Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
Hand-crank a level of Super Mario Bros. on Lego’s new 2,646-piece NES kit
Feel that? That’s the unmistakable and overwhelming sensation of nostalgia for your misspent youth coursing through your blood, as the 35th anniversary of the Nintendo Entertainment System is sneaki
Hello Robot emerges out of stealth to launch a mobile robotic gripping platform for the home
This is Stretch — or, more precisely, the Stretch Research Edition. The name certainly conveys the tall, skinny and minimalist design of the home helper robot. Stretch is different and somehow famil
Trump’s account is back on Twitch following ‘hateful conduct’ suspension
It’s been two weeks since Reddit and Twitch made key moves to ban political content over service violations. As Twitch noted at the time, its suspension of the official Trump account was just tempor
Superstrata opens pre-orders on a pair of 3D-printed bicycles
There’s one thing I can’t stop thinking about every time I look at the Superstrata: Just how quickly the thing would get stolen. That’s no knock against the bike itself — in fact, it’s proba
Google’s Fitbit deal could avoid EU antitrust probe by agreeing not to use health data for ads
Google announced its plans to acquire Fitbit for $2.1 billion back in November. As of this writing, the deal has yet to go through, courtesy of all the usual regulatory scrutiny that occurs any time o
Facebook code change caused outage for Spotify, Pinterest and Waze apps
If you’re an iPhone user, odds are fairly good you spent a frustrating portion of the morning attempting to reopen apps. I know my morning walk was dampened by the inability to fire up Spotify. Plen
New report outlines potential roadmap for Apple’s ARM-based MacBooks
When Ming-Chi Kuo offers up a new report, Apple followers listen. The latest offering from the analyst adds key detail to the potential roadmap for Apple’s recently announced push into its home-bake
PC shipments rebound slightly following COVID-19-fueled decline
PC shipments had a rough first quarter for all of the same reasons as everything that isn’t a Clorox wipe or N95 mask. People just weren’t ready to drop a ton of money on a new device. The impact
Amazon will pay $135,000 to settle alleged US sanction violations
In a statement issued this week, the U.S. Treasury Department notes that Amazon has agreed to pay $134,523 to settle potential liability over alleged sanctions violations. The charges specifically per
Amazon’s Alexa heads Toni Reid and Rohit Prasad are coming to Disrupt
It’s hard to believe that Alexa was only announced in November 2014. In fewer than six years, the smart assistant has gone from consumer electronics curiosity to a nearly ubiquitous tech phenomenon.
Apple says it’s ‘committed’ to supporting Thunderbolt on new Macs after Intel details latest version
Earlier today, Intel offered some key insight into Thunderbolt 4, following an initial unveiling at CES back in January. The latest version of the connection standard isn’t actually faster than its
Asus and Lenovo among the first to launch Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus devices
Qualcomm just revealed initial details around the Snapdragon 865 Plus. Like the 855 Plus before it, the upcoming chip represents a mid-year performance boost to the company’s mobile flagship. Think
Samsung will reveal the next Galaxy Note on August 5
Samsung’s next big Unpacked event is scheduled for August 5. As is the trend these days, the unveiling will be online-only, following in the footsteps of big virtual events from the likes of Microso
Arm plans to spin off IoT businesses under SoftBank banner as it focuses on core chip design business
Arm today announced plans to spin off its two IoT businesses, a move that would effectively transfer the divisions under the broader umbrella of the SoftBank Group core, which purchased the chip desig
Motorola announces €349 5G phone for Europe, promises a sub-$500 model for US this year
Last year Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 765, promising to usher in an era of low-cost 5G devices. Motorola, naturally, was more than happy to take advantage of the technology. While the company ha
Replenysh raises a $2 million seed round to streamline recycling for buyers and sellers
Replenysh has been kicking since 2016, but up til now, the Orange County, California startup hasn’t done much press. That changes today, as the company announces that it has raised a $2 million seed
Uber grocery delivery launches in Latin America and Canada, US to follow later this month
A day after acquiring Postmates for $2.65 billion, Uber has officially launched grocery delivery in select Latin American and Canadian cities. The initiative is the product of the also recently announ
As COVID-19 surges, 3D printing is having a moment
COVID-19 will be remembered for many things — most undoubtedly negative. There are, however, some silver linings among the horrors of the deadliest pandemic in recent memory. Among them, if the sort