Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
Tim Cook told Trump China tariffs were the wrong move
In a new interview with Bloomberg television, Apple CEO Tim Cook says he addressed China trade tariffs in a late-April meeting with President Trump. “I talked about trade and the importance of t
Ring’s doorbell cam allowed video access after its password was changed
This is likely to be a bit of a black eye from Amazon, as the company looks to bolster its presence in the home security space. The Information reports that, until earlier this year, a security loopho
Apple invests $10M in greenhouse gas-free aluminum smelting
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard joined key execs from Apple and industrial manufacturers Alcoa and Rio Tinto to announce a new process for smelting aluminu
Nintendo’s $20 charging stand finally fixes the Switch’s kickstand problem
Versatility has always been one of the Switch’s best features. The latest Nintendo system is a fascinating hybrid device that skirts the line between home and portable gaming. Still, there are some
Google used improv rules to deal with a farting Assistant
Listen, it’s late on day two of Google I/O and we’re all getting a bit punchy here. During a late-afternoon panel on design and Assistant, Google Principal Designer Ryan Germick explained that the
Wear OS is getting a new battery saving mode
Given Google’s recent rebranding mode and a few pieces of news trickling out over the past week, it seemed safe to expect some key updates for the operating system formerly known as Android Wear. Bu
Things are looking bleak as ZTE ceases main business operations
ZTE wasn’t kidding around when it suggested that a U.S. Department of Commerce order would “severely impact” its survival. It’s hard to image a successful path around the seven-year ban on th
Niantic is going to crowdsource AR maps
It seems clear that Niantic always had broader plans than simple casual gaming. The Google-supported startup’s 2016 title Pokémon GO is largely considered a major factor in helping to mainstream au
Google’s new Android TV dongle is for developers only
With so much focus on consumer-facing updates, it can be easy to forget that the rest of I/O is all about developers. So, when the company announces a rare piece of first-party hardware at the event,
Maps walking navigation is Google’s most compelling use for AR yet
Google managed to elicit an audible gasp from the crowd at I/O today when it showed off a new augmented feature for Maps. It was a clear standout during a keynote that contained plenty of iterative up
Android P Beta is available today
There was plenty of talk about Android P at today’s big I/O kickoff — but when can you actually download the thing? Right now, as a matter of fact, if you’ve got one of a handful of compatible h
Android P leverages DeepMind for new Adaptive Battery feature
No surprise here, Android P was the highlight of today’s Google I/O keynote. The new version of the company’s mobile operating system still doesn’t have a name (at least not as of this writing),
Google’s first Smart Displays will launch in July
Smart Displays were the talk of Google’s big push at CES this year — but there’s been nary a peep in the intervening months. As expected, we got a little more insight into the company’s Echo S
Gmail for iOS gets Google Pay and snooze features
Happy I/O day! The big show hasn’t actually kicked off, but the Google news continues to trickle in. If you’re among those using Gmail on iOS, check the App Store right now for an update that brin
What to expect at Google I/O this week
Google has been rolling out news at a steady rate since last week, in what feels like a bit of a last-minute clearinghouse ahead of tomorrow. The company’s already taken the wraps off of news about
Five reasons to attend TC Robotics this Friday at UC Berkeley
This Friday, May 11, TechCrunch launches the West Coast debut of TC Sessions: Robotics at UC Berkeley. There are still a few tickets left, including $45 student tickets, that will get you access to th
JBL’s new soundbar brings Android TV and Google Assistant to sets via HDMI
Given the downright deluge of news over the past couple of weeks, one has to wonder what, precisely, Google is keeping up its sleeve for I/O. The big event doesn’t kick off until tomorrow morning, b
Fitbit adds menstrual cycle tracking to its smartwatch app
Fitbit announced its new female health tracking feature alongside the Versa at an event back in March. The offering is finally starting to roll out on the company’s iOS and Windows apps, letting use
Original Content podcast: No hiding from Netflix’s show about killer rain
We were skeptical about The Rain, a new Danish series from Netflix. Not that the trailer was bad, exactly. It’s just hard to take a show with the tagline “Stay Dry. Stay Alive.” very