Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
What to expect from Apple, Google and Samsung’s big events
Hardware season is heading for a dramatic finale next week, with three events from three major companies, three days in a row. Apple, Google and Samsung (in that order) are all hosting big events next
McDonald’s will serve Beyond Meat McPlant burgers in select US locations next month
After announcing a deal with Beyond Meat back in February, McDonald’s this morning announced that it is set to start selling plant-based Beyond Meat burgers in select locations next month. Starting
War dogs
Let’s talk about strapping guns to the backs of robots. I’m not a fan (how’s that for taking a stand?). When MSCHF did it with Spot back in February, it was a thought experiment, art exhibit and
Browser-based hardware design tool Flux raises $12M
Things were trending toward remote collaboration well before the world ground to a screeching halt under the heels of a pandemic, but the past year and a half have undoubtedly been a major catalyst fo
Apple Watch Series 7 review
The entire smartwatch category had a good Q2, as numbers jumped 27% year over year. That, in turn, was up 20% from a year prior, in spite — or perhaps because of — COVID-19 concerns. The p
Warehouse robotics firm Dexterity raises $140M
Dexterity emerged from stealth in July of last year, touting a $56.2 million Series A. The Bay Area-based robotics startup was riding high on increased demand for automation at the height of the COVID
Nothing raises another $50M
In the wake of the July 31 launch of its first product, the Ear (1), Nothing today announced a “Series A Extension” of $50 million, bringing its total funding to $74 million to date. The round f
Apple is going ‘Unleashed’ for an October 18 event
Hardware season isn’t over over yet. A day before Google’s big Pixel event, Apple’s getting one more (probably) swing at things with an “Unleashed” event on Monday, Octob
On 10 years of ‘The Vertical Farm’
Roughly two hours pass between my initial email and our first Zoom chat — on a Sunday, no less. I skip the post-gym shower and pop on a baseball cap, because I’m not sure when the opportunity will
RoboTire raises $7.5M to automate tire replacement
RoboTire crossed our radar in February of last year, just before much of the world was brought to a complete standstill courtesy of the pandemic. Things were still fairly early stages for the Detroit-
Robot response team
I’ve been working on a big project the past several days (more on that soon), which means, unfortunately, I’ve been away from the daily breaking news. That means, in turn, that I really haven’t
Apple Watch Series 7 arrives October 15, starting at $399
The Apple Watch Series 7 debuted at the big September 14 hardware event, with a vague “fall” release date. Today, the company announced that the popular wearable will go up for preorder this Frida
What a community means in the modern world of startups
"Community" has grown into one of those buzzy Silicon Valley terms over the years, but long-time advocates explain that the concept is fundamental in entrepreneurship and venture capital investments.
Ad Astro
Let’s talk about arms for a second. Or, rather, let’s talk about a lack of arms. It’s a common thread between Jibo, Kuri and now Astro. I suppose one could make the argument that Anki’s Cozmo
Why Amazon built a home robot
iRobot’s CEO once told me, with a wink, that he didn’t become a truly successful roboticist until he became a vacuum salesman. It’s a good line, and one that betrays some fundamental truths abou
Amazon takes on Fitbit with the $80 Halo View
A year after launching its original exercise band, Halo, Amazon just dropped the follow-up, Halo View. The company’s not quite ready to go full bore into the smartwatch category just yet, but it cle
Amazon’s newest Echo Show is a 15-inch, wall-mounted digital picture frame
Amazon just took the wraps off the latest — and largest — addition to the Echo Show family. The Echo Show 15 takes the company’s smart screen technology to the wall in the form of a 15.6
Amazon launches a $60 smart thermostat
Amazon kicked off its big hardware event today by announcing a new smart thermostat. The company worked with Honeywell (and Resideo) to create the device, but is keeping its own branding on the produc
Burro raises $10.9M for autonomous produce field transport
Burro first crossed our path during our 2020 robotics event, when the agtech company competed in our pitch off. The company (which used to go by the decidedly less fun name Augean) appears to be movin
Playing Metroid Dread on the Nintendo Switch OLED Model
It’s been a big year for Nintendo news. Between the impossible fever dream of last week’s Super Mario movie casting and the eagerly anticipated sequel to the Switch’s best game, it’s easy to l