Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
Qualcomm won’t be exhibiting in-person at MWC
Another major name in mobile has confirmed that it won’t be exhibiting at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Chip giant Qualcomm is joining a list that already includes Google, IBM, Nokia, Sony, Or
Amazon updates Echo Show line with a pan and zoom camera and a kids model
Amazon this morning announced a handful of updates across its Echo Show line of smart screens. The top-level most interesting bit here is the addition of a pan and zoom camera to the mid-tier Echo Sho
Lenovo won’t be attending MWC in person, either
Shortly after Samsung announced that it won’t be attending the upcoming MWC Barcelona, Chinese hardware giant (and Motorola parent) Lenovo has confirmed with TechCrunch that it has also decided to f
Samsung withdraws from in-person MWC
It’s beginning to feel a bit like 2020, as yet another major manufacturer has announced that it won’t be attending MWC’s upcoming in-person event in Barcelona. Roughly a month and a half out, Sa
Nothing’s first product, the Ear 1 earbud, launches in June
Say what you will, Nothing has been doing a fine job milking its upcoming launch for all it’s worth. The company has spent the last several month’s teasing the arrival of its first product. The la
Sennheiser sells off its consumer brand
Long-running German audio company Sennheiser today announced that it has found a buyer for its consumer brand. Swiss holding company Sonova — a giant in the hearing aid business — will be
Peloton projects $165M revenue impact from treadmill recalls
What would have been a celebratory earnings call in just about any other quarter ended on a somber note today, as Peloton CEO John Foley kicked things off with an apology. “We are a members-first or
Twitter Tip Jar lets you pay people for good tweetin’
Twitter today confirmed earlier reports that it’s testing a new Tip Jar feature. The new addition utilizes a number of different payment platforms, including PayPal, Venmo, Patreon, Cash App and Ban
Hamburgers and hot rods
I’m going to be honest with you: It was kind of a slow week for robotics news. Honestly, that’s the first time I can say that since I started doing this thing weekly (happy 10 weeks to us, by the
Desktop Metal adds wood printing to its portfolio
Desktop Metal today announced the launch of wood 3D printing tool, Forust. Founded in 2019, the company specializes in 3D printing for interior design. The company’s “non-destructive” printing m
Music mixing marketplace EngineEars raises $1M, with help from Kendrick Lamar
EngineEars today announced a $1 million raise. The company’s first round of funding features investments from Kendrick Lamar, DJ Mustard, Roddy Rich and Slauson and Co. “Quality of sound is st
Peloton apologizes, agrees to treadmill recall
Peloton today announced that it will be cooperating with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), agreeing to two voluntary treadmill recalls for the Tread+ and Tread versions of its home t
Forerunner’s Eurie Kim and Oura’s Harpreet Rai discuss betting on consumer hardware
"I think every founder I know thinks that their decks are shared a lot more. I don’t feel like that, but I know that comes from experience."
Fitness ring maker Oura raises $100M
It’s been a wild couple of years for Oura. Last year, in particular, proved to be a major driver for the wearable fitness manufacturer. With the pandemic bringing professional sports to a screeching
Chromebook shipments grew 275% in Q1
New numbers from research firm Canalys point to continued growth for PCs in 2020/21, as the pandemic has forced many to rethink how — and where — they work. PC shipments have grown for fou
Private equity firm Apollo to buy Verizon Media assets for $5B, will rename business ‘Yahoo’
Following several days of negotiation and rumors, Verizon today announced that it has entered an agreement to sell its media assets to private equity firm Apollo Global Management for $5 billion. Apol
Path Robotics raises $56M Series B for automated welding
Columbus, Ohio-based firm Path Robotics today announced the completion of a $56 million Series B. The round, led by Addition (featuring Drive Capital, Basis Set and Lemnos Lab) brings the robotic weld
US video game spending increased 30% in Q1
Even as signs of life after the pandemic have begun to emerge here in the U.S., increases in video game spending continue. There’s no doubt that much of last year’s big numbers were driven by stay
Head, tail, knees and trees (knees and trees)
Some fun ones this week, so let’s get all of those pesky business transactions out of the way first, shall we? I mean, not that tens of millions of dollars changing hands for future robotics technol