Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
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
Attempt to fold Motorola’s Razr 100,000 times doesn’t go great
The Galaxy Fold felt like an omen for a burgeoning category. The fascinating and promising product was plagued by broken review units that forced Samsung to go back to the drawing board with a reinfor
Motorola embraces the stylus life on its budget G series
Motorola’s long been a kind of quiet workhorse on the mobile scene. Aside from the occasional razzle-dazzle of a Moto Z or Razr, the Lenovo subsidiary mostly trades in budget handsets. The G line is
Where are wearables going in 2020?
Apple has throttled the competition in another category. During the company’s recent earnings call, CEO Tim Cook noted the company’s wearable division now rivals the size of a Fortune 500 company.
Netflix’s horrible autoplay previews can be turned off
Listen, this week sucks. Last week pretty much sucked, too. Honestly, it’s probably time to just scrap this stupid jerk of a year and give 2021 a go. (Spoiler: That one will suck, too.) But you take
Pax Labs names a new CEO
Five and a half months after Bharat Vasan was removed as CEO, Pax Labs has finally announced a replacement. Michael Murphy will step into the leadership role, as both the CEO and president of the popu
What to expect from Samsung’s S20 event
Next Tuesday, Samsung kicks off smartphone season with its Unpacked event in San Francisco. One of two tentpole events for the company, the big show brings with it the latest edition of the company’
Google’s Glass dreams live on with the arrival of enterprise hardware
Google Glass was ahead of its time. That’s not to say that the people who wore it out in public didn’t look like giant dorks, of course, but in hindsight it seems safe to say that the world just w
A results reporting app by Shadow Inc. takes center stage at chaotic Iowa caucuses
American democracy can be confusing and messy. There is, perhaps, no better example than last night’s Iowa caucuses. The votes that kick off presidential primary season are, at once, a wonderful
Watch experts from Boston Dynamics, Built, Dusty and Toggle discuss robotic construction at TC Sessions: Robotics
After recently doing a survey of the top robotics investment rounds, it became pretty clear: construction is going to be huge for this industry. Global construction is expected to hit $13 trillion by