Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
We’ll discuss the future of the gig economy and contract work at TC Sessions: Justice on March 3
Like so many other subjects, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought concerns about the gig economy and contract workers into sharp focus over the past year, which is why we’ll be diving into
The pandemic was top of mind in the tech of CES 2021
Of course COVID-19 was bound to be an unavoidable topic during the first-ever all-virtual CES. After all, the topic is at front of mind regardless of the topic these days. Close to a year into the pan
Desktop Metal buys fellow 3D printing company EnvisionTEC for $300M
Desktop Metal this morning announced its intention to purchase fellow 3D printing company EnvisionTEC. Founded in Germany in 2002, EnvisionTEC specializes in photopolymer additive manufacturing, putti
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro are a solid AirPods alternative
I suspect it will be a while before I get excited over wireless earbuds. It’s not for a lack of trying on the part of manufacturers. In fact, quite the contrary. The category actually matured quite
Video game spending increased 27% in 2020
If you’ve been following the gaming space — or just the state of the world, generally — over the past 12 months, this shouldn’t come as a major surprise. Spending saw big increases pre
Samsung answers Apple with the $199 Galaxy Buds Pro
Even before the leaks, we all saw the Galaxy Buds Pro coming. It was a given that the company was planning to deliver its own take on Apple’s AirPods Pro, with improved sound quality and active nois
Samsung’s Galaxy S21 line arrives with camera bumps, price drops and S Pen compatibility
Samsung wasted no time this year. With Mobile World Congress pushed back six or so months, the hardware maker hitched its wagon to the tail end of the CES whirlwind — though unlike its press con
Google’s Fitbit acquisition is official
Following regulatory scrutiny on both sides of the pond, Google this morning announced that it has completed its acquisition of wearables pioneer Fitbit. Google’s use of the vast amount of user heal
Robotic exoskeletons promise increased mobility and job assistance
The last several years have seen a substantial increase of ability for robotic exoskeleton technology. Completely understandable. For one thing, it’s that rare technology you encounter that really f
Nobi’s smart lamp alerts caregivers when a fall is detected
As expected, this year’s (virtual) CES has brought with it a new flood of smart home gadgets. The technology has been a major presence over the last several CES events, and with a world stuck at hom
Companies rush to replace the gym at CES
The year of the first-ever all-virtual CES is, unsurprisingly, the year of the virtual gym. The past 12 months have seen most of our fitness routines completely transformed — speaking for myself
Lenovo introduces a wireless charging mat for its e-ink sporting laptop
Lenovo keeps rolling out unique takes on familiar categories this year at CES. Last week it was the screen-swiveling all-in-one and some AR glasses, and today (the first official day of the show), the
Rollables are the new foldables
Smartphone sales are bad — and have been for a couple of years now. Certainly this ongoing pandemic hasn’t helped. All the talk about how 5G and new form factors were going to cause a kind of
Sony unveils AirPeak, its camera-carrying video drone
When Sony teased the AirPeak late last year, it didn’t give us much to go one. We knew the consumer electronics giant was finally getting in the drone business — but beyond that, not much else
Noopl’s iPhone plug-in is designed to improve hearing in noisy environments
Noopl looks like one of the more interesting hardware startups to come out of CES day one. The Sacramento-based company has designed an accessory that it says can help drown out background noise for u
Vuzix’s new microLED-powered smart glasses will arrive this summer
Less than a full day into CES 2021, and it seems that smart glasses are very much shaping up as a trend. I wrote about a pair of AR glasses from Lenovo aimed at business applications yesterday, and a
Square Off introduces a rollable connected chess board
We’ve been covering Square Off at CES for a couple of years now — ever since the connected chess startup competed in one of our pitch offs. The Mumbai-based startup has been rapidly iterating on t
Pollen Robotics’ humanoid robot can be controlled remotely with VR
Pollen Robotics turned heads at last year’s CES. After all, a humanoid robot will do that on the show floor (even if it’s only half of one). The French startup is back for this year’s show (inso
Samsung’s upcycling program is designed to give new life to old tech
In the world of annual refresh cycles, there’s always been a big question mark around what to do with all of the old tech we too readily abandon. There are a number of options for disposing and recy
At least one of Samsung’s new robots is definitely coming out (hint: it’s the vacuum)
For the last couple of years, Samsung’s CES press conferences have featured a parade of futuristic home robots. They are smart, dexterous and impressive (and reasonably adorable). But home robots ar