Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
MacBook Air M1 review: The right Apple Silicon Mac for most
Reviewing hardware is an act of minutia. Occasionally something new or potentially earth-shattering comes along, but on the whole, it’s about chipping away. Documenting small, gradual changes design
Google pulls the plug on Expeditions VR app, migrates tours to Arts & Culture
Google today announced that it is ending support for Expeditions. The VR app will also be pulled from its own Play Store and Apple’s App Store in June of next year. In a blogpost somewhat confusingl
Nintendo’s Switch dominates US console sales ahead of PlayStation/Xbox launches
Another banner month month for Nintendo hardware sales, per the latest figures from NPD. The firm puts Switch sales (including the standard and Lite models) at 735,000 units in the U.S., making the be
Twitter labeled 300,000 US election tweets — around 0.2%
Just over a week after the U.S. elections, Twitter has offered a breakdown of some of its efforts to label misleading tweets. The site says that from October 27 to November 11, it labeled some 300,000
Amazon’s in-garage delivery is now available in 4,000 US cities
For all the myriad ways Amazon has made shopping more convenient, the last-mile delivery can be an issue. The company’s Key service is an attempt to address those issues, offering a way for packages
macOS Big Sur is now available
The day has finally arrived. The latest version of macOS is here, after a seemingly endless wait. That wasn’t just your imagination, either. Sure time is basically meaningless now, but this one did
Sonos launches an $8/month streaming radio service
There’s no shortage of streaming music options in the world, but the fine folks at Sonos decided we can all do with one more. Following the April launch of the ad-supported Sonos Radio, the company
Apple HomePod Mini review: Remarkably big sound
It’s hard to shake the sense that the smart speaker market would look considerably different had the HomePod Mini arrived several years back. It’s not so much that the device is transformative on
Ring doorbells recalled over fire threat
Amazon-owned Ring devices have long been under scrutiny of privacy advocates. Now the brand is dealing with another issue entirely.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro gets Apple’s new M1 chip, starting at $1,299
And just like that, we’ve got three new devices sporting Apple’s new proprietary chips. Following its announcement of a new MacBook Air and Mac Mini, the company just upgraded another popu
This is the new $999 MacBook Air, powered by Apple silicon
It’s official. The first MacBook to sport Apple’s own silicon is here. The perennial favorite thin and light is on the way, featuring the company’s new M1 chip — it’s fir
Huawei reportedly set to sell Honor budget phone division for $15B
Following weeks of rumors surrounding a potential sale, Huawei has reportedly struck a deal to divest itself of its Honor brand. A new report out today from Reuters notes that the embattled hardware m
Spotify buying podcast hosting and ad company Megaphone for $235M
Spotify has come under fire of late over questions around musician compensation, but when it comes to podcasting, it has money to burn. This morning, the streaming service confirmed its acquisition of
Hyundai reportedly in talks to buy SoftBank-owned Boston Dynamics
Boston Dynamics could be set to change hands once again, according to a new report from Bloomberg that cited “people familiar with the matter.” The deal would make Korean automaker Hyundai the thi
What we expect from Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ Mac event
Macs. Okay, great. We’re done here.
A better look at Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone Mini
The various iterations of the new iPhone were announced 800 million years ago. Actually, wait, I just double checked — it was only about two or so weeks ago, but it turns out that time has no meanin
Sony’s PlayStation 5 won’t be available in-store at launch
A small wrinkle in the console wars. Sony took to Twitter today to note that the PlayStation 5 won’t be available for in-store purchase on launch day (November 12 or 19, depending on which part of t
DJI’s pint-sized Mavic Mini gets camera and connection upgrades
We dug DJI’s Mavic Mini when the drone arrived last year. As Matt noted in his review, “It packs everything critical to be a quality drone. It has a good camera, good range and a good controller.
YouTube removes ads from, but won’t pull, ‘Trump Won’ video following backlash
This year’s presidential election has already proven to be a considerable test of the U.S. democratic system. It’s also been doing a fine job testing the systems behind leading social networks fou
Hands-on with Mophie’s new modular smartphone battery case
There was some confusion when the Juice Pack Connect was announced last week. I admit I was a bit confused, too. It was, no doubt, the proximity to Apple’s iPhone 12 launch that lead many to (unders