that music is the best thing our species has ever created. If there are two things I know, it’s the music thing and also that rabbits aren’t hamsters. Listen,
GaN chargers are still worth getting excited about
Listen. Chargers aren’t sexy. You know it. I know it. Charger companies know it, regardless of what they tell you in their pitch deck. Honestly, you’d be hard-pressed to think of too many electron
Announcing the agenda for Robotics + AI — March 3 at UC Berkeley
We’re bringing TC Sessions: Robotics + AI back to UC Berkeley on March 3, and we’re excited to announce our jam-packed agenda. For months we’ve been recruiting speakers from the ranks of the mos