Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
Corvus is using drones to track warehouse inventory
Way back in August of last year, we highlighted the launch of Corvus Robotics in the Actuator newsletter. The Boston-based firm is one of a handful of startups looking to leverage indoor drones to hel
Former Amazon Robotics VP Brad Porter goes Collaborative
The pandemic was a moment of truth for Amazon Robotics. After years of work, numerous acquisitions and millions spent, could the retail giant’s massive investment in automation help keep things runn
Amazon starting drone deliveries in California town later this year
Amazon today announced that Lockeford, California will be “among the first” locations in the U.S. getting access to the company’s burgeoning drone delivery, Prime Air. Lockeford is a small, cens
Workforce quit
Yesterday, we officially announced one more big name for TC Sessions: Robotics. I’ll be speaking with Marty Walsh, the U.S. secretary of labor, at the July 21 event. It’s a bit of a curveball duri
Lenovo invests in trackpad startup Sensel
Sensel’s journey has been an interesting one to watch from afar. The firm crossed our radar several years back, courtesy of its Morph device, a colorful and clever piece of hardware that uses differ
Arduino sets its sights on enterprise applications with new funding round
Best known for its open source microcontrollers that have been wildly embraced by the developer community, Arduino now has its sights firmly set on the enterprise world. Specifically, the company beli
The Touch Bar lives on the M2 MacBook Pro
Turns out the tech world jumped the gun on declaring the Touch Bar dead. Apple dropped the embattled input device from the 14- and 16-inch versions of the MacBook Pro in late-2021, after several years
Hands-on with Apple’s M2 MacBook Air
The speed tests and all that fun stuff are going to have to wait until we get to bring one of these bad boys home. In the meantime, it’s just kind of nice to be back in the show scrum after two year
Google’s Pixel update brings a music video maker and new vaccine cards
I’ll be honest. Today might be the worst day for a non-Apple company to drop a raft of mobile operating system updates. But I suppose a Google Pixel feature drop waits for no one, Tim Cook and Compa
Live from Apple’s WWDC 2022 keynote
Happy first Monday in June. It’s time to sit back and let some ecosystem updates wash over you for the next few hours. This morning at 10AM PT, Apple is kicking off day one of WWDC with its customar
Watch Apple’s WWDC keynote live right here
The official kick off to summer is right around the corner, which can only mean one thing: it’s time to hole up in a dark room and watch Apple talk about the future of its operating ecosystems for a
Agtech robotics firm FarmWise just raised another $45 million
The rest of the startup universe may be struggling to bring in funds, but it’s still a good time to get a robotic raise. Agtech is high on that list. The median age of farmers is 55 years old in the
Robot, chicken
If you’ve visited our site at all in recent months, you’re probably aware that we’ve got a couple of big events coming up. We’ll be in Berkeley in a couple of weeks for our first climate event
Announcing the full agenda for TC Sessions: Robotics happening this July
We’re extremely excited we can finally unveil the agenda for this year’s TC Sessions: Robotics happening 100% online on July 21. It’s a tremendous labor of love for our team, and something w
What to expect from Apple’s WWDC 2022 keynote
First and foremost, WWDC is a developer event. Heck, it’s right there in the name (Worldwide Developers Conference). Like I/O, Build and the rest, the show has traditionally been a venue for getting
Why Intel chose Columbus, Ohio to build chips
There are few things politicians love more than a ceremonial groundbreaking. They get to stand there in a hard hat and suit, surrounded by C-level executives, shoveling a pile of symbolic dirt. Pomp a
Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go 2 arrives with a fingerprint reader and new Intel chips
The first Surface Laptop Go arrived to largely positive reviews toward the tail end of 2020. It was good timing, as those thing go, with plenty of folks looking to build out their home offices as it b
Artiphon’s delightful Orba handheld synthesizer gets a sequel
I would love to see more companies like Artiphon in the world. Hardware startups with clever ideas and a knack for bringing them to market. Back in November 2020, I spent a good bit of time with the c
Post-acquisition, Misty Robotics pivots to education
Back in 2018, a struggling Sphero needed a change. Post-Disney IP deal, life hadn’t been easy for the Colorado robotic toy firm, so it looked to a potentially lucrative new sector: STEM education. H
Samsung reportedly cutting smartphone production by 30M
All is not well in smartphone land. The industry was headed for a slowdown well before SARS-CoV-2 entered the picture. The glory days of expanding markets and bi-annual upgrades are seemingly at an en