Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
One year later, the future of foldables remains uncertain
Yesterday, Samsung announced that the Galaxy Flip Z sold out online. What, precisely, that means, is hard to say, of course, without specific numbers from the company. But it’s probably enough to ma
HTC debuts ‘Project Proton’ concept Vive headset
Like practically everyone else in the mobile world, the cancellation of MWC on extremely short notice left HTC in the lurch. While the company has moved much of its efforts away from smartphones in ge
Announcing the final agenda for Robotics + AI — March 3 at UC Berkeley
TechCrunch is returning to UC Berkeley on March 3 to bring together some of the most influential minds in robotics and artificial intelligence. Each year we strive to bring together a cross-section of
Want podcasts to remain independent? Support independent podcasts
Full disclosure one: I’ve hosted a lot of independent podcasts, with varying degrees of success. Full disclosure two: This story is being hosted on a site owned by a corporate media giant. There’s
Do trade shows still matter in the age of online business?
The death of Mobile World Congress 2020 started as a trickle. First, it was an understandably nervous ZTE. As a Chinese company, it was undoubtedly going to receive extra scrutiny — never mind that
Join the Q&A with top speakers at TC Sessions: Robotics + AI (March 3)
Over the past four years, TechCrunch has brought together some of the biggest names in robotics — founders, CEOs, VCs and researchers — for TC Sessions: Robotics + AI. The show has provide
Kickstarter workers vote to unionize
Kickstarter today announced that its staff has decided to unionize. The move reflects a broader movement for worker representation among tech employees. The site joins a growing list of companies whos
Images of TCL’s slide-out display smartphone surface in wake of MWC cancellation
This morning brought a look at some of what we’re missing at this year’s Mobile World Congress. The show may have been called off on account of coronavirus concerns, but the news goes on. We knew
Living with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
The Galaxy Z Flip ships with the same “Care Instructions” as the Fold. It’s a five-item list with the following basic points: Don’t scratch the screen with a pen or fingernail Don’t stick st
MIT showcases soft robotic sensors made from flexible, off-the-shelf materials
A team at MIT’s CSAIL demonstrated a new kind of “skin” designed to bring a sense of touch and place to soft robotic arms. The findings, which debuted in the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
Phone manufacturers eye their next move as 5G goes mainstream
For two years running, Samsung played the same trick and front-loaded its annual event by announcing a new foldable. Last year’s announcement of the Fold was a huge one — the first viable (relativ
Andy Rubin’s Essential shuts down
Essential was supposed to disrupt the smartphone industry. And when it was done with that, it was coming for the smart home. The company came out of stealth with a $330 million funding round and grand
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip hands-on: This is more like it
The buyer beware adage is never more true than among early adopters. It was price, however, that made the Galaxy Fold such a difficult pill to swallow. When it was finally released to the public after
Samsung gives foldables another go with the Galaxy Z Flip
Samsung did a surprisingly good job keeping the Galaxy Fold under wraps, surprising the world with its first foldable this time last year during the Galaxy S10 unveil. When it came to the Galaxy Z Fli
Samsung skips nine numbers, announces the Galaxy S20
The world will likely never see the Galaxy S11. Or the Galaxies S12-S19, for that matter. At an event this morning in San Francisco, Samsung announced that it was skipping a decade’s worth of handse
Samsung’s very good Galaxy Buds get much better battery life
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds have been one of the low-key success stories of the current Bluetooth earbud revolution. They don’t have the flash of an AirPod, but they get the mix of form and function jus
Samsung’s flagships get a new level of premium, starting at $1,400
Flagship prices that routinely top out well above $1,000 are among the chief factors in slowing smartphone adoption. Certainly Samsung has done something to address the phenomenon, both with a number
Sprint/T-Mobile merger gets federal judge approval
The U.S. mobile landscape is on track to look a whole lot different. A hotly contested $26 billion deal between T-Mobile and Sprint just got the go ahead from a U.S. district court judge. The merger w
Nvidia VP Claire Delaunay will discuss empowering robotics startups at TC Sessions: Robotics + AI
Robotics, AI and automation are the future of business. This much seemingly everyone can agree on. Finding the resources to implement these technologies, on the other hand, is a different question ent
As top exhibitors pull out of MWC, organizers implement stringent safeguards
A couple of weeks out, Mobile World Congress organizer, the GSMA, has issued some fairly sweeping safeguards over growing concerns around the coronavirus. After a number of high profile back outs, inc